Elizabeth Stephens was born on March 10, 1902 in Montclair, New Jersey to Thomas Wilcox Stephens, a manufacturer, and Elizabeth (Henderson) Stephens. Prior to her enrollment at Smith College in 1920, Stephens attended The Shipley School (Bryn Mawr, PA), Miss Walker's School (Simsbury, Connecticut), and Milton Academy (Milton, Massachusetts). Stephens graduated from Smith College on June 19, 1924 with an AB and married Ogden Bigelow in 1926. Ogden Junior was born in 1928 and their daughter, Ann (AB '51), in 1929.