Elinor Fruit was born in Pennsylvania in about 1748. A resident of Guilford County, North Carolina, she was the sister of Regulator John Fruit and the wife of Regulator John Pugh. On 11 March 1771 Elinor's husband was tried in New Bern for participating in the Hillsborough Riot. Later that year, several Guilford County residents signed a petition calling for John Pugh's pardon. The petitioners garnered sympathy by alluding to Elinor Pugh and the "utmost Extremity for want" her husband's execution would put her through. While John Pugh's pardon has not been located, documents mentioning him after 1771 indicate he was pardoned. Elinor Pugh died some time after 1800.