Change of Tide

After the death (1798) of William Seton, Sr., her father-in-law, responsibility was thrust on Elizabeth's husband for both the Seton, Maitland and Company and the welfare of his younger half-siblings. About six months pregnant with her third child at the time, Elizabeth managed the care of both families in the Seton household. There she enjoyed her initial teaching experience with her first students, Charlotte (1786-1853), Henrietta (Harriet) (1787-1809), and Cecilia (1791-1810), her youngest sisters-in-law.

During their monetary crisis Elizabeth tried to assist her husband at night by doing the account books of his firm, but the Company went bankrupt (1801), and the Setons lost their possessions and the family home in lower Manhattan. William Magee Seton began to show evidence of tuberculosis as their financial problems escalated.