Elizabeth Jane Cochran is born in Cochran's Mills (later renamed Cochran's Mills), Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. She is the thirteenth of fifteen children of Michael Cochran, a judge and associate justice, and his second wife, Mary Jane Kennedy Cochran.

Elizabeth is nicknamed 'Pinky' for her frequent wearing of pink. The Cochran family enjoys relative affluence thanks to her father's success as a judge and businessman.

The death of Michael Cochran leads to financial difficulties for the family. This event significantly impacts Elizabeth's upbringing and fosters a strong sense of independence and determination.

Elizabeth briefly attends Indiana Normal School (now Indiana University of Pennsylvania) with the intention of becoming a teacher, but she is forced to drop out due to lack of funds.

The Cochran family moves to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, seeking better opportunities. Elizabeth and her mother struggle to find stable employment.

Incensed by a sexist article titled 'What Girls Are Good For' in the "Pittsburgh Dispatch", Elizabeth writes a fiery rebuttal under the pseudonym 'Lonely Orphan Girl'. Impressed, editor George Madden offers her a position at the newspaper.