Calkins 1880
Davis Family Line
From New England to Ontario, Canada, and Hampshire, Kane County, Illinois
Elijah Selby Calkins (1793–1883) and Elizabeth Jane “Betsy” (Allen) Calkins (1799–1885)
Elijah Selby Calkins was born in 1793 in Saratoga County, New York, into a family descended from seventeenth-century New England settlers. For generations, the Calkins family had followed a steady pattern of movement, seeking affordable land while preserving close family networks. Raised during the post-Revolutionary expansion of upstate New York, Elijah came of age as increasing land subdivision encouraged younger families to look farther west.
About 1815 he married Elizabeth Jane “Betsy” Allen in Oswego County, New York. Within a few years, they relocated to Upper Canada (Ontario), drawn by inexpensive land and connections to Betsy’s Canadian roots. There, over two decades, they raised fourteen children and moved as opportunity demanded.
In 1880, when Elijah was 87 and Betsey was 81, they joined their son Luther in Hampshire, Kane County, Illinois. Three years later, Elijah died, ending a life shaped by a family tradition of careful migration—moving intentionally to stay close to loved ones and create a stable future for those who followed.
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Elijah Selby Calkins
