(This page is a work in progress)
John Cunningham was an Patriot officer in the American Revolution and an early settler of Wilkes County, Georgia. He was probably born in Pennsylvania to immigrants from Northern Ireland but his parents moved their family south and wound up in what is now Abbeville County, SC near the Savannah River. He played a prominent role in the American Revolution and therefore there are numerous records available for him including several books which contain biographical and military service information for him. He was a Captain of the 2nd GA Battalion under John Dooly; Then as a Major and Lt. Colonel under Elijah Clarke; Then a full Colonel in the GA Militia. He was a participant in the following battles (possibly others): Long Canes, Ninety Six, Cowpens, Kings Mountain, Kettle Creek, and the Siege of Augusta. One of the best sources for original documents is the 159 page widow's pension file found on FOLD3.COM. This packet contains testimonies, letters, bible records and other documents. In this packet are several original letters/correspondence from General Andrew Pickens, General Elijah Clarke and Col. Robert Anderson that were submitted by John's son Franklin: These are Revolutionary War wartime letters of priceless historic value.[1]
He married Ann/Nancy Davis who is probably the daughter of Absalom Davis who had several sons that were Patriot Soldiers and several of them served with John Cunningham.[2] Absalom Davis himself may have served in some capacity but his age likely made him unsuitable as a fighting/marching soldier. An examination of the early Wilkes County, Georgia records shows that an Absalom Davis owned adjacent land to John Cunningham on the Savannah River at the mouth of Mill Creek that was near Elijah Clark's massive plantation known as Woburn.[3] There are also records which show the descendants of both families living close together. We also have a document showing that an Absalom Davis owned a 400 acre tract of land that was originally surveyed for Chesley and Wiley Davis [4] who are the sons of Absalom Davis (which of course makes Chesley and Wiley the brothers-in-law of John Cunningham).
Later land records show that Colonel Cunningham and his son Franklin lived near Coldwater Creek in present day Elbert County (formerly Wilkes) near another Revolutionary War soldier John Wansley.[5]
Col. John Cunningham's grave was recently located in Elbert County, Georgia. It is located on private property near the intersection of Coldwater Road and Whitman Road. This is land that was shown to have been part of his property as well as his son Franklin.
Click on the links below for detailed records:
(This page was updated on 2/5/2024)