Thomas Beer Cunningham
Thomas Beer Cunningham, of the firm of White & Cunningham, editors and proprietors of the Holmes County Republican, was born in Chester Township, Wayne Co., Ohio, November 11, 1837, a son of Thomas and Mary Cunningham. His grandparents, David and Mary Cunningham, were natives of Ireland, of Scotch-Irish descent, both born in Strabane in 1762, and were married April 18, 1786. They came to the United States in 1800, and entered land in Chester Township, Wayne Co., Ohio, in 1816, being among the early settlers; having previously lived ten years in Pennsylvania, and six near Canton, Ohio. They had a family of seven children: Margaret, Elizabeth, Martha, Thomas, David, Mary and Hugh, all of whom are now deceased, Elizabeth having died recently, at the age of ninety-four years. The family were all long lived, none dying in early life. Thomas Cunningham was born in Ireland, November 2, 1798, and was married April 9, 1829, to Mary Ayers, whose parents came to Wayne County in 1811, from Cumberland County, Md., where she was born October 19, 1810. Thomas Cunningham and wife settled on the old Cunningham homestead, where they brought up a family of ten children, five of whom are living: David A., Thomas B., Hugh Milton, Lizzie S. and Melvin O.
Thomas B. Cunningham received his academic education at Vermillion Institute, Hayesville, and in 1861 entered Jefferson College, Cannonsburgh, Penn., where he graduated in 1863. He taught school in Philadelphia, Penn., Wooster, Ohio, and elsewhere for several years, both before and after his graduation. While living in Wooster, he married in 1868, Miss Maria Louisa Mitchell, of Beaver, Beaver Co., Penn. In 1870 he moved to Millersburgh, where he has since lived engaged in the newspaper business. He was postmaster at Millersburgh four years, and since 1870, with three years' exception, has been chairman of the Republican County Central and Executive Committees. He was an alternate delegate to the National Republican Convention in 1876, and also in 1880. In 1882 he was the Republican candidate for State Senator for the Seventeenth and Twenty-eighth districts, and cut down the Democratic majority from 2,200 to 1,200. He has been an elder in the Presbyterian Church for several years, and in 1880 was a delegate to the General Assembly of that body, at Madison, Wis. He has paid considerable attention to music; has published several pieces of sheet music, and also a couple of Sunday-school music books, entitled " Song Buds, Nos 1 and 2." He was the organizer and leader of the Philharmonic Club, of Millersburgh, which is one of the favorite organizations of the town, and which has quite a reputation in this part of the State. Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham have no children.
From Commemorative Biographical Record of the Counties of Wayne and Holmes, Ohio, J. H. Beers & Co., Chicago, 1889