Caroline, nicknamed Lina, was born in Hanover, Germany on March 16, 1750, the fifth of six children of Isaac Herschel and Anna Ilse Moritzen. Her father was a talented musician. He encouraged all his children to train in mathematics, French and music. Caroline's mother did not see the need for a girl to become educated and preferred to make Caroline a house servant to the rest of the family. Isaac gave his daughter a rudimentary education, despite his wife's disapproval. …show more content…
It disfigured her left eye and pock-marked her cheeks. At the age of ten Caroline was stricken with typhus. The disease permanently stunted her growth. Her diminutive height of 4'3" was caused by this disease. Thanks to the deformities caused by her illnesses, her parents concluded that she would never marry but would live her life as an old maid. Caroline remained in her parents' home until, at the age of twenty-two, her brother, Freidrich Wilhelm (nicknamed Fritz and later known as William), took her to live with him in Bath, England. Caroline became her brother's