John McCadden was the first son born to Francis McCadden, a prominent businessman of Plattsburgh, New York and Catherine Tracy. He was a life-long resident of Plattsburgh however he had the unique opportunity to travel across the United States during his early 20s. His enlightening letters to his younger sister discuss his adventures in Chicago, Illinois, St. Louis, Missouri and Clinton, Iowa along the Mississippi River. When he returned to Plattsburgh in 1872 he decided to establish a grocery store called John McCadden's which was located on the corner of Bridge and Water Streets. McCadden would eventually marry and have a family of two children but his children would die in infancy. In his spare time he liked baseball and played on the Plattsburgh Aurora baseball team. In 1876 in commemoration of the country's Centennial celebrations, he was appointed to the Clinton County Centennial Celebration Games and Sports Committee. This then is the narrative of the life and times of John McCadden, the grocer of Plattsburgh.