First found in Harlech, where they were seated from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. According to legend, this ancient family are descended from Cadwaladr (d. circa 664) Welsh King of Gwynedd, leader of the Celtic resistance against the Anglo-Saxons. Later accounts have made him a national hero, a Saint, and called him the last of the Kings of Briton.

Many Welsh joined the great migrations to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Like their Scottish and Irish neighbors, many Welsh families left their homeland hoping to find hope and prosperity in a land that the English did not exercise a tight rule over. Those Welsh immigrants that successfully traveled to North America went on to make significant contributions to the rapid development of both Canada and the United States in terms of the settling of land and the establishment of industry. They also added to the rich cultural heritage of both countries. An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Cadwallader: Humphrey Cadwellader who settled in Virginia in 1641; John Cadwalader settled with his wife in Philadelphia in 1820; C. Cadwalader arrived in San Francisco in 1852..

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