Cornelia Elizabeth Boardman was the sixth child of Elijah Boardman and Mary Anna Whiting. She was born August 4, 1808 in New Milford, Connecticut. She attended school in New Haven where her brother William Whiting Boardman resided, and New York where her sister, Caroline Boardman Schroeder, lived. Her father died when she was 15 years old. Despite several proposals of marriage, Cornelia chose to remain single and care for her mother, who lived to the age of 80. Cornelia inherited the family home in New Milford and managed it until her death. The family home was passed down through Caroline’s children and remained in the family into the 20th century.