My Family History Journey

  The Reverend Robert Cunningham.   My first post explained what, or indeed who, had started me on my family history journey so I thought it was only fair that this week I tell you all a bit about the man himself.   Robert Cunningham was born on 17 th August 1799 in Stranraer in the South West of Scotland, son of Andrew Cunningham and Janet McBryde. His father was a merchant trading in and around the Irish Sea.   Although he studied for the ministry at Edinburgh University, Robert was first and foremost a schoolmaster. His father died around 1819 and he had to take up employment as headmaster of Saltoun Parish School to support his widowed mother and younger siblings. He continued to teach in and around the East of Scotland and in 1826 took up the post of House Governer at George Watson’s College, Edinburgh.   In 1832 he became the founding headmaster of the Edinburgh Institution and on 28th October 1832 married Elizabeth Jeffrey, the daughter o...

About 20 years ago my father received a letter from Stewart's Melville College inviting him to attend the Founder's day celebrations in honour of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Rev Robert Cunningham, founder of the Edinburgh Institution which would become Melville College and eventually form part of Stewart's Melville College. Along with this letter and invitation was a detailed report showing the history of the college and a family history of the Rev Cunningham. The college had invited all the known descendants of the Rev Cunningham to celebrate his 200th birthday. A family tree included in the report showed that Rev Robert Cunningham was my great great great grandfather through the marriage of his daughter, Agnes Cunningham to the Rev William Armstrong and so my family history journey began. 20 years later, and with an ever growing family tree including my wife's side of the family, the journey continues apace. I have gone back to the late 18th century with...