Elizabeth Jane “Betsy” Allen Calkins (1799-1885)

Early Life

Elizabeth Jane (Betsy) Allen was born on 4 February 1799 in Upper Canada. According to census records, she was of German origin. (Betsy’s parentage is often attributed to Ebenezer Allen and Lovisa Fisher on family trees, but that is extremely unlikely. That Allen line lived in New England, did not live in Upper Canada, and did not have a daughter named Elizabeth or Betsy.)

Betsy married Elijah Calkins in 1814 and shortly afterwards moved west to Oswego County, on the shores of Lake Ontario. By 1825, the Calkins moved yet again; this time to Upper Canada (Ontario) where Betsy had grown up. They lived in various locations in Upper Canada until around 1880.

Why She Left

Of Betsy’s 14 children, only one stayed in Ontario. The rest moved: Alberta (1), Idaho (1), Illinois (3), Iowa (2), Manitoba (2), Michigan (1), Nebraska (2), and Saskatchewan (1). Betsy’s oldest son, Luther, left Upper Canada for Hampshire, Kane, Illinois around 1855 where he farmed with his father-in-law, Benjamin Samis. Around 1880, Luther went north to Ontario to see his parents according to a local newspaper. Shortly after that, Elijah and Betsy moved to Hampshire, Kane County, Illinois. They were in their 80’s at the time.

Journey to Illinois

Because railroads were established by the time Elijah and Betsy migrated to Illinois, they most likely took the train the entire way traveling through Detroit and Chicago to get to Hampshire. It’s possible Luther traveled with them.

Building a Life in Illinois

We don’t have confirmed records of where Elijah and Betsy lived, but it’s likely they lived with Luther and his family. They didn’t live there long. Betsey died in 1885 and is buried in North Plato Cemetery.

Why This Story Matters

Betsy Calkins’s life reminds us that women played an essential role in settling the frontier, even when their contributions were rarely recorded. Each time the Calkins family moved, Betsy faced the work of creating a home and establishing new routines in an unfamiliar place while caring for a growing family. Her husband’s work and land may have left a clearer trail in the historical record, but Betsy’s labor helped make each new settlement a home. Her story represents the experiences of countless women whose largely undocumented work made family migration and settlement possible.

Source Documents

The research documents for the Calkins 1880 migration story:

• Biographical Sketch (PDF)
• Migration to Illinois (PDF)
• Genealogical Summary and Children (PDF)
• Legacy (PDF)

Related Reading

• Calkins, Elijah Selby
• Calkins Migration Story
• Paths to Illinois, Volume II The Davis Family Story
• Migration Timeline of all sixteen families
• Ancestors & Surnames index

My Blog and Newsletter have additional stories and research related to the Calkins family.