The T. J. Cunningham Family

By Lois Boles

Thomas Jefferson Cunningham and Emma King were natives of Cherokee County and were married in 1887. Emma lived near Fry's Gap, and Tom's old home was on the Corine road. They had nine children.

Charlie Cunningham married Wilkie Nunn (deceased). They had four children. Tracy broke his neck in a swimming accident at the old Dialville Plunge. Mary Lou (Mrs. Gerald Keller) lives in Galena, Kansas; Charles, in Lafayette, La., and Gordon, in Houston. Charlie lives in Galena, Kansas.

Gussie Cunningham (deceased) married Sam Boles. They had one daughter, Lois Boles, who lives here.

Tommy Martin (Tuck) Cunningham married Ossie Wiggins (deceased). The sons of this couple, Jack and T. M., live in Houston.

Ethel Cunningham married Lawrence Haberle (deceased). A son, Jack, was killed in an automobile accident in 1936, D. L. lives in Jacksonville and Jean (Mrs. Hal Coley), in Dallas.

Bertha Cunningham married W. A. (Bill) Trantham. Bill, Jr., and Dolores (Mrs. David McCord) live in Jacksonville. Helen (Mrs. Travis Wade) lives in Tyler.

Velma Cunningham married S. R. McDermett (deceased). Daughters are Bess (Mrs. Doug Osburn), Annandale, Va., and Joy (Mrs. Frank Liuzza), Houston. Velma is retired as Dean of Women at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville.

Cicero Cunningham was killed in a car accident in 1949. His two sons, Patrick and Sherral, live in El Campo. Catherine Carolyn is in Abilene.

Jewel Cunningham died of meningitis when he was 21.

J. C. Cunningham was killed in action during World War II.

The family home was in the Corine community, eleven miles from Jacksonville. It was a four-bedroom, house with a hallway through the center. The family moved to Jacksonville in 1910, lived on Washington Avenue, two blocks back of the Baptist College girls' dormitory, then moved to West Pine Street across from Baptist College. Later, the family moved to the old Lat-timore place where the T. F. Keasler home is presently located. In 1926, they moved back to the Corine community, where Emma died in 1927 and Tom in 1935.

T. J. Cunningham was a farmer, banker and stockman. He was a charter member of the Chamber of Commerce and one of the first members of the Jacksonville Good Road District committee. He served on the Civil Service Selective Board during World War I, was a director of Guaranty State Bank, a trustee of Jacksonville Baptist College, and was on the Jacksonville Independent School Board. He was deacon of First Baptist Church.

Daughters of Tom and Emma Cunningham living in Jacksonville are Mrs. Ethel Haberle and Mrs. Bertha Trantham and a son, T. M. (Tuck) Cunningham.

Cunningham family and friends, (L to R) Mina Jowers, Tuck, Willie Woolery, Jewell, Gussie, Bertha, Mr. Cunningham, Charlie, Velma, Mrs. Cunningham, Ethel, Bartley Bledsoe and Mr. Ferrell, music teacher.