Elizabeth Hayden was born in New York City on 6 September 1883. It appears that she was born after the accidental death of her father, Edward Hayden, on March 19, 1883, which left her mother Mary (Howe) Hayden to raise four children on her own. According to oral histories shared by family members, as a teenager Elizabeth became a housekeeper or nanny for the Jacob Reichert family. Jacob's brother, William, lived with the family following the death of their parents. Eventually, Elizabeth Hayden and William Reichert married.