Lepha Eliza Dunton was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, January 21, 1845. Her father was of Scotch descent. Both parents were born and reared in Georgia, Vermont, and their family consisted of nine children, all born in Georgia and Vermont, except Bailey, the youngest. From Vermont, her parents removed, with their entire family, to Battle Creek in the fall of 1840. Michigan was at that time an unbroken wilderness.
