Charlotte Elizabeth Ely was born on July 2, 1839 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her sister, Mary Ann Caroline Ely (who usually called herself Annie) was born on June 2, 1841 in Wilmington, Delaware. They were the daughters of Judah Ely, a Presbyterian minister who died in 1843, and Caroline Coutier Ely, a native of England. After the death of their mother in about 1853, the Elys moved to Buffalo, N.Y., to live with an uncle, E. Sterling Ely. The sisters were educated at home and spent a year at Elmira College before entering Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. After graduating from Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in 1861, the Elys spent two years teaching, then went on a tour of England and Europe in 1865-1866. An encounter with the Reverend and Mrs. George C. Knapp, the first missionaries in Bitlis, Turkey, convinced the Elys that they, too, should become missionaries in that area. The Elys arrived in Bitlis on October 3, 1868, and established the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary for Armenian girls. They remained at the school (except for rare furloughs to the United States) until Mary died on May 4, 1913, and Charlotte died on July 11, 1915.