The Caldwell Family

John was primarily raised by his grandparents, William and Catherine Fulton Caldwell. At four, John's grandparents took John and moved to the United States. At 13, John entered the practice of carpentry.

During hard times, John joined the United States military and was enlisted in the Army in 1855. In 1857, US President James Buchanan sent Albert Sidney Johnston to go to the Utah Territory and quell the "Mormon Rebellion." John joined the army to see what the Mormon people were like. The army entered the Salt Lake Valley on June 16, 1858 and stayed at Camp Floyd.