USA > Illinois > Williamson County > Historical souvenir of Williamson County, Illinois : being a brief review of the county from date of founding to the present > Part 28
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His love of home and family was one of his chief characteristics, and though we boarded much of the time during his boyhood, he was al- ways happy in our modest quarters and quite content with the amuse- ments we were able to give him.
When the Spanish-American War broke out, he was possessed with an ungovernable desire to take a regi- ment into the field from Illinois, but was prevented from doing so by the unjust discrimination of Gov- ernor Tanner. Failing in his de- sire, he accepted a Majority in the Adjutant General's Corps, and had the good fortune to be assigned to the staff of General John C. Bates, thereby securing service in the field.
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SOUVENIR OF WILLIAMSON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
General Bates' reports attest the ef- hciency and promptness with which he discharged his duties. His res- cue of Creelman, the correspondent, in itself entitled him to special hon-
ors. The fact of the unpopularity
of the correspondent should not have prevented Major Logan from receiving the promotion for which he was strongly recommended. He was present at the midnight "Coun- cil of War" before El Caney, about which so much has been said and written, and though a subordinate on the staff of gallant General Bates, he was intensely interested and strongly in favor of a vigorous and prompt attack upon the enemy. The endorsement of General Law- ton and other officers on file in the War Department attest to his cool- ness and soldierly conduct, on that the most important battle of the Cuban campaign. He was on duty constantly during the investment of Santiago, and had the pleasure of being with General Bates when the flag was hoisted over the Palace of the captured city. Immediately ať- ter he was stricken with malignant malarial fever, from which he did not recover for months, though he returned to duty in November, join- ing General Bates at Macon, Ga., being made Provost Martial of that Department during its occupancy
He found the responsibilities of his position very great on account of the antagonism between the citizens and the colored troops who seemed disposed to riotous acts and insub- ordination. While in camp in the South, Major Logan, accompanied only by a sargent and a small guard, disarmed a whole colored regiment and put them under guard of an- other well-disciplined regiment, and by his coolness quieted the rioters and protected the citizens from their lawlessness. He won the confidence of his superior officers and the citi- zens who were lavish in their ex- pressions of personal regard and ad- miration of Major Logan as a sol- dier and a gentleman.
The 26th of December, 1898, Gen- eral Bates and his command em- barked for Cienfuegos, General Bates having been put in command of the provnice of Cienfuegos. Soon after their arrival. General Bates sent Major Logan with sixteen mounted men to make a tour of these provinces, and make a report to him of their condition. Major Logan was very successful in this expedition, taking practically the census of both provinces, but ir
doing this his tender heart was stirred to its depths, as naught but starvation, beggary, suffering, dis- ease and devastation greeted them everywhere. Major Logan dared not take the rations from his men and distribute among the men, women and children whom he found
actually starving, but he gave away every cent of money and all the ex- tra clothing he had, and arrived in Sagua La Grande without anything himself. His report caused relief to be sent to the most destitute. He
could not tell of what he saw with- out shedding tears; familiarity with suffering served only to quicken his
sympathies. He could not become indifferent or calloused to human misery. He completely captured the hearts of the Cubans of Santa Clara who desired to have him made their Governor and petitioned the Presi- dent for his appointment.
On account of his mother's seri- ous illness he was called home to Washington, where he was again at- tacked by malarial fever. Before he had recovered the tragic death of his wife's uncle and family, by the burning of their home and them- selves, so afflicted Mrs. Logan that he would not leave her, and peace having been considered assured in Cuba and the Philippines, he re- signed and again tried to take up the duties of a business career. Hos-
tilities beginning again in the Phil- ippines, and Mrs. Logan's health having improved, he could not re- sist the temptation to return to the service, believing, as he did, that it was for the betterment of a race of human heings that they should be brought under the protecting care of our government. He felt that he would be helping to civilize and Christianize a people who would otherwise continue to be little better than savages. He also believed it was necessary to hold the Philip- pines as a necessity of the United States in the fulfillment of the des- tiny of this great republic. All of his letters from the date of his join- ing his regiment until his landing at San Fabian are full of noble aspira- tions and mature thought quite be- yond his age. Appreciating the haz- zard of the expedition upon which he had set out, he was eager to lead the van. He was happy in his com- manders, Colonel Hare and General Wheaton, his Brigade Commander, General Lloyd Wheaton, having served during the Civil War on his father's staff. He knew he had a devoted friend in him. Proud of his name and of the men of his bat- talion, he led the column on that fatal day, sanguine of success, he little dreamed of the fate which awaited him, or that the enemy was above instead of in front of him. He had made the reconnaissance and knew they were entrenched many hundreds strong, and he was confi- dent that the indomitable Thirty- Third would dislodge him. Alas! he fell at the hands of a sharp shooter, hidden in the boughs of a cocoanut tree ere they had fulfilled his expectations, his young life go- ing out while his regiment were car-
rying the intrenchments and pursu- ing the flying insurgents.
SKETCH OF CAPTAIN JOHN MA- RION CUNNINGHAM.
The name of Cunningham comes from the union of two Saxon words, "Koenig," meaning King, an i "Hame," meaning home, or literal- ly, Kings Home, easily assimilated into "Conyngham," "Cuninghame," "Cunnyngham," "Cunyinghame," or "Cunningham," as it is variously written. The following is copied trom Burke's Peerage, bearing upon early history:
"The family is of very great an- tiquity in North Britain. According to Camden, the Cunnynghames came originally into Scotland from Eng- land with King Malcolm Cammore, and he is probably correct, for we find them settled in the Shire of Ayr, very soon after the time of that Monarch (reigned in Scotland from 1057 to 1093) Frederick Van Bur- ren, a learned Norweigen who wrote an account of several Scottish fam- ilies says, that one Malcolm ,son of Freskin assisted Malcolm, Prince of Scotland, (afterwards King Mal- colm Canmore), to make his escape from the tyranny of Macbeth, who had murdered his father, Duncan, and being hotly pursued, he took shelter in a barn where Freskin concealed the Prince by forking straw over him. The Prince, thus aided, eventually made his escape into England, still attended by his faithful Malcolm Freskin. Prince Malcolm was no sooner in posses- sion of his throne after his victory over Macbeth than he rewarded his preserver with the thanedom of Cunnynghame, from which his pos- terity assumed their surname, and took a sheaf-fork for their arms with 'Over fork Over' for their motto.
"One of the name was in 1488 created Earl of Giencairn, the last male of which line died in 1796, and was the subject of one of Bobby Burns' beautiful poems. Another was made Earl of Carrick by David, King of Scotland and married Ele- nor, niece of Robert Bruce. Some of the name fought with William of Orange at the Battle of Boyne in 1688. The Marquis of Conyngham, who has now his seat on the river Boyne in Ireland, is supposed to be one of the same family."
From the foregoing it will be seen that the family of Cunningham is one of the oldest and that they have been associated with historic events since 1059. John M. Cun- ningham, the subject of this sketch, 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
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SOUVENIR OF WILLIAMSON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
"Francis Marion" for his father's friend, General Francis Marion, but was induced by his uncle, John Cuu- ningham, 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 emigrate to the new ter- ritory and removed with his family and his slaves to Southern Illinois, near what was subsequently known as Marion, Williamson County. Rob- ert, the eldest son, decided to re- main in Tennessee but later re- moved to Austin, Texas, and though he lived many years he 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 liber- ated his slaves but they would not leave their kind-hearted master, but continued to remain with the family as long as they lived.
His eldest sister, Caroline, said to have been very beautiful, married in Tennessee to a man by the name of Kelly, who also removed to Illi- nois and settled on the Ohio River near the present town of Metropolis.
Clementine married a Mr. W'm. Henry, a very wealthy Virginian, who emigrated to the new terri- tory. They owned large tracts of land near her father's farm, but went to California in 1848.
J. M. Cunningham was first en- gaged by General John Davis, as a clerk and general assistant in the extensive dry goods and other mer- cantile enterprizes. General Davis was a capitalist and most prominent man in that section in early days. He secured goods and other mer- chandise in St. Louis and transport- ed 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 enterprizes. In 1834, 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 uni- versally 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 Ameri- canized 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 Cun- ningham (who fought under Jack- son 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, Mis- souri, 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 ser- vants, "Uncle Joe and Aunt Han- nah," who came and lived with them as long as they lived.
He was elected Sheriff of the County and Member of the Legisla- ture 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. Among the earliest recollections of his eldest children was that of see- ing him borne on the shoulders of his admiring friends to the Court House steps in their will enthusi- asm to have him speak to them. af- ter he volunteered to go to the Mexi- can War. He was elected Captain of Company B, First Illinois Infan- try 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 volun- teer in the Black Hawk War. He was every inch a soldier, ever ready for adventure and hazzardous 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 af- ter 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 se- verely before they reached Sacre- mento. 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 Sacra- mento 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 unfortu- nately 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 re- port 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 a desolate road miles from any human habittion.
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 sum- mer of 1852. His fortunes went up and down the scale as did those of miany other men. He came home when the presidential election was at its height. After the election of Franklin Pierce, through the influ- ence of Hon, William Allen, Captain J. M. Cunningham was appointed Register of the Land Office at Shaw- neetown, Illinois.
During his term and through his urgent advocacy of the matter the "Bit Act" was passed; that is, Con- gress passed a law allowing actual settlers to enter the lands em- braced in Shewneetown District, which covered an extensive area, to be entered at 12 1-2 cents per acre. This gave such an impetus to settlers that all of the available lands were quickly taken up and the Land Of- fice at Shawneetown discontinued.
Captain Cunningham again re- turned to Marion, Williamson County, built a home expecting to spend the remainder of his life there. He was elected clerk of the County Court, which position he held for many years.
The breaking out of the Rebel- lion 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.
In 1866 an epidemic of cholera visited Marion and Mrs. Cunning- ham was among the victims. With her usual courage she had respond- ed 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. The people fled the town until it was almost de-
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SOUVENIR OF WILLIAMSON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
populated. 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 mid- night 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, Cun- ningham. She was his stay and help mate through all the vicissi- tudes 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 devot- ed her whole life to her husband and her children. Her loss to them was never repaired and effected se- riously 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, 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 sympa- thies went out to every human crea- ture who needed sympathy. He
knew no such thing as fear, his mor- al and physical conrage prompting him always to deeds of daring and adventure. He could never say no to any request made of him and consequently distributed the for- tunes 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, Hybert, Clementine, Cy- rene, Samuel, John and Evaline, all cherishing his memory as a most indulgent father.
The community in which he spent the most of his life loved and re- spected him for his many deeds of kindness and generosity.
. . WILLIAM WATSON, Colored. ,
This ancient negro and ex-slave, who is at present the oldest living man found in the county, lives in a log cabin, which is the very first house huilt within the present lim- its of the city of Marion.
He does not seem to be quite clear upon the question of his age but thinks he was born on the 16th day of May, 1820, near Salina, in Jack- son County, Tennessee. His neigh- hors, however, say that he was 84 years old as long ago as they can re- member, and are quite sure he is
getting very near the century mark. We think this is quite likely, as he states that his mother died in Guthrie, Ky., about 12 years ago, at the age of 110. She was able to walk half a mile or more, do a day's washing and return home again without apparent fatigue within a month of her death. She had no disease, but the old clock just run down and stopped ticking.
The old man is not very much wrinkled nor very gray, and does not show age as a white person would. He has, however, passed beyond work, and finds it extremely difficult to get around at all. His faithful wife earns a living for
both by washing, with the help of the eggs from a few chickens and a little garden,
His master was a Massachusetts man by the name of Samuel Watson, who was a man of wealth and dis- tinction in his adopted state, and owned some thirty or more slaves before the Civil War freed them. He took with him to Tennessee his New England ideas, and privately and secretly taught his brightest negroes to read and write. He treated his slaves like younger brethern, and was never known to whip one. When he thought pun- ishment was in order he would call the offender into the parlor and set him in an easy chair with a book or paper in his hand, of which the poor darkey could not read a word, and keep him there till dinner time. He would then politely invite him to the dining room, and seating him in the place of honor, would take the place of servant and proceed to wait upon him with the greatest gravity and politeness. After dinner, he generally set him about his work with a few words of kind admoni- tion and advice. This recipe never failed on a
refractory servant, though he has sometimes kept a particularly hard case in the corner with his book or paper all day Sun- day, but he never failed to provide them with a good Sunday dinner.
One poor old woman quarrelled with a neighbor and quit her job, re- fusing longer to work with her. Mr. Watson set her to taking water in a pail from a little stream near by and carrying it a few rods, pour- it over the fence into the same stream. After a half day's useless toil in this fashion, the old lady be- came reconciled to her job and
went back cheerfully to work.
Billy took his master's name, af- ter the prevailing fashion, and sems to have been a very skilfuli me- chanie and valned by his owner correspondingly high. Another slave owner offered his master $2800 for him, but was refused, Watson saying he wouldn't accept $3000 for him, as he earned him not less than $800 a year.
Watson was in all sorts of busi- ness in Tennessee. He owned farms, cotton-mills, saw-mills, flouring-mills and a powder factory; kept black- smith and repair shops running, made his own wagons and other tools, and in general run an exten- sive business on his various pianta- tions. He was a careful, cautious, thrifty man, and, like the typical New Englander he was, looked after the pence, knowing the pounds would look after themselves. He would never allow a slave to work in the powder factory. He said they were worth too much money.
His home was about 25 miles from Nashville, on the head-waters of the Cumberland River. Billy was brought up in the cotton fac- tory until about 20, and was then put to house-carpentering by his master. Showing an aptitude at me- chanics, he worked successively at blacksmithing, horse-shoeing, wag- on-making and repairing. He was the handy-man of the plantation and could do anything lie was set at. His master trusted him fully and he had many opportunities to take leg bail for Canada. At one time he was sent by Mr. Watson 100 miles from home to collect a bill, and on his return found himself in posses- sion of a fine horse saddle and bri- dle his master's gold watch and $5000 in greenbacks. He was sorely tempted this time to turn his horse's head towards the Ohio river, but love for his master, his home and his honor prevailed and he finished his journey as he began it-a slave.
Watson was a staunch Union man and did all that lay in him to pre- vent his state from seceeding. Af- ter the fall of Fort Donaldson he rode his horse into Nashville, took the oath of allegiance before Gen. Grant and returned to his mills and factories. He had a trusty servant who posed as a rebel, and when the rebs were about he was the owner of everything, but when the other side came in sight, Watson was the mas- ter. By this device they kept their property from being burned or de- stroyed by either side. A good deal of the time the powder-mill turned out confederate powder, but later on was run mostly to send bullets after them.
While the most of the negroes ran away during the troublous times of the war, Watson stuck by his master till Lincoln's Proclamation freed them all. He then joined the 5th lowa Cavalry, riding one of his master's best horses, and remained with it until he was discharged, August 9th, 1865, at Eastport, Miss. He never served in the ranks, but was always in the employ of the government, repairing wagons, etc. After the War he lived and worked in Nashville till 1866, then to John- sonville in 1867. then to Cincinnati
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SOUVENIR OF WILLIAMSON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
an.l "scouting around" till he came to Marion in 1882. Here he moved with his wife into the log cabin where he still lives and which he has kept continuously until the pres- ent time, and for which they pay $1.00 a week rent.
He married his first wife while both were owned by Watson, and she died while he was with the army. His second wife he married at Wittenberg, Mo., May 16th, 1870. Her name was Charlott Walker, an ex-slave in Texas. In the picture of the old house Mrs. Watson sits by the side of her husband.
Mrs. Robinson, who is a widow living in the other half of the cabin, was glad of the opportunity anl also took a seat near Mr. Wat- son, as shown in the picture. Wat- son, it is said, is fond of his cup, and gets it whenever he can, but, like white people sometimes, he is occasionally very religions, and in the picture holds an open testament on his knee, which lies open at these words: John X:34-36; "Is it not written in your law, I said, ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blasphemist, because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not, but if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works, that ye may know and believe, that the Father is in me and I in Him."
THE TEMPERANCE CAUSE.
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