Edward Cunningham

A Patriot of the American Revolution for VIRGINIA. DAR Ancestor #: A028624

Edward Cunningham (c 1749-1804)

Parents: Adam Cunningham and Catherine.

Edward married Sarah Price on 15 Jun 1770 in VA. (Sarah Price died on 24 Dec 1800.)

Children:

1. Joseph (1770-?) m. Margaret "Peggy" Ayres

2. Benjamin (1772-?) m. Mary Finley

3. Leah (1773-?) m. Moses Hall

4. Rachel (1776-?) m. Richard Moore

5. William (1778-?) m. Sena Moore

6. Nancy (1780-?) m. William Connor

7. Mary (1783-?)

8. Thomas (1785-?) m. Nancy Nay

9. Elizabeth (1784-?) m. William Robinson

10. Adam (1787-1829) m. Amelia Lyons

11. Keturah (1792-?) m. John Hill

12. Enoch (1794-1869) m. Jane Stuart

Weblinks:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~jarmstrong/cunnin...

http://www.lindapages.com/family/1842.htm

General Notes:

As a child, Edward Cunningham lived with his family in Shenandoah County, Virginia. His name appears along with his father, Adam Cunningham, on Henry Spear's October 1758 muster roll for Frederick County, Virginia. Adam was fined 30 shillings for missing 1 general muster and 2 private musters; Edward was fined 10 shillings for missing 1 general muster. At the time, the British government required that all teenage boys participate in the colonial militia. By 1769 Edward married Sarah Price, then left his father's farm and moved to Monongalia County, Virginia with his brother Thomas. Edward made a settlement on Shinns Run, a drain of the West Fork in 1772. He received a patent for the 397 acres in September 1787. Thomas settled on the right hand fork of Ten Mile Creek.

Edward and Thomas' names are found on pay rolls at Ft Pitt at the close of Dunmore's War (1775). Edward is listed on Captain Zachquill Morgan's Roll and Thomas' name appears on the list of Captain David Scott. In May 1777, they enlisted in Captain James Booth's company of Rangers. Their task was to protect settlers from Indian attacks. When Captain Booth was killed by Indians in 1778, the Ranger company was disbanded.

Edward and his family also had their difficulty with marauding Indians. Fearing a flareup of hostilities in early 1778, Edward and other settlers on Jones Run, a branch of Ten Mile Creek had gathered at Harbert's blockhouse. One day, in early March, the children ran screaming to the house in an attempt to escape a small band of approaching Indians. In this particular attack, Mr. Harbert was shot and killed and John Murphy was wounded. Several children were killed and others taken captive. Edward and Sarah's son, Joseph, who was 8 years old at the time, was captured while hiding under the treadles in the loom house. It is said that Edward scalped the Indian who died in the attack.

From "Colonial Cunninghams of the Virginias and their Descendants," by Kenneth & Marjorie Blech, 1982, page 180:

"On March 3, 1778 [error- 1776], a party of Indians came upon a number of children playing on the banks of Ten Mile Creek, in the yard of a house known as Fort Harbert. It was designated as a place of refuge in case of an Indian attack in the area, hence its name. The children ran screaming toward the house to appraise [sic] their elders of the Indians' presence. John Murphy, running to close the door, was shot and fell back inside. The Indian, who fired the shot and not realizing that there were others in the cabin, rushed in to scalp his victim, but was instantly tackled by Mr. Harbert, who threw him to the floor and struck him with his tomahawk. In his struggle with the Indian, Harbert stood up and was shot by an Indian from outside the house, killing him instantly. While he was having his troubles with that Indian, Edward was having his own troubles with another Indian, who had followed the first one into the cabin. Edward had attempted to shoot him, upon his entry, but his rifle misfired. He grappled with the Indian and buried his tomahawk in his back, seriously wounding him. Meanwhile, Edward's wife, Sarah, was hitting him with an ax, causing him to flee.

Another Indian in the cabin, was engaged in a struggle with a Mr. Reece and his daughter. Reece, too, would have been killed had not Edward wounded his opponent with a tomahawk, causing him also to flee.

In the yard, the Indians had rounded up all the children that they could find. They killed and scalped three of the children and took five captive, before they fled into the forest toward their territory in Ohio. The total casualties of this encounter were: One white adult and three children slain and four wounded, and one Indian killed and several wounded. It was in this raid that Joseph, the son of Edward and Sarah, was captured. They found him hiding under the treadles of a large loom in the weaving house. He was eight years old.

Joseph was adopted in the Shawnee family and lived with them for sixteen years, before being released by a treaty, freeing all Indian captives. After his release, he guided pioneering families and surveyors of the vast tracks of forests. While he was on one of these surveying trips, he had a hand encounter with a large black bear. The bear grabbed him by the knee and would not let go. He killed the bear with his hunting knife and pried his jaws open to free himself. He was lamed for life by the injury. After his return to civilization, he was known as "Injun Joe." Joseph later married a Miss Ayres [Margaret "Peggy" Ayres] and fathered two daughters and one son. They were: Mrs. Samuel Warne of Parkersburg, WV, Mrs. George Sires of Clarksburg, WV and Dr. John Cunningham of Illinois."

Edward and his family were also present in the June 1785 Indian attack which resulted in the deaths of his brother Thomas' four children and the capture of Thomas' wife, Phebe.

Edward's will [Harrison County Will Book 1, p. 234] is dated 4 Dec 1800 and it was proved in the Harrison County Court on 4 Apr 1804. He signed his name as "Edward E. Cunningham." Named in the will are his wife and children: Sary [Sarah], Joseph, Benjamin, Leah, William, Adam, Thomas, Enaith [Enoch], Rachel, Ann, Mary Elizabeth, and Kettery [Keturah].

Edward died May 5, 1804.

Both Edward and Sarah are listed in the D.A.R. Patriot Index for their public service during the Revolutionary War.

GEDCOM Source

@R-1686118876@ Ancestry Family Trees Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.

GEDCOM Source

Ancestry Family Trees http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=50344756&pid...

GEDCOM Note

PLEASE NOTE: Although your family records may say that Hugh Cunningham and Nancy O'Neill are the parents of Edward Cunningham, from extensive research that has been done, they are NOT the parents. Please read discussion below, and see documentation added in the Memories section. We're happy to have other contributions to the research on this family line, but please join the discussion with any sources you have before you change any relationships on his record.

GEDCOM Note

AN ECHO OF COLONEL LOCHRY'S DEFEAT.
22, 1784. ction of the same, that he was captivated at Colonel urned to the mouth of Grave Creek on the East side of the Ohio on the
16th day of July, 1784. nians on their way down the river rritory, and were engaged in cooking a buffalo, as appointed Lieutenant. lic stores, arms and ammuition, and had ngham on Bingamon Creek, a tributary of the houses, but nearly adjoining though not in a direct line with m for the sed to a fire from the seen the savage enter his brother's house, for a port hole as for the admission of light, was ready to fire d and w into his face. The
100 HISTORY OP HARRISON COUNTY ing through the port er, only fractured the thigh bone, and he gaged in cutting a hole in the wall, Mrs. most probably be killed by some of those who were th her, and could not brook the idea of leaving them in the hands of ew minutes rd, ordered the mother to and clinging to her. Leaving the other two to watch vent by the exertions of Cunningham and and extinguished the fire, the savages shooting at them , the Indians collected together and prepared to retreat. ith grief, and in momentary expectation of having the same fate dealt of horror and ealment. After night they re- the woods where they remained all night, there being no e alarm and a company of men was y who was murdered in the house, with the d be discovered and the men returned to their homes. of tracing them. They were now enabled to distinguish the trail e no the mind of Major Robinson, ing night and departed for their towns. es the whites approached so near that she could distinctly er wn country, and stenance of the mother plied at e anguish of this woman during the journey to the towns can only d of the head rival at a village of the Delawares, application of some sanative herbs very much sage, yet everything s the case when a prisoner
102 HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY apprehen-

GEDCOM Note

General Mcintosh, the officer in command of Fort Pitt, in the Spring From Wheeling to Point Pleasant, a distance of one hundred and gahela Val- their invasion of one part of the country caused more frequent HARBERT'S BLOCK HOUSE. le District a tributary of Ten Mile about f the weather lulling them into false security, they did not n play- by." John Murphy stepped the house. The Indian, springing directly in, vage, striking him as effectively as he could with his tomahawk slipped in. ding each put forth his rom the hand of the Indian and buried the The edge wounding his face severely, he loosened his hold and made
68 HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY nted an appearance almost as frightful as the object which he had in ly about his head, e mother of the girl, seeing the up- e weapon. The father then caught hold of him, but being , who, ertion, the Indians from without endeavoring several times Indian who o again close the door as prisoners, and in killing and scalping the ly one was killed and four were wound- flict the other two who had entered the house would no doubt then to tten from St. George, Utah, to the pied a number of Indians coming unningham of Harrison County, your State, then a tay over night and relate his experiences with Indian life, and tell all y saw the Indians iis place of refuge by a lusty savage and made to follow him and the In- with their fists until d with them sixteen years. He almost r a number of times. had become perfectly reconciled to ver that the Indians lived dirty, filthy lives. Seeing this he d some times he went with the Indians to steal horses from the night with eated St. Clair (November I would shoot, but every time I brought e to me after the battle, he shook my powder horn, pat- is written e tradition of the neighborhood is that five or six whites and one