Captain James Cunningham b. 08 Apr 1816 Warren Co. TN d. 08 Jul 1894 Newburg, Commanche Co. TX: Appalachian Aristocracy

1816 - 1894 (78 years)

Personal Information | PDF

Name	James Cunningham
Prefix	Captain
Born	08 Apr 1816	Warren Co. TN
Gender	Male
Died	08 Jul 1894	Newburg, Commanche Co. TX
Buried	Newburg Cemetery, Newburg, Comanche Co. TX
	Grave location, portrait, and tombstone photo: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=cunningham&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=46&GScnty=2566&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GSsr=41&GRid=16680883&df=all&
Notes	Excerpt from Tate Families of the Southern States, Volume II, 1984, by Laura W. Mentzel & Ethel S. Updike Capt. Cunningham was of Irish descent. They moved from Alabama to Texas in 1839 and sixteen years later, the family settled in Comanche County, TX, then on to the extreme frontier. He and his sons were brave Indian fighters. Many of his sons were officers of the counties in which they lived. --------------- Find A Grave info Bio provided by Janice Williams: James Cunningham and his twin, Rebecca, were born to David Cunningham and Unity Ryan Cunningham in Warren County, Tennessee, on April 8, 1816. At age 18, he married Susannah Tate, the daughter of Aaron Tate and Elizabeth Connelly Tate, on February 14, 1835, in DeKalb County, Alabama. James served in the Army during the Florida Indian wars and was discharged July 21, 1838 at Fort Payne, Alabama. James and Susannah had two children in Alabama and the family of four moved to the Republic of Texas in 1839 or 1840. Moving first to what is now Morris County, they moved on to Bastrop County, Travis County and Williamson County before settling in Comanche County in 1855 on Mountain Creek. In Texas, their family grew with ten more children. Captain James was noted for his community leadership. He was among the original members of the first Baptist church in Comanche County which was organized at the old Tuggle School House 1856 about 10 miles south of Comanche. The Cunningham men gained greatest fame in Central Texas as aggressive and fearless Indian fighters. From 1856 to early 1870, the Cunninghams were involved in virtually every Indian battle that took place in and around Comanche County. In 1861, James Cunningham was elected Captain of the Comanche County Company of the 2nd Frontier District commanded by Major George B. Erath. James and Susannah Cunningham were the parents of Aaron, Elizabeth, David Houston, Richard Tankersley, John Valentine, William Henry, James Washington, Joseph Jackson, Thomas Anderson, George Washington, Mary Jane, and Unity Ann, all who survived to old age. Captain Cunningham operated a ranch of 9000 acres until his death on July 8, 1894, at the age of 78 years old, in his home. He was survived by his wife and all twelve children. He was buried in the Newburg Cemetery and his grave was marked with a Texas Historical Marker in 1968.
Person ID	I14699	Master File
Last Modified	20 Sep 2012

Family Susannah (Susie) TATE, b. 22 Dec 1817, Warren Co. TN , d. 08 Jun 1899, Newburg, Commanche Co. TX (Age 81 years)

Married 14 Feb 1835 DeKalb Co. AL

Children

	1. Aaron Cunningham, b. 08 Apr 1836, DeKalb Co. AL , d. 03 Jan 1914, Newburg, Commanche Co. TX (Age 77 years)
	2. Elizabeth Cunningham, b. 16 Feb 1839, DeKalb Co. AL , d. 24 Nov 1922, Newburg, Commanche Co. TX (Age 83 years)
	3. David Houston Cunningham, b. 24 Jan 1842, Titus Co. TX , d. 13 Oct 1928, Newburg, Commanche Co. TX (Age 86 years)
	4. Richard Tankersley Cunningham, b. 26 Jan 1844, Titus Co. TX , d. 27 Sep 1931, Newburg, Commanche Co. TX (Age 87 years)
	5. John Valentine Cunningham, b. 14 Feb 1846, Titus Co. TX , d. 22 Mar 1921, Brownwood, Brown Co. TX (Age 75 years)
	6. William Henry (Bill) Cunningham, b. 17 Aug 1848, Titus Co. TX , d. 27 Nov 1918, Newburg, Commanche Co. TX (Age 70 years)
	7. James Washington Cunningham, b. 14 Feb 1850, Titus Co. TX , d. 04 Jun 1938, Comanche Co. TX (Age 88 years)
	8. Joseph Jackson Cunningham, b. 11 Feb 1852, Titus Co. TX , d. 30 Sep 1918, Comanche Co. TX (Age 66 years)
	9. Thomas Anderson Cunningham, b. 30 Aug 1855, Titus Co. TX , d. 1933, Newburg, Commanche Co. TX (Age 77 years)
	10. George Washington Cunningham, b. 21 Dec 1857, Titus Co. TX , d. 04 Aug 1926, Texas (Age 68 years)
	11. Mary Jane Cunningham, b. 16 Apr 1860, Titus Co. TX , d. 02 Apr 1939, Abilene, Taylor Co. TX (Age 78 years)
	12. Unity Ann Cunningham, b. 21 Dec 1862, Titus Co. TX , d. 04 Jul 1940, Brown Co. TX (Age 77 years)

Last Modified 19 Aug 2012

Family ID F7907 Group Sheet | Family Chart