Judy Woodford was born around 1826. Due to the limitations imposed by the socio-political conditions of the time regarding record-keeping for African Americans, particularly those enslaved or recently freed, specific details regarding her birth and early life are absent from historical records. It is likely she experienced the hardships and challenges faced by many African Americans during this era.

While specific details are unknown, Judy Woodford, later Reed, likely spent her life engaged in domestic labor, possibly working as a cook or in other household services. These experiences likely exposed her to the laborious task of dough kneading, eventually inspiring her invention.