There’s a murder scene depicted on one of N.J.’s county seals. Here’s the backstory – NJ.com

A bald eagle. The scales of justice. A farmer and his plow.  

They’re the typical symbols found on governmental seals that hang in meeting chambers, can be found on letterhead, or are emblazoned on the back of business cards.  

But in Union County, they chose to go with something different — a grisly murder scene of the first woman killed in the Revolutionary War in New Jersey— who was shot in her home while protecting her family. 

That very woman — or maybe her husband— is said to haunt the grounds where she lived, now known as the Caldwell Parsonage in Union Township.  

Here’s the story of Hannah Caldwell, whose death has been memorialized in Union County’s seal.  

“She was of so sweet a temper, so prudent, benevolent, and soft in her manners, that I verily believe she had not upon earth one personal enemy.” 

 That’s what her husband, the Rev. James Caldwell, said of his wife more than two centuries ago.  

The pair married on March 14, 1763 and had nine children. Hannah was described as being medium height with a fair complexion, auburn hair and dark gray eyes. 

Reverend James Caldwell, the “Fighting Parson” of the American Revolution, was one of the most notable chaplains during the war, according to the Revolutionary War New Jersey website.

He was born in Virginia in April 1734. He graduated in 1759 from the College of New Jersey, now known as Princeton University. After graduating, he was ordained a minister and later became the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethtown. 

When the war broke out, the Rev. Caldwell joined the Patriot Army and became chaplain of the New Jersey line.

In early 1780, his church and home were burned down by Loyalists. He moved his wife and nine children to the parsonage, a home for the clergy members at Connecticut Farms in what is now known as Union Township.