Eliza Esther Gillett (maiden name: Berry) was born on February 5, 1818, in Westerly, Rhode Island, to Samuel and Lucy Berry. She married James McBurney Gillett, and they had at least four children: Charles, born on March 24, 1841; Euphemia, born around 1844; Mary, born around 1846; and Hattie, born around 1856.
They lived in Hopewell, New York, and her husband worked as a farmer. By 1850, they owned $4,000 of real estate. A decade later, they owned $6,000 of real estate and $1,300 of personal property, and by 1870, they owned $12,700 of real estate and $3,900 of personal property. Her husband died on March 21, 1884, and she passed away on September 22, 1887.