Mary Carpenter was born on March 4, 1831, in Pennsylvania to Timothy and Bethenia Carpenter. Her father was a farmer who owned $1,000 of real estate in 1850. By 1850, she was living in Eldred, Pennsylvania. She married William L. Chrisman around 1863, and their daughter Mary was born around 1870. The family lived in Eldred, and her husband worked as a physician and farmer. By 1870, they owned $4,000 of real estate and $500 of personal property. She remained in Eldred for the rest of her life, and she died of pneumonia there on January 15, 1915.