Person:Elva Calkins (1)

Elva R. Caulkins was born in March 1872 in New York.[12] Her parents were Roxanne A. and Ceylon Caulkins.

Elva is shown with her family in the 1880 census (E.D. 108, p. 9) in New Lisbon, Otsego, New York. She is listed as age eight, and has an older brother and younger brother and sister.

She married Martin Adelbert Shaw circa 1887 or 1888 (at about age 15 or 16. He was 42 or 43). They had three children: Sylvia M. Shaw (b. September 1888, m. Ralph Spraker) Earlington Lee Shaw (b. April 1890, d. 7 January 1919) Olive Shaw (b. March 1892, m. ? Congdon)

The 1900 census (E.D. 132, Sh. 3) shows them all living together on the family farm in Otsego County.

Martin died in 1911 and was buried in Fly Creek Valley Cemetery.

Her first grandchild, Dorathea, was born to her son Earl and Daisey Ida Esther Benjamin in 1914.The two never married. Dorathea says -”His mother (my other grandmother) looked like an old battle axe to me so probably that is why none of them ever acknowledged me. So guess they didn’t approve.” The families probably weren’t on entirely poor relations though, as we have a photograph of Elva and Daisey together.

Her son died 7 January 1919. At that time, the four family members had been living together in Fly Creek Valley(or so his obituary suggests). Also by that time, her daughter, Olive, had married a Mr. Congdon.

The 1920 (E.D. 220, Sheet 15) census finds Elva, with the surname “Quaif” living on a family farm in Otsego Township, Otsego County, New York. Living with her are her single daughter Sylvia, age 31, and a hired man Ralph Spraker, age 30. (Sylvia and Ralph later married.) Elva is listed in this census as married, not widowed, but there is no indication of a husband.

Elva died in 1931, probably in Otsego County, and was buried with her husband and son in Fly Creek Valley Cemetery. Sylvia is buried nearby.