Report of the Committee on Education

Seminary, Sonoma, California. We are not informed as to number of teachers and pupils; value of property $3,000 or $4,000.
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1859, page 104]

Report of the Committee on Education

The following institutions, scattered throughout your bounds and under the control of the church, are under the care of the Synods or Presbyteries, and subject to the control of the same, and therefore a detailed report of them, your committee think, would not be in place before this body.

A Seminary at Sonoma, Cal.
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1860, page 67]

Report of the Committee on Education

The following list embraces a number of colleges and high schools within your bounds, under Synodical and Presbyterial supervision, from which we have no report or means of information, viz: ... Sonoma Seminary, California...
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1862, page 56]

Report of the Committee on Education

There are also schools located at ... Sonoma, California..., doing an encouragin work in educational training. We recommend that the several Synods, within whose bounds these schools are situated, prosecute such measures as will secure to them permanence and extended usefulness.
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1863, page 101]

Prior to this meeting [Pacific Synod, October 11, 1860], steps had been taken to establish a church-school in the State, and an academy was in full operation at Sonoma, under the principalship of J. H. Braly, A.B., now Vice President of the California State Normal School at San Jose, and arrangements were consummating for the establishment of a church periodical as a medium of communication between the scattered members. Both of these enterprises have been connected with nearly all of our subsequent history, though both ceased to exist in fact, though not in influence. When the full history of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church on the Pacific slope shall have been written, there will be found two enterprises inseparably connected with its record, and the forces that have contributed towards the results already achieved, viz., Cumberland College, successor to the academy already referred to, and the Pacific Observer. And indissolubly connected with these invaluable agencies for Christ and his cause, are the names of the sainted Johnston, the founder and for ten years the proprietor and editor of our church journal, who has gone to reap the reward which was wholly denied him in this life; and the indefatigable and heroic Cunningham, whose indomitable will and lofty courage bore up the cherished college enterprise when the hearts of others failed them. Allowing the fullest possible credit to any and all others who, in any way, contributed to these enterprises, which, more than any others, and all others, have made their impress on our Church in California, in parallel lines, for the largest period, the burdens were borne, as the honors shall be forever worn, by the two precious servants of God already named.
[Source: Bushnell, D.E. "Our Work at the Front." Cumberland Presbyterian Quarterly I (July 1880): 347-348.]

The Pacific Presbytery was organized in 1854, in the house of the Rev. J. M. Cameron. This presbytery established an academy at Sonoma, which in 1860 was turned over to the synod and called Cumberland College. It had a short but useful career. It was the first Cumberland Presbyterian school in California. There was wrangling over the location, and this, according to Mr. Dooley, was ultimately the cause of its death. Another, or at least an auxiliary cause can be found in the flitting away of all the first population of Sonoma. German wine growers now own the principal part of the beautiful country around the old college buildings. That rivalry and divided counsels injured not only Cumberland College at Sonoma, but other church work in California, is however a painful fact. The history of these differences and disputes would make a long chapter, but it would be useless to record it here.

The Board of Missions was instructed by the General Assembly (1855) to send a man to California before opening any other new mission. For years the board reported that all efforts to secure a man for that field had failed. Finally, in 1859, the Rev. W. N. Cunningham was sent to Stockton, California. Nothing more was done, however, than to pay the missionary's way to his field of labor, the board seeming to have the impression that he could live on what our people in Stockton could pay him. On his arrival he found in that city a few members of our church, but no organized congregation. He received such small compensation for his labors that he suffered for the actual necessities of life. He struggled alone and in destitution till he secured money to build a church, but was driven at last by sheer starvation to seek other work.

He next took charge of Sonoma College. This institution was overwhelmed in debts when he entered upon its management. He labored till these debts were paid off. He raised twelve thousand dollars to build a new college edifice, remaining twelve years in all at Sonoma.
[Source: McDonnold, B.W. History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Nashville, Tenn.: Board of Publication of Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1888, pages 353-354.]

CUNNINGHAM.--William Newton Cunningham was born near Huntsville, Ala., May 20, 1825, and died in Bakersfield, Cal., March 9, 1906, aged eighty-one years, lacking one month. He was educated in Cumberland University, Lebanon, Tenn. He was sent by the Board of Missions to Stockton, Cal., in 1859, where he founded a church. In a few years he was called to the presidency of Cumberland College in Sonoma City, Cal., where he remained twelve years. The school was in one of the old adobe buildings, but during his administration he superintended the erection of a large concrete building., 50x90 feet, two stories high, with a mansard roof, used at present as the high school building. From there he went to Merced, Cal., where he devoted the most of his time to preaching and building up churches. The churches at Merced, Plainsburg, Fresno, Hanford and Lemore own their origin chiefly to his efforts. In the meantime he was called to Visalia, and preached to the church there until the building was burned. In 1891 he came to Bakersfield, Cal., and finding the church at a very low ebb, he preached for them a year or two without salary. Three years ago he had a fall from the street car, which rendered him lame; and about a year ago his horse ran away with him, throwing him out of his buggy and injuring him so that he has enver since had his reason. He died peacefully, like one going to sleep. He is survived by an invalid wife and son.--Angus Matheson.
[Source: The Cumberland Presbyterian, April 5, 1906, page 413]