Four Men Named James Cunningham- Which One Witnessed Janet (McDonald) Cameron's Will in Bullitt County, Kentucky in 1799?

December 17, 2025

Through out 2024 I was working through some genealogical problems in early Louisville, Kentucky (see post). It was a popular place to go in the American journey westward. The popularity led to same name men arriving in the vicinity near the same time. I was searching for James Cunningham. In answering the question “Which One Witnessed Janet (McDonald) Cameron’s Will in Bullitt County, Kentucky in 1799?” I separated 1 – 2 – 3 – FOUR men named James Cunningham (and most also had same named sons!).

This article is now in the first volume of the Kinship Papers. It’s available on Amazon.com.

FEATURED IMAGE: John Filson, This Map of Kentucke [sic]: Drawn from Actual Observations, Is Inscribed…, Philadelphia, Penn., 1784; digital image, Library of Congress (https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3950.ar301200/).

About Author

Vanessa Wood is a genealogical researcher and writer specializing in American family history, with particular depth in Southern states, California, and families with roots in the United Kingdom. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) and the National Genealogical Society (NGS), and holds a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University. She is a First Prize winner of the 2026 Montana Family History Writing Contest and has 25+ published articles in journals including the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. Vanessa is the author of Pryor Wives: Stories of Family, Fortune, and Fiasco (2023), Board in Venice (2025), and The Kinship Papers, Vol. 1. Her books are available on Amazon.com. She can be contacted via email.