This first native-born American saint was born on August 28, 1774 in New York to a wealthy and distinguished Episcopalian family. Elizabeth Ann Seton was born Elizabeth Ann Bailey, the daughter of Dr. Richard Bayley, the first professor of anatomy at Columbia College, and Catherine Charlton, daughter of an Anglican minister. By birth and marriage, she was linked to the prominent families of New York and enjoyed the luxuries of high society. However, tragedies early on in her life made her acutely aware of the temporariness of life here on earth. Elizabeth's birth mother died when Elizabeth was only three years old and her younger sister died a year later. Elizabeth became a fervently religious Episcopalian -- she read the Bible frequently and often wore a crucifix around her neck. At nineteen years of age she married William Seton, the son of a wealthy shipping family. She was very happy in her marriage and the couple had five children. Elizabeth developed a close friendship with h...
