From David A. Caldwell-a descendent:


Dr. David Thomas Caldwell -- Plantation Owner David Thomas Caldwell (1799-1861) was the oldest son born to the Rev. Samuel Craighead Caldwell and his first wife, Abigail Bain Alexander, in 1799, just three years after Rev. Caldwell was called to minister to the Hopewell and Sugar Creek Presbyterian Communities of Mecklenburg County. He had six brothers, five of whom became ministers, one a lawyer, and two sisters. David Thomas Caldwell received his early education from his father at the classical school at Sugaw Creek. He attended and obtained an A.M. Degree from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He obtained a M.D. from the State University of Pennsylvania circa 1820, studying under Dr. McKenzie, and served as one of Mecklenburg County's few doctors. He became a trustee of Davidson College and educated his sons there. His will identifies several children: William David, Sarah Jane, Robert Baxter, Margaret Abigail, and Alice Caldwell. Rosedale -- a nineteenth century Federal-style plantation house -- has been located at 4237 North Tryon Street a couple of miles north of Charlotte since the early 1800s. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, Rosedale was built in 1815 by Archibald Frew. In 1819, Rosedale and 911 acres of land were sold at public auction because of Frew's tax problems. The purchaser was U.S. Congressman William Davidson (1778-1857), who had married Frew's sister, Sarah (1772-1812), in 1802. Their daughter, Harriet Elizabeth Davidson (1806-45), married Dr. David Thomas Caldwell in 1826. Dr. David Thomas Caldwell recorded deed title in 1833.