It Must Have Been in the Blood: Cunningham Railroad Men

EDWARD CUNNINGHAM > Charles, Howard, and Ed Cunningham

William Custer Smith's daughter Ella Mae met and married a young farm hand named Howard Sean Cunningham, in 1885. He ended up moving to Moberly, Missouri, one of the hubs of the Wabash Railroad and worked for the railroad until his death. Interestingly, two of his brothers also had the railroad in their blood.

Charles Scott Cunningham

Edward Cunningham and his wife, Delilah Griffith, daughter of Joseph Griffith and Nancy Scott, resided in Guernsey County, Ohio, They had five children: Charles Scott, Lillie Belle, Kathryn "Katie," Howard Sean, and Edward "Ed." The children's mother died in 1865 and Howard went to live with relatives in Marion County. His siblings lived with other relatives. He reconnected with his siblings later in life.

His oldest brother Charles Scott Cunningham was born on 19 Apr 1856 in Guernsey County, Ohio. He was later a conductor on the Wabash out of Moberly.  Then, he moved north and worked for the Grand Trunk Railway, which served the Northern tier of the midwest and NE and Canada. Charles served in a number of positions and lived in both Canada and Michigan, including Lansing. In 1913, he was appointed by Michigan Governor Ferris as one of the state railroad commissioners. He was renamed by Governor Sleeper in 1919, but it was not confirmed by the Michigan House as they abolished the commission and created the Utilities Commission. Charles died from a long illness at age of 63 on 21 May 1919 - outliving both of his brothers and a sister and leaving one sister, Mrs Sidney A. (Lillie Belle) Briggs, of Moberly.

Ed Cunningham, the baby of the family, was born in 1864. He, too, ended up in Moberly working for the Wabash. He married Mollie Thompson, a Tennessee native who came with her family to Missouri when a young girl. The couple had two children, Charles Edward and Mabel Marie. Prior to 1900, the couple moved to Texas and worked for a railroad out of  Fort Worth.

Ed didn't have the best luck. He was hit by a train in June of 1905 and sustained a serious head injury, but miraculously survived. But, that apparently wasn't the end of the run of bad luck.

He then was struck by a locomotive engine while in the Frisco Yards and killed 20 Mar 1909.

His body was taken back to Moberly for burial. His family remained in Texas after his death. His son Charles became an insurance agent and eventually settled in Houston. His daughter married a salesman who later became a sales supervisor and remained in the Fort Worth area. His wife Mollie died 21 Mar 1958 in Tarrant County, Texas.