| |||
By Vicky Sykes
Rt. 6, Box 1020
Paris, TX 75462
On the ninth day of February in 1822, David L.
Cunningham was born in Pittsburgh, Allegheny
County, Pennsylvania to Joseph and Sarah
Cunningham. Joseph Cunningham was born about
1791 in Pennsylvania, and he married a young lady
named Sarah Evans about 1816. Joseph and Sarah
moved to the great state of Texas about 1848. It is
believed that Joseph died in Lamar County, Texas
in 1859.
In addition to David, other children of Joseph and Sarah include:
1. Eliza Cunningham,14 born February 24, 1817 in Pennsylvania, married a man named Waggoner and later married Thomas Vincent on January 21, 1850 in Lamar County, Texas.11 Eliza died on January 29, 1887 and Thomas died on September 15, 1876. They are buried in the Old Caviness Cemetery in Lamar County.
2. James R. Cunningham5 was born about 1818 in Pennsylvania.2 At the age of 37, carpenter James R. Cunningham married Sarah Jane Bell on March 15, 1855 in Lamar County, Texas.7
3. J. E. Cunningham was born about 1819 in Pennsylvania. John, a blacksmith, was married to a lady with the first initial J. (perhaps named Josephine), who was born about 1825 in Pennsylvania. After moving to Lamar County, Texas, he and his family lived near his brother David. 2
1860 Lamar County, TX Census contains:
58-58 Blacksmith 420/400
J. E. Cunningham 41 m PA
J. Cunningham 35 f PA
S. L. Wilcoxen 10 f Tenn
A. J. Wilcoxen 05 m Ark.
4. Sarah Cunningham1, born in 1837, is shown as 13 years of age in the 1850 Census in Lamar County, Texas. Sarah was living with her sister Eliza Cunningham Vincent in the 1880 Lamar Co., Texas census.14 We have been unable to identify the parents of the two younger children, a 4 year old female possibly named Sarah, and 2 year old male named John, who were listed in the 1850 census .
1850 Lamar County, Texas Census:
Farmer Family # 165
Cunningham, Joseph 59 b PA
Cunningham, Sarah 58 b PA
Cunningham, Sarah 13 b PA
Cunningham, Sarah ? 04 b PA
Cunningham, John 02 b PA
Possibility of Other Children: Family researcher Jim Cunningham believed Joseph and Sarah had another son and another daughter.
DAVID CUNNINGHAM - MARRIAGES AND CHILDREN
David married twice; the first marriage to Mary believed to have taken place in Pennsylvania or Tennessee about 1842. Mary Cunningham is buried at Prairie Ridge Cemetery in Emberson, Lamar County, Texas. Children of the union were: A male (name unknown) who left home in his teens and was never seen again according to account from John Evans Cunningham.
1. John Evans Cunningham, born July 03, 1846 in Pennsylvania, married Mary Melissie Record on May 01, 1872 in Falls Co, Texas. John Evans Cunningham died on July 02, 1925, in Zephyr, Brown County, Texas. Mary M. Record Cunningham died 11 years later on March 4, 1936 at her son John's home in Zephyr.
Seven years after arriving in Texas, David married Louisa (Eliza?) J. Cameron on February 04, 1855 9 in Paris, Lamar County, Texas. Louisa, born January 3, 1830 in Tennessee, is thought to be the daughter of John David Cameron and Elizabeth Hale.* On June 15, 1908, David died in Emberson, Lamar County, Texas and two years later Louisa died on May 23, 1910 in Emberson. David and Louisa Cunningham are buried at Prairie Ridge Cemetery in Emberson. (*Note: There is some question about Louisa's parentage. Cameron may be the name of a first husband.)
CHILDREN OF DAVID CUNNINGHAM AND LOUISA CAMERON ARE:
1. Joanna Pearl Cunningham2, born February 27, 1856 in Lamar County, Texas., married Amos Cling Boyett (born in 1854 in Tennessee), son of John Boyett and Amanda Coleman, on August 24, 1876 in Lamar County, Texas.10 Joanna P. Cunningham Boyett died on July 4, 1925 in Wellington, Collingsworth County, Texas.
2. William Houston Cunningham2, born October 30, 1859 in Brookston, Lamar County, Texas, married Mary Ida Walker on December 9, 1886 in Lamar County Texas.15 He died April 03, 1943 and 19 years later Ida Walker Cunningham died on April 8, 1962. They are buried at Mt. Tabor Cemetery in Caviness, Lamar County, Texas.
3. Mary E. "Molly" Cunningham3, born about 1865, married J. H. Click8 on December 23, 1880. On December 25, 1884, she married John Henderson Dodson, Jr., son of John Henderson Dodson, Sr. and Eliza Vincent in Lamar County, Texas. According to Jim Cunningham's information, this Eliza Vincent was Thomas C. Vincent's daughter by a first marriage. Mary E. Cunningham died on September 18, 1954 and husband John Henderson Dodson died on June 12, 1918. They are buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Paris, Texas.
4. Daniel Gilbert Cunningham3, born June 22, 1867 in Caviness, Lamar County, Texas, married Fannie B. Killman on March 12, 1893 in Lamar County, Texas.7 Daniel died on June 23, 1947; Fannie B. Killman Cunningham died on March 25, 1957; and they are buried at Mt. Tabor Cemetery in Caviness, Lamar County, Texas.
5. Kittie Louisa Cunningham3, born March 11, 1869 in Caviness, Lamar County, Texas, married Andrew (Andy) Jackson Rose on January 8, 1888 in Lamar County, Texas.16 Kittie L. Cunningham Rose died July 06, 1954 and is buried at Mt. Tabor Cemetery in Caviness, Lamar County, Texas.17 Nanny, as she was called in her latter years, played the organ and was an excellent singer. Andy died December 19, 1949 and is also buried at Mt. Tabor Cemetery.17
6. D. L. (Danny) Cunningham, born September 22, 1871 in Caviness, Lamar County, Texas, died on December 27, 1898. He is buried at Prairie Ridge Cemetery in Emberson, Lamar County, Texas. According to family information, he was a school teacher.
Immediately before the war, the 1860 Lamar County, TX Census revealed the following family composition.2 We do not know the family's association with the Wilcoxen family, but as noted above, brother J. E. Cunningham also had two Wilcoxen children residing in his home.
66-66 Farmer 1,000/500
D. Cunningham 38 m Penn.
L. J. Cunningham 30 f Tenn
W. H. Cunningham 10/12 m TX
J. Cunningham 04 f TX
J. E. Cunningham 13 m Penn
J. Wilcoxen 18 f Tenn.
The 1870 Lamar County, Texas Census 3 revealed:
Cunningham, David wm 48 PA
Cunningham, L. J. wf 40 Tenn
Cunningham, Wm H. wm 10 Tex
Cunningham, D. G. wm 05 Tex
Cunningham, Joana wf 14 Tex
Cunningham, M. E. wf 06 Tex
Cunningham, K. L. wf 01 Tex
CONFEDERATE STATES ARMY SERVICE
On August 17, 1861 David, 39, and brother John Cunningham, age 42, from Beat No. 3, enlisted as privates in the 9th Brigade, Texas Militia, in Lamar County, Texas.13 Similar to today's National Guard, the Texas Militia troops were organized for home guard and defense and were not allowed to leave the State.
In 1863 David enlisted in Co. B, Settle's Battalion (or 1st Texas Infantry Battalion, Texas State Troops.) Lt. Colonel Marcus G. Settle commanded the battalion and was assigned duty in the Northern Sub-District of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, Trans-Mississippi Department (October 1863 - January 1864.) There are no records of engagements of the battalion and these troops probably saw little or no action except guard and post duty in the Red River valley counties.
David L. Cunningham's family of 4 (probably wife Louisa along with children Joanna, age 9, William Houston, age 6, and infant Mary Elizabeth) was listed on the February 22, 1865 indigent families of Lamar County, Texas during the War Between the States.5 The original "Indigent Families List" is located in the collection of the Archives Division of the Texas State Library and contains approximately 24000 entries. These lists were created as a result of an "Act to Support the Families and Dependents of Texas Soldiers" passed by the Texas Legislature on 15 December 1863. Due to the absence of the men, inflation and market conditions, many Texas families had difficulty supporting themselves. This Act designated $1,000,000 for annual distribution to the families, widows, and dependents of soldiers who were serving in the State or Confederate forces or had been killed or disabled in service. In addition, in November of 1864, 600,000 yards and excess thread manufactured by the state penitentiary was designated for distribution among these families.12
David's son John Evans Cunningham also served in the Confederate Army. John Evans Cunningham enlisted in the Spring of 1864 in Lamar County, Texas, served in Good's Battalion, and was discharged in the spring of 1865 according to his wife's (Mary Melissie Cunningham) application (number 43308) for Confederate pension.6 A service report shows that Chaplain Good was Colonel of Good's Battalion, Texas Cavalry, which became Well's Regiment, Texas Calvary. In a letter dated August 30, 1926 on the service record of John C. Cunningham, the report shows the name of John Cunningham on regimental return for Co. H. for the month of April 1865, "Absent without leave since February 10, 1865." It is believed that this is NOT the same John Cunningham because of the middle initial difference. Mary did receive a pension beginning in June 1927.
David L. Cunningham was 77 years old when he signed a Texas Confederate Pension Application (number 63348) on July 18, 1899. He stated he enlisted in the fall of 1863 in Co. B, Settle's Battalion (Texas), under General McCullogh and served until the end of the war. Dr. J. S. Marshall, Lamar County, deposed on July, 18 1899 that David Cunningham was laboring under the following disabilities: "one ankle somewhat stiffened, suffering from general disability - pronounced by exposure, hardships and old age."
He was rejected for pension pay because he owned 75 acres of land, worth $375 at the time of the application. He also owned a horse valued at $25. The application also shows that he had been a resident of Emberson since 1848.
David was almost deaf in his latter years and he told his family that it was because of cannons firing close to his ears.
David began his Lamar County, Texas journey of life in 18484, and it remains home to many of his descendants -- one hundred and fifty years later.
Lamar County descendants researching the Cunningham family tree include Vicky Sykes (Kittie Louisa Cunningham Rose's great granddaughter) Email <jons@neto.com> and Yvonne Gray (William Houston's great granddaughter) Email <grameme@1starnet.com.> Please contact Vicky Sykes with modifications or suggestions.
Special thanks to Ron Brothers for many CSA facts.
Also special thanks to other contributors, including
Bobbie Foote (Kittie Louisa Cunningham Rose's line);
Betty Creed & Nancy Moore at <RIAH1120@aol.com> (Joanna Cunningham Boyett's line);
Don Hugh Babb at <dhbabb@swbell.net> (Kittie Louisa Cunningham Rose's line);
P. J. Cowling at <377364@aol.com> (Louisa J. Cameron Cunningham's line);
Annette Maranto at <LMara15424@aol.com> (Louisa J. Cameron Cunningham's line); and
posthumously to Jim Cunningham (John Evans Cunningham's line) from Kent, Washington.
Note: Not all information has been proved and it is subject to change. It is the family's best effort at this point in time, to identify ancestry information.
Sources:
1) 1850 Lamar County, Texas Census Index
2) 1860 Lamar County, Texas Census Index
3) 1870 Lamar County, Texas Census Index
4) David Cunningham's Confederate Pension Application #63348
5) 1860 Census, Lamar and Fannin Co., Males Born 1811-1847, Ages Eligible for Military Service in the Confederate States Army, <http://gen.1starnet.com/civilwar/agecensu.htm>, Compiled by Pam Underwood, Mary Lane, Elizabeth Booth and Ron Brothers
6) Mrs. Mary M. Cunningham's Widow's Application #43308 for Confederate Pension
7) Lamar County, Texas Grooms' Marriage Index
8) Lamar County, Texas Bride's Marriage Index
9) Marriage license of David Cunningham and Louisa J. Cameron
10) Marriage license of A. C. Boyett and Miss J. P. Cunningham
11) Marriage license of Thomas Vincent to Mrs. Eliza Waggoner
12) "Indigent Families List of Texas"
13) Company for Beat No. 3, Lamar County, Texas 9th Brigade, Texas State Troops, Texas Militia, <http://gen.1starnet.com/civilwar/lambeat3.htm>, by Ron Brothers
14) 1880 Lamar County, Texas Census Index
15) Marriage license of W. H. Cunningham and Ida Walker
16) Marriage license of A. J. Rose and "Katie" (sic) Cunningham
17) Death Certificate
©Ron Brothers and Vicky Sykes, All Rights Reserved, 2000.
April 17, 2000
