Mr. Huling,
I have watched and responded to a couple of your inquiries for the past couple of years and I have done a little digging over the last couple of days to test your information.
How do you know his middle initial is "S"? This initial does not appear in any of the Federal Census from 1850 to 1910 for this man. What is your source for this initial? If the only source is your great aunt's notes with no collaberating evidence she may be wrong. To me this would indicate incomplete or incorrect genealogy work.
The J.S. Cunningham that you refer to was in Company D, (Carter's) 1st Cavalry (CSA). The two companies of the 1st (Carter's) Tennessee Cavalry Regiment were Companies F and L. Company F was organized on 10 AUG 1862 and Company L was organized in AUG 1863 and intended to be a six month organization and ordered to serve the duration of the war on 09 MAR 1864 (Source: "Tennesseans in the Civil War, Part 1"). Company D was from Rhea, Roane, and Bledsoe Counties.
Franklin L. Cunningham. Company D, 1st (Carter's) Cavalry. His widow filed for a Tennessee Confederate Widow's Indigent Pension. This pension request may or may not collaberate information for you. I believe that is enough to answer your question where Franklin was from; Rhea County. You may want to obtain this pension request to collaberate his birth date with what you may know to be your Franklin's date of birth.
NAME: Cunningham, Franklin L.
WIDOW: Cunningham, Eve Ann
PENSION #: W4564
COUNTY: Rhea
If these two soldiers were brothers it was not unheard of for a relative to go from one county to another to serve with a sibling. My wife's ancestor went from Fannin County, Georgia to Polk County, Tennessee to serve with step-brothers.
Consider this fact: Claiborne County only voted 16.7% in favor for succession (Source: "Mountain Rebels: East Tennessee Confederates and the Civil War, 1860-1870" by W. Todd Groce). As a result, it would be considered predominately Unionist.
He was 30 years old in the 1860 Federal Census.
Also consider these facts:
Census Data:
Sarah E. was born in Sept 1859, 9 months old in June 1860 when the census was taken, one year old in September 1860.
1870 Federal Census.
Lucinda J. 7 year old female, which would have made her born in 1863 and potentially conceived in 1862, depending on date of birth.
William F. 5 year old male, which would have made him born in 1865 and potentially conceived in 1864, depending on date of birth.
Calvin L. 2 year old male.
I do not know what John S. Cunningham's Compiled Military Service Records states but you may want to compare and contrast the dates of the conception times and birth of these children with when he was present for regimental duty and where his duty location would have been at, vice how long it would have took to get from duty location to Claiborne County. There were three modes of transportation; walking, horse, and train, and each mode has its limitations (i.e. time and distance travelled in a single day). You also have consider who controlled the county at the time.
You offered a reward several times in your emails. I think I have provided enough information, if followed through, to confirm or deny the information that you have.
http://history-sites.com/mb/cw/tncwmb/index.cgi?read=2218
http://history-sites.com/mb/cw/tncwmb/index.cgi?read=3928
http://history-sites.com/mb/cw/tncwmb/index.cgi?read=3995
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Respectfully,
Gerald D. Hodge, Jr.
War Between the States Historian
Historian: 39th Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment
http://39thgavolinfrgt.homestead.com/39thHomepage.html