Anna Elizabeth Kahler was born the twenty eighth of February in the year nineteen hundred and fourteen; the only child to John Kahler and Edith Quick. She was born at the family homestead in Big Flats, Chemung County, New York, on Sing Sing Road, later called Kahler Road, named after her grandfather. For the times her family was very well off, her grandfather was a German immigrant who had made a career in tobacco farming and her father worked as a butcher but also owned a diary farm. On the night of March the twenty-fourth, nineteen hundred and thirty-four, her mother Edith died of an unknown illness at the age of fifty-two years.
Her father hired boys to work on the farm and one of the laborers was named Howard Voorhees, the two began a romance and were married on the first of November in the year nineteen hundred and thirty-four. As a wedding gift, John bequeathed to them the old home across from his own, which had been a boarding house for several years and the newly weds moved in that year. On the seventh of December, nineteen thirty five, their first child was born in Corning, Steuben County, New York and was named Kenneth Burton; named after Howard's late infant brother Kenneth and late uncle Burton. Next born was Anna Elizabeth, born the twenty-third of March, nineteen thirty seven in Corning, then a son Meredith Howard was born in Corning the eleventh of March, nineteen thirty nine, a daughter was born the sixth of March, nineteen forty one in Bath, Steuben County, New York, named Evelyn Kay. A daughter was born, Edith May, on the twenty fourth of April, ninety forty three in Corning, then Mary Louise on the sixth of October, nineteen forty four also in Corning. John Herbert was born the sixth of July, nineteen forty-eight in Corning and lastly, Donald was born the ninth of May, nineteen fifty-three in Corning.
Howard worked as a farmer with Anna's father, farming tobacco and owning the diary farm as well. When Anna's father died in the winter of nineteen fifty-eight he left Howard his land and the house was left to his widow, Anna's stepmother Helen Van Order. Anna never got along with her step mother or her step brother, even though they lived across the street from each other for several years. In the summer of nineteen sixty-four the diary farm was sold with all its equipment.
During her later years she cared for Howard who was slowly dying of Parkinson's disease, he died the twenty-seventh of April, nineteen hundred and ninety-five at their home in Big Flats. Anna continued to live there until she suffered a heart attack at her eldest son's home, an ambulance was called and she was revived and brought to the hospital in Elmira. Despite her wish to die peacefully in her home, she died in the hospital the eighth day of May, nineteen hundred and ninety eight. Howard and Anna were buried in Rural Home Cemetery.