Am most interested in the list exchange concerning early mines and miners of Marion Co. as there is a strong belief that I had ancestors involved in that effort. John Cunningham, my g-g-grandfather, arrived in Marion Co. in ca. 1821 and acquired a sizable number of land holdings over the years until his death in 1842. One of his principle holdings involved a 5,000 acre track obtained in 1836 in partnership with Samuel Mitchell and William Anderson. John Cunningham died in 1842. John D. Cunningham, his son, was the executor of the John Cunningham estate and sold off his father's Marion Co. land holdings. John D. Cunningham moved to adjacent Jackson Co., AL, purchased land and opened the Cunningham (Coal) Mines on the north end of Sand Mountain in 1853. A John Patterson was also involved with that land purchase and mine operation. The family of John Cunningham consisted of the following: Descendants of John Cunningham John Cunningham 1784 - 1842 +Jane Ellie Henderson 1779 - 1868 Elizabeth Elis Cunningham 1802 - 1848 +Wm. McMurry Riley Alexander Cunningham 1805 - 1829 Amy (or Anni, Angy) Homes Cunningham 1807 - +James M. Kelly John D. Cunningham 1810 - 1892 +Elizabeth McCluskey 1814 - 1897 Pleasant Henderson Cunningham 1813 - +Virginia Ann McMurry 1813 - 1883 Rachel Montgomery Cunningham 1816 - 1894 +Johnethon McMurry 1815 - 1851 Unity Hollie Cunningham 1819 - 1894 Would greatly appreciate any available information on the subject John Cunningham, his family, and any history involving his participation in the early Marion Co. coal mining operations. Am especially interested in finding the origin and ancestry of this John Cunningham. Herb Cunningham HerbCunnin@aol.com