Elva Chandler Olney

This is the last Woodgate Farmer's grandmother, Elva Chandler Olney.

She was an original Adirondacks woman. Nobody loved their children and grandchildren more from what I was told by some of those surviving grandchildren, now in their late 60s, 70s and early 80s.

Elva married Archie Olney. They had a total of 6 children. Only 3 boys survived. A little known fact of Woodgate Farmer history is that all the children were born in Canada, in a community near Toronto. The three deceased children each died from illness of that time period while still being under 2 years of age. I imagine that had to put a strain on the marriage of Elva & Archie. While that may be true, it didn't stop Elva from coming home to Woodgate.

In her later years, she worked as a cook at the State Hospital in Rome, New York. She knew how to handle a gun and could shoot as well as any man. During her life, Elva also worked in a couple logging camps cooking and performing basic nursing duties. She was a strong willed woman; independent and unafraid to tackle life on her own, a good daughter to her parents, Uretta (Moon) and Nelson Ray Chandler. Her daughter-in-law, Ella Lillian (Olney) Olney is remembered for all the things that Elva taught her after Ella married Nelson R. Olney. Nelson R. Olney, Jr. also has very fond memories and nothing but kind thoughts for his grandmother. As I said, Elva Chandler Olney was a fascinating and strong willed woman. Those qualities and her basic body frame is still found in women born into the Olney family lineage today.

Another Photo of The Woodgate Homestead

From age of the car parked at (what was) the back entrance, this photo looks to be taken during the late 1920s.

In later years, the bushes along the sides of the house were removed. Two apple trees had grown to the left side area of the photo. No bushes blocked that first window, which by the way was where the original parlor was housing a superb collection of older family portraits. Unfortunately, Robert C. Olney Sr., son of Nelson R. Olney Sr., disposed of the wall mounted portraits and the piano, which dated back to the mid 1800s. It is now believed, while no 'official' notations have surfaced that Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, and an earlier State Legislator and Governor may have visited the Chandler Homestead during the span of time from 1886 -1918 while engaging the Adirondack Guide services of Nelson R. Chandler.

In the late 1940s until 1964, the Olney farm had been known by the locals to be the largest and most fruitful in providing farm produce. It had the distinction of being the largest pieces of total acreage in producing quality grown white and red potatoes.