Grandpa's Cunningham Cousins

My Grandpa Lyle Breeding has been a central focus of my research since I started working on my family history almost five years ago.  During this time, I have done extensive interviews and assembled biographies on each of his 21 Breeding cousins.  However, Grandpa also had quite a few cousins that came from his mom's side.  I definitely won't be writing biographies like I did on the Breeding side, however, I am still interested in getting in touch with some of my relatives from the Cunningham side to learn about this side of my family.  The only problem for me at this point is that it's pretty much a blank slate.  Just to get me started I probably should detail what I know starting with my great-grandma Maude Cunningham's brothers and sisters and their children.   

Pictured (L-R) Front Row: Mamie Cunningham Miles,
John T. Cunningham, Maudy Isabel Tipton Cunningham. 
Middle Row: Maude Cunningham Breeding, Evelyn Cunningham Center,
Ruby (Ellis Cunningham’s wife), Perry John Cunningham
and his wife Mae (in front of him). 
Back Row: Hugh Breeding, Russell Center, Ellis Cunningham

Maude Elizabeth Cunningham 
Born: Jul 1 1891; Timbo, Searcy, Arkansas

Died: May 30 1976; Jay Hospital, Jay OK

Married Hugh Thomas Breeding on May 9 1909 (he was born: May 6 1890; Died: Apr 20 1982)

Children:

Lyle Densel Breeding (Born: May 7 1910; Died: Apr 2 1992)

Lionel Anson Breeding (Born: May 14 1912; Died: Dec 10 1938)

Cecil Odell Breeding (Born: Aug 30 1914; Died: Oct 17 2003)

Mamie Mae Cunningham

Born: October 6 1893; Carroll County, Arkansas

Died: Sept 1983; Miami, Ottawa, Oklahoma

Married Othor Francis Miles on Jul 4 1913 (he was born: May 26 1915; Died: Apr 30 1944)

Children:

Pauline I Miles Reed (Born: May 26 1915; Died: Sep 11 1984)

Norman G Miles (Born: Jan 20 1916; Died: Mar 13 1991)

Waneda Miles Linder (Born: Jan 12 1918; Died: Mar 1 2000)

John J. Miles (Born: Mar 2 1920; Died: Mar 1966)

Mildred (Tody) Miles Cannon (Born: Jan 31 1921; Died: Feb 12 2012)

Kenneth P. Miles (Born: Mar 6 1923; Died: May 24 2007)

Perry John Cunningham

Born: Jan 22 1900; Carroll County, Arkansas

Died: Mar 30 1980; McLennan, TX

Married Sally Mae Pemberton on May 25 1930 (she was born: Nov 3 1901; Died: Feb 18 1992)

Children:

Frank D. Cunningham (Born: ~1933)

John B. Cunningham (Born: ~1935)

Martha Nell Cunningham (Born: ~1937)

Jane Ann Cunningham (Born: ~1939)

Evelyn (Eva) Clarice Cunningham

Born: Mar 24 1905; Carroll County, Arkansas

Died: Jun 28 2004; San Antonio, TX

Married Russell P. Center on Nov 2 1926 (he was born: Aug 2 1900; Died: Mar 22 1977)

Children:

Russell Center (Born: ~1928)

JD Center (Born: ~1929)

Mary G. Center (Born: ~1931)

Evelyn Ann Center  (Born: ~1937)

Ellis Andy Cunningham

Born: Sep 25 1910; Carroll County, Arkansas

Died: Sep 17 1990; Bexar County, TX

Married Ruby Rhea Marie Humbard on Feb 10 1934 (she was born: Sep 29 1913; Died: Sep 27 1998)

Children:

Joretta Cunningham Robin (Born: ~1935)

Harold Dean Cunningham (Born: 1937; Died: Oct 19 1989)

Tom Edd Cunningham (Born: Apr 15 1940; Died: Jul 22 1991)

John David Cunningham (Born: 19???)

It's a Family Affair - Missing Grandma by a few Months

Of course this research has not just been about my family.  I think back to when I first got started, I lamented the fact that I began five months after my Grandma Lorraine Breeding had passed away (in November 2007). 

Had I just been interested in this family history even a year earlier, there would have been so much that she could’ve told me.  However, some of the stories might have been relayed a bit inaccurately as family stories and legends change through the years.  More importantly, had she been alive when I first got started, I probably would’ve talked to her, learned what I wanted to and moved on to something else. 

Because she passed away, I felt the need to go out and meet many different relatives and hear all their stories from their unique and varied perspectives.  Don’t get me wrong, the discovery process of locating hard-to-find documents is a tremendous feeling and quite rewarding, but along the way we have met so many interesting people who have shared so much and that’s what has really stuck with me over time.    

For me, when I reflect back on what was missing from my life, it was that sense of belonging, a sense of togetherness with the group (and I suspect it is the case for many people).   

Fanaticism and Little Luck...

To further illustrate my immediate family’s commitment to this project, on one occasion we set up a time to visit the Oklahoma Trucking Association (OTA) to see if they had any information on Lyle or Hugh Breeding there.   After all, Lyle Breeding was the President of the OTA in 1961 and Hugh Breeding is in the OTA Hall of Fame.   

When we arrived at the Oklahoma Trucking Association in OKC, the Director brought us four large boxes filled with photographs and magazine articles.  I busily got through the first big box but found nothing of interest.   However, when I tackled that second box there were materials from the 1940’s that had lots of photos and references to both Hugh and Lyle Breeding.  

At that point, I called my wife (who was out eating lunch with Daughter) to come back and help me sift through the boxes.   The third and fourth boxes yielded even more as we ran into all the Oklahoma Motor Carrier Journals from 1960 and 1961 when Lyle Breeding was the President of the organization.  

All told, when we left that day, we had uncovered some thirty photos and magazine articles on the Hugh Breeding Trucking firm.   What was intended to be a simple one or two-hour visit had turned into a 5-hour session that had left the skin on all of our fingers damaged from all chemicals found in the old photos and magazines – but it was well worth it.

Looking back today - some four years later – we were so lucky because no one carries the Oklahoma Motor Carrier magazine going back to the 1940’s.  Several times over the past few years, I’ve checked out WorldCat and there’s only a few libraries who have this journal but their holdings only go back to the early 1970’s.  At that time, had we not been so crazy to go through all those boxes and look at each of those journals at the Oklahoma Trucking Association, we never would have uncovered so much rare and valuable information.  In short, family involvement, understanding and support is critical to this research but luck is also vitally important.  

I do keep telling my wife (and myself) that at some point I anticipate the project will be reaching a natural conclusion, but she keeps telling me this thing will live on for a long time.  She’s probably right about that.