THE DESCENDANTS OF EDWARD CUNNINGHAM
excerpts from 1997 book with updates
excerpts from 1997 book with updates
*This introduction is from the printed book. Some points made here do not apply to the information posted on the web page. Also, there have been many other helpful folks who have shared their family information since the time of this humble volume (1997). I hope to give them due credit as I update this stuff.*
INTRODUCTION
THE DESCENDANTS OF EDWARD CUNNINGHAM
Some day I'll write a book. In the mean time this volume will have to suffice. Perhaps it can be revised and updated at some future date with a real index in book form. It is not intended as the last word on our heritage and it is certainly not complete or error free. This version of our family history was compiled for family use in case I was never able to get around to it later. It is in loose leaf form to make corrections and additions easy.
STALKING THE WILD CUNNINGHAM
The remarkable thing about our Cunningham ancestors is that they left so little in the way of history or family records. The oral history we inherited went something like this: Edward Cunningham immigrated from Ireland, stowing away on a ship. On the voyage he befriended a Catholic priest. After landing at Philadelphia the pair moved west, traveling the Ohio River to Cincinnati after an undetermined stay in the Mid-Ohio Valley. From this we made a few assumptions. The first one: Edward was both Irish and Catholic. Second: Edward or his children worked his/their way back east from Cincinnati to to the area between Wheeling and Parkersburg. Third: Edward had come to this country as a result of the Great Potato Famine in Ireland around 1840. As it turned out, we were well off the mark. Edward was born of Scots-Irish Presbyterian stock in Washington County PA later residing in Ohio in Belmont and Monroe Counties. We suspect the stowaway story is actually the story of the Flinn (or O'Flynn) family immigrant from Ireland. The Flinn family intersects with our own in Wood County WV with the marriage of Randall (son of Edward) to Virginia McKenzie. Virginia's mother was a Flinn. A few things to keep in mind about this book: The emphasis here is on our deceased ancestors and I have made no attempt to give a complete history of anyone now living. The numbers that appear in this volume correspond to the those in my computer data base (Brother's Keeper). Each number designates a unique person, therefore if you find two persons named George Cunningham and the number is different, you know they are not one and the same. A number of people of helped with this effort by sharing information and stories. The most notable is Betty Jane Hamner of San Antonio Texas. She has either confirmed or supplied much of the earliest information, helping us separate our line from other Cunningham lines erroneously lumped together in other sources. My father, James T. Cunningham, has also given me much assistance. Also thanks to: William L Cunningham Sr., William L. Cunningham Jr., Forrest Cunningham, Patricia Rossiter, Carl C Cunningham, Nadine Hoffmann, Janet Cosgrove ... and I am sure there are others that have slipped my mind.
* I can also add these sources who helped me with the 1998 revisions Dorothy Smith, Dawn Smith, Jennifer Clark, and Ray Boso. Also thanks to David and Wendy Benton.
INTRODUCTION
THE DESCENDANTS OF EDWARD CUNNINGHAM
Some day I'll write a book. In the mean time this volume will have to suffice. Perhaps it can be revised and updated at some future date with a real index in book form. It is not intended as the last word on our heritage and it is certainly not complete or error free. This version of our family history was compiled for family use in case I was never able to get around to it later. It is in loose leaf form to make corrections and additions easy.
STALKING THE WILD CUNNINGHAM
The remarkable thing about our Cunningham ancestors is that they left so little in the way of history or family records. The oral history we inherited went something like this: Edward Cunningham immigrated from Ireland, stowing away on a ship. On the voyage he befriended a Catholic priest. After landing at Philadelphia the pair moved west, traveling the Ohio River to Cincinnati after an undetermined stay in the Mid-Ohio Valley. From this we made a few assumptions. The first one: Edward was both Irish and Catholic. Second: Edward or his children worked his/their way back east from Cincinnati to to the area between Wheeling and Parkersburg. Third: Edward had come to this country as a result of the Great Potato Famine in Ireland around 1840. As it turned out, we were well off the mark. Edward was born of Scots-Irish Presbyterian stock in Washington County PA later residing in Ohio in Belmont and Monroe Counties. We suspect the stowaway story is actually the story of the Flinn (or O'Flynn) family immigrant from Ireland. The Flinn family intersects with our own in Wood County WV with the marriage of Randall (son of Edward) to Virginia McKenzie. Virginia's mother was a Flinn. A few things to keep in mind about this book: The emphasis here is on our deceased ancestors and I have made no attempt to give a complete history of anyone now living. The numbers that appear in this volume correspond to the those in my computer data base (Brother's Keeper). Each number designates a unique person, therefore if you find two persons named George Cunningham and the number is different, you know they are not one and the same. A number of people of helped with this effort by sharing information and stories. The most notable is Betty Jane Hamner of San Antonio Texas. She has either confirmed or supplied much of the earliest information, helping us separate our line from other Cunningham lines erroneously lumped together in other sources. My father, James T. Cunningham, has also given me much assistance. Also thanks to: William L Cunningham Sr., William L. Cunningham Jr., Forrest Cunningham, Patricia Rossiter, Carl C Cunningham, Nadine Hoffmann, Janet Cosgrove ... and I am sure there are others that have slipped my mind.
* I can also add these sources who helped me with the 1998 revisions Dorothy Smith, Dawn Smith, Jennifer Clark, and Ray Boso. Also thanks to David and Wendy Benton.
c 1997, 2003, 2016 Dan Cunningham
Christmas Carols for acoustic guitar
CHRISTMAS GUITAR is available - Stream, download, or CD
CHRISTMAS GUITAR
“Christmas Guitar is a Great CD!” We are playing you." - Dave Kaspersin WDYN
CHRISTMAS GUITAR is available - Stream, download, or CD
CHRISTMAS GUITAR
“Christmas Guitar is a Great CD!” We are playing you." - Dave Kaspersin WDYN
Turmoil, tragedy, beauty, & humor with driving fingerstyle guitar.
Traditional tunes (Angel Band, John Henry, Amazing Grace)
with new tales of revival preachers, feuding clans, & fugitives.
APPALACHIAN SONG CD
