Caldwell, Archibald

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Archibald Caldwell Soundex Code C434

Archibald Caldwell Indian trader

Archibald Caldwell, (Wednesday, April 30, 1806-). Archibald was born in Pearisburg, Giles County, Virginia.

He was the son of a sister to Jonas Clybourne who married Emily Hall (sister of Benjamin Hall;

He arrived with his wife on horseback via Fort Wayne on Sunday, July 1, 1827;

He was a cousin to an Archibald Clybourn who had earlier come from Virginia, together with Caldwell`s sister, Louisa Caldwell;

from 1828 to 1830 ran the Wolf Point Tavern for James Kinzie, for which he was granted - Chicago`s first - tavern license on Tuesday, December 8, 1829, by the commissioners of Peoria County; occasionally did blacksmith work;

in the spring of 1829 he abandoned his wife for an Indian woman, Josette;

in June 1830, sued by Emily for a divorce that was uncontested [For Mrs. Caldwell`s complaint in the records of the circuit court at Peoria, see the following text as read by her attorney on Tuesday, June 8, 1830];

Emily later married the discharged soldier [see] Cole Weeks;

also in June Caldwell was paid $5.50 by Peoria County for ironing a turnpike scraper, - Chicago`s first - official account of road improvements;

by 1831 he had moved with Josette to the vicinity of Green Bay where they had five boys and a girl, and "all lived in Indian style";

in 1834 he piloted the schooner Jefferson from Green Bay to Chicago, remaining until the next year;

he remarried at Green Bay and became an Indian trader;

in 1876 he was a farmer at Kenosha, Wisconsin, with 10 children living in the vicinity;

was still alive in 1880, living at Black Creek, Wisconsin.