Discrepancies Re: CALDWELL Family of VA (Cub Creek) & SC (96 District)
DATE OF ARRIVAL FROM IRELAND
Many secondary sources say the family arrived at the port of New Castle, DE on 10 Dec 1727.A letter written in 1825 by 79-year old John RODGERS of KY to his 1st cousin, Elias Boudinot CALDWELL, then a Supreme Court Clerk in Washington, D.C., chronicles the journey of their Scot-Irish grandparents to PA & VA.John RODGERS only said that "they set sail together and landed in Delaware the very day that King George II was proclaimed there".That would be 11 Oct 1727 when George II was crowned the King of Great Britain & Ireland at Westminster Abbey.So, it would be fair to say that the arrival was during the Fall season of 1727.
RELOCATION FROM PA TO VA
Some have said that John CALDWELL, with his family & friends, moved from PA directly to the Cub Creek site in 1738 (or thereabouts).Not so.John RODGERS said that his grandfather "explored the Country Southwesterly from a place in Virginia now Albemarle County to which he moved".After leaving Chestnut Level in Lancaster Co., PA, John CALDWELL chose to re-settle on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Mountains rather than on the western side in the Shenandoah Valley.This would have occurred after Gov. William GOOCH of VA gave his approval on 4 Nov 1738 at Williamsburg to a petition for settlementof a Presbyterian group in VA that was initiated by John CALDWELL (on 11 Apr 1738 to the Donegal Presbytery and, subsequently, supported by the Synod at Philadelphia when they addressed a letter dated 30 May 1738 to Gov. GOOCH).
Rev. James ANDERSON (1678-1743), pastor at Donegal Presbyterian Church, delivered the letter to Williamsburg, and, following the consent of the VA governor, Rev. John CRAIG (1709-1774), who had studied theology under Rev. John THOMSON (1690-1753) at the Chestnut Level Presbyterian Church, was then assigned by the Donegal Presbytery as an 'itinerant' (traveling) minister for those Presbyterian settlements located in the Shenandoah Valley & nearby communities.(In 1740 he founded both the Tinkling Spring church in Fishersville, VA and the Augusta Stone church in Ft. Defiance, VA where he is buried in the old cemetery.)
Rev. CRAIG kept a book (small enough to fit in a saddlebag) that is archived and on display at the little Session House of Augusta Stone Presbyterian Church.It is referred to as "Record of Baptisms 1740-1749" and shows a learned man's beautiful script, organization and attention to detail.It reflects all of the baptisms that he performed as he rode his circuit which stretched to NC as well as the other side of the Blue Ridge.His entry of three baptisms for 18 Dec 1740 is pertinent for it identifies that they occurred "at John CALDWELL's at Buck Mountain".
Buck Mountain, still located in Albemarle County (as it was in 1825), is about ten miles slightly northwest of Charlottesville, VA and can be reached from there by CR 601.On the aforementioned date the following children were christened:John CALDWELL (s/o William), William DOUGHERTY (s/o Thomas), and Margaret PICKENS (d/o Israel).When Rev. John CRAIG visited Buck Mountain, he usually visited the nearby settlement at the home of William WALLIS a day or two before or after.This was true in Dec 1740 and, again, in Mar 1741.However, when he visited WALLIS on 20 June 1743, there was no corresponding stopover at Buck Mountain.In fact, no more baptisms were ever recorded at that location.
MARRIAGE OF WILLIAM & REBECCA CALDWELL
Various genealogies have purported that William & Rebecca were already married when they arrived from Ireland.However, this is what John RODGERS said about the time John CALDWELL spent at Buck Mountain (Albemarle Co., VA): "There he lived some years, there our grandfather (sic) died and his oldest son and my mother, his only daughter, were married".
Four pieces of information can be gleaned from his statement:
1.The family lived at Buck Mountain for a period of years.
2.John CALDWELL's wife, Margaret PHILLIPS, probably died there. (John RODGERS probably meant to say "grandmother" as nothing further is known about her, and his letter continues to talk about his grandfather leaving Buck Moutain for Cub Creek.)
3.John & Margaret's eldest son, William CALDWELL, was married to Rebecca at Buck Mountain.
4.John & Margaret's only daughter, Margaret CALDWELL, was (first) married to William RODGERS at Buck Mountain.
The birthdates for William & Rebecca CALDWELL, as usually seen, have to be questioned in light of the actual date of their marriage vows (1739-1740), the birth of their first child (John, 1740, Buck Mountain) and the birth twenty years later of their last child (David, ca. 1760, Cub Creek).
ARRIVAL AT CUB CREEK (INITIALLY BRUNSWICK CO., LATER LUNENBURG CO., TODAY CHARLOTTE CO., VA)
THE John RODGERS letter says the move from Albemarle County to the Roanoke River site was "about the year 1742-43".On 3 Nov 1743 the Lieutenant Governor issued an order that resulted in a patent on 1Mar 1743/44 (New Style date Mar 1744) of 31,700 acres to Richard KENNON and William KENNON (Jr.).The KENNON tract was described as located on the north side of the Staunton (Roanoke) River on both sides of Cub Creek as well as on Terry's Run and the north fork of Louse Creek.Portions of this land were not sold off until around 1 Jan 1745.Meanwhile, the probability is that John CALDWELL resided on part of the Kennon tract as a tenant until he became an owner of the land that became the Cub Creek Presbyterian Church Settlement.Although there was a 200th anniversary celebrated in 1938 of the founding of the settlement, the reality is that it occurred about five years after 1738.
MAIDEN NAME OF REBECCA CALDWELL (W/O WILLIAM)
A story that has been widely repeated is that Rebecca's father was Jacques PARQUE (aka James PARKS) and her first husband (before William) was a much older man who died and left her a childless widow shortly after their marriage.The merit of this story is questionnable.
Among the children of Rebecca's son, James CALDWELL, and his wife, Elizabeth FORREST (d/o George), was a daughter named Rebecca Walkup CALDWELL (who married James SPROULL).Therefore, Rebecca's surname at the time of her marriage to William CALDWELL may have been WALKUP.
The spelling of this name has a number of variations (e.g., WAUGHOP, WAUGHUP), and among the Cub Creek residents was a man who bore the family name.On 2 Apr 1751 William CALDWELL deeded one acre of land ("including the graveyard that now stands") to thirty-two men of the Cub Creek congregation.James WACHUP (aka WACKUP) was one of them.(He is not the James WAKUP of Lunenburg Co., VA who died in Fall 1750 leaving a wife Elinor and daughters Easter and Martha who later married John MIDDLETON around Aug 1752.)
The James WACHUP/WACKUP of Cub Creek in April 1751 may have been part of the group that came from Buck Mountain (Albemarle Co.) where William & Rebecca CALDWELL were married.Since the marriage occurred around 1739-1740 and assuming Rebecca was, at least, age 16, her year of birth would have been about 1723 or a little earlier.(More than likely, she was living with her own family at Buck Mountain before she married William.)
The approximate birthyear of 1723 closely matches that of James WALKUP (15 Nov 1724-1 Feb 1798 bur. Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church Cemetery now situated in Lancaster Co., SC) who married Margaret PICKENS (5 Dec 1740-22 Dec 1793 bur. w/husband) who was the daughter of Israel PICKENS of both the Buck Mountain & Cub Creek settlements.
The surname of PARKS does not seem to have any validity, and it seems more plausible that Rebecca CALDWELL (w/o William) was, in some way, related to the WALKUP (WAUGHOP) family that joined JOHN CALDWELL in his journey to establish a Presbyterian settlement in VA.
JOHN CALDWELL (S/O JOHN CALDWELL & MARGARET PHILLIPS)
Various versions have him going to TN or KY, being killed by the Indians, etc., but John RODGERS simply said in his letter that "Uncle John went to South Carolina and died there".And so he did.
John CALDWELL and his wife, Susanna, were still at Cub Creek on 6 Nov 1769 when they were partners in a transaction with Mary (Dudgeon) CALDWELL, widow of his deceased brother, David.Not long afterwards, John & Susanna moved to SC where their neighbor was Rev. James CRESWELL (d. 1779).In SC records, "Uncle John" was referred to as John CALDWELL "of Saluda (River)" which distinguished him from his nephew, John CALDWELL "of Mudlick (Creek)".
Rev. CRESWELL, who was at Cub Creek (VA) on 6 Aug 1763, then licensed at Tinkling Spring (VA) on 2 May 1764 and ordained at Lower Hico (NC) in October 1764, has been credited with organizing in 1764 the Little River Presbyterian Church (SC) which the family of Rebecca CALDWELL, widow, attended.Very likely, John & Susanna CALDWELL were members there as well.
On 5 Feb 1796 John CALDWELL (of Saluda) made a will that was proved in Newberry Co., SC on 29 Feb 1796.In it he named his wife Susanna, children John, Margaret DYSON, Eleanor, David, James, Robert and son-in-law Daniel DYSON.
JOHN RICHEY & WIFE MARGARET CALDWELL (D/O WILLIAM & REBECCA)
There has been an effort to connect John RICHEY to the line of Alexander RICHEY & wife Jean/Jane CALDWELL (sister of John CALDWELL of Buck Mtn & Cub Creek).Two known sons of Alexander & Jane, James RICHEY (died Aug 1808, aet 85) and Alexander RITCHIE, Sr. (20 Aug 1739-11 Jan 1818), settled in Abbeville Co., SC.However, there are no records that have surfaced to show any relationship between the two RICHEY families that settled in different parts of Ninety-Six District that would become Abbeville County and Laurens County.
John RICHEY, who married Margaret CALDWELL (d/o William, dec'd & Rebecca of Newberry Co., SC), was the son of Robert & Margaret RICHEY of Laurens Co., SC.His siblings were William RICHEY and Mary GOODMAN (w/o William), both of Laurens.The mother of John's brother-in-law, William GOODMAN, was born Mary WILLIAMS (d/o Daniel WILLIAMS & Ursula HENDERSON of Granville Co., NC).Two of her brothers also migrated to Ninety-Six District: Colonel James WILLIAMS who fought at the Battle of Kings Mountain (York Co., SC) on 7 Oct 1780 and John WILLIAMS, a merchant whose daughter, Elizabeth Anne WILLIAMS, married William Thomas CALDWELL (s/o William & Rebecca).What this means is that Elizabeth Anne (Williams) CALDWELL was a 1st cousin of John RICHEY's brother-in-law, William GOODMAN.
The 3 Jul 1819 will of John RICHEY was proved in Laurens Co., SC on 8 Nov 1819.Executors were William RICHEY ("son") and Martin SHAW (friend).His estate papers are on file at the SC Archives (Bundle 62/Package 15 on Microfilm C157/Frames 6592-6613).They show that on 7 Oct 1820 son William RICHEY reported that his mother, "the said Margaret is now deceased".So, she died sometime after the 1820 Census (enumeration began in early Aug) and the aforementioned court date.John RICHEY & Margaret CALDWELL's children were John, Jr., Samuel, William, Jane HARRIS and Rebecca GRAVES.
DAVID CALDWELL (S/O WILLIAM & REBECCA)
He has been described as deaf or "deaf & dumb".However, the estate papers of his brother-in-law, John RICHEY, contradict this assertion.(In addition, David's status under the column of "deaf & dumb" in the 1830 census was left blank.)
John RICHEY and his wife Margaret CALDWELL of Laurens Co., SC resided on Ritchey's Branch of Reaburn's Creek (today called Rabon Creek).David CALDWELL occupied land nearby on Reedy River that had once belonged to his eldest brother, John the Deputy Surveyor (baptized 18 Dec 1740 at Buck Mtn, VA), and then, after John was killed by Tory forces in Nov 1781, passed to the next eldest brother, William, who turned it over to David.Both properties were located on branches of the Saluda River,and an examination of land grants points to the likely possibility that the tracts were back-to-back.
John RICHEY left a meager estate which showed only two promissory notes that were both paid by his neighbors.One of them was from Martin SHAW, his co-executor & friend, for $325.The other note for $5 was from his brother-in-law: "David CALDWELL, Schoolmaster".
David CALDWELL was present in the 1820 Census of Laurens Co., SC.However, he and his family were found living by 9 Dec 1822 in St. Clair Co., AL where three of his children were married.About ten years later, everyone left St. Clair County and crossed the Coosa River to re-settle in Talladega County, part of which became Clay County where David's son, John Wesley CALDWELL, was pastor of Concord Baptist Church.
David CALDWELL was married three times.Two small manuscripts written by descendants of his line give the surname of his first wife as WATT(S).They name his second wife as Ellen ROBINSON (more likely, it was Ellender ROBERTSON) and third wife as "probably Nancy JACKSON" (whose first name was Nancy but last name still in doubt).