Wyandotte County Biographies
"Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas--Historical and Biographical"
Goodspeed Publishing Co., Chicago, 1890
Lyman Miles Culver, dealer in stocks, bonds, commercial paper,
also county, city and school district warrants, at 333 Minnesota Avenue,
Kansas City, Kas., is a native of Pennsylvania, his ancestors having
settled in Luzerne County, that State, in 1790 from New Jersey. Some
of the Culver family are still living on lands acquired at that early
date. In 1846 David O. and Clarissa (Simons) Culver, the parents of
L. M.,came west, settling near Chicago, Ill., where the subject of
this sketch was principally raised. In 1860 he married Miss Margaret
McArdle, of Watertown, Wis., and soon after came to Kansas, where
during the war, he was principally engaged in freighting for the Government. At the close of the war and for many years after he was in the
hide, tallow, fur, pelts and wool trade, also for some years running a
soap factory, at Atchison. Selling out there in 1879, after traveling
extensively, he became strongly convinced that the great city of the
central Southwest was to be at the mouth of the Kaw River in Kansas, and stretching across the State line in Missouri. He settled on
the Kansas side, and has lived to see his predictions come true, and to
realize a snug fortune from the rise of real estate, in which he invested
quite extensively, engaging first in the grocery and real estate trade.
His business is now in stocks, bonds, commercial paper, county, city
and school district warrants, and is large, extending as far west as
Colorado and Utah. His son, Abram Lyman Culver, a young man
of sound business habits, is still in the grocery trade at his father's
old stand.
H. Clay Cundiff. As the contest for wealth and position grows
more and more pronounced, a man must possess both natural ability
and great energy to gain for himself a position in the commercial
world, and one of the men who, realizing that "life is real," has endeavored always to advance the interests of the community in which
he resided, and win for himself money and friends, is the subject of
this sketch. His birth took place in Davis County, Ky., on November 14, 1860, being the son of Bryant Y. and Fannie P. (McCormick)
Cundiff. The parents were also natives of the Blue-Grass State, the
father being born January 9, 1822, and following the occupation of a
farmer and school teacher after his marriage, until late years, when
he devoted his time and attention to preaching in the Baptist Church.
Mr. Cundiff grew to manhood's estate in Kentucky, receiving there a
first-class common-school education, and learning the carpenter's trade.
In 1882, growing weary of the monotony of his home life, he journeyed forth to seek a new place of residence, and coming to Kansas
City, entered the employ of the Armour Packing House in this city,
taking a position in the lamp-supply department. At the present
writing he is foreman of this department, having about 20,000 lights
to look after. He has been with the same firm for a period of eight
years, during which time he has won the esteem and good will of
his fellow-workers, and made many warm personal friends in the city.
Mr. Cundiff married Miss Emma B. Trunnell, daughter of Josiah
Trunnell, in 1886. Her birth occurred in Kentucky, as did her
parents. This union has been blessed with two children, named respectively, Ouida and Zola Lee. Mr. Cundiff is in sympathy with
the Democratic party. He belongs to the Wide-Awake Lodge No.
153, K. of P., and National Union No. 382.
Capt. A. W. Cunningham, grocer, Armourdale, Kas. Among the
most important industries of any community are those which deal in
the necessaries of life, and next to bread and meat nothing is more
necessary than groceries. Armourdale has many first-class establishments doing business in this line, prominent among the number being
that conducted by Capt. A. M. Cunningham. This gentleman is a native of Washington County, Md., born August 1, 18-1:2, and is the son
of John D. H. and Margaret (Holbert) Cunningham, natives of Maryland, and of English-Scotch descent. The ancestors on both sides
were early emigrants to the United States and located in Maryland.
The maternal grandfather was a soldier in the War of 1812, and died
in Knoxville, Tenn. John D. H. Cunningham, father of our subject,
was a tailor by trade, and spent his entire life in Hancock, Md. The
mother is still living on the homestead. They were the parents of
nine children, three now living: Laura C, and Charles A. H. (who is
a resident of Massachusetts). Capt. Cunningham received a fair education in his native county, in Maryland, and when but a mere boy was
steerman on a canal boat for seven years. In 1861 he was employed
on the Burlington & Quincy Railroad, and was in the militia for some
time. In 1864 he enlisted in the regular service, and was in active
duty until the close of the war. After the war he returned to the employ of the Burlington & Quincy Railroad, and remained with the
same until 1867, when he went on the Pennsylvania Central Railroad,
in whose employ he remained for nine years. After this he went to
Oil City, worked there for some time, and in 1879 came to Kansas
City, where he was employed on the Chicago & Alton, and afterward
on the Union Pacific Railroad, most of his railroad life being spent as
a conductor. He was a city salesman for William C. Glass wholesale
liquor house for some time, and since then he has been in the grocery
business, being quite successful in this venture. In the last election
he ran for Representative, but was beaten by seventeen votes. He
was married, first in 1867, to Miss Anna Crull, who died in 1877, leaving five children: William R., Maggie, Anna, Grace and Blanche. His
second marriage was in 1878, to Miss Laura Duncan. He was for
some time deputy United States marshal. Socially he is a member of
the K. of P.
George W. Cunningham is the chief engineer of the Metropolitan
Street Railway Company in Kansas City, and has held his present position since the month of November, 1888. His birth occurred in Madison
County, Ind., July 28, 1859, and in 1862 was taken to Indianapolis by
his parents, and in 1863 to Olney, Ill., where he grew to mature years,
and received common school advantages. At the age of thirteen years
he began working in an engine-room, and at the age of fourteen became a regular engineer for the La Fayette Iron Company, at Benwood, Ind., and afterward became accountant for the Vandalia Railroad Company, at Brazil, Ind., but only remained with them a short
time, when he entered school at Claremont, Ill., and graduated
from the public schools. He nest began working for a milling company in Olney, as second engineer, and also acted as solicitor for the
same for some time. He afterward took charge of a Government snagboat on White River, being there from July till October, then went to
Vincennes, Ind., and was chief engineer for Riverside Lumber Company for twelve months, after which he took a like position in the
Broadway Milling Company, remaining in this capacity for live years.
The following three months he was in the employ of M. L. Watson &
Co., of Terre Haute, then became connected as erecting engineer with
the Deane Steam Pump Company, of Holyoke, Mass., with which he
remained for fourteen weeks, then became engineer for Bienville Water
Supply Company, of Mobile, Ala., continuing eight weeks, after which
he worked from May until October for the Hamilton Corliss Engine Company. He was next connected with the Queen City Light Company,
at Dallas, Tex., but resigned at the end of thirty-two days to accept
his present position. He was married in Olney, Ill., to Miss Hannah
E. Shepherd, who was born in Richland County, Ill., in 1861, and the
children born to them are Walter and Henry. Mr. Cunningham
learned his trade of his father, William Cunningham, who is now a
machinist for the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad Company, at Washington, Ind. He was born in Baltimore, Md. His father was a
wheelwright and millwright, and was born and spent his life in Maryland. His wife's mother was a Miss St. Clair, of French nativity, and
her father was a Scottish lord, and a very wealthy man. He came to
America with Lord Baltimore, and became a very extensive land owner.
The mother's people came from the south of England, and the great-grandfather was a soldier under Gen. Washington, in the Revolutionary War. Some of Mr. Cunningham's ancestors have participated
in every war in which the United States has been engaged, and William Cunningham was a soldier under Zachary Taylor in the Mexican
War. Mrs. Cunningham's maternal grandfather was a Perry, a descendant of Commodore Perry.
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