Elizabeth was raised in Carroll Township, Cambria County, Pa. She lived in Cresson and in Allentown, Pa.

In 1918, Louis was a farmer working for his future father-in-law, Otto Lauer. The Doughertys first lived in Sankertown, Pa., where Louis was a transferman for the railroad and then a mail carrier on a star route. Between 1935 and 1940, the large family relocated to Madison, Ohio, where Louis continued his career as a mailman. In 1942, Louis is found in Allentown, Pa., where he again was working as a mailman.