JOHN CALDWELL,
seventh child of William and Jane (Moore) Caldwell,
was born in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, Feb. 5, 1800. His
parents were natives of the same county, but of Irish ancestry, and
emigrated from Pennsylvania to Ohio, with their family, in October,
1808, locating first, about a miles west of Kingston, on the old
Lancaster road. In March, 1809, Mr. Caldwell
removed to Pickaway township and settled on the west half of section
fifteen, where he resided until his death, Mar. 21, 1815, aged
fifty-two years. Mrs. Caldwell died Sept. 1,
1823. they were among the early members of the Mount Pleasant
Presbyterian church, in Ross county, of which Mr. Caldwell
was elected a ruling elder, and ordained to that office
Aug. 7, 1811. Their children, besides John,
with the dates of their birth, were as follows: James
and David, twins, born July 28, 1787; Robert,
born Jan. 25, 1790; Samuel, born June 14, 1792;
William, Born Aug. 29, 1794; Elizabeth
(Mrs. Elias Benton), born June 12, 1797; Daniel,
born July 9, 1802; Joseph, born May 1, 1804;
Johnson, born Jan. 12, 1805.
John Caldwell, the subject of this sketch,
married, Jan. 24, 1828, Elizabeth, daughter of
Isaac and Elizabeth Monnett, and resided on the
homestead until 1855, when he moved to the place where he now lives.
Mrs. Caldwell died June 22, 1838. By
this marriage there were seven children, as follows:
Elizabeth Jane, born Feb. 23, 1829, married Dwight
Calhoun, Oct. 29, 1848, and now lives near Kenton, Hardin
county, Ohio; has six children. Isaac M. born
Feb. 2, 1830, married Sophronia Morris, Nov. 7,
1852, died May 4, 1863, in camp, near Memphis, Tennessee. His
widow, with three children, lives in Pickaway township, Pickaway
county, Ohio. Robert, born Feb. 22, 1831, married
Cynthia Pinneo, Aug. 1856. He now lives in Sheldon,
Illinois; has three children, William Lewis, born
Mar. 12, 1832, married Alvina Tobias, Oct., 1860,
and died July 8, 1876. His widow lives in Sheldon, Illinois,
and has five children, Amos B., born Dec. 17, 1833,
married first, Margaret Pinneo and second (February
13, 1866), Lovinia Holmes, and is now a resident of
Sheldon, Illinois. He has five children, one by his first
wife, John Wesley, born Feb. 11, 1835, married
Virilla Shoecraft, June, 1867. He is at
present superintendent of public works, of Seymour, Indiana.
He has one child living, and one deceased, Sarah B.,
born June 22, 1837; died, Mar. 19, 1838.
Mr. Caldwell was married Nov. 12, 1839, to
Rebecca McClellan, daughter of Thomas and Ann
(Kinnear) McClellan, who was born Feb. 13, 1810. The
fruit of this marriage was three children, the eldest of whom born
Aug. 19, 1840, died in infancy. Ann Maria,
born Nov. 24, 1841, is unmarried, and is at present a teacher, with
her brother, in the schools at Seymour, Indiana. Thomas
McClellan, the youngest, was born June 20, 1843, and died
Sept. 23, 1852.
Mr. Caldwell
has filled the office of township clerk of Pickaway for a number of
years, and served as justice of the peace three successive terms,
beginning in 1836. He has given all of his children a fair
education, two of whom - John Wesley and
Ann Maria - having graduated, in 1861, respectively, at
Ohio Wesleyan university, and Ohio Wesleyan female college,
Delaware, Ohio.
Mr. Caldwell
is a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he
is a liberal supporter, and enjoys the universal respect of his
fellow citizens.
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