The Caldwell

Parsonage A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically own ...

is located along Caldwell Avenue in

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, United States. It was the home of the Rev.

James Caldwell James or Jim Caldwell may refer to: Politics * James Caldwell (Ohio politician) (1770–1838), U.S. Representative from Ohio, son on James Caldwell (1724–1804), an Irish emigrant who founded Wheeling, West Virginia * James Caldwell (Missouri spe ...

, a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister and active supporter of the

Patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution * Patriot m ...

cause during the Revolutionary War. The war is intertwined with the early history of the building. An original parsonage dating to 1730 was burned in 1780 by a

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

mob, and later that year Caldwell's wife Hannah was killed by British soldiers in the house during the

Battle of Connecticut Farms The Battle of Connecticut and Concur, fought June 7, 1780, was one of the last major battles between British and American forces in the northern colonies during the American Revolutionary War. Hessian General Wilhelm von Knyphausen, in command ...

., retrieved March 4, 2008. "As British troops returned to Connecticut Farms, Abigail looked out a rear bedroom window and seeing a soldier walking to the house said: "A soldier is near the house." Young Elias said, "Let me see!" Hannah pushed Elias away and looked out the window. She was shot by a British soldier who fired his

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...

. She fell back and died." Caldwell himself was shot by an American sentry a year later. In 1782, with the war over, what is now

Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church is located at Stuyvesant and Chestnut avenues in Union, Union County, New Jersey, United States, near U.S. Route 22. It is the oldest church in the township. Since the settlement of Connecticut Farms in 1 ...

built the present building. It continued to serve as a home for its pastors until the 20th century, when the church built one closer to the building. In 1982 it was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

, as a well-preserved 18th-century farmhouse with a historical connection. It currently serves as a historical museum, owned and operated by the Union Township Historical Society. It is open to the public on weekday mornings and afternoons. Several state grants have been made for renovations and upkeep of the aging structure.

References

External links

Union Township Historical Society
{{Registered Historic Places Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey Historic house museums in New Jersey Houses completed in 1782 American Revolutionary War sites Clergy houses in the United States Museums in Union County, New Jersey Houses in Union County, New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Union County, New Jersey Union Township, Union County, New Jersey 1782 establishments in New Jersey

See also

References

External links