Elisha Ferguson Mead was born on June 25, 1824, in Hinesburgh, Vermont, to William and Amanda Mead. His father was a farmer who owned $1,000 of personal property by 1860. He grew up in Hinesburgh, and by 1850, he was working as a lawyer. He moved to Bruce, Michigan, in the 1850s. By 1860, he owned $1,400 of personal property. A decade later, he owned $10,000 of personal property. He moved to Starksboro, Vermont, in the 1870s, and by 1880, he was living with his brother William and his sister Sarah. He died of Bright’s disease in Starksboro on December 27, 1897.