Biography

Lazette Maria Worden (née Miller) was born on November 1, 1803 in Cayuga County, New York to Judge Elijah Miller and Hannah Miller (née Foote). She was the older of two daughters. Her younger sister was Frances Adeline Seward (née Miller). When Lazette was seven years old, her mother died. Her childhood home consisted of Judge Miller, Frances, her paternal aunt, Clarinda McClallen (née Miller), and her paternal grandmother, Paulina Miller (née Titus). Lazette was raised as a Quaker.  

Lazette attended the Troy Female Seminary with her sister. In 1825, she married Alvah Worden, a businessman of Auburn, New York. The couple in 1826 had one child, Frances Alvah Worden. In 1835, Lazette and her family moved to Canandaigua, New York because Alvah opened a law firm there with Mark H. Sibley. Lazette remained in Canandaigua until her husband died in 1856 and then returned to Auburn. 

When Lazette returned to Auburn, she built a house at 2 Frederick Street on land she inherited from her father. A staunch supporter of abolition, she used this residence as a stop for runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad. Her house as a result received the nickname of Pisgah, a biblical reference to Moses climbing up Mount Pisgah to view the Promise Land. Lazette died on October 3, 1875 and is buried near her sister in Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn.