Individual Details

Family researchers give his place of birth as Charlotte Co VA, but that county was not formed from Lunenburg Co until 1764.

John married Judith Smith, 6 Aug 1781, in Charlotte Co. She was the daughter of John Smith and Ann Neasum. John was her legal guardian at the time of the marriage. Soon after their marriage, they moved to the area of Kentucky that would become Nelson County.

As Maj. Gen. John Caldwell he served under Anthony Wayne at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, 20 Aug 1794.

Caldwell represented Nelson Co in the 1787 and 1788 Constitutional Conventions in Danville, KY. When Kentucky became a state in 1792, Washington Co was formed from Nelson Co and the Caldwell family found themselves residents of the new county. John had already been elected the 1st Senator of Nelson County. In 1796, he was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives from Washington Co.

In 1796, John Caldwell and the Rev. Terah Templin led a group of settlers to western Kentucky to settle in the western most part of Logan County - this area would become Christian County in 1797 and then Livingston Co in 1798.

In 1801, he was elected Senator for the district of Livingston, Henderson, Muhlenburg & Ohio Counties. His brother Robert was Senator from Madison Co KY. [6 Nov 1801 edition of the Kentucky Gazette]

John Caldwell ran for the office of Lt. Governor in 1804 - he won and was the 2nd Lt Gov. of Kentucky but the first to be elected by popular vote.

John Caldwell died from "inflammation of the brain" while presiding over the state senate in his first year as lietenant governor in Frankfort, KY on 9 Nov 1804. In 1809, Caldwell Co, named for John, was formed from part of Livingston Co.

Judith, John's widow, remarried on 3 Aug 1808 to Alexander Johnston. She left him prior to 28 Feb 1810, as he posted in "The Farmer's Friend" published in Russellville KY on that date that she had left him to live with friends and he would not be responsible for her debts. In Sept of 1810, Alexander Johnston, transferred his estate to his children in return for his care and apparently died soon after. No more records of Judith have been found.

The children of John & Judith Smith Caldwell were:
Robert Smith Caldwell, born 1 Jul 1783. He married Mary "Polly" Shelby, daughter of Moses Shelby and Elizabeth Neel, in 1805. Between 1811 and 1813, their family moved to Mississippi with the Shelbys. He died 10 Aug 1830 in Claiborne Co MS. Mary and her children moved to Sabine Parish LA.
Nancy Caldwell, born ca 1786. She married Jeremiah Walker in Livingston Co KY, 1805. The estate of record of John Caldwell, listed her as Nancy Ross in 1819.
John Caldwell, was age 16 in 1804, or born about 1788. A John William Caldwell was one of the administrators of the estate of Robert Smith Caldwell in Claiborne Co MS, but it's not known for sure if this was indeed his brother.
Terah Templin Caldwell, born 23 Mar 1793. Served as a private in Capt. James Cooke's Co, 6th Regt KY, in the War of 1812. He returned to the Washington Co KY area where he married Harriet Smith or 15 Jul 1819; they were the parents of nine children. This family remained in Kentucky. He died 1 Dec 1868 in Marion Co KY. The Rev. Terah Templin officated at the 2nd marriage of Judith Caldwell, and at the marriages of her children, Robert and Nancy.

Birth	22 Sep 1758	Lunenburg County, Virginia
Death	19 Nov 1804	Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky
Burial		Frankfort Cemetery, Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky

Father	ROBERT CALDWELL (1732 - 1806)
Mother	MARY Logan (1738 - 1815)
Sibling	MARGARET P. CALDWELL (1755 - 1844)
Sibling	David CALDWELL (1760 - )
Sibling	William Thomas Caldwell (1762 - 1827)
Sibling	Robert CALDWELL (1764 - 1848)
Sibling	Phillips CALDWELL (1767 - )
Sibling	Jean\Jane CALDWELL (1770 - )
Sibling	Samuel CALDWELL (1771 - 1835)
Sibling	Mary Logan/Steele CALDWELL (1773 - )
Sibling	Elizabeth CALDWELL (1776 - 1807)
Sibling	James Logan CALDWELL (1778 - 1850)
Sibling	Richard CALDWELL (1781 - )