Mary Elizabeth Williams, artist and author, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 12, 1825, the second daughter and youngest of three children born to Willard and Betsey (Osgood) Williams. She was the sister of Dr. Henry W. Williams (1821-1895), the celebrated eye doctor, and Abigail Osgood Williams (1823-1913), with whom she lived and traveled for much of her life. Her father died circa 1833 and her mother two years later; she and her sister apparently then went to live with Mary Osgood, a relative on her maternal side, at the Osgood farm in South Salem.

Mary Elizabeth studied and taught art in Salem for many years. In 1860, she and her sister Abigail traveled to Rome, Italy, where they resided for 18 years (making an occasional return to their Salem home), studying and collecting art. Although primarily based in Rome during this period, Mary Elizabeth and Abigail traveled throughout Europe, visiting at some point England, Paris, Venice, and Florence. The two sisters took lessons in the Italian school of painting while in Rome, and made contact with many people of importance in the art world during this period.

Upon their return, Mary Elizabeth and Abigail resided on Lafayette Street in Salem, where they ran a gallery of art in their house. In approximately 1894, they took a trip through the Mediterranean, going up the Nile River in their own private boat, visiting Athens, the Dardanelles, and stopping at Constantinople.

Mary Elizabeth never married. She died in Salem on September 15, 1902.

Abigail Osgood Williams, artist, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in October 1823 to Willard and Betsey (Osgood) Williams, and was the older sister and companion to Mary Elizabeth Williams. During the 1850s Abigail Williams helped run the house of her divorced brother, Dr. Henry W. Williams and his son, Charles H. Williams. In 1860, she traveled to Rome, Italy, with her sister, where they resided for 18 years. Upon their return Abigail lived with her sister in Salem until her death on April 26, 1913.

Mary Ann Bell, the daughter of Samuel and Mehitable (Dana) Bell, and sister of James and Luther V. Bell, was born in Chester, New Hampshire, on October 26, 1802. Her father, Samuel Bell (1770-1850), was the governor of New Hampshire from 1819 to1823, and her brother, Luther V. Bell (1806-1862), was the head of the McLean Asylum in Boston from1837 to 1856. Her brother, James Bell (1804-1857) with whom she made her home for at least part of her life, was a United States senator from New Hampshire form 1855 to 1757. It is not known how she became acquainted with Mary Elizabeth Williams. She apparently never married; she died on February 24, 1831 in St. Augustine, Florida.