She grew up in a family where women were well-educated and intellectually active; one of her aunts was the botanist Katharine Murray Lyell, who was a biographer of Charles Lyell, her brother-in-law.
Creceu nunha familia onde as mulleres eran ben educadas e intelectualmente activas; unha das súas tías era a botánica Katharine Murray Lyell, quen foi biógrafa de Charles Lyell, o seu cuñado.