James Caldwell (April 1734 – November 24, 1781) was a Presbyterian minister who played a prominent part in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

Biography

Caldwell was born in Cub Creek in Charlotte County,

Province of Virginia The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertGilbert (Saunders Family), Sir Humphrey" (histor ...

, the seventh son of John and Margaret Caldwell, who were Scots-Irish settlers, and traced their ancestry to

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss politica ...

who fled France to Scotland in the 16th century, established Caldwell Castle and later defended the

Ulster Plantation The Plantation of Ulster ( gle, Plandáil Uladh; Ulster-Scots: ''Plantin o Ulstèr'') was the organised colonisation (''plantation'') of Ulstera province of Irelandby people from Great Britain during the reign of King James I. Most of the sett ...

and

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

. James Caldwell graduated from the College of New Jersey (later called

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

) in 1759 and, although he inherited in Cub Creek, chose to become pastor of the

Presbyterian Church 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 ...

Elizabethtown, New Jersey Elizabeth Township, also called Elizabethtown, was a township that existed in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, from 1664 until 1855. The area was initially part of the Elizabethtown Tract, purchased from the Lenape on October 28, 166 ...

. He was an active partisan on the side 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 ...

s, and was known as the "Fighting Parson". His church and his house were burned by

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 ...

s in 1780. While Caldwell was stationed with the army in Morristown, his wife Hannah was killed by British gunfire under disputed circumstances 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 ...

in what is now Union Township, an act which Union County immortalizes on their county seal to this day.Union County officials battle activist over use of controversial county seal
July 10, 2011. His wife had been at home with their baby and a 3 year old toddler. As the British moved into Connecticut Farms, Hannah Caldwell was shot through a window or wall as she sat with her children on a bed. Caldwell, who fought in the Battle of Springfield, was killed on November 24, 1781, by an American sentry in

, when he refused to have a package inspected. The sentry, James Morgan, was hanged for murder on January 29, 1782 in

Westfield, New Jersey Westfield is a town in Union County, New Jersey, United States, located southwest of Manhattan. As of the 2010 United States census, the town's population was 30,316,Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a city and the county seat of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New J ...

was dedicated in 1846. *Three towns, known collectively as

The Caldwells The Caldwells are a group of three municipalities in Essex County, New Jersey, all of which have the word ''Caldwell'' in their name. All of these communities are named after the Reverend James Caldwell, a Patriot who played an active role suppo ...

are named for James Caldwell: ** Caldwell, New Jersey **

North Caldwell, New Jersey North Caldwell is a borough in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States, and a suburb of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,694, an increase of 511 (+8.3%) from the 2010 census count ...

West Caldwell, New Jersey West Caldwell is a township located in the West Essex area in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located approximately west of Manhattan and northwest of Newark. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's pop ...

Schools * James Caldwell High School in West Caldwell * James Caldwell Elementary School in Springfield, New Jersey. * Hannah Caldwell Elementary School in Union, New Jersey, which carries his wife's name. *

Caldwell University Caldwell University is a private Catholic university in Caldwell, New Jersey. Founded in 1939 by the Sisters of St. Dominic, the university is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, chartered by the State of New Jersey, ...

(formerly Caldwell College) located in Caldwell, NJ also carries his name.

References

For the date of the murder, see New Jersey Supreme Court, case number 37028, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, NJ

External links

Clan Currie biography of James Caldwell

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Caldwell, James 1734 births 1781 deaths American murder victims American Revolutionary War deaths Clergy in the American Revolution People of New Jersey in the American Revolution American Presbyterian ministers Princeton University alumni People murdered in New Jersey American people of Scotch-Irish descent People from Charlotte County, Virginia People of colonial New Jersey Virginia colonial people 1781 murders in the United States