Absalom Looney (1729-1791) and wife Margaret "Peggy" Moore lived in the
Craig's Creek area (now Craig Co.) of Botetourt Co., VA.
Their daughter Priscilla married William Caldwell, March 24, 1789. William was
reportedly a son of John Caldwell and Susannah who lived in the Craig's Creek
area. There is much information out there regarding William Caldwell and
Priscilla Looney and their 13 children.
Priscilla's older sister, Margaret Looney, married Alexander Caldwell, July 25,
1778. Alexander and Margaret spent their entire married lives in Knox Co.,
TN. Their marriage record also has the date of Jan. 5, 1778, which might be
the date of the Bond. From somewhere I got the tidbit that Alexander went to
Knox Co., TN, before 1778 but returned to VA to marry. This could explain the
expanse of time between Jan. 5 and July 25 in the marriage record.
Alexander and Margaret had 11 children, not necessarily in this order --
1) Benjamin md. who?
2) Alexander md. who?
3) Margaret md. John Williams, May 26, 1808, Knox Co., TN
4) Robert md. Sarah Rhodes, March 1, 1810, Knox Co., TN, and moved to
Greene Co., MO, by 1839 where he d. in 1866
5) Absalom md. Hannah Hinds, Jan. 11, 1808, Knox Co., TN, and moved to
Jefferson Co., AL, around 1825 where he d. in 1863
6) John md. who? (possibly Polly Ann Riggle, May 19, 1818, Knox Co., TN)
7) Nancy md. Jesse Galloway, July 31, 1816, Knox Co., TN, and moved to
Morgan Co., IN, where she d. about 1836, then Jesse re-married
8) Jane "Jessie" md. cousin Benjamin Looney, March 18, 1821, Knox Co., TN,
and lived in Hawkins Co., TN
9) Elizabeth md. George Smith, where?
10) James md. who? (possibly Mary McCampbell, March 13, 1819, Knox Co.,
TN); he had 6 children, and was dead by 1832
11) Polly (probably Mary "Polly") md. William Copeland, where?
Now to back track a bit. Alexander and Margaret's son Robert (my husband's
ancestor) named their first son Absalom L. Caldwell, but he was generally
known as Loon Caldwell. When his name finally led us to Absalom Looney, we
went downtown to the library and poured through the Kegley, Summers,
Chalkley, and other books looking for Caldwell families in the vicinity of where
Absalom Looney lived but found too many Caldwell families to come up with
anything definitive.
However, there was one name that struck us -- William Caldwell, and here's
why.
William acquired 197 acres on Craig's Creek (a branch of the James River),
February 13, 1770, and operated a mill there by 1770-1771. Absalom Looney
and other Looney families were also in the Craig's Creek area by 1770. William
Caldwell and wife Mary sold 297 acres on Craig's Creek, Botetourt Co., to John
Taylor, May 12, 1778. The Botetourt County Court, June 10, 1779, "set [a
William Caldwell] levy free [tax free] on account of his age and other
infirmities." William probably died soon after this date.
Other sons may or may not include Robert, Walter, John, Joseph, and Hugh; all
are identified with Craig's Creek, 1774-1799.
[Note: there was another Caldwell family on Cub Creek in Lunenberg Co. in
south-central VA that is sometimes confused with the Caldwell family on
Craig's Creek in west-central VA, and I have not found any connections
between them.]
The connection to the William Caldwell above is based primarily on the 1770
date because a William Caldwell, the son and heir of Hugh Caldwell who died in
Cameron Parish, Loudoun Co., VA, sold his father's land on Dec. 7, 1769, and 2-
1/2 months later, a William Caldwell bought land on Craig's Creek. It's not
known if the two Williams were the same man.
Nine years later, a William Caldwell was set tax free in 1779 by the Botetourt
Co. Court, but again, it's not known if this was the same William who bought
the land on Craig's Creek in 1770.
Another clue that suggests Hugh Caldwell of Loudoun Co, VA, may have been
the grandfather of Alexander Caldwell is seen in the names of the first three
sons of Alexander's son Absalom -- Alexander (after Absalom's father),
Benjamin (after Absalom's brother), and Hugh (possibly honoring Absalom's
great-grandfather?).
I again searched through Lewis Preston Summers, Annals of Southwest
Virginia, 1769-1800, and found Alexander Caldwell mentioned three times --
listed under Revolutionary Soldiers, Alexander Caldwell and Michael Looney
(Margaret's brother?) are listed as Privates in Captain Henry Pauling's Company
of Volunteers of the Botetourt County Regiment. --Summers, p.1413
The Library of VA, electronic card index, Dunmore's War (1774)
http://image.vtls.com/collections/ also shows
Alexander Caldwell in Captain Henry Pauling's Company, Botetourt Co., VA,
militia at the Battle of Point Pleasant, October 10, 1774 (index p.xxiii;
Dunmore's War Record, p.168).
If Alexander was born ca. 1757 as I believe, then he would have been just old
enough to be brought into the local militia in 1774.
and Summers, p.255, mentions Alexander Caldwell twice during the term of the
Botetourt County Court, May 14, 1776:
The Grand Jury retd. and presented: Alexander Caldwell for profanely swearing
by his Maker two oaths.
Then on down the page: Alexander Caldwell is apptd. Constable in the room of
John Potts, Junr., who is dischd. from that office.
So, bottom line, my question is: Who were Alexander's parents? And was he
related to the William Caldwell who married Priscilla Looney? My sincere thanks
if you managed to read this far.
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