Harriet Beecher Stowe was born in 1811 in Connecticut to a minister and his wife. She was one of 13 children, 7 of whom became ministers. Her sister Catharine helped shape Harriet's views through her work in education. Harriet believed her purpose was to write and she enrolled in her sister's school, receiving an education usually given to men. In 1832 she moved to Cincinnati, Ohio where her father was the head of a seminary.