Unk Cunningham

Per interview with Charles Ray Cunningham: "It seems that, way back there, one of the Cunninghams was pretty well up there – a Duke or an Earl or something in Scotland. He was financing Spanish pirates on a percentage basis. He was run out of the country. He went to England and started doing the same doggone thing over there. And, according to the story, the king of England gave him the choice of being exiled to the colonies, which supposedly was worse than death, or being beheaded. And he decided he liked his head where it was so he allowed them to exile him to the colonies. And he came over here and founded what is now Cunningham, Kentucky, and, according to what I understand, a slave market. In other words, he didn’t care how he made the money just as long as he made it. Uncle Charlie wasn’t very proud of that ancestor."

Cunningham Kentucky

• Located in Carlisle County.

• Carlisle County was part of Hickman County from 1821 to 1842.

• Carlisle County was then created May 3, 1886.

• Bardwell is the county seat.

• No Cunninghams in Carlisle County, KY in 1900 Census.

I'm estimating Cunningham, KY was formed between 1830 and 1850.

With the changes through the years Cunningham, KY has been in several counties.

 From the Ballard-Carlisle Historical and Genealogical Society

According to Mr. Jim Boswell, Jess Moss first sent in the name Elm to identify the first post office in that area. Tha name was already in use, so Mr. LMoss then sent in three more choices. One of them was Cunningham because there was a Mr. Cunningham who lived on the opposite corner of the Cunningham Hardware Store. The US government chose the Cunningham name.

Cunningham, James and Cunningham, Michael are listed in the 1810 Livingston Co., Kentucky Census.

Date: Sat, 24 Dec 2011

Mr. Jess Moss sent to the Postal Service three names to name the village...Elm had already been taken. One of the three names was Cunningham. Mr. Cunningham lived across from the store. The postal service chose Cunningham as the name. It has always been the talk this Mr. Cunningham did not live long in the town named in his honor!!! I has been lost in time as to this man's first name, where he came from, etc.

BCHGS