Elijah was born in Birchington in 1795 to parents, Elijah Emptage, an agricultural labourer age 26, and mother, Martha (Hatcher) age 22.

Elijah and Martha had eight children between 1793 and 1809 and Elijah was their second son. He married Sarah Clark on 11 April 1816.

In 1835 Elijah and his brother Thomas decided to emigrate to Ohio, America with their wives and children.

Elijah and Sarah were both aged 40. They took their five daughters with them but their eldest child, Daniel Clark Emptage chose to remain behind in Kent.

It is not known if Elijah and his brother Thomas sailed at the same time, but Elijah and Sarah settled in Madison Township, Richland County, not very far from Thomas and Ann (Homersham), who settled in Wyandot County.

Unlike Thomas, who farmed his own land, Elijah became a gardener and over the years became a prominent figure in Madison Township. He was noted for his skill and knowledge in the laying out of gardens and his legacy lives on to this day.

Elijah passed away on 1 March 1876 in Mansfield Township aged 80 and Sarah, his wife of 59 years, died on 17 January 1878 age 82. Both Elijah and Sarah are buried at Mansfield Cemetery in the Mansfield.