Lillian Carpenter was born around 1859 in Pennsylvania to Riley Carpenter and Lovicy Pratt. Her father was a farmer who owned $3,000 of real estate and $600 of personal property by 1860. She grew up and attended school in Richmond, Pennsylvania. By 1880, she was working as a school teacher. She remained in her parents’ household until at least 1910. By 1920, she was living in Steuben, Pennsylvania. She died of apoplexy in Meadville, Pennsylvania, on February 23, 1934.