Also known as Florence Nightingale Graham (at birth)

Florence Nightingale Graham, who went by the business name Elizabeth Arden, was a Canadian businesswoman who built a cosmetics empire.

Elizabeth Arden was born on New Year’s Eve in 1881 – her birth name was Florence Nightingale Graham. Her parents – William Graham and Susan Tadd (d. 1888)– had emigrated to Canada from Cornwall, U.K. in the 1870s. In her early years, Ms. Arden grew up on a farm in Woodbridge with her four brothers and sisters.

Her birth date is based on a sworn statement by her elder brother. We have done research into the birth records and census records and confrim the 1881 date is more likely than the 1884 date as there is a recorded birth record for her youngest sister Jessie Gladys who was born in 1884 and all records suggest Florence was the elder. Not uncommon for rural births to not be recorded by a formal birth record.

Florence was listed as a machine operator in Toronto in the 1901 census. She is living with her 3 sisters in Toronto at this time. Her mother died in 1888 (inflammation of the lungs) and her father died in 1928, presumably stayed on the family farm in Woodbridge. Her mother is interred at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto and her father is interred in Windsor, Ontario (he died at the home of Christine, his eldest daughter in 1928). The family had moved from the farm to Paris, Windsor (Walkerville), New York. Her brother moved to the USA in 1897 and was naturalised in 1904. His job is listed as an importer. He died in Germany (1959) and his ashes are interred there. Her older sister, Lillian is interred with her in Sleepy Hollow, NY (d. 1961). Christine is interred in Windsor. (d. 1963) Jessie lived in France for a number of years. She is interred….

Lillian was a an director / executive at Elizabeth Arden

Jessie Gladys was a Viscountess in France (married to Henri de Maublanc)

Ms. Arden received recognition abroad, most notably receiving the Legion d’Honneur Award by the French government in 1962 for her contributions to the cosmetics industry. At this time, there were more than 100 of her salons open around the world and more than 300 products in her beauty line.

At the peak of her career, she was one of the wealthiest women in the world.

Interment Info: She was interred in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York under the name Elizabeth N. Graham.