Nannie Robertson (née Burwell) Crow was born in Hillsborough, Orange County, North Carolina on August 31, 1836, the daughter of a prominent reverend. As a teenager she attended St. Mary's school in Raleigh alongside Margaret Eliza Cotten and they frequently attended gatherings together for members of their social circle. She later married William H. Crow and the pair had at least five children. She died in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina on August 15, 1895.