Cornelia Goethe, 15 months younger than her brother Johann Wolfgang, was born in Frankfurt am Main.

Latin and ancient Greek were the first languages she was taught, and two years later, she also began receiving French lessons.

She also learnt English, Italian, law, geography, mathematics, and calligraphy, as well as singing, piano, and drawing.

[1] She did not relate well to her parents, as there were significant differences between her personality and that of her mother Catharina Elisabeth Goethe (1731 - 1808), who was known as the cheerful "Frau Rat" ("Lady Councillor"), and as she did not forgive her father for having overburdened her with studies and thus having robbed her of some joys of childhood.

Cornelia suffered the disadvantages of being a woman at that time, but did not see an alternative to marriage: Es ist offensichtlich, daß ich nicht immer Mädchen bleiben kann, überdies wäre es sehr lächerlich, sich das vorzunehmen.