Monday, March 4, 2013

Rhodes & Cunningham Families, Part I

One of my brick walls that has been chipped away in parts is the Rhodes / Cunningham connection. Zachariah Rhodes, a Baltimore sea captain born in Rhode Island, married Harriet Cunningham in 1810. Harriet's five sisters also married men with seafaring-related careers in Baltimore.

Charlotte married shipbuilder William Etchberger in 1803.
Bathia married sea captain Ralph Porter also in 1803.
Ann married William Carman, a lumber dealer or mariner, in 1799.
Betsy Ann married sea captain John Brown Sr. in 1796.
A fifth sister reportedly married a man named Hunt.

The girls were the daughters of James Cunningham and Bathiah or Pathiah Standiford. There was also a son, James Jr. - a mariner like his father.

The story of the Cunningham-Rhodes family was related in a short family history penned by Harriet's grandson, Isaac Prall. Isaac was the son of Ann Bathia Rhodes & Isaac Rittenhouse Prall.  In Isaac's story all of the husbands were sea captains. He told of Zacariah's death at sea aboard the Polix & Castor. [No dates or destination given], Bathia's travels, James' encounters with pirates [Senior or Junior?] Unfortunately, I haven't been able to track down any details on the Cunninghams beyond the marriages. Therein lies the problem! More in the next post!!

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