ELIZABETH, NJ — The Hannah and James Caldwell Memorial Obelisk recently underwent a complete restoration and cleaning at the Siloam-Hope First Presbyterian Church, formerly known as the First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethtown, in Elizabeth thanks to the Union County Historical Society.
UCHS President Joanne Rajoppi said, “The 179-year-old obelisk honoring Revolutionary War pastor and patriot James Caldwell and his wife, Hannah, was in terrible condition: encrusted dirt from years of neglect with loose mortar and unreadable engravings. As we approach the 250th anniversary of our country, what better time to reflect, remember and honor the contributions of our patriots, especially the Caldwells, who sacrificed their lives for independence.”
The Siloam-Hope First Presbyterian Church cemetery is one of the oldest in the state, dating to the late 1680s. More than 40 officers of the Continental Army are buried there, many of whom attended the church while the Rev. Caldwell served as its pastor. Caldwell also served as Gen. George Washington’s deputy commissary of supplies during the war. The British placed a bounty on his head and he was murdered in 1781. His wife, Hannah, and mother of their nine children had been murdered the previous year by a British soldier in the aftermath of the Battle of Connecticut Farms.
There are also more than 313 enslaved and free Black buried in the historic cemetery, often in unmarked graves: some are children and some are likely war veterans. The 313+ Ancestors Speak Project acknowledges and commemorates their lives and burials. A monument with their names was recently erected in the cemetery.
The restoration of the Caldwell memorial was partially funded by a Union County Heart Grant, donations by the Union Township Historical Society, the NJ Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, the West Fields Chapter of SAR, American Legion Post 248, the First Presbyterian Church of Springfield and many individual contributors.
Rajoppi said that the restoration included a workshop on how to clean gravestones. Volunteers, including local area Boy Scouts, the Crane’s Ford Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and UCHS members, attended the four hour event.
The restoration work was completed by Richard Grubb & Associates, a full-service cultural resource management firm and one of the largest, independent archaeological and historic preservation consulting companies in the eastern United States. Their corporate headquarters are in Cranbury.
Photo Courtesy of Joanne Rajoppi