Julia L. Caldwell was born in
Somerville, Alabama, the daughter of Joseph Caldwell and Matilda Caldwell, both of whom were born and raised in South Carolina. She was raised in
Columbus, Georgia. According to the 1880 census, her family moved to Columbus, Georgia somewhere between 1870 and 1880. She was living at home with her three sisters and parents. At the time of her graduation from
Howard University, she was the only woman in a class of six people. She graduated from
Howard University in 1888, the third woman to earn a bachelor's degree at Howard, after
Matilda Adams Nichols and
Josephine Turpin. She pursued further studies throughout her life, at
Tuskegee Institute,
Clark University and
Columbia University. She was awarded an honorary master's degree at Howard in 1925. == Career ==