CADENHEAD, JAMES, Sen., aged 98, resided in Pike County, June 1, 1840.-Census of Pensioners, 1841, p. 149.
CAFFEY, JOHN. The Alabama Journal, Montgomery, August 28, 1826, contains the obituary of John Caffey :
“Died, at his plantation, in the vicinity of Montgomery, on Saturday, the 19th, inst. (Aug. 19, 1826), of bilious fever, Mr. John Caffey, in seventy-fifth year of his age.
“Mr. Caffey was born on the eastern shore of Maryland. At an early period of the revolution he enlisted under the command of Washington and La Fayette. After the struggle for independence was over he settled in Guilford County, N. C., where he had the confidence of his fellow citizens. He moved to this town in 1817 and was esteemed for his peaceful and neighborly conduct. Mr. Caffey had long been an exemplary member of the church, and when sensible his last moments were approaching, he surrendered his spirit with praises of God on his lips and an entire possession of his understanding.”
He was the son of Michael Caffey of North Ireland, who migrated to New Jersey early in the 18th century. His wife was Mary Buchanan of Virginia. Mr. William Hardwick Ruth, a great-great-grandson now (1910) resides in Montgomery.
His remains lie in an old family burying ground on the Woodley Road, near the city of Montgomery. He was the friend of Lafayette, and when that distinguished patriot visited Montgomery in 1825, one of the old veterans to greet him was John Caffey.-See Blue’s Montgomery Directory, 1878; and Archives of Maryland, Vol. 18, p. 27 and 643.
CALDWELL, DAVID, aged 87, resided in Talladega County, June 1, 1840, with Charles Caldwell.-Census of Pensioners, 1841, p. 148.
CALDWELL, JAMES. Mrs. P. H. Mell in Transactions of the Alabama Historical Society, vol. iv, pp. 534-5, says :
“James Caldwell is buried in the cemetery at old Davisville, in Calhoun County, Ala., one and one-half miles south of Iron City station, twelve miles east of Anniston, on the Southern railroad. The ‘oldest inhabitant’ could give no information concerning the soldier.
“The tomb is built of brick; about 8 feet long, 6 1/2 feet wide, and 5 feet high. The shingles of the roofs are badly rotted. A plain marble tablet is let into the wall of the tomb, bearing this inscription:
Sacred
to the memory of
JAMES CALDWELL,
who died October 2nd,
1847;
in the 98th year
of his age.
He was a soldier of the Revolution.
“The above account was furnished by W. B. Bowling, of Lafayette, Ala.
“Efforts have been made in vain to find the history of this old soldier. It is said that he came from South Carolina. He is another one of those forgotten heroes whose graves are scattered over the State.”
CAMPBELL, CHARLES, aged 76, and a resident of Lauderdale County; private Virginia State Troops; enrolled on October 7, 1833, under act of Congress of June 7, 1832, payment to date from March 4, 1831; annual allowance, $80.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34.
CAMPBELL, DAVID, aged 72, and a resident of Greene County; private S. C. Militia; enrolled on September 17, 1833, under act of Congress of June 7, 1832, payment to date from March 4, 1831; annual allowance, $30; sums received to date of publication of list, $90.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34. He resided in Greene County, June 1, 1840, aged 80.-Census of Pensioners, 1841, p. 149.
CAMPBELL, GEORGE, a resident of Autauga county; private and sergeant, particular service not shown; enrolled on April 8, 1835, under act of Congress of June 7, 1832, payment to date from March 4, 1831; annual allowance, $55.83.-Pension Book, State Branch Bank, Mobile.
CARD, HUGH, aged 84, resided in Randolph, June 1, 1840.-Census of Pensioners, 1841, p. 148.
CARGILL, THOMAS, age not given, a resident of Jackson County; private of Cavalry N. C. Militia; enrolled on January 6, 1834; under act of Congress of June 7, 1832, payment to date from March. 4, 1831; annual allowance, $100, sums received to date of publication of list, $300.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34. He resided in Marshall County, June 1, 1840, aged 77.-Census of Pensioners, 1841, p. 148.
CARROL, DUMPSEY, aged 82, and a resident of Wilcox County; private N. C. Militia; enrolled on July 25, 1834, under act of Congress of June 7, 1832, payment to date from March 4, 1831; annual allowance, $20.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34.
CARROLL, DEMPSEY, aged 78, resided in Wilcox County, June 1, 1840.-Census of Pensioners, 1841, p. 149. (Probably same as preceding, but age of each makes it uncertain.)
CARUTHERS, HUGH, aged 77, and a resident of Madison County; private N. C. Continental Line; enrolled on December 31, 1832, under act of Congress of June 7, 1832, payment to date from March 4, 1831; annual allowance, $80; sums received to date of publication of list, $240.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34.
CASEY, WILLIAM, aged 77, and a resident of Autauga County; private S. C. Militia; enrolled on March 7, 1834, under act of Congress of June 7, 1832; payment to date from March 4, 1831; annual allowance, $40.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Part 3, Vol. xiii, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34. He resided in Coosa County, June 1, 1840, with M. B. Casey, aged 89.-Census of Pensioners, 1841, p. 149.
CATCHUM, HUGH, aged 72, and a resident of Limestone County; private N. C. Militia and State Troops; enrolled on January 21, 1833, under act of Congress of June 7, 1832, payment to date from March 4, 1831; annual allowance, $46.66; sums received to date of publication of list, $139.98.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34.
CAULK, JACOB, aged 85, resided in Madison County, June 1, 1840, with John H. Webster.-Census of Pensioners, 1841, p. 148.
CHANCELLOR, JERRY. “This soldier of the Revolution is buried in a country churchyard at Pine Level Methodist church, in Autauga County, eighteen miles west of Montgomery.
“A short sketch of the life of Jerry Chancellor may be found in the Memorial Record of Alabama, vol. ii., p. 895. He was born in England and came to America with his father and two brothers, when sixteen years of age. This was during the Revolutionary war. After remaining a short time in Virginia, the father and his two oldest sons, William and Jerry, came to South Carolina, leaving the youngest son, Jackson Chancellor, in Virginia. Tradition says that Chancellorsville, Virginia, was named for the family of this youngest son.
“When the Chancellors arrived in South Carolina they found the war raging violently all around them and it be-came necessary for them to decide- what their own course should be. The father, whose loyalty to England could not be shaken, told his sons that he should join the British; the sons declared that they admired the Americans for standing up for their rights and they intended to cast their lots with the people of their adopted country. The father and sons never met again, but fought on opposite sides until the close of the Revolutionary war. We do not know in what regiment Jerry Chancellor served, but Saffell’s Records, p. 293, states that Nov. 1, 1779, William Chancellor was a private in the South Carolina regiment commanded by Lieut. Col. Francis Marion, Seventh Company, Thomas Dunbar, captain.
“Jerry Chancellor married Galatea Gilbert and settled in South Carolina after the Revolution, where he remained until 1818, when he organized a colony in South Carolina and came with them to Alabama. They settled on the Autauga side of the Alabama River. He remained with this colony until his death. Descendants of Jerry Chancellor are now living in Childersburg and in Coosa County. His grandson, William S. Chancellor, was one of the oldest Masons in Alabama.”-Mrs. P. H. Mell in Transactions of the Alabama Historical Society, Vol. iv., p. 535.
CHANDLER, JOHN, aged 89, resided in Benton County, June 1, 1840.-Census of Pensioners, 1841, p. 148.
CHERRY, JOSIAH, aged 79, resided in Marengo County, June 1, 1840, with J. W. Cherry.-Census of Pensioners, 1841, p. 149.
CLARKE, LEWIS, aged 71, and a resident of Jackson County; private Virginia Militia; enrolled on November 4, 1833, under the act of Congress of June 7, 1832, payment to date from March 4, 1831; annual allowance, $20.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34. He resided in Jackson County, June 1, 1840, aged 77.-Census of Pensioners, 1841, p. 148.
CLARKE, THOMAS, aged 79, and a resident of Tuscaloosa County; private N. C. Militia; enrolled on September 26, 1833, under act of Congress of June 7, 1832, payment to date from March 4, 1831; annual allowance, $60; sums received to date of publication of list, $180.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34.
CLICK, JOHN, resided in Jefferson County, on the East side of Valley Creek, between the present Powderly and Old Hawkins Big Spring. Here he built a mill, which later be-came the property of his son, Moss Click.
CLOWER, JONATHAN, aged 71, and a resident of Bibb County; private N. Carolina Militia; enrolled on July 6, 1834, under act of Congress of June 7, 1832, payment to date from March 4, 1831; annual allowance, $40.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Part 3, Vol. xiii, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34.
COCHRAN, WILLIAM, age not given, a resident of Clarke County; sergeant Virginia Continental Line; enrolled on September 22, 1819, under act of Congress of March 18, 1818, payment to date from September 7, 1818; annual allowance, $96.; sums received to date of publication of list, $121.60; died December 12, 1819.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34.
COLEMAN, CHARLES P., aged 71, and a resident of Greene County; private N. C. State Troops; enrolled on October 3, 1833, under act of Congress of June 7, 1832, payment to date from March 4, 1831; annual allowance, $80; sums received to date of publication of list, $240.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34.
COLLIER, JAMES. DIED–At his residence near the village, on Monday the 20th instant, after a severe illness of two weeks, Mr. James Collier, in the 77th year of his age. Mr. Collier was a native of Virginia, and at an early period of his life entered the Revolutionary Army. Through the whole of that arduous and protracted struggle for liberty, he manifested the most untiring zeal and unceasing devotion in the cause of his country. He was no less distinguished for his patriotism, than for high-toned honor and those bland and social virtues that endeared him to a large circle of relations and friends.
Overwhelming as is this melancholy bereavement to his worthy family, in which he shone as a most affectionate husband and father, and benevolent master, there is still for them great consolation in knowing that he developed strong hopes of future bliss, that flourish above the tomb, immortal and unfading. Many of his latest moments were spent, in prayer; and he maintained throughout this trying interval that propriety which belonged to the character of a man of sense, and that elevated dependence upon a higher power which became a Christian.
Such were, as we have been enabled to sketch them, the life and death of our deceased friend; we see pictured in them the employments of a man bent earnestly and steadily upon the faithful discharge of the duties which pertained to the situation allotted to him by his Creator. No meritorious artifice to attract the popular applause, no disingenuous maneuvering, were perceptible in his character. These qualities rendered him firm and steady in his friendships. His loss will long be felt by the circle of relations whom he has left behind him; and his memory, as a soldier and a man, will be long and affectionately cherished by all to whom he was known.
How often, at the peaceful fireside of this revolutionary soldier, have we heard the tale of the deeds of others years! Even now, can we see, in fancy’s eye, the gray-haired sire, traveling with increased emotion through the memorable battles of Gilford, Brandywine, Savannah and Eutaw Springs. His aged and failing eyes glisten again with the fire of youth! At the recollection of their resplendent glories, he springs forward from the venerable chair of age, and in the warmth of emotion, almost forgets, for the time, the lapse of years! But he is gone to the cold and silent tomb, moldering into dust, and mingling again with his mother earth. No more shall his spirit rejoice in the cannon’s roar, or the music of the drum. Triana, Madison Co., Ala., Aug. 28, 1832.-Southern Advocate, Huntsville, Sept. 8, 1832.
Mrs. P. H. Mell has collected some additional details, and her sketch is given in full, although it contains some repetitions :
“James Collier, a Revolutionary soldier, is buried on his plantation near Triana, Madison County, Alabama, about twenty miles from Huntsville.
“His wife is buried beside him and their monuments, with inscriptions, are now standing in a full state of preservation in the old family burying ground. The inscriptions are as follows :
“To the memory of
JAMES COLLIER,
who was born in Lunenburg Co., Va., Oct. 13th,
A. D. 1757, and died the 20th of August, A. D. 1832.
” ‘And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself and my eyes shall behold and not another.’ ”
To the memory of
ELIZABETH BOULDIN,
of Charlotte Co., Va., wife of James Collier, who was born the 13th of Feb., A. D. 1763, and died the 23d of Feb., A. D. 1828.
” ‘All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as
a flower of the field, for the wind passeth over it and it
is gone and the place thereof shall know it no more.’ ”
“James Collier was the son of Cornelius Collier and Elizabeth Wyatt, of Lunenburg County, Va. He was descended from Charles Collier, of King and Queen County, Va., on .his father’s side, and his mother was nearly related to Sir Francis Wyatt, Colonial Governor of Virginia. It was the old flax wheel of his (James Collier’s) cousin, Mary Collier, the ancestor of the late Prof. G. Brown Goode, which suggested the insignia of the Daughters of the American Revolution. James Collier was wounded at the battle of Eutaw Springs by a saber cut across his cheek, in a hand-to-hand encounter with a British soldier. He killed the soldier and carried the scar on his face to his grave. His brother, Wyatt Collier, was killed in the same battle when only a boy.
“James Collier married Elizabeth Bouldin, July 3, 1788, daughter of James Bouldin and Sally Watkins, of Charlotte County, Va. He was a large land owner in Lunenburg county and resided there until 1802, when he, with his little family, followed his father and other relatives to Abbeville District, South Carolina. He was a large planter in that State until 1818, when he followed his sons to the territory of Alabama, his older sons having settled in that part of the Mississippi territory, now Alabama, in 1812. He settled on a large plantation in Madison County, where he lived and died.
“His wife, Elizabeth Bouldin, was the daughter of James Bouldin, who was the oldest son of Colonel Thomas Bouldin of Colonial fame, who settled in Lunenburg (now Charlotte) County, Virginia, in 1744, coming from Pennsylvania. His wife was Nancy Clark, niece of Captain Richard Wood of the English navy. The family of Bouldins are noted for their intellect and their love for the legal profession. Virginia boasts there has never been a generation without a judge, even to the present day. This couple left a large family of sons, but there were only four grandsons among the grandchildren. Governor Henry Watkins Collier was a son of James Collier. He was closely connected with the politics of Alabama from 1822 until his death in 1855.
“The ancestry of James Collier is as follows :
(1) Charles Collier of King and Queen County, Virginia. One of his children,
(2) John Collier, Sr., (1680-1735), who was married three times, by his third wife, Nancy Eyres, had issue, among others :
(3) Cornelius Collier, born 1725, married Elizabeth Wyatt in Gloucester county, Va., about 1750, lived in Lunenburg County, Va., was a soldier in the Revolution and moved to Abbeville District, South Carolina in 1788; he had four sons and one of them was
(4) James Collier, the subject of this sketch.
The facts of this article were furnished by his great-granddaughter, Miss Elizabeth R. Benagh. James Collier is mentioned in the Memorial Record of Alabama, vol. ii, p. 415.”-Transactions of the Alabama Historical Society, Vol. iv, pp. 536-7.
COLLINS, ELISHA, aged 75, and a resident of Greene County; private Virginia Militia; enrolled on December 18, 1833, under act of Congress of June 7, 1832, payment to date from March 4, 1831; annual allowance, $30; sums received to date of publication of list, $90.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34.
COLLINS, ELY, aged 76, and a resident of Limestone County; private N. C. Militia; enrolled on February 23, 1834, under act of Congress of June 7, 1832, payment to date from March 4, 1831; annual allowance, $40; sums received to date of publication of list, $100.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc, 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34.
COOK, BENJAMIN, aged 82, resided in Monroe County, June 1, 1840.-Census of Pensioners, 1841, p. 149.
COOK, REUBEN, aged 74, and a resident of Fayette County; private N. C. Militia; enrolled on November 15, 1833, under act of Congress of June 7, 1832, payment to date from March 4, 1831; annual allowance, $36.66; sums received to date of publication of list, $109.98.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34. He resided in Fayette County, June 1, 1840, aged 80.-Census of Pensioners, 1841, p: 148.
CORLEY, ZACCHEUS, aged 72, and a resident of Bibb County; private S. Carolina Militia; enrolled on March 8, 1834, under act of Congress of June 7, 1832, payment to date from March 4, 1831; annual allowance, $40; sums received to date of publication of list, $100.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Part 3, Vol. xiii, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34. He resided in Bibb County, June 1, 1840, aged 77.-Census of Pensioners, 1841, p. 149.
CORY, THOMAS, age not given, a resident of Mobile County; sergeant 4th Battalion Corps Artillery; enrolled on May 21, 1821, payment to date from February 15, 1821; annual allowance, $32; sums received to date of publication of list, $161.47; Acts Military establishment.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34.
COTTON, JAMES, aged 69, and a resident of Madison County; private Virginia Militia; enrolled on March 2, 1833, under act of Congress of June 7, 1832, payment to date from March 4, 1831; annual allowance, $55; sums received to date
of publication of list, $165.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34.
COUCH, ELY, age not given, a resident of Russell County; corporal 4th Regular U. S. Infantry; enrolled on September 20, 1832, payment to date from August 1, 1832; annual allowance, $96; sums received to date of publication of list, $201.06 ;. Acts Military establishment.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34.
COURSON, JAMES, aged 72, and a resident of Montgomery County; private S. C. Continental Line and Militia; enrolled on January 19, 1833, under act of Congress of June 7, 1832; payment to date from March 1831; annual allowance, $80; sums received to date of publication of list, $240.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34.
COZBY, ROBERT, age not given, a resident of Lowndes County; private Revolutionary Army; enrolled on May 15, 1821; payment to date from February 14, 1821; annual allowance, $96; sums received to date of publication of list, $245.06; Acts Military establishment.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34.
CRAFT, EZEKIEL, aged 72, and a resident of Madison County; private, dragoon and drummer S. C. Continental Line and Militia; enrolled on December 31, 1832, under act of Congress of June 7, 1832, payment to date from March 4, 1831; annual allowance, $93.33; sums received to date of publication of list, $279.99.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34. He re-sided in Madison County, June 1, 1840, aged 77.-Census of Pensioners, 1841, p. 148.
CRAIG, JOHN, aged 71, and a resident of Limestone County; private Virginia Militia; enrolled on January 24, 1833, under act of Congress of June 7, 1832, payment to date from March 4, 1831; annual allowance, $28.34.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34.
CRAIG, JOHN, aged 75, resided in Limestone County, June 1, 1840.-Census of Pensioners, p. 148.
CRANE, MAYFIELD, aged 67, and a resident of Pickens County; private S. C. State Troops; enrolled on April 13, 1834, under act of Congress of June 7, 1832, payment to date from March 4, 1831; annual allowance, $80.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34.
CUNNINGHAM, ROBERT, aged 73, and a resident of Tuscaloosa County; private and sergeant, N. C. Continental Line and Militia; enrolled on June 5, 1833, under act of Congress of June 7, 1832, payment to date from March 4, 1871; annual allowance, $91.67; sums received to date of publication of list, $275.01.-Revolutionary Pension Roll, in Vol. xiv, Sen. Doc. 514, 23rd Cong., 1st sess., 1833-34.
Mrs. P. H. Mell in Transactions of the Alabama Historical Society, Vol. iv, pp. 537-541 has a full account of the life and services of this patriot.
“Rev. Robert Cunningham lies buried near the central part of the old cemetery in Tuscaloosa. A stately marble shaft marks his grave; the epitaph which covers the four sides of the shaft is in Latin, showing among other things that he had been a soldier of the Revolution, and pastor of Presbyterian churches in Georgia and in Lexington, Kentucky.
“These inscriptions are as follows:
On the west face: Hic Sepultus Jacet
Virille
ROBERTUS M. CUNNINGHAM, D. D.
Belli Revolutionis
Americanae miles fidelis.
etiamque
Crucis Domini Jesu Christi :
On the east face:
Ecclesiae Presb.
in Republica Georgiae Pastor
Multos annos.
Et in urbe Lexingtonia
Rep. Kentuckiensis
Eundem honorem tulit.
On the south face :
Qui
De Religione, de Patria
Optime meritus :
Maximo suorum
et bonorum omnuim
Desiderio
Mortem obiit,
Die Jul. XI: Anno Domini
MDCCCXXXIX :
Aetatis suae
LXXX.
On the north face:
Uxor dilectissima
Hoc monumentum
ponendum
Curavit.
“The facts concerning the life of this distinguished man are mostly taken from Sanders’ Early Settlers of Alabama, p. 197. The author says that the importance of historical societies is shown from the fact that very little information could be obtained for this biography from any source until he wrote to the Presbyterian Historical Society of Philadelphia, when he promptly received a circumstantial account of the events of his life.
“Robert M. Cunningham, a son of Roger and Mary Cunningham, was born in York County, Pennsylvania, September 10, 1760. In 1775 his parents removed to North Carolina. Query 293 of the Historical and Genealogical Department of the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser states that ‘Roger Cunningham and wife, Sturgeon, removed from near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to Mecklenburg county, North Carolina, just previous to the Revolutionary war. They had six children,-Robert, William, James, Nelly, Mary and Margaret.’ There is little room to doubt that this is the same family as that of the subject of this sketch, and that his mother’s name was Mary Sturgeon.
“Robert served as a youthful soldier in the North Carolina contingent during the Revolutionary war, but it is not known to what regiment he was attached. At the close of the war he went to school to the Rev. Robert Finley, Mr. Robert McCulloch and the Rev. Joseph Alexander. In 1787, being 26 years of age, he entered the junior class in Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa., and graduated in 1789.
“On leaving college he returned to his parents and taught school while he studied theology. He was licensed to preach by the First Presbytery of South Carolina in 1792. Here he married his first wife, Elizabeth. daughter of Charles and Mary Moore, of Spartanburg District. A sketch of the life of Charles Moore is given in J. B. Landrum’s History of Spartanburg, p. 189. He was a brave and faithful old patriot. Elizabeth died November 3, 1794, leaving a daughter who died young.
“In the autumn of 1792 he went to Georgia and organized a church called Ebenezer, in Hancock County; he also preached at Bethany church. October 15, 1795, he married Betsy Ann, daughter of Joseph Parks, of Prince Edward-county, Virginia, and by this marriage he had five sons, one of whom was the Rev. Joseph Cunningham, a minister of ability. October 14. 1805, he married as a third wife, Emily, daughter of Col. William Bird, of Warren County, Georgia, originally from Pennsylvania, who survived him. Hers was a family of distinction.-See Dubose’s Life of Yancey. Three of her aunts on her father’s side married signers of the Declaration of Independence, James Wilson and George Ross, of Pennsylvania, and George Read, of Delaware. Her sister, Caroline Bird, married Benjamin Cudworth Yancey, and was the mother of the great Southern orator, William Lowndes Yancey. Another sister, Louisa Bird, married Captain Robert Cunningham of ‘Rosemont,’ South Carolina, a gentleman of great wealth, liberality and high culture, and an officer in the war of 1812. Their daughter, Miss Ann Pamela Cunningham, was the founder of the Mt. Vernon Ladies’ Memorial Association and was its first regent. Another sister married Jesse Beene, of Cahaba, a distinguished lawyer and politician. A brother, Will E. Bird, was county judge of Dallas County, Alabama, 1836. It is a singular, coincidence that Emily Bird married Rev. Robert Cunningham, of Georgia, and another sister, Louisa Bird, married Capt. Robert Cunningham, of South Carolina. Rev. Robert Cunningham at the time of his marriage must have won much distinction in a ministerial and social respect. By this last marriage he had a son, Robert, a physician, who died in Sumter county, Alabama, and three daughter,-Mrs. Maltby, Mrs. Wilson and Louisa.
“In 1807 he removed to Lexington, Kentucky, and was in-stalled pastor of the First Presbyterian church. This town was even then celebrated for its wealth and intellectual culture and this pulpit required a minister of learning and eloquence. He remained in Lexington until 1822, when he re-moved to Moulton, in North Alabama. He had been laboring as a minister for thirty years, and, requiring some relaxation, he bought a plantation but preached in Moulton and surrounding villages. In 1826 he bought a farm eleven miles from Tuscaloosa and removed there. He built up churches in Tuscaloosa and at Carthage; he also preached occasionally at Greensboro, where his son, Joseph, was pastor. For eight years he preached a free gospel at Tuscaloosa. He preached his last sermon in 1838. He received the degree of doctor of divinity from Franklin College, Georgia (now the University), in 1827. In 1836 he removed to Tuscaloosa, and he died there on the 11th of July, 1839, 80 years of age. Dr. Cunningham was a man of impressive appearance; his height was more than six feet and his form was well developed; his features were good with expressive eyes; he was a man of learning, eloquence and power in preaching; a man of charity, beloved by Christians of all denominations, and his tenderness in preaching opened many hearts. The old saint was called in Alabama ‘Father Cunningham’; and he is thus de-scribed in Nall’s Dead of the Synod of Alabama: ‘Very few men ever exhibited more of clear and sound intellect-of ten-der, melting pathos-and of bold and manly eloquence-than did this patriarch of the church.’ ”
CUNNINGHAM, WILLIAM N., aged 93, resided in Benton County, June 1, 1840.-Census of Pensioners, 1841, p. 148.
CURRY, THOMAS, sergeant, particular service not shown; annual allowance, $31.82; not demanded after March, 1831. Pension Book, State Branch Bank, Mobile.