John married Shirley Viola JOHNSON [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

John married Dessie Mary CUNNINGHAM on 22 Sep 1915. Dessie (daughter of Amos Blakey CUNNINGHAM and Stella Ophelia BOWLING) was born on 20 Mar 1897 in Texas; died on 9 Feb 1992 in Amarillo, Potter County, Texas; was buried in Amarillo, Randall County, Texas, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married John Russal Gray (August 21, 1895-May 21, 1961) on Septbemter 22, 1915 and had children:
John Russal Gray, Jr., October 22, 1917-
Herman Wilson Gray, November 21, 1918-July 31, 2000
William Sherman Gray, October 23, 1923-
Frances Ophelia Gray, March 21, 1926-
James Arthur Gray, June9, 1928-

Notes:

1930 Census, Armstrong County, Texas
Justice Precinct no. 4
Enumeration District 6-5
Sheet Number 7A
Enumeration Date April 21, 1930
Line number 48, Dwelling no. 149, Family no. 157, Cunningham, AB, Head, rented house, male, white, 59 years old, 23 at first marriage, able to read and write, born in Georgia, father born in Georgia, mother born in Georgia, Code State or M.T. 78, Occupation: Farmer, Industry: General, Class of Worker: 0, actually at work: yes, not a veteran, No. of farm schedule: 129
Line number 49, Cunningham, Stella, Wife-H, female, white, 63 years old, 26 at first marriage, able to read and write, born in Tennessee, father born in Tennessee, mother born in Tennessee, Code State or M.T. 81, Occupation: None
Line number 50, Cunningham, Aubrey, son, female, white, 23 years old, single, able to read and write, born in Texas, father born in Georgia, mother born in Tennessee, Code State or M.T. 87, Occupation: Farmer, Industry: General, Class of Worker: M, actually at work: yes, not a veteran

Died:
Age: 91

Amos married Stella Ophelia BOWLING on 30 May 1894 in Allen, Collin, Texas, USA. Stella (daughter of William Jones BOWLING and Mary Elizabeth KENNEDY) was born on 13 Apr 1867 in Tennessee; died on 11 Aug 1938 in Claude, Armstrong, Texas, USA; was buried in Aug 1938 in Claude, Armstrong County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Rosebud, New Mexico
Nov. 11th 1935
Dear Alvin:---
It is with pleasure I answer your most welcome letter. I am glad you are interested in school and hope you enjoy your school days as much as I did mine. Really I think our school days are our happiest days with all their troubles and trials -- yes I had my share of "trouble & trial" in school even tho I never got a whipping.
When I went to school the schools were not "Graded" as they are now. We had classes -- sometimes 2 or 3 of a kind, I mean of the second reader we'll say as some pupils would have McGuffey's Readers while others would have another kind. I used the McGuffey's Readers. The "Old Blue-Backed Spelling Book" (Webster Spelling Book) and Alvin I don't believe I'd be afraid to "spell" with my Grandchildren to-day.
I was eight years old April 13, 1875 and started to school some time that year, at Lewisville, Denton Co., Texas. However my Mother had taught me at home, so I was in the second reader and could spell "way over in the book" and knew how to make the figures and count.
That first school house was up on a "rise" N.W. from town about 1/2 Mi. It was a large "two story" house; the upper room was used by the Mason Lodge the lower for school church and Sunday School.
Sometimes there were 75 or so pupils so had to have two teachers, but both taught in that one big room.
We sat on long benches and a class would go up to the teacher to recite and sit on a long bench, only the spelling classes would stand in a row and "turn down", when one missed a word. The pupil who was head of class to day would "go foot" tomorrow.
The house was heated by a stove and they burned wood. When it was real cold the teacher would let us go sit awhile by the stove to warm our feet. They wouldn't let us draw pictures in time of books.
When I started to school my Grandma gave me a large square framed slate and that's what I wrote on, and "figured" & (played when the teacher wasn't looking.)
In 1879 we moved way out to Wise Co. I was 12 by then, you see so had other books to study such as Geography -- Monteith's Third Part. Rag's Third Part Arithmetic and Grammar -- Smith's, I believe, was the first one I used; then later Reed & Kellogg's. So we had to parse and diagram. Yes that was hard.
That school house was a real country school about 3 or 4 Mi. S.W. of Bridgeport (the old town) Texas, in Pleasant Valley. It was built of logs (I believe) and had long home-made benches. No black-boards, so we used slates.
There was a plank "desk" on each side to write on, the boys used one, the girls used the other. Yes, we had a time to write some, had bought copy books, others used "fools cap" paper and the teacher would set a "copy". It too had a stove and burned wood. The house was in the woods so we had lots of shade to play in.
The boys played on one side of the house, the girls on the other. The boys at both these schools played ball and other similar things. The girls would play games such as base "Learner Lou" etc -- we had nothing to play with but always had fun.
Girls all wore sun bonnets -- never went bare headed but in warm weather would go bare-footed, same as the boys -- oh! the big girls didn't, of course.
Sometimes school would be only for three months, and a five month school was a long time -- I mean in the country. Then sometimes there would be a subscription school in Summer.
Sometimes the teacher would "stay a round" with the people -- not have to pay board.
My first school I had to walk alone and go about three Mi. but at this last one we lived just little over 1/2 Mi. from the school house.
While we lived there tho there were two years I did not go to that school, because the teacher did not keep good order. I went to a lady who taught in her house 2 Mi. away. There we sat by a fireplace and used her chairs. She was such a fine teacher too -- could explain things so we could understand even arithmetic. Also she had some different readers I used but I forget the names. Of course, they were the higher books 5th & 6th.
My letter is getting too long to tell about when I "went off" to school. So will close for this time and if you want the other part I'll write again.
Lovingly your Grandmother,
Stella Cunningham

Died:
Age: 71