Person:John Rodgers (35)

Virginia Historical Magazine, Jan 1911, v 19, pages 92 - 94 - Per letter from John Rodgers to Elias B. Caldwell on the Caldwell family. "Her [Margaret Caldwell's] son Robert [Rodgers] died in Kentucky. William, Thomas, & David Caldwell are all buried in the same grave yard with their father." Full text of this letter can be found in the book Caldwell, Epps, MacQueen-McEachin, MacNutt-Gilespie by Anderson Loraine. John Rodgers per his letter was in his 79th year and enjoying good health. Per "Colonieal Men and Times: Containing the Journal of Col. Daniel Trabue" the letter from John Rodgers was dated Nashville, Tenn. May 11, 1825" to his cousin Elias Boudinot Caldwell, of Washington City. (a Supreme Court clerk.)

LETTER FROM JOHN RODGERS TO ELIAS B. CALDWELL ON THE CALDWELL FAMILY.

Dear Sir: I acknowledge the receipt of your letter of March 18 and thank you for the information therein contained. You cannot conceive what feelings crossed my brain when I heard of so many of my kindred according to the flesh well in this world and to human appearance not forgetful” of the next the accounts you give me of many of my dear are truly” pleasing to me as I am now oldest of all our family & have from my” youth up been very curious in collecting all the information I could” obtain from my oldest relations with regard to our ancestors. I will give you a short sketch of what I know on that subject. It may afford you some amusement in your leisure hours.

NOTES AND QUERIES. Our grandfather emigrated from Scotland to Ireland soon after King William’s conquest of that place. Our grandfather John Caldwell was born in Ireland & was there married to a Margaret Phillips (our grand-mother). He remained there till they had five children at which time to America with him (to wit) Moor Ritchey and Dudgeon. All of whom I well remember & one brother-in-law who married his wife’s sister whose name was Dougherty grandfather of my wife and Thomas” Dougherty formerly clerk to the lower house of Congress and of course known to you. These set sail together and landed in Delaware the very day that King George the Second was proclaimed there. From thence they got up the Country to a place in Pennsylvania then called” Chestnut Level.

Our grandfather naturally of an enterprising spirit explored the Country Southwesterly from a place in Virginia now Albemarle County to which he moved & was soon followed by all his kindred. There he lived some years; there our grandfather died and his oldest son and my mother his only daughter were married. They and their companions moved with him to Roanoke River and the fine lands there explored the Country Westwardly till he and his followers fixed on a fine level watered spot not 30 miles outside any inhabitants to which place him and his sons and brothers-in-law moved about the year1742 or 3.

They were soon after joined by other friends mostly from Ireland or Pennsylvania until they formed a little connected Settlement which was known and always called Caldwell Settlement for thirty years after our father was the first Justice of the Peace and his oldest son the oldest militia officer that was ever appointed under King Geo. 2nd within 25miles of that place in that neighborhood I was born and in it was married and had six children before I moved to Kentucky in the year”1781.

Our grandfather’s children were Wm. Thomas David & Margaret John Robert & James.[Caldwell] My father and grandfather both died in October 1750 just 14 days apart. My mother married a man by the name of James Mitchell. She had five children by each husband.

Two of her daughters died in Virginia. The rest all came to Kentucky and have become numerous families. Her son Robert died in Kentucky.

William Thomas & David [Caldwell] are all buried in the same grave yard with their father. David’s widow & all the family moved to Kentucky.

Uncle John [Caldwell] went to So. Carolina & died there. Uncle William’s widow and all that family went also to So. Carolina. Our friend J.C. Calhoun is a son of the 2nd daughter of that family.

I enjoy as good health as” a man in his 79th year has any good reason to expect or look for which I ought to be very thankful to the Great Giver of all blessings. My Kindred in this Section of the Country are all well as far as I know I am sorry to hear of your declining state of health but hope you will be enabled by grace divine to bear it without the murmuring thought. Remember me to your wife and children and to your brother Josiah and family.

I greet you all as dear relations and although I shall never see any of you in this world I hope to meet you at a future day in a far happier place. How vain are All things here below yet I feel a desire to hear from you all often whilst I do live. On looking over what I have written I see a good many blots & blunders which you will readily excuse. Farewell! Farewell!” From your affectionate Cousin”

    John Rodgers

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project.

   https://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=firefly&id=I626