Cenith Sanders was born around 1845 in Indiana to William and Mary Sanders. Her father was a farmer who owned $1,400 of real estate and $750 of personal property by 1860. She grew up and attended school in Baker, Indiana. She married James W. Bridges in Dover Hill, Indiana, on October 18, 1864. They had at least three children: Matilda, born around 1867; Isaac, born around 1871; and James, born around 1874. Her husband died in the 1870s, and she married Ben Ehlen later that decade. Their son Charles was born around 1880. Cenith died sometime after 1880.