Anna McLaurin was born on September 27, 1845, probably in North Carolina, to Hugh and Eliza McLaurin. Her father was a clergyman who owned $600 of real estate in 1850. The family was living in Moore County, North Carolina, in 1850, but they probably moved to Georgia soon afterward. Her father died in Georgia on September 30, 1852. She died on August 25, 1872.