Jacob Caldwell

Jacob was baptized on November 29, 1719 in Ipswich, MA. He was the eldest son of Deacon Jacob and Rebecca (Lull) Caldwell.

He married Anna Hastings on September 28, 1742. They were married by Joseph Mason, Justice of the Peace. Both were "of Watertown", so Jacob must have moved there at some point before his marriage and long enough to establish residency.

Jacob and Anna had nine children. John in 1743, Rebecca in 1744, Anna in 1746, Jacob in 1748, Sarah in 1750, and Enoch in 1753 were all born in Watertown. Mary was born in Cambridge in 1755. The last two children were born in Woburn: Lucy in 1757 and Elizabeth in 1760.

Anna died on September 28, 1760, and on February 24, 1761 he married Sarah Perry. They had seven children: Sally in 1761, Rhoda in 1763, Lydia in 1764, Joseph in 1767, Benjamin in 1768, Thomas Jones in 1770, and Joshua Jones in 1772.

During the American Revolution Jacob served as a Sergeant in Capt. Joshua Walker's Company in the 2nd Middlesex County Regiment. His service was for 6 days, and was probably on the Lexington Alarm of April 19, 1775. Lexington and Woburn are only about 5 miles apart, and many area men answered their neighbors' call for aid. Later in the war he supplied four blankets for the Army, and was paid five Pounds and two Shillings for them.

He died in Woburn on September 9, 1787, and is buried in the Second Parish Burial Ground in what is now Burlington, MA. His gravestone was "given by the 8 last children"-- his eight youngest children.

Jacob's son Jacob has the following description on the crew list for the ship Hercules out of Salem:26 years of age, 4 feet 9 1/2 inches in height, light complexion, dark hair. I wonder how much Jacob the son resembled his father.