The Life of Elizabeth Blackwell Elizabeth Blackwell was born on February 3, 1821 to Hannah and Samuel Blackwell of Bristol, England. Her father owned and operated a sugar refinery, but it burned down when she was eleven. So, Elizabeth’s father decided to move to America in 1838. During their trip to America, she saw a horrible disease going around called cholera. Many of the passengers aboard the ship died from it. It was this that inspired her to become a doctor. Her dream was to help others and she decided that the best way for her to fulfill her dream was to go to college and become a physician. When they got to America, her mother opened a school.