Phoebe Poust (maiden name: Miller) was born on January 26, 1832, in Pennsylvania to David Miller and Mary Campbell. Her father was a blacksmith who owned $200 of real estate in 1850. Phoebe probably grew up in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. She married George Poust around 1853, and they had at least eight children: Mary, born around 1853; Albert, born around 1854; Jane, born around 1856; Isidore, born around 1858; Phoebe, born around 1862; Catherine, born around 1864; Sophronia, born around 1866; and Charles, born around 1869. The family lived in Lycoming County, and George worked as a carpenter. By 1860, they owned $1,000 of real estate and $100 of personal property. A decade later, they reported $2,000 of real estate and $300 of personal property. She remained in Lycoming County for the rest of her life, dying there of “mitral disease of the heart” on September 30, 1917.