The name of Cunningham comes from the union of two Saxon words, “Koenig,” meaning King, and “Hanie,” meaning home, or literally, Kings Home. The name can be traced back to early British history and historic events as early as 1059. John M. Cunningham was the son of Robert Cunningham, son of Joseph Cunningham and Mary Simerson Cunningham.

He was born in 1812 in Lincoln County, Tennessee. He was christened “Francis Marion” for his father’s friend, General Francis Marion, but was induced by his uncle, John Cunningham, to drop Francis and take that of John. He had one brother and two sisters.

Soon after the organization of the territory of Illinois his father decided to immigrate to the new territory and removed with his family and his slaves to Southern Illinois, near what was subsequently known as Marion, Williamson County. Robert, the eldest son, decided to remain in Tennessee but later removed to Austin, Texas, and though he lived many years was never again seen by any member of the family, as traveling in those days was a difficult undertaking.

After settling on a farm his father liberated his slaves but they would not leave their kind-hearted master, but continued to remain with the family as long as they lived.

John’s eldest sister, Caroline, said to have been very beautiful, married in Tennessee to a man by the name of Kelly, who also removed to Illinois and settled on the Ohio River near the present town of Metropolis.

Sister Clementine married a Mr. William Henry, a very wealthy Virginian, who immigrated to the new territory. They owned large tracts of land near her father’s farm in Williamson County, but went to California in 1848.

John M. Cunningham was first engaged by General John Davis, as a clerk and general assistant in the extensive dry good and other mercantile enterprises. General Davis was a capitalist and most prominent man in that section in early days. He secured goods and other merchandise in St. Louis and transported them across the country.

While in General Davis’ employ he made the acquaintance of General George P. Davis, one of the wealthiest men in the West and who carried on many business enterprises. In 183 4, by consent of General Davis, who was the devoted friend of young Cunningham, he entered the service of General Davis, who placed him in charge of a general merchandise store at Petersburg, Missouri. He soon became well known and universally popular. Here he met Miss Elizabeth Hicks Fountain, the daughter of Joseph Fountain, a wealthy descendant of the French Hugenots, whose real name was “De La Fountaine,” but who Americanized the name by dropping the “De La” and the final e.

Miss Fountain was one of the loveliest women of her time, and proved one of the most remarkable in native ability and nobility of character. No man was ever more fortunate than John M. Cunningham in the choice of his wife. To her he owed everything which brought happiness or success. After their marriage in 1837 they remained but a few years in Petersburg, as Mr. Cunningham’s father, Robert Cunningham who fought under Jackson at the battle of New Orleans was in failing health and wanted his son to come to him in Illinois.

In 1839 he closed out his business in Missouri, liberated his slaves and taking two horses and a double carriage and his wife and one child, he drove from Boone County, Missouri, to Marion, Illinois, expecting their household goods to follow by being hauled to Hannibal, Missouri, and from there shipped by boat to St. Louis and from there hauled to Marion. Part of them came all right, but some of them were stored in an old freight depot in Hannibal for more than twenty years, and were, of course, destroyed by moth, dampness and rust.

After his return to Illinois he took a farm and had his mother and father and the two old faithful servants, “Uncle Joe and Aunt Hannah,” who came and lived with them as long as they lived. He was elected Sheriff of the County and Member of the Legislature soon after the admission of the State. His popularity with the people until the day of his death was second to no man in the State.

(Around 1840, he attempted with two other gentlemen named Milton and Dr. Jonothan Mulkey to build Marion’s first flour mill. The plan unfortunately never got further than ordering the mill and securing the property to put it on, since none of them had the skills to construct it. The Mill was sold to George Felts and John Hooper who constructed it in 1843 or 1844. The mill would later be known as Edward’s Mill.)

Among the earliest recollections of his eldest children was that of seeing him borne on the shoulders of his admiring friends to the Williamson County Court House steps in their wild enthusiasm to have him speak to them.

After he volunteered to go to the Mexican War, he was elected Captain of Company B, First Illinois Infantry Volunteers, and went across the plains under Colonel Donaldson. Their Regiment was assigned to General Sterling Price’s Brigade.

When quite young he was a volunteer in the Black Hawk War. He was every inch a soldier, ever ready for adventure and hazardous duty.

He was made United States Marshall for the Southern District of Illinois and put down the Massac County Regulators who had built a Fort on the Ohio River, and prepared to defy the officers of the law, but after Captain Cunningham arrested a number of them and sent them to the penitentiary they decided to stop their depredations.

In 1849 he joined the expedition which went across the plains to California at the time of the great excitement over the discovery of gold on the Pacific slope. They were late starting and suffered severely before they reached Sacramento. In fact, all of the animals of the overland train and many of the party died.

Captain Cunningham was left about seventy-five miles from Sacramento all alone beside the road, as he was too ill to go any farther. He insisted that the few survivors should go on and send back for him, as he knew George P. Doris, of St. Louis, had wagon trains that were going back and forth from St. Louis, to Sacramento, but unfortunately they had not met them en route.

He was sure Mr. Doris would send a pony express and bring him in if the others would go in and report his whereabouts. They were lucky enough to get through safely. Mr. Doris sent immediately for him and he was saved from starvation and death on desolate road miles from any human habitation.

He often used to tell thrilling stories of his experience and narrow escapes from being massacred by Indians, or dying from alkali water and want of food, and of the lonely graves they passed as they walked from Alton, Illinois, to Sacramento, of poor men who belonged to the many parties that had preceded them in their quest of the gold fields.

He was in the California mines from the summer of ’49 (having been nearly four months of that year en route) until the summer of 1852. His fortunes went up and down the scale as did those of many other men. He came home when the presidential election was at its height. After the election of Franklin Pierce, through the influence of Hon. William Allen, Captain J. M. Cunningham was appointed Register of the Land Office at Shawneetown, Illinois.

During his term and through his  urgent advocacy of the matter the “Bit Act” was passed; that is, Congress passed a law allowing actual settlers to enter the land embraced in Shawneetown District, which covered an extensive area, to be entered at 12 1-2 cents per acre (one bit). This gave such an impetus to settlers that all of the available lands were quickly taken up and the Land Office at Shawneetown discontinued.

Captain Cunningham again returned to Marion, Williamson County, built a home expecting to spend the remainder of his life there. (His home was located in the 400 block of East Main where the first Township High School would later be built.) He was elected clerk of the County Court, which position he held for many years.

(On the 27th day of November, 1855, Cunningham’s daughter Mary Cunningham was married to John A. Logan, whom Cunningham had served with during the Mexican War.)

(In 1856, when the Williamson County Agricultural Society was formed, Cunningham was noted among the prominent members who planned and organized the first County Fair Ground located west of town.)

The breaking out of the Rebellion brought him great sorrow and anxiety and may be said to have been the beginning of the troubles which attended him as long as he lived.

( Clearly, Cunningham had mixed emotions early on about his stand with the Union, having been a previous slave owner himself. When a meeting was called to be held in the Court House, on Monday, April 15th, 1861,George W. Goddard,  James M. Washburn, Henry C. Hooper, John M. Cunningham, and William R. Scurlock, were appointed as a committee to draft a resolution of secession.)

(A few days after the Muddy Bridge raid on the 30th of April, 1861, John A. Logan, George W. Goddard,  John H. White and John M. Cunningham, neither of whom was in the raid, met in secret caucus in White’s office, and they solemnly pledged each other their honor that they would stand by the Union.)

In 1866 an epidemic of cholera visited Marion and Mrs. Cunningham was among the victims. With her usual courage she had responded to the call of the first who were attacked and died in a few hours.  Returning home after working over those who died, she disclaimed any fear of the disease, but admitted she was very tired.

People of Marion fled town until it was almost depopulated. She talked the matter over with her husband until nine o’clock that night. She insisted she would not leave home or undertake to run away from the disease and perhaps expose others if any of her family should have it, she thought it best to stay at home.

At midnight she awakened with the first throes of real Asiatic cholera and at six A.M. she was dead. With her death went out all the hopes and ambition of Capt. Cunningham.

She was his stay and help mate through all the vicissitudes of life, noble in every sense of the word, highly intelligent and with the finest intuitions she was equal to any emergency. She had the courage of a lioness and devoted her whole life to her husband and her children. Her loss to them was never repaired and affected seriously their careers.

In 1869 Captain Cunningham was appointed collector of Internal Revenue at Provo, Utah Territory, where he was obliged to report. Having been married to his second wife, Miss Mary Hopper, of Marion, Illinois, he removed to Provo, where he resided until his death, March 9, 1873.

Captain John M. Cunningham was one of God’s noble men. He was the soul of honor; absolutely unselfish, generous to a fault, and so tender-hearted that his sympathies went out to every human creature that needed sympathy. He knew no such thing as fear, his moral and physical courage prompting him always to deeds of daring and adventure. He could never say no to any request made of him and consequently distributed the fortunes he made with an unwise and liberal hand. He worshipped his wife and family of thirteen children, seven of whom grew to the estate of man and womanhood, Mary, Hannah, Hubert, Clementine, Cyrene, Samuel, John and Evaline, all cherishing his memory as a most indulgent father.

The community in which he spent most of his life loved and respected him for his many deeds of kindness and generosity.

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(Article extracted from 1905 Souvenir History, Notes added in parenthesis by Sam Lattuca on 03/25/2013)