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T. A. CUNNINGHAM
T. A. CUNNINGHAM, who has been closely associated with the development
of the Apollo Woolen Mills, at Apollo, was born April 2, 1868, in Armstrong
county, Pa., son of Samuel and Rachel (Grim) Cunningham.The founder of the Cunningham family in America was born in Ireland, of
Scotch ancestry. Samuel Cunningham died when his son T. A. Cunningham was a
small boy. During his early life he was employed making grain cradles and also
at work on a farm. To him and his wife were born nine children, five of which
family still survive, and T. A. was the fifth of the family in the order of
birth. Samuel Cunningham was a Methodist, and very active in church matters.
An honorable, hard-working man, he gained universal respect, and his community
lost a good citizen when he passed away. His widow still survives, now
sixty-nine years old, making her home with her son T. A. Cunningham. Isaac
Grim, her father, was a pioneer of Armstrong county.T. A. Cunningham attended common school in his district until he was
fourteen years old, and remained with his mother until he was twenty. He then
commenced working in the Carnegie Rolling Mills at Pittsburgh, from which he
went to the Black Diamond steel works in that city. Prior to the great strike
in the Apollo Iron & Steel Works he came hither, and after engaging in
agricultural work for a short period entered those works. For six months he
was a rougher, and then became a roller, continuing thus until the strike.
Following this he started a fifty-seven-inch mill for the Apollo Iron &
Steel Company at Vandergrift, Pa., and remained in that business until 1907.
He was one of the organizers of the Trio Lumber Company at Vandergrift
Heights. Meantime he had bought a farm of 168 acres in Westmoreland county
upon which he lived for two years. Selling his farm, he bought a half interest
in the Apollo Woolen Mills (Limited) in 1907, and in 1908 the concern was
incorporated under the name of Apollo Woolen Mills, Inc., and capitalized at
$30,000, $26,000 of which was at once taken up. They were handicapped somewhat
by the fact that the ground on which the plant was situated did not belong to
the company, but the Board of Trade of Apollo awarded them the property, so
that the mills could benefit the borough, offering inducements to people to
move there with the assurance of profitable employment. The mills opened up
with increased capacity, being able to produce one hundred bed blankets every
ten hours, the mills running one-third time on this work and two-thirds on
turf goods. The officers of the company are as follows: L. W. Huyck,
president; T. A. Cunningham, treasurer; W. U. Flinn, vice president; Jahn
Hankey, business manager. The factory is now running full time, manufacturing
to the limit of its capacity, though not always able to keep up with the
demand. It is the intention of the company to expand, adding to its
facilities. There is a large mail order trade. The mill is equipped with all
necessary modern machinery for the manufacture of the particular line of goods
turned out, and employment is given to a large number of skilled workmen.Mr. Cunningham was married to Susan R. Shane, of Leechburg, Pa., and nine
children have been born to this marriage, eight of whom are living: Eva P.,
Samuel C., Daniel A., George E., Thomas, Rachel N., Ester R., Iva J. and
Ralph. Samuel, Daniel and George war working in the rolling mills, two of them
at Indiana Harbor, and the other in Vandergrift. The rest of the children are
attending school.Mr. Cunningham has always been interested in church matters. He belongs to
the Free Methodist denomination, in which he is a class leader, and he is also
serving as Sunday school superintendent. He is ever ready to pay tribute to
the care and training of his devoted mother, to whose influence he attributes
his success in life, and in whose early lessons many of the best principles
which have actuated him had their origin. The Prohibition party has his
support, the evils of the liquor traffic and all other forms of intemperance
making him a strong advocate of total abstinence. His encouragement is given
to all movements which have the betterment of the community for their object,
and he has done much for the welfare ofhis own locality.Source: Pages 634-635 Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and
Present, J.H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed September 2001 by Lynn Beatty
for the Armstrong County Beers Project
Contributed for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/)Armstrong County Genealogy Project Notice:
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