Eliza Peirce was born 8 October 1798 in Westminster, Worcester County, Massachusetts, according to the Israel Day Towle family Bible. Other records show her birth in Craftsbury, Vermont, but those records are just a list of the children of Jarvis and Rhoda Peirce. The family did not move to Vermont until some time after 1800.

Eliza's parents were Jarvis Peirce Senior and Rhoda Darby; they had married just four years earlier, in 1794 in Westminster, and Eliza was their second child.

It is not known where and when Eliza met Israel Day Towle, but they were married 20 April 1816 in Greenburgh, Westchester, New York. Israel was born 14 April 1787 in Loudon, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, to Jacob Towle and Mary Moulton.

Israel and Eliza lived in various places in upstate New York before moving about 1833 to Equality, Illinois, where their last three children were born. Eliza's parents had moved to Illinois by about 1818 and many of her siblings were living there as well which is probably one of the reasons for their move west. Her brother Jarvis Jr. was living in Harrisburg when he died in 1880. Israel fought in the War of 1812 for which he was granted 160 acres in what would become Stark County, Illinois.

Israel and Eliza both died in nearby Harrisburg, Illinois, Israel on 3 April 1875, and Eliza the following year on 20 July 1876. They are buried in the old section of the Harrisburg Cemetery.