Richard James Davant (1866-1915), insurance executive, twice mayor of Savannah, was one of the executors (became the last surviving executor) of the estate of William H. Wiltberger (1825-1872) who had been the executor of the estate of his father, Captain Peter Wiltberger (1791-1853). Peter Wiltberger, a native of Philadelphia, came to Savannah ca. 1816 as a ship's captain, a career he pursued for several years. About 1920 he became manager of the City Hotel on Bay Street. In 1832 and 1834 he purchased the lots on the northwest corner of Bull and Bryan Streets and about 1835 he opened the Pulaski House on the site. He owned and managed the hotel until his death. In 1836 he acquired two lots on the northwest corner of Broughton and Whitaker Streets occupied by the Mansion House. The corner lot had been the site of Tondee's Tavern in the colonial and revolutionary eras. In 1846 he purchased the Bonaventure plantation tract upon which he began developing the Evergreen Cemetery of Bonaventure (now operated by the City of Savannah as Bonaventure Cemetery). William H. Wiltberger was associated with his father in the Pulaski House and the Evergreen Cemetery, both of which he continued operating after his father's death. During the Civil War he was a captain of Company B, 5th Georgia Cavalry Regiment.
From the description of Richard James Davant collection, 1791-1910. (Georgia Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 77501657
