Caleb was born September 2, 1791 in Nobletown, New York. As he matured, he was quiet and soft-spoken, except when speaking in defense of his friends. And then he was known to have a fiery tongue.

Caleb fought under Captain Charles Parker in the War of 1812.

He married Nancy December 9, 1814. When Mormon missionaries passed through northern Ohio in late 1830, Caleb and his wife were baptized.

Most know the story that when Julia Murdock passed away in 1831 around Kirtland - that her newborn twins were given to Emma and Joseph Smith to raise. But what no one remembers is that it was Caleb and Nancy who cared for the three older Murdock children while their father John served as a missionary.

Later when the saints experienced intense persecution in northern Missouri, Caleb was among able defenders in what was called the Battle of the Blue. He was captured, and was beaten almost to death by Missourians with hickory sticks. The scars from that he carried for the rest of his life.

Caleb became a missionary preaching the Gospel fearlessly. Finally in late 1838, he was living somewhere near Far West, Missouri. When the Mormon-Missouri War broke out, Caleb fought in defense of his people. And then when Far West fell, Caleb was among those arrested and charged with treason. He was brought before Circuit Judge Austin A. King to be arraigned. Caleb asked for a fair trial, and then asked the judge what he was to do with his family who were being driving out of state by the mob. Judge King’s answer - was that if Caleb would renounce his religion and forsake Joseph Smith, he should be set free and protected. Caleb refused. He was bound over as a prisoner along with Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Alexander McRae, Lyman Wight, and Sidney Rigdon for the next four month in Liberty Jail, Clay County, Missouri.

Caleb was Caleb Baldwin. It was he along with Alexander McRae that scribed the letter dictated by the Prophet Joseph Smith to the Church that would later become Doctrine and Covenants 121-123.

When Joseph and the other prisoners escaped Missouri, they fled to Quincey, Illinois. There Joseph and the others found their families, but not Caleb. His family was still in Missouri. Now, Caleb knew he was a wanted man in Missouri. If he went back and was captured, he would surely be imprisoned or killed. Caleb went back for Nancy and the children, and got them out safely.

In Nauvoo, Caleb went to work once again and helped build the Nauvoo Temple. On one occasion – and this is telling – the Prophet Joseph Smith stood atop a barrel to preach to a gathered crowd. Suddenly the barrel began to teeter. Caleb rushed forward and Joseph put his hand on Caleb’s shoulder to steady himself. That act symbolized the life and service of Caleb Baldwin.

When the saints went west to the Rocky Mountains, Caleb was among the first. He was 57-years-old when he made that journey, and was frequently called “Father Baldwin.” Though he held no high position, he was often included in council with the leaders of the Church. He arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in September of 1848 where he died just a few months later.

It is said that the name “Baldwin” is of Germanic origins, and that “Bald” means bold, and that “Wine” means friend or protector. Caleb Baldwin was indeed a bold friend and a protector, mostly and undeservedly forgotten by history.