Originated with Van Mons at Louvain, Belgium. Came to the United States in 1935 (1835?) under the name of 'Van Mons Number 154.' Named 'Elizabeth (Van Mons)' by Robert Manning. Name later shortened to Elizabeth. Placed in APS catalog list in 1854. Fruit small in size, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, symmetrical and univorm. Skin tough, glossy, yellow in color, usually blushed,quite free of blemish, attractive. Flesh granular, gritty at the center, buttery, very juicy. Sweet, aromatic, quite musky in taste, flavor disliked by many people. Early in season. Tree medium in vigor, upright grower with dense top, fairly productive. Moderately susceptible to fire blight. -- H. Hartman 1957.Elizabeth is among the best summer pears for eastern America, either for home consumption or for the markets. The characters which commend it are: handsome, well-flavored fruits; and vigorous, hardy, productive trees, which are as resistant to blight as those of any other European pear, and which come in bearing early and bear annually. Faults are: the fruits are small; they are a little coarse in texture of flesh, which is a little too gritty; and the flavor, while good for an early pear, is not sweet and rich. The trees are nearly flawless, failing, if at all, in not attaining sufficient size. The crop is often borne in clusters-a defect by reason of which the fruits are often small.