The impact of the Cunningham family

Another influential family to settle at Eliasville initially was the Cunningham family. Initially, Dr. Hugh Wilson, had come to Texas in 1837, after serving as a missionary to the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians in Mississippi. He helped organize the first U.S.A. Presbyterian Church in Texas and was the founder of Austin College. The governor of Texas at the time, Elisha M. Pease, awarded Dr. Wilson a Headright Land Grant of two sections of land in Coryell County, which would mean 640 acres x 2, due to the new Headright Land Grant signed by President Lincoln in 1862, the person would now get 1,280 acres for two sections of land. As a result, his great-grandson, William Wilson Cunningham and his new wife, Ella (Owen) Cunningham moved to that land in 1884. Then in 1893, the family sold that land and moved on to Eliasville, where they purchased land along the Clear Fork of the Brazos. The men folk first moved all the stock and household goods and then the grandmother, mother and younger children arrived in Albany, by train. The men met them with wagons and transported the whole family to their new home in Eliasville.

Originally, the tract of land was purchased by John B. Hubbard, in 1852 and was later transferred to George Hancock in 1857. Next, the land was transferred to Thomas Coleman and then to I.S. Lacy in 1888. He in turn sold it to his son-in-law, Jim W. Young in 1890. Finally, the land was purchased by W.W. Cunningham, who paid $3,200 or $10 an acre, for 320 acres of land, in 1892. He paid $1,900 down in cash with a note to be paid of $433.33 annually for three consecutive years at 10% interest. It was interesting to trace the historic land transactions, which seemed to change hands very frequently. That can be attributed to family movement, marriages that consolidated their land holdings or to sell one piece of land at one place and move on to more land in another location. At one period, land in Stephens County was $10 an acre, which brought many early pioneers to this area.

The year, 1892, was a good crop year, but in 1893, the first year the Cunningham family had to `plant crops, was a failure and Cunningham could not pay the note. Each of the following years were no better, which further delayed payment of the note.

Meanwhile, three boys and three girls from the Cunningham family went into full-time Christian service. For a period of 25 years, there was a Cunningham enrolled at Austin College, founded by his great-grandfather.

About the same time as their arrival, the Brass Band of Eliasville was organized by Frank H. Bowron, who played the cornet. Others in the cornet section included Dillard Davis, Lewis Souter, Will Fox and Lee Donnell. Also, the two altos were played by Will Davis and Alvin Donnell and the two tenors were played by Pearl Davis and Pat Hunter. On the valve trombone, was Monte Bowron and the baritone was played by Irwin Cunningham. Charles Donnell and Sam Roach helped out on the two basses and the two drummers were Hard Souter and Walter Roach. Later, an E-Flat cornet was added and was played by Bill Yancey and a piccolo was played by Louis Cunningham. The Eliasville Brass Band played at every community event for four or five years. Later, Dillard Davis re-organized the Brass Band and it continued as a Kid Band. Dillard called on his brothers; Edgar, Argo and Archie for a four-part harmony singing quartet with the Kid Band.

Additionally, many artists were drawn to the area of the dam and the Donnell Mill for sketches and paintings of the picturesque scene. Many of those still hang in Eliasville homes with names like Frank Reaugh, Tom Billingsley and Annie May (Cunningham) Oliver, who painted the more historic scenes of the mill, the Clear Fork and the dam.

Later, the Donnell brothers built a suspension bridge over the Clear Fork which allowed people to cross over the Clear Fork, which was fifty foot above the water, dam and rapids below, when it flooded, it sometimes left folks or school kids stranded on the opposite side of the Clear Fork, from their homes.

In 1893, that suspension bridge was replaced by a wagon bridge, made of steel girders and heavy bridge timbers. The wagon bridge held for the next 65 years until the automobile came along and a more substantial bridge was required and was built in 1958.

As I mentioned before, the churches in Eliasville had a real ecumenical overtone since they shared the rock schoolhouse for many years for Sunday morning worship and Wednesday evening church services. I recently ran across a list of charter members of the first Presbyterian Church, built in 1891, from the earliest settlers in the Eliasville area. It included several members from the pioneer Donnell family: William L. Donnell, Thomas F. Donnell, Mrs. Sallie R. Donnell, William T. Donnell, George L. Donnell and Charles E. Donnell. Other charter members included J.J. Daws, P. B. Hunt, Dr. J. H. Newell, Mrs. Maggie Hunt, Miss Sallie Gallagher, Mrs. Matilda Hefner, Mrs. Sallie DeLong, William Drummond Craig and George Hunt Craig.

In the peak period of oil discoveries, the C and D Grocery Store handled more goods than any store in Graham. The Cunningham and Donnell store prospered, as did the Stinson Grocery and the Newell Store. Other businesses that opened in Eliasville included the Joe Dunham Store and he was in business with his brothers that included Ed, Rube and Grady. Additionally, there was the Zach Sharp and Jack Joyce Drug Stores and countless filling stations and garages, operated by Clayton, Jones and Brown. A bank was established by Mr. Will Donnell, as president, Harvey Brock, as cashier and Otis Cunningham as the teller. A weekly newspaper was organized by a young reporter from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Historians can trace the historical beginnings to the Dobbs Survey and the first cabin built in this pristine setting, as early as the 1840s or 1850s. That was followed by several family migrations through the 1870s, 1880s and 1890s.

It took a special type of pioneer spirit to endure the severe weather conditions and a willingness to stay and weather the storms as they presented themselves.