Bigler was born Elizabeth Reeves Graham in New York, around 1809.
She married John Bigler around 1847 in Mount Sterling, Illinois.
In 1849 they joined the Gold Rush travelling by oxcart from Mount Sterling to Sacramento.
After two gubernatorial terms, John was appointed United States Minister to Chile, from 1857 to 1861.
[2][3] The California State Library holds a collection of Bigler family papers.