| Robert Baker born, Jan 12 (Ireland) | 1800 | |
| 1815 | James Cunningham born (Ireland) |
| Robert marries Alice Connell emigrates to Canada | c. 1830 | |
| 1833 | James emigrates to Canada |
| 1838 | Kerr, Cunningham & Co. carriages founded |
| 1838 | James marries Bridget |
| 1843 | Joseph T. Cunningham born |
| 1846 | Rufus K. Dryer born |
| 1849 | James builds Canal St. factory and house |
| Charles Baker born, Dec 9 | 1853 | |
| 1868 | Joseph made partner, company renamed James Cunningham & Son |
| Charles begins working for Cunningham as a carriage painter and special finisher | c. 1870 | |
| James, Joseph, and George Baker work in various trades at Cunningham | 1874 | 200 employees |
| Charles marries Martha, Jun 9 (Witness: George W. Carson) | 1875 | Rufus Dryer made partner and marries Margaretta Cunningham |
| Alice born | 1876 | |
| late 1800s | Hearses become main vehicle produced |
| 1876 | Carriages win awards at Philadelphia Expo |
| 1877 | Joseph marries Ellen |
| 1878 | Augustine Cunningham born |
| Robert passes, Feb 10, age 80 | 1880 | |
| G. Carson Baker born, May 27 | 1881 | 400 employees |
| 1882 | Knights of Labor strike |
| 1882 | Incorporated as James Cunningham, Son & Company; largest industry in Rochester, possibly largest coach-works in the world |
| 1883 | Francis Cunningham born
Joseph becomes president
Rufus Dryer becomes vice president;
Build neighboring East Ave. mansions
|
| 1886 | James Cunningham passes, age 71 |
| 1887 | Company picnic at Sea Breeze for 500 |
| 1888 | Martin Gabel becomes chief designer and superintendent of construction |
| 1893 | Carriages win awards at Columbian Exposition |
| 1897 | Martin leaves |
| Carson begins at Cunningham as a woodcarver and progresses into drafting | late 1890s | |
| 1901 | Arthur Gabel becomes senior designer |
| Carson marries Bertha, Nov 16; hires a carriage on wedding day for $5. | 1904 | 2nd labor strike |
| Margaret Elizabeth Baker born, Aug 25 | 1907 | Auto production begins using carriage methods |
| Carson promoted to Senior Body Designer,
and "responsible for the design and detailing of
practically every automobile body produced by Cunningham
until the last body was produced in 1936..." (Morris, 1986) | 1909 | Joseph and Rufus retire;
Arthur Gabel leaves;
Augustine becomes president;
Francis becomes secretary and general manager;
James Dryer becomes vice-president;
Focus shifts to high-end automobiles
|
| Dorothy Francis Baker born, Apr 17 | 1911 | |
| 1915 | Carriage production ends |
| 1916 | V-8 engine introduced |
| 1917 | Peter Cunningham born (to Francis) |
| 1917 | Ambulances produced for WWI |
| 1919 | Ralph De Palma breaks speed record in a Cunningham roadster stock car |
| 1927 | Small tank production begins |
| 1929 | Cunningham-Hall begins producing aircraft |
| 1929 | Stock market crash and Great Depression begins |
| Carson purchases Ford Tudor for $450 from Genesee Motor Vehicles, May 28 | 1931 | Last Cunningham engine produced |
| Margaret marries Eugene, Aug 19 | 1931 | |
| Charles passes, Apr 9, age 79 | 1932 | |
| Alice passes, age 60 | 1935 | |
| Carson leaves Cunningham | 1936 | Last Cunningham auto body produced |
| 1938 | Airplane production ends |
| 1940 | James Dryer retires |
| 1941 | Augustine and Francis continue as partners;
WWII military contract work begins |
| 1943 | 800 employees producing various products |
| 1946 | Farm machines produced |
| 1948 | Plumbing fixtures for house trailers produced |
| Carson passes, Nov 26, age 69 | 1950 | |
| 1951 | Francis and Peter work with Andrew Vincent to produce "crossbar switch" for telephone systems |
| 1954 | Canal St. property sold; production continues in Litchfield St. building |
| Margaret begins at Gleason Works, becomes executive secretary | 1956 | |
| 1957 | Augustine passes, age 79 |
| 1958 | Francis passes, age 75 |
| 1958 | Peter becomes president |
| 1959 | Cunningham mansion at 1000 East Ave. replaced with apartment building;
Litchfield building sold |
| 1961 | Operations move to new plant in Honeoye Falls |
| 1968 | Cunningham sold to Gleason Works and operates as subsidiary |
| Margaret retires from Gleason Works | 1972 | |
| 1977 | Crossbar obsolete;
Gleason shuts down Cunningham |
| Margaret moves to apartment at 1000 East Ave. | late 1970s | |
| Margaret passes, Jan 27, age 85 | 1993 | |
| Dorothy passes, age 86 | 1997 | |
| 2003 | Peter passes, age 85 |
updated April 1, 2014
Written based on a variety of sources.
Report any errors to karen@obs.com.
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