R.J. Nunn Trust Fund (Savannah, Ga.)

The R.J. Nunn Trust Fund was established under the will of Dr. Richard Joseph Nunn. Its purpose was to provide income for the following organizations in Savannah, Georgia: Zerubbabel Lodge #15; F.A.M.; Board of Trustees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite; Georgia Historical Society; Young Women's Christian Association; Savannah Female Orphan Asylum; and the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Georgia. It was incorporated in June 1913 and continued until it was dissolved by the Board of Trustees on March 9, 1978. Its remaining funds were distributed equally among the beneficiaries. Richard Joseph Nunn (1831-1910) was born in County Wexford, Ireland. Before coming to Savannah, he received preliminary instruction in medicine in London and Dublin. He graduated from Savannah Medical College in 1854 and began practice in Savannah. Nunn served in the Confederate States Army with the Oglethorpe Siege Artillery, rising through the ranks to captain. He resigned in 1863 because of failing health and resumed his medical practice in Savannah. He became prominent in medical and Masonic circles in Georgia and was for a time on the teaching staff of Savannah Medical College. He went to Europe in 1875 because of his health, but he returned in the fall of 1876 to assist with the yellow fever epidemic in Savannah. He published studies on freemasonry, the medical history of Savannah, and women's diseases. He was the long-time curator of the Georgia Historical Society and served as its vice-president.