Caldwell County, Missouri

Caldwell County is a located in the  of. , the population is 8,969. Its is. The county was organized in 1836 as a haven for the Mormons.

Caldwell is part of the

Origin of name
According to the the County was named by  to honor an Indian fighter who his father knew in. The fighter's name is believed to be, a former lieutenant governor of Kentucky. for whom is named.

who wrote books about the placenames in Missouri says the county was named for Matthew Caldwell "commander of Indian Scouts in Kentucky" in the. No further details are given. The prominent Caldwell war name from Kentucky during this period is (famed for his Caldwell's Rangers group). His partner was. They were pro in the fights.

There was a Matthew Caldwell who was born in Kentucky in 1781 and was a member of the in 1834 from  in   The name of Matthew Caldwell was mentioned in a history of the country written the 1890s but no details were given on who Caldwell was.

Mormon Settlement
Caldwell County was originally part of. The first white settler was Jesse Mann, Sr. who settled one half mile northeast of the public square of Kingston on Shoal Creek in 1831. The early settlers moved back south in 1832 for better protection during the uprising.

In 1832 a few Mormon settlers who had been evicted from moved into the county including Jacob Haun whose mill on Shoal Creek would become the scene of the bloodiest battle in the.

The settlers established the first town in the county -- Salem -- two miles southeast of Kingston.

In the fall of 1836 a larger number of Mormons moved to the county.

In December 1836 the Missouri General Assembly created Caldwell County with the understanding it would be dedicated to Mormon settlers. Its county seat was.

By 1838 Far West reported a population of 4,000.

Included in the immigration were all the major figures of early Mormon history including, , , , , , and.

Mormon War
Mormon settlers moved further north into particularly at  after Smith proclaimed that it was the Bibilical place where  were banished after leaving the  and that it would be a gathering place on.

Following a skirmish between settlers (the Mormon name for non-Mormon settlers) and Mormon settlers in the  the Mormon War erupted in which both sides burned and plundered each other's settlements.

After Missouri militia was routed in the, Missouri Governor issued the  to evict the Mormons from the state. Three days later a group from killed 18 Mormons in the.

Troops then laid siege to Far West. Smith surrendered in October 1838 and the settlers agreed to leave totally abandoning Far West and then regrouping in.

Following the dissolution of Far West the county seat moved to Kingston.

Notable natives

 * , founder of
 * , U.S. Senator
 * , Congressman
 * , professional baseball player

Adjacent counties

 * (north)
 * (east)
 * (southeast)
 * (south)
 * (west)
 * (northwest)