She was officially born 6 August 1841 (but more probably 1845) in Nagyenyed, Austria-Hungary (today Aiud, Romania) and was named Florenz Barbara Maria.
It is possible that the story of how Samuel Baker met his future second wife and of her origin was romanticised by him and adapted to the expectations of Victorian society (the rescue of an exotic princess by a brave white gentleman was a favourite plot of contemporary colonial novels).