Emeline Larcom was the sister of Lucy Larcom (a well known New England poet, essayist, and editor). One of ten children, she grew up in the Massachusetts coastal town of Beverly -- located just north of Boston. Her father was a sea captain who was often away from home. With his untimely death in 1832, his wife, Lois Larcom, was forced to seek out employment to maintain her large family; she found it in the mill town of Lowell. She relocated to the community with her younger children in 1835, and took charge of a boardinghouse, working for the Lawrence Manufacturing Company. Soon, four of her daughters also took up employment with the firm � working inside the mills. Emiline was one of them. Sometime between 1837 and 1840, Lois Larcom returned to Beverly. Several of her daughters, including Emiline, remained in the mill. Emiline worked for the Lawrence Company until her marriage in 1843.
