 Susan's father, Nathan Hale, nephew and namesake of the patriot hero, was a lawyer and editor/owner of the "Boston Daily Advertiser" while her mother, also an author, was a sister of Edward Everett, a Unitarian minister and politician.Growing up, Susan was mostly the companion of her older sister Lucretia.She was educated privately by tutors until she was 16, and then entered the school of George Barrell Emerson.