Liberty  County  Georgia History - Sunbury town and cemetery

Contributed by:
Bob Carter" <gravehunter@triad.rr.com> 


Table of Contents page: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/liberty.htm
Georgia Table of Contents: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm

SUNBURY TOWN - Cemetery

Many famous persons lived in the town of Sunbury. Among them was Dr. Lyman Hall, signer of the Declaration of Independence. It was also the home of Richard Howley and Nathan Brownson, later governors of Georgia;  

of John Elliott and Alfred Cuthbert - United States Senators

of Major John Jones and Major Lachlan McIntosh

Button Gwinntett, another signer of the Declaration of Independece psent much time here as  justice of St. John's Parish, and Georgia's third signer, George Walton was among those held in Sunbury as a prisoner of the British during the Revolution.

Marin J. McIntosh noted authoress and her brother, Commodore James Mckay McIntosh, hero of the Mexican War, were born in Sunbury.

The Hon John E. Ward, first United States Minister to China and the Hon William Law noted Jurist were also natives of Sunbury.

In this Cemetery are buried men and women whose lives contributed much to the early history of Georgia.

Among these were the Rev. Wm McWhir, D.D. and his wife. The Rev. Mr. McWhir was for 30 years Pincipal of the famous Sunbury Academy.  Born in Ireland, September 9, 1759, he was graduated from Belfast College and was licensed to preach by the presbytery of that City.  He died in Georgia, January 30, 1851. 

Some burials were made in this plot in Colonial and Revolutionary days, but most of the markers had been destroyed before the 1870s.