136–137. Luther Calvin was born in England or Germany in 1705-1710, and died before 1778. These birth and death dates are estimates. His wife was _____ _____ They had six children:
| i. | John Calvin was born most likely in Bethlehem Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, in—say—1735. | |
| ii. | Joshua Calvin [#68]: He was born in Bethlehem Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, on September 14, 1742, and died in Mahoning County, Ohio, on October 4, 1832. | |
| iii. |
Luther Calvin was born
most likely in Bethlehem Township
ca. 1735–1745, and died
in Hunterdon County, New Jersey,
in 1834.
Per his granddaughter, Mrs. Taylor, He married Catherine Britton and had
eight children:
Joshua B. (married Nancy Opdyke),
Nathaniel,
Luther, Robert,
Thisbe, Elizabeth,
Catherine, and Mary. Luther stayed in New Jersey and built a grist and saw mill (Calvin's Mills) in what is now Union Township. He sold out in 1812 and it became known as Pattenburg (N.J.). | |
| iv. | Steven Calvin was born most likely in Bethlehem Township ca. 1735–1745. | |
| v. |
Robert Calvin was born
most likely in Bethlehem Township
ca. 1735–1745.
He was the first of the sons to leave New Jersey. He moved to the Romney region of Hampshire County, [now West] Virginia. He acquired 276 acres there on March 25, 1780. He deeded his land to Stephen Calvin (his son?) in 1815. That was the last record of Robert. | |
| vi. |
Elizabeth Calvin was born
most likely in Bethlehem Township
ca. 1735–1745.
|
Luther Calvin was a Huguenot who immigrated from England about 1725. According to Mrs. Grace (Calvin) Taylor, one of his great granddaughters, "... came from England and bought land in [what became] Frenchtown and a hotel on the Everittstown Road..." Both of these places are in Hunterdon County. In Hunterdon County History, by Snell, it is stated that the Frenchtown locality was known in 1759 as Calvin's Ferry and that a road lead from there to Everettstown. The inference is clear that this name came from Luther Calvin and that he had established a ferry across the Delaware River there, 24 miles up river from Washington's famous crossing.
Luther was probably the same Luther Calvin who was a 1st Lieutenant in the Associated Companies in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, across the river, in 1756 during the French and Indian War.
Nothing is known of Luther's wife, but his name is mentioned in New Jersey records in connection with the administration of the estate of Mary Park, nee Heath. in Bethlehem Township, Hunterdon County, in 1757. Claude Calvin speculates that Luther may have been Mary's son-in-law.
New Jersey tax records of 1778 do not show Luther Calvin as a land owner so it can be presumed that he had died before then.
All of the children are believed to have been born in Bethlehem Township of
Hunterdon County and to have grown up and married in that area. Near the
end of the Revolution, four of the sons, Robert, John, Stephen and Joshua,
emigrated from New Jersey with their families; Luther II and Elizabeth stayed
in the state. Apparently Robert left first, about 1780, followed soon by
John and Stephen; Joshua left late in 1786 or early 1787. Although the five
sons lived in New Jersey during the American Revolution, no evidence has been
found of them rendering military service. To the contrary, New Jersey records
of the "Loyalists" of the period show that "Luther Colvin, Jr." of Hunterdon
County "refused oaths, fined and baled" in 1777, and that "Stephen Colvin"
of Hunterdon County also "refused oaths, fined" the same year.