Rev. James Caldwell
Contributed by
JEAN CALDWELL ADAMS
JeanAjca@aol.com
I believe for several reasons one of your famous citizens was REV. JAMES CALDWELL of Elizabeth, NJ fame. After his Father, JOHN CALDWELL who first came to Chestnut Level, Lancaster Co., PA in 1727 to live with his brother, ANDREW at his farm, with his family, died in 1750 in Lunenberg, VA, REV. JAMES returned to live in Chanceford about 1758 when he married a cousin of his, a MARY CALDWELL, b. 1739 from Somerset Co., MD. Those CALDWELLS are related to his line common to several generations beyod his Father's and the parents of MARY, who were JAMES CALDWELL CALDWELL of CALDWELL CASTLE, Fermagugh, Ireland and MARGARET GIVAN. DR. HIVELY has a JAMES coming to live in Chanceford about 1758. His firsborn child was our WILLIAM, born 1759. The history on JAMES says he was to graduate from Princeton in the Class of 1759, but that is the year we believe WILLIAM's Mother died either having him or shortly thereafter. Who else was living in Chanceford at the same time who could have taken care of WILLIAM? JOHN and SUSANNAH (maiden name unknown). How was JOHN related? He was the son of WILLIAM, the firstborn son of JOHN & MARGARET PHILLIPS CALDWELL.
There is a little tibit about REV. CALDWELL that says he lived in York Co., but that link is no longer active. But it must mean that REV. JAMES did live in York Co. We believe if MARY died, she would have been buried in the Chanceford Presbyterian Church's cemetery, as the cemetery is old enough. But the stones were made of slate, and most so weathered they were unreadable. However, there appears to be a strong link with REV. JAMES and his cousin, DAVID, son of the ANDREW who owned a farm in Lancaster Co. where his parents first came to live. We believe REV. JAMES was born in 1734 in Lancaster Co., then left with his parents when they went to Lunenberg Co., VA where they formed a CALDWELL Presbyterian Church Settlement (now physcially located in Charlotte Co., VA). After his Father's death, JAMES returned to York Co and started buying properties about 1755 along the left bank of the Susequannah River. JAMES graduated from Princeton in 1760, rather than 1759, his cousin in 1760. JAMES lived closest enough to the Ferry to get to Pequea where his Father's Brother, ANDREW, and cousin, his son, lived. There is no other son's line looking for REV. JAMES than ours. Our WILLIAM after the Rev. War returned to live in Hunterstown and oned the home there that was originally built by JOHN (SUSANNAH's) Father, WILLIAM.
After JOHN and SUSANNAH CALDWELL went to go the Cub/Cubb Creek Settlement in Lunnenberg Co. and died there, then our WILLIAM inhertied the home which is still standing today off Rte. 15. Our WILLIAM lived with his adoptive parents until about age 16 when he was old enough to enter the War. He was in the 2nd PA under COL. WALTER STEWART and COL. WILLIAM MOORE. The only family looking for our WILLIAM is his direct line.
Our WILLIAM died in 1825 when he was living in Columbia, Adair Co., KY. Other CALDWELLS related to his Father's people were already living there when he went there at the time the British came to Russell Co., VA at the time of the War of 1812. He still owned his property in VA and expected to return, but ill health overtook him which prevented he and his wife to return. He had applied for a Pension before the Adair Co., KY Court in February of 1825, but he died in July or August that year before it was approved.
The Scotch Irish naming pattern to have the lstborn son named after the Father - for our WILLIAM it was JAMES CAMUS CALDWELL, and daughter, MARY/POLLY, after the Father's Mother.
Because so many records have burned, we have not been able to find conclusive proof, just a lot of coincidential proof. If this is true, you might like to claim REV. JAMES as one of your famous citizens who formerly lived in York Co. He became the Minister at the lst Presbyterian Church in Elizabeth by 1761, married HANNAH ODGEN by 1763, the only marriage recognizd for him. His previous personal information was destroyed by several fires - when the British burned his home in 1760 and killed the 2nd Wife, his church and records were burned in 1780, he died in 1781, with his eldest child being 12 at the time. His part life may not have been known to his children or forgot about being important to remember. There are 6 parcels of land purchased by JAMES from 1755 up thru 1760 at the time he graduated from Princeton. The early student records were destroyed at Nassau Hall (Princeton's oldest building partially burned) which had personal information about him. If he had to ask for a leave of absence to go home to bury his wife, that information was destroyed, but the timeframe all seems to fit.
Hope you might think this information is important enough to check out and might be able to make a claim about REV. JAMES CALDWELL. There is a painting online of REV. JAMES CALDWELL that hangs in a Philly Museum showing him on his horse at the time of the Battle of Springfield (NJ), done by an OGDEN. Perhaps a person related to HANNAH OGDEN. It is done in color. The little blurb found on REV. JAMES for York Co. says the area he lived in is now ADAMS Co. I believe REV. JAMES went to live in the Gettysburg area before he left to go to NJ. Our WILLIAM's back pay was collected by Attorney, GETTYS, of Gettysburg, after he had moved to VA to go live - first to Abington, VA. about 1786. He may have been personal friends with RICHARD PRICE and may have served in the Rev. War with him. RICHARD had gone to Russell and Washington Co., VA before he did and died there in 1803. Some of WILLIAM's children later married into the PRICE line from Tazewell Co., VA.