An Oklahoma pioneer and 89er, Jefferson William ("J.W.") Cunningham was a Civil War veteran, cowboy, carpenter, contractor, entrepreneur, restaurateur, hotelier, deputy sheriff, and auctioneer. Originally from South Carolina, J.W. migrated to Texas before moving to Oklahoma City and nearby counties after the territory opened in 1889.
J.W. was born on September 7, 1847, in Spartanburg County or Greenville County in South Carolina. He was the sixth of at least nine children to parents Albert Cunningham and Eliza (Foster) Cunningham.
J.W.'s father had moved to this part of South Carolina from Virginia with his father William before 1830. When Albert was 20, he was accepted as a member of the Brushy Creek Baptist Church. About a year later, Albert and his father William founded the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Greenville County, along with twelve others. The records of that church contain several references to Cunningham family members.
Albert married his first wife Jane Morgan between 1830 and 1835. The couple had one child, Martha Jane ("Mattie"), who was deaf and dumb. Jane died in 1836, after which Albert married Eliza Foster. Eliza was the daughter of James Foster.
The 1840 federal census accounts for Albert, Eliza, a male child under five years old, one female child under five years old, and one female child between five and nine years old. The older girl is likely Mattie, who was born in 1835. The younger girl and boy are likely Albert and Eliza's first two children. The census indicates that the family was living in Greenville County, South Carolina, at this time.
The 1850 federal census lists Albert Cunningham as working as a blacksmith. The family was residing in Spartanburg County and comprised of father Albert, mother Eliza, and children Elinor Elizabeth, age 13; James A, age 11; Mary Adeline (erroneously listed as "Abner" in the census), age 9; Thursay, age 6; Jefferson William, age 4; and Geroge M., age 3.
Half-sister Mattie is not recorded as living in the household in 1850, and she has yet to be identified in this census with certainty. Mattie attended schools for the deaf in Hartford, Connecticut, (perhaps the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons, later renamed The American School for the Deaf) and the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind in Cedar Springs, South Carolina, where she joined the faculty in 1856. Mattie married Pinckney Burris, who was also deaf, in 1858. The couple had at least two children, one of whom was deaf. After Pinckney died in 1864, Mattie married his brother Rueben, likely in 1870 or 1871, having four more children with him.
The 1860 federal census lists J.W. living with his parents and siblings, with brothers Abner B. and Kennedy having been added to the family. The family is living in Spartanburg County, with J.W.'s father working as a farmer with a personal estate valued at about $3,500. This census record appears to indicate that Albert owns a farm, but the value cannot be read because of an apparent smudge on the record (or perhaps an attempted erasure). The 1860 federal census does not list brother John Thomas living with the family, although he appears in the 1870 federal census, filling an apparent gap in the birth order between Abner and Kennedy.
In about 1864, and likely at the age of 17, J.W. volunteered to serve in the Spartan Rangers, Independent Cavalry, South Carolina Volunteers, Confederate States Provisional Army. This unit, comprised primarily of volunteer, underage boys, was used during the latter days of the war, although it likely did not see combat. Records of this unit are scant, perhaps because of the nature of the unit or because the records were destroyed. Later in life, J.W. would help found the Pat Cleburne encampment, Unit 867, of the United Veterans of the Confederacy in Tecumseh, Oklahoma. A newspaper article from 1901 indicates that he had the rank of lieutenant, while others describe him as a colonel, although that might have been in the honorific sense.
After the war, J.W.'s life is less known. The 1870 federal census lists his father as a farm laborer with a personal estate valued at about $300. The family is living near three Wingo families in Hall County, Georgia. The Wingo patriarch is Zachariah Wingo, the husband of Eliza's sister Jane. Two sons of Zachariah and Jane head the other two Wingo households. This census also lists Eliza, Abner B., age 18, John Thomas, age 16; and Kennedy, age 12, living in the Cunningham household. J.W., however, is not listed with the family, and, as of this writing, he has not been identified in a census.
The 1870 federal census was taken between June 1, 1870, and August 23, 1871, and the last federal census conducted using the U.S. Marshal Service as enumerators. Some evidence suggests that J.W. could have been missed in this census because he was migrating west during the enumeration period.
For example, a deed recorded in Johnson County, Texas, on August 30, 1870, suggests that a "W.J. Cunningham" acquired property in Cleburne, Texas, at that time, although the "J" is difficult to read and a similarly named Cunningham was living in the county at this time. An article published on May 9, 1901, in the Geary (Oklahoma) Bulletin, states that J.W. "came west 30 years ago." In addition, James S. Paget, Jr.'s "Descendants of William Cunningham of Fauquier County, Virginia and Greenville County, South Carolina 28 July 1770 – 14 October 1853," The Reprint Company publisher, 1994, indicates that J.W. arrived in Texas sometime before 1872. Finally, a notice published in the February 28, 1872, edition of the Greenville Enterprise (South Carolina) includes a "J.W. Cunningham" on the delinquent land list of Greenville County, South Carolina, for 1871, suggesting that delinquent taxes were owed on 350 acres of property in the county.
J.W.'s mother died between the date of enumeration of the 1870 federal census and November 19, 1872. The latter date is inferred from the date her father James Foster executed his will. The will indicates that three of his children, Eliza, Robert, and James, had pre-deceased him.
The 1880 federal census lists J.W.'s father living in Spartanburg County with son George and his family and near son John and his wife Jane. As of this writing, however, J.W. has not been identified in that census to a reasonable degree of certainty, neither in South Carolina nor Texas, where he was likely living at the time.
The next record that references J.W. is a Johnson County, Texas, marriage certificate showing that J.W. Cunningham married Mary Susan Kirkland in 1886. Before this record, J.W. is listed as "William" and "William J." in the 1850 and 1860 censuses. From this point forward, however, J.W. is listed as "Jefferson," "Jefferson William," or "J.W."
J.W. was 39 years old when he married Mary Susan, who was 26 years old. She was originally from Humphreys County, Tennessee, the daughter of Samuel Garland Kirkland and his first wife Harriet Weatherspoon. Her mother died about a year after she was born. Her father then married Naomi ("Oma) Wilkins. Mary Susan came to Johnson County, Texas, with her parents and half siblings after the 1880 federal census.
Sometime after marrying, J.W. and Mary Susan moved to Tyler, Texas, which is where their son Foster was born in 1887. In 1889, J.W. moved the family to the Oklahoma Territory, likely entering the territory at Ardmore. J.W. and his family made the run of 1889, first living in a tent in Oklahoma City. J.W. constructed the family home at this location. During construction, J.W. and Mary Susan had their first daughter, Oklahoma Belle Cunningham, whose claim to fame was being the first white child born in Oklahoma City after it was opened for settlement. J.W. and Mary Susan had two more daughters, Occa Jefferson, born in Oklahoma City in 1890, and Mary Myrtle, born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in 1893.
In Oklahoma City, J.W. was a prominent carpenter and contractor, building several of the new city's significant buildings in the downtown area. Later, the family would move to Geary, Blaine County, Oklahoma, and Foss, Washita County, Oklahoma, where J.W. worked as a deputy sheriff and was involved in various other businesses. The family also spent time in Tecumseh and Shawnee in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, and perhaps lived briefly in Kansas City before returning to Oklahoma City. Later in life J.W. was best known in Oklahoma City as an auctioneer.
J.W. died at his home in Oklahoma City in 1917 at the age of 69. His widow was denied a veteran's pension, likely because the records of J.W.'s service could not be found and because Mary Susan could not remember names of officers with whom J.W. served who were still living. It also appears that the value of Mary Susan's home disqualified her.
Scott Day Freeman, great grandson of J.W. Cunningham and Mary Susan (Kirkland) Cunningham, last revised this memorial on November 5, 2023. This memorial will continue to be updated as new information becomes available.
J.W. was born on September 7, 1847, in Spartanburg County or Greenville County in South Carolina. He was the sixth of at least nine children to parents Albert Cunningham and Eliza (Foster) Cunningham.
J.W.'s father had moved to this part of South Carolina from Virginia with his father William before 1830. When Albert was 20, he was accepted as a member of the Brushy Creek Baptist Church. About a year later, Albert and his father William founded the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Greenville County, along with twelve others. The records of that church contain several references to Cunningham family members.
Albert married his first wife Jane Morgan between 1830 and 1835. The couple had one child, Martha Jane ("Mattie"), who was deaf and dumb. Jane died in 1836, after which Albert married Eliza Foster. Eliza was the daughter of James Foster.
The 1840 federal census accounts for Albert, Eliza, a male child under five years old, one female child under five years old, and one female child between five and nine years old. The older girl is likely Mattie, who was born in 1835. The younger girl and boy are likely Albert and Eliza's first two children. The census indicates that the family was living in Greenville County, South Carolina, at this time.
The 1850 federal census lists Albert Cunningham as working as a blacksmith. The family was residing in Spartanburg County and comprised of father Albert, mother Eliza, and children Elinor Elizabeth, age 13; James A, age 11; Mary Adeline (erroneously listed as "Abner" in the census), age 9; Thursay, age 6; Jefferson William, age 4; and Geroge M., age 3.
Half-sister Mattie is not recorded as living in the household in 1850, and she has yet to be identified in this census with certainty. Mattie attended schools for the deaf in Hartford, Connecticut, (perhaps the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons, later renamed The American School for the Deaf) and the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind in Cedar Springs, South Carolina, where she joined the faculty in 1856. Mattie married Pinckney Burris, who was also deaf, in 1858. The couple had at least two children, one of whom was deaf. After Pinckney died in 1864, Mattie married his brother Rueben, likely in 1870 or 1871, having four more children with him.
The 1860 federal census lists J.W. living with his parents and siblings, with brothers Abner B. and Kennedy having been added to the family. The family is living in Spartanburg County, with J.W.'s father working as a farmer with a personal estate valued at about $3,500. This census record appears to indicate that Albert owns a farm, but the value cannot be read because of an apparent smudge on the record (or perhaps an attempted erasure). The 1860 federal census does not list brother John Thomas living with the family, although he appears in the 1870 federal census, filling an apparent gap in the birth order between Abner and Kennedy.
In about 1864, and likely at the age of 17, J.W. volunteered to serve in the Spartan Rangers, Independent Cavalry, South Carolina Volunteers, Confederate States Provisional Army. This unit, comprised primarily of volunteer, underage boys, was used during the latter days of the war, although it likely did not see combat. Records of this unit are scant, perhaps because of the nature of the unit or because the records were destroyed. Later in life, J.W. would help found the Pat Cleburne encampment, Unit 867, of the United Veterans of the Confederacy in Tecumseh, Oklahoma. A newspaper article from 1901 indicates that he had the rank of lieutenant, while others describe him as a colonel, although that might have been in the honorific sense.
After the war, J.W.'s life is less known. The 1870 federal census lists his father as a farm laborer with a personal estate valued at about $300. The family is living near three Wingo families in Hall County, Georgia. The Wingo patriarch is Zachariah Wingo, the husband of Eliza's sister Jane. Two sons of Zachariah and Jane head the other two Wingo households. This census also lists Eliza, Abner B., age 18, John Thomas, age 16; and Kennedy, age 12, living in the Cunningham household. J.W., however, is not listed with the family, and, as of this writing, he has not been identified in a census.
The 1870 federal census was taken between June 1, 1870, and August 23, 1871, and the last federal census conducted using the U.S. Marshal Service as enumerators. Some evidence suggests that J.W. could have been missed in this census because he was migrating west during the enumeration period.
For example, a deed recorded in Johnson County, Texas, on August 30, 1870, suggests that a "W.J. Cunningham" acquired property in Cleburne, Texas, at that time, although the "J" is difficult to read and a similarly named Cunningham was living in the county at this time. An article published on May 9, 1901, in the Geary (Oklahoma) Bulletin, states that J.W. "came west 30 years ago." In addition, James S. Paget, Jr.'s "Descendants of William Cunningham of Fauquier County, Virginia and Greenville County, South Carolina 28 July 1770 – 14 October 1853," The Reprint Company publisher, 1994, indicates that J.W. arrived in Texas sometime before 1872. Finally, a notice published in the February 28, 1872, edition of the Greenville Enterprise (South Carolina) includes a "J.W. Cunningham" on the delinquent land list of Greenville County, South Carolina, for 1871, suggesting that delinquent taxes were owed on 350 acres of property in the county.
J.W.'s mother died between the date of enumeration of the 1870 federal census and November 19, 1872. The latter date is inferred from the date her father James Foster executed his will. The will indicates that three of his children, Eliza, Robert, and James, had pre-deceased him.
The 1880 federal census lists J.W.'s father living in Spartanburg County with son George and his family and near son John and his wife Jane. As of this writing, however, J.W. has not been identified in that census to a reasonable degree of certainty, neither in South Carolina nor Texas, where he was likely living at the time.
The next record that references J.W. is a Johnson County, Texas, marriage certificate showing that J.W. Cunningham married Mary Susan Kirkland in 1886. Before this record, J.W. is listed as "William" and "William J." in the 1850 and 1860 censuses. From this point forward, however, J.W. is listed as "Jefferson," "Jefferson William," or "J.W."
J.W. was 39 years old when he married Mary Susan, who was 26 years old. She was originally from Humphreys County, Tennessee, the daughter of Samuel Garland Kirkland and his first wife Harriet Weatherspoon. Her mother died about a year after she was born. Her father then married Naomi ("Oma) Wilkins. Mary Susan came to Johnson County, Texas, with her parents and half siblings after the 1880 federal census.
Sometime after marrying, J.W. and Mary Susan moved to Tyler, Texas, which is where their son Foster was born in 1887. In 1889, J.W. moved the family to the Oklahoma Territory, likely entering the territory at Ardmore. J.W. and his family made the run of 1889, first living in a tent in Oklahoma City. J.W. constructed the family home at this location. During construction, J.W. and Mary Susan had their first daughter, Oklahoma Belle Cunningham, whose claim to fame was being the first white child born in Oklahoma City after it was opened for settlement. J.W. and Mary Susan had two more daughters, Occa Jefferson, born in Oklahoma City in 1890, and Mary Myrtle, born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in 1893.
In Oklahoma City, J.W. was a prominent carpenter and contractor, building several of the new city's significant buildings in the downtown area. Later, the family would move to Geary, Blaine County, Oklahoma, and Foss, Washita County, Oklahoma, where J.W. worked as a deputy sheriff and was involved in various other businesses. The family also spent time in Tecumseh and Shawnee in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, and perhaps lived briefly in Kansas City before returning to Oklahoma City. Later in life J.W. was best known in Oklahoma City as an auctioneer.
J.W. died at his home in Oklahoma City in 1917 at the age of 69. His widow was denied a veteran's pension, likely because the records of J.W.'s service could not be found and because Mary Susan could not remember names of officers with whom J.W. served who were still living. It also appears that the value of Mary Susan's home disqualified her.
Scott Day Freeman, great grandson of J.W. Cunningham and Mary Susan (Kirkland) Cunningham, last revised this memorial on November 5, 2023. This memorial will continue to be updated as new information becomes available.
An Oklahoma pioneer and 89er, Jefferson William ("J.W.") Cunningham was a Civil War veteran, cowboy, carpenter, contractor, entrepreneur, restaurateur, hotelier, deputy sheriff, and auctioneer. Originally from South Carolina, J.W. migrated to Texas before moving to Oklahoma City and nearby counties after the territory opened in 1889.
J.W. was born on September 7, 1847, in Spartanburg County or Greenville County in South Carolina. He was the sixth of at least nine children to parents Albert Cunningham and Eliza (Foster) Cunningham.
J.W.'s father had moved to this part of South Carolina from Virginia with his father William before 1830. When Albert was 20, he was accepted as a member of the Brushy Creek Baptist Church. About a year later, Albert and his father William founded the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Greenville County, along with twelve others. The records of that church contain several references to Cunningham family members.
Albert married his first wife Jane Morgan between 1830 and 1835. The couple had one child, Martha Jane ("Mattie"), who was deaf and dumb. Jane died in 1836, after which Albert married Eliza Foster. Eliza was the daughter of James Foster.
The 1840 federal census accounts for Albert, Eliza, a male child under five years old, one female child under five years old, and one female child between five and nine years old. The older girl is likely Mattie, who was born in 1835. The younger girl and boy are likely Albert and Eliza's first two children. The census indicates that the family was living in Greenville County, South Carolina, at this time.
The 1850 federal census lists Albert Cunningham as working as a blacksmith. The family was residing in Spartanburg County and comprised of father Albert, mother Eliza, and children Elinor Elizabeth, age 13; James A, age 11; Mary Adeline (erroneously listed as "Abner" in the census), age 9; Thursay, age 6; Jefferson William, age 4; and Geroge M., age 3.
Half-sister Mattie is not recorded as living in the household in 1850, and she has yet to be identified in this census with certainty. Mattie attended schools for the deaf in Hartford, Connecticut, (perhaps the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons, later renamed The American School for the Deaf) and the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind in Cedar Springs, South Carolina, where she joined the faculty in 1856. Mattie married Pinckney Burris, who was also deaf, in 1858. The couple had at least two children, one of whom was deaf. After Pinckney died in 1864, Mattie married his brother Rueben, likely in 1870 or 1871, having four more children with him.
The 1860 federal census lists J.W. living with his parents and siblings, with brothers Abner B. and Kennedy having been added to the family. The family is living in Spartanburg County, with J.W.'s father working as a farmer with a personal estate valued at about $3,500. This census record appears to indicate that Albert owns a farm, but the value cannot be read because of an apparent smudge on the record (or perhaps an attempted erasure). The 1860 federal census does not list brother John Thomas living with the family, although he appears in the 1870 federal census, filling an apparent gap in the birth order between Abner and Kennedy.
In about 1864, and likely at the age of 17, J.W. volunteered to serve in the Spartan Rangers, Independent Cavalry, South Carolina Volunteers, Confederate States Provisional Army. This unit, comprised primarily of volunteer, underage boys, was used during the latter days of the war, although it likely did not see combat. Records of this unit are scant, perhaps because of the nature of the unit or because the records were destroyed. Later in life, J.W. would help found the Pat Cleburne encampment, Unit 867, of the United Veterans of the Confederacy in Tecumseh, Oklahoma. A newspaper article from 1901 indicates that he had the rank of lieutenant, while others describe him as a colonel, although that might have been in the honorific sense.
After the war, J.W.'s life is less known. The 1870 federal census lists his father as a farm laborer with a personal estate valued at about $300. The family is living near three Wingo families in Hall County, Georgia. The Wingo patriarch is Zachariah Wingo, the husband of Eliza's sister Jane. Two sons of Zachariah and Jane head the other two Wingo households. This census also lists Eliza, Abner B., age 18, John Thomas, age 16; and Kennedy, age 12, living in the Cunningham household. J.W., however, is not listed with the family, and, as of this writing, he has not been identified in a census.
The 1870 federal census was taken between June 1, 1870, and August 23, 1871, and the last federal census conducted using the U.S. Marshal Service as enumerators. Some evidence suggests that J.W. could have been missed in this census because he was migrating west during the enumeration period.
For example, a deed recorded in Johnson County, Texas, on August 30, 1870, suggests that a "W.J. Cunningham" acquired property in Cleburne, Texas, at that time, although the "J" is difficult to read and a similarly named Cunningham was living in the county at this time. An article published on May 9, 1901, in the Geary (Oklahoma) Bulletin, states that J.W. "came west 30 years ago." In addition, James S. Paget, Jr.'s "Descendants of William Cunningham of Fauquier County, Virginia and Greenville County, South Carolina 28 July 1770 – 14 October 1853," The Reprint Company publisher, 1994, indicates that J.W. arrived in Texas sometime before 1872. Finally, a notice published in the February 28, 1872, edition of the Greenville Enterprise (South Carolina) includes a "J.W. Cunningham" on the delinquent land list of Greenville County, South Carolina, for 1871, suggesting that delinquent taxes were owed on 350 acres of property in the county.
J.W.'s mother died between the date of enumeration of the 1870 federal census and November 19, 1872. The latter date is inferred from the date her father James Foster executed his will. The will indicates that three of his children, Eliza, Robert, and James, had pre-deceased him.
The 1880 federal census lists J.W.'s father living in Spartanburg County with son George and his family and near son John and his wife Jane. As of this writing, however, J.W. has not been identified in that census to a reasonable degree of certainty, neither in South Carolina nor Texas, where he was likely living at the time.
The next record that references J.W. is a Johnson County, Texas, marriage certificate showing that J.W. Cunningham married Mary Susan Kirkland in 1886. Before this record, J.W. is listed as "William" and "William J." in the 1850 and 1860 censuses. From this point forward, however, J.W. is listed as "Jefferson," "Jefferson William," or "J.W."
J.W. was 39 years old when he married Mary Susan, who was 26 years old. She was originally from Humphreys County, Tennessee, the daughter of Samuel Garland Kirkland and his first wife Harriet Weatherspoon. Her mother died about a year after she was born. Her father then married Naomi ("Oma) Wilkins. Mary Susan came to Johnson County, Texas, with her parents and half siblings after the 1880 federal census.
Sometime after marrying, J.W. and Mary Susan moved to Tyler, Texas, which is where their son Foster was born in 1887. In 1889, J.W. moved the family to the Oklahoma Territory, likely entering the territory at Ardmore. J.W. and his family made the run of 1889, first living in a tent in Oklahoma City. J.W. constructed the family home at this location. During construction, J.W. and Mary Susan had their first daughter, Oklahoma Belle Cunningham, whose claim to fame was being the first white child born in Oklahoma City after it was opened for settlement. J.W. and Mary Susan had two more daughters, Occa Jefferson, born in Oklahoma City in 1890, and Mary Myrtle, born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in 1893.
In Oklahoma City, J.W. was a prominent carpenter and contractor, building several of the new city's significant buildings in the downtown area. Later, the family would move to Geary, Blaine County, Oklahoma, and Foss, Washita County, Oklahoma, where J.W. worked as a deputy sheriff and was involved in various other businesses. The family also spent time in Tecumseh and Shawnee in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, and perhaps lived briefly in Kansas City before returning to Oklahoma City. Later in life J.W. was best known in Oklahoma City as an auctioneer.
J.W. died at his home in Oklahoma City in 1917 at the age of 69. His widow was denied a veteran's pension, likely because the records of J.W.'s service could not be found and because Mary Susan could not remember names of officers with whom J.W. served who were still living. It also appears that the value of Mary Susan's home disqualified her.
Scott Day Freeman, great grandson of J.W. Cunningham and Mary Susan (Kirkland) Cunningham, last revised this memorial on November 5, 2023. This memorial will continue to be updated as new information becomes available.
J.W. was born on September 7, 1847, in Spartanburg County or Greenville County in South Carolina. He was the sixth of at least nine children to parents Albert Cunningham and Eliza (Foster) Cunningham.
J.W.'s father had moved to this part of South Carolina from Virginia with his father William before 1830. When Albert was 20, he was accepted as a member of the Brushy Creek Baptist Church. About a year later, Albert and his father William founded the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Greenville County, along with twelve others. The records of that church contain several references to Cunningham family members.
Albert married his first wife Jane Morgan between 1830 and 1835. The couple had one child, Martha Jane ("Mattie"), who was deaf and dumb. Jane died in 1836, after which Albert married Eliza Foster. Eliza was the daughter of James Foster.
The 1840 federal census accounts for Albert, Eliza, a male child under five years old, one female child under five years old, and one female child between five and nine years old. The older girl is likely Mattie, who was born in 1835. The younger girl and boy are likely Albert and Eliza's first two children. The census indicates that the family was living in Greenville County, South Carolina, at this time.
The 1850 federal census lists Albert Cunningham as working as a blacksmith. The family was residing in Spartanburg County and comprised of father Albert, mother Eliza, and children Elinor Elizabeth, age 13; James A, age 11; Mary Adeline (erroneously listed as "Abner" in the census), age 9; Thursay, age 6; Jefferson William, age 4; and Geroge M., age 3.
Half-sister Mattie is not recorded as living in the household in 1850, and she has yet to be identified in this census with certainty. Mattie attended schools for the deaf in Hartford, Connecticut, (perhaps the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons, later renamed The American School for the Deaf) and the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind in Cedar Springs, South Carolina, where she joined the faculty in 1856. Mattie married Pinckney Burris, who was also deaf, in 1858. The couple had at least two children, one of whom was deaf. After Pinckney died in 1864, Mattie married his brother Rueben, likely in 1870 or 1871, having four more children with him.
The 1860 federal census lists J.W. living with his parents and siblings, with brothers Abner B. and Kennedy having been added to the family. The family is living in Spartanburg County, with J.W.'s father working as a farmer with a personal estate valued at about $3,500. This census record appears to indicate that Albert owns a farm, but the value cannot be read because of an apparent smudge on the record (or perhaps an attempted erasure). The 1860 federal census does not list brother John Thomas living with the family, although he appears in the 1870 federal census, filling an apparent gap in the birth order between Abner and Kennedy.
In about 1864, and likely at the age of 17, J.W. volunteered to serve in the Spartan Rangers, Independent Cavalry, South Carolina Volunteers, Confederate States Provisional Army. This unit, comprised primarily of volunteer, underage boys, was used during the latter days of the war, although it likely did not see combat. Records of this unit are scant, perhaps because of the nature of the unit or because the records were destroyed. Later in life, J.W. would help found the Pat Cleburne encampment, Unit 867, of the United Veterans of the Confederacy in Tecumseh, Oklahoma. A newspaper article from 1901 indicates that he had the rank of lieutenant, while others describe him as a colonel, although that might have been in the honorific sense.
After the war, J.W.'s life is less known. The 1870 federal census lists his father as a farm laborer with a personal estate valued at about $300. The family is living near three Wingo families in Hall County, Georgia. The Wingo patriarch is Zachariah Wingo, the husband of Eliza's sister Jane. Two sons of Zachariah and Jane head the other two Wingo households. This census also lists Eliza, Abner B., age 18, John Thomas, age 16; and Kennedy, age 12, living in the Cunningham household. J.W., however, is not listed with the family, and, as of this writing, he has not been identified in a census.
The 1870 federal census was taken between June 1, 1870, and August 23, 1871, and the last federal census conducted using the U.S. Marshal Service as enumerators. Some evidence suggests that J.W. could have been missed in this census because he was migrating west during the enumeration period.
For example, a deed recorded in Johnson County, Texas, on August 30, 1870, suggests that a "W.J. Cunningham" acquired property in Cleburne, Texas, at that time, although the "J" is difficult to read and a similarly named Cunningham was living in the county at this time. An article published on May 9, 1901, in the Geary (Oklahoma) Bulletin, states that J.W. "came west 30 years ago." In addition, James S. Paget, Jr.'s "Descendants of William Cunningham of Fauquier County, Virginia and Greenville County, South Carolina 28 July 1770 – 14 October 1853," The Reprint Company publisher, 1994, indicates that J.W. arrived in Texas sometime before 1872. Finally, a notice published in the February 28, 1872, edition of the Greenville Enterprise (South Carolina) includes a "J.W. Cunningham" on the delinquent land list of Greenville County, South Carolina, for 1871, suggesting that delinquent taxes were owed on 350 acres of property in the county.
J.W.'s mother died between the date of enumeration of the 1870 federal census and November 19, 1872. The latter date is inferred from the date her father James Foster executed his will. The will indicates that three of his children, Eliza, Robert, and James, had pre-deceased him.
The 1880 federal census lists J.W.'s father living in Spartanburg County with son George and his family and near son John and his wife Jane. As of this writing, however, J.W. has not been identified in that census to a reasonable degree of certainty, neither in South Carolina nor Texas, where he was likely living at the time.
The next record that references J.W. is a Johnson County, Texas, marriage certificate showing that J.W. Cunningham married Mary Susan Kirkland in 1886. Before this record, J.W. is listed as "William" and "William J." in the 1850 and 1860 censuses. From this point forward, however, J.W. is listed as "Jefferson," "Jefferson William," or "J.W."
J.W. was 39 years old when he married Mary Susan, who was 26 years old. She was originally from Humphreys County, Tennessee, the daughter of Samuel Garland Kirkland and his first wife Harriet Weatherspoon. Her mother died about a year after she was born. Her father then married Naomi ("Oma) Wilkins. Mary Susan came to Johnson County, Texas, with her parents and half siblings after the 1880 federal census.
Sometime after marrying, J.W. and Mary Susan moved to Tyler, Texas, which is where their son Foster was born in 1887. In 1889, J.W. moved the family to the Oklahoma Territory, likely entering the territory at Ardmore. J.W. and his family made the run of 1889, first living in a tent in Oklahoma City. J.W. constructed the family home at this location. During construction, J.W. and Mary Susan had their first daughter, Oklahoma Belle Cunningham, whose claim to fame was being the first white child born in Oklahoma City after it was opened for settlement. J.W. and Mary Susan had two more daughters, Occa Jefferson, born in Oklahoma City in 1890, and Mary Myrtle, born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in 1893.
In Oklahoma City, J.W. was a prominent carpenter and contractor, building several of the new city's significant buildings in the downtown area. Later, the family would move to Geary, Blaine County, Oklahoma, and Foss, Washita County, Oklahoma, where J.W. worked as a deputy sheriff and was involved in various other businesses. The family also spent time in Tecumseh and Shawnee in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, and perhaps lived briefly in Kansas City before returning to Oklahoma City. Later in life J.W. was best known in Oklahoma City as an auctioneer.
J.W. died at his home in Oklahoma City in 1917 at the age of 69. His widow was denied a veteran's pension, likely because the records of J.W.'s service could not be found and because Mary Susan could not remember names of officers with whom J.W. served who were still living. It also appears that the value of Mary Susan's home disqualified her.
Scott Day Freeman, great grandson of J.W. Cunningham and Mary Susan (Kirkland) Cunningham, last revised this memorial on November 5, 2023. This memorial will continue to be updated as new information becomes available.
Inscription
FATHER
JEFFERSON W.
SEPT. 7, 1847
JAN. 9, 1917
Gravesite Details
Marker is located in the Cunningham/Cheever family plot. Enter the cemetery heading north. Take the first turn left. The road will then turn 90 degrees to the right. The marker will then be on your left near the road.
Family Members
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