Dear Readers

 

Beginning the first week of June,  I will return to publishing only one leaf entry per week.  May 27 will be the last Monday entry.  I will continue to publish a new family "leaf" once a week every Thursday beginning June 6.
 
Thank you for reading "A Leaf on the Family Tree" as we continue publishing new entries during the coming months.
 
Charles

Joseph Allen Sholar -- Early Trigg Businessman and Farmer

 

Joseph Allen Sholar was born on July 7, 1857 in Trigg County, Kentucky, the fourth of eight children of Thomas J. Sholar and Martha Jane Rogers Sholar.  Thomas and Martha were both natives of Trigg County with Thomas being a son of Allen and Jemima Bridges Sholar.  Thomas was a farmer and lived in the Roaring Spring community of Trigg County.

Joe’s siblings were Starkie Thomas Sholar, born in 1851 and married Virginia “Jennie” Darnell; Elmanda Ellen Sholar, born in 1853 and married James Monroe Harrell; John Peyton Sholar, born in 1855 and married Lucy Ann Wyatt; David Pinkney Sholar, born in 1860; William Ricks Sholar, born in 1862 and married Sedalia Josephine Futrell; Ishmael Worth Sholar, born in 1864 and married Sarah A. “Sallie” Newton; and George Patterson Sholar, born in 1868 and married Sarah Caroline Futrell.

Joe grew up on the family farm in Roaring Spring where he worked as a farm laborer as a youth.  When he was a young man, he opened a business in the Linton community.  After several years he moved to Cadiz where he opened a grocery store. During the 1890’s he also operated a whiskey business in Cadiz.  In the late 1890s he left Cadiz and returned to Roaring Spring where he settled on the family farm where he had been born and once again became a farmer.  Joe was known as a quiet and unassuming person and was a well-respected citizen of his community.

Joe was married three times.  His first wife was Alice Eugenia Shelton who he married on December 18, 1878 when she was 18 years old and Joe was 21.  Alice was born on June 21, 1860 in Trigg County, the daughter of Stephen Henry and Elizabeth McKinney Shelton, both Trigg County natives.  Alice died on September 9, 1879 at the age of 19.  She and Joe had been married only a little over eight months at the time of her death.  She was buried in the McKinney Cemetery in Trigg County.

Joe married his second wife, Nora Armstrong, on May 25, 1892. Nora was 20 years old and Joe was 35 at the time. She was born on October 24, 1871 in Trigg County.  Her parents were William Thomas and Mary Jane Thomas Armstrong, both natives of Trigg County.  Nora was a granddaughter of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Nora died on August 7, 1893 of typhoid fever at the age of 21 after she and Joe had only been married a little more than a year.  Nora was buried in the Starkie Thomas Cemetery in Trigg County.

On July 29, 1920, when Joe was 63 years old, he married his third wife, Nora Josephine “Josie” Scott.  Josie was born on January 31, 1876 and was 44 years old at the time of the marriage.  Josie was the daughter of Joseph and Sarah Josephine Rogers Scott, both natives of Trigg County.  Josie outlived her husband by 33 years and died on May 24, 1966 at the age of 90 in Cadiz.  She was buried in the Flat Lick Cumberland Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Herndon, Kentucky.  

Joe and his three wives did not have any children.

Joe died on October 24, 1933 of tuberculosis at the age of 76 at his home on the farm in Roaring Spring.  He was buried in the Sholar Cemetery located on his farm.  Josie Sholar was also listed on his tombstone although she was buried in the church cemetery in Herndon.

Joseph Allen Sholar tombstone

 

Alice Shelton Sholar tombstone

 

Nora Amrstrong Sholar tombstone

Josie Scott Sholar tombstone

LINEAGE: (Joseph Allen Sholar was the son of Thomas J. and Martha Jane Rogers Sholar.  Thomas was the seventh child of Allen and Jemima Bridges Sholar.  Jemima was the first child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

Charles Edward Thomas-- Farmer, Deputy Sheriff and County Treasurer

 

Charles and Betty Thomas

Charles Edward Thomas was born on February 27, 1922 in Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the second of two children born to Starkie Thomas and Mattie Maud Sumner Thomas. Starkie was a native of Trigg County, Kentucky and worked as a farmer. He was named after his grandfather, Starkie Thomas, who was a son of James Thomas. Mattie was also a native of Trigg County, worked as a homemaker, and was a descendant of Drewry Bridges. Charles’ only sibling was a sister, Nella Mae Thomas, who was born and died on July 12, 1920.

Charles grew up in the Oak Grove community of Trigg County and attended the one-room Oak Grove School.  He went on to attend the Cadiz High School and Trigg County High School.  After leaving school he became a farmer like his father and oversaw a multi-faceted 500-acre farm operation in the center of Trigg County.  His home where he lived in the Oak Grove community was the same home where he was born.

In addition to operating a large farm, Charles was appointed to serve as Trigg County Deputy Sheriff for eight years, serving under both Sheriff Luther Thomas and Sheriff Prentice Oliver.  In addition, he held the office of Trigg County Treasurer for eight years.  The Trigg County Treasurer’s office is responsible for financial transactions, including issuing Trigg County tax bills, and collecting personal and real property tax payments. For twenty-eight years, Charles worked for the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) office in Trigg County.

Charles also served as a supervisor on the Soil Conservation Board for the Trigg County Soil Conservation District and was a member of the Cadiz Masonic Lodge.

On August 17, 1955, Charles married Betty Jean Henderson in Gibson County, Tennessee.  Betty was born July 31, 1932 in Trigg County near the Bethesda Church north of Cadiz.  She was the daughter of Homer Carroll and Mamie F. Stallons Henderson who were both natives of Trigg County. Homer worked as a farmer. Betty attended Hanberry School, Cadiz Graded School and graduated from Trigg County High School.  She worked for the Gulf Refining Company and the Model Master Market Grocery.  Betty retired on September 5, 1986 after working 30 years for the Trigg County Health Department.

Charles and Betty were the parents of one child, Emily Diane Thomas, born in 1957, and married David Byron Chesnut.

Charles died on November 13, 1999 at the age of 77 in the St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.  He was buried in the Starkie Thomas Cemetery in the Oak Grove community of Trigg County.  Betty died on June 11, 2013 at the age of 80 in the Signature Health Care Center in Clarksville, Tennessee. She was buried next to her husband in the Starkie Thomas Cemetery.

Betty Henderson Thomas

Charles and Betty tombstone

LINEAGE: (Charles Edward Thomas was the son of Starkie and Mattie Maud Sumner Thomas.  He was the grandson of Francis Marion “Fant” and Mary Forrest Rogers Thomas and Benjamin Miles and Henrietta Gabrella Bridges Sumner.  Francis Marion was the seventh child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.  Henrietta Gabrella was the first child of Drewry and Peachie Ann Tart Bridges.  Drewry was the fourth child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges. William was the fourth child of Drewry and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)
t

Juanita Bridges Stephens -- Secretary and Administrative Assistant

 

Juanita Bridges Stephens

Juanita Katherine Bridges Stephens was born on July 27, 1929 on Beechy Fork Creek in the Maple Grove community of Trigg County, Kentucky.  She was the third of four children of Peyton Thomas “Pate” Bridges and Ida Crutchfield Light Bridges.  Pate was a grocery businessman, a native of Trigg County and a grandson of Cullen Thomas Bridges and a great-great grandchild of Cullen Thomas.  His wife Ida also worked in the grocery business, was a homemaker and also a native of Trigg County.  Ida was a descendant of Starkie Thomas.

Juanita was the only daughter in her family.  She had three brothers, Alfred Wesley Bridges, born in 1922 and died in 1926 at the age 4; Chester Keidell Bridges, born in 1925 and married Doris Dale Anderson; and Charles Kenneth Bridges, born in 1944 and married Pamela Rowe.

Juanita’s early years were spent growing up in the Maple Grove community where she attended the one-room Maple Grove School.  Her family moved to Cadiz in 1939 and she attended Cadiz Graded School and Trigg County High School where she was a cheerleader and graduated in 1947. Juanita went on to attend the Andrew Jackson Business College in Nashville, Tennessee in 1947 and 1948.

On May 3, 1949, Juanita married Gene Tunney Stephens in Piggott, Arkansas. Piggott was a popular wedding destination for several Trigg County couples at that time.  Gene was born on July 23, 1927 and was the son of Arnette Melvin and Alvie Mitchell Stephens.  Both Melvin and Alvie were natives of Trigg County. Juanita and Gene had no children.

Juanita and Gene settled in Cadiz after their marriage but finding a lucrative job in that post-war time in a small town was difficult. So similar to what many young couples did back in the 1940s they starting looking for jobs outside their hometown.  In 1950, Gene accepted a position with the Preload Construction Company located in Garden City, New York.  Preload built large storage tank facilities for water, storm water and wastewater treatment made from prestressed concrete throughout the eastern portion of the U.S.  Several young Trigg County families worked for Preload and these families often traveled together to many job locations.

Nita did not work during the years she and Gene spent with Preload.  They never stayed longer than five or six months in any one location.  They found themselves living in almost all the eastern states as well as midwestern jobs in Missouri, Michigan and even in Texas.  Nita liked to say they lived liked gypsies traveling from job site to job site as they lived in more than 20 states during the 1950s. 

In 1962, when Juanita’s father’s health declined, she moved back to Cadiz as Gene continued to travel with Preload.  They bought a house in east Cadiz and then finally moved to a new home in the western portion of Cadiz.  Juanita was finally was able to put her skills she learned in business college to use when she accepted her first full time position as a clerk with the Trigg County Board of Education. In 1967, she began a career working with the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Land Between the Lakes, serving in various administrative positions.  Gene left Preload in 1966 and returned full time to Cadiz where he worked as an operator for the Cadiz Water Plant. In 1973 he returned to work for several more years with the Preload Company.  Both Juanita and Gene retired from their jobs in the 1990s and spent their retirement years in Cadiz.

Juanita died on March 18, 2003 at the age of 73 in the Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz after a valiant fight with breast cancer.  She was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz.  Gene had died on November 19, 2001 at the age of 74 in the Trigg County Hospital and was buried in the East End Cemetery next to his wife.

 Juanita and Gene Stephens

 

A young Juanita with her brother, Keidell

 

Juanita and Gene's tombstone

LINEAGE: (Juanita Katherine Bridges Stephens was the daughter of Peyton Thomas and Ida Light Bridges and the granddaughter of Ghent Alfred and Nettie Cunningham Bridges.  Ghent was the third child of Cullen Thomas and Virginia Thomas Bridges.  Cullen was the twelfth child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

NOTE:  This leaf is published on this Mother’s Day Weekend 2024 in honor of my sister, Juanita Bridges Stephens, who had no children of her own, but she was a “second mother” to me. She was 16 when I was born and I think she always thought of me as her child and I know I could count on her as my “second mother” during her entire life. It is with her inspiration and love of family that I am able to write this blog.   "Happy Mother’s Day, Neenie! I love you."

Richard Ellis Thomas -- Rural Mail Carrier

 

Richard Ellis Thomas was born on February 23, 1872, in the Donaldson Creek community of Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the fifth of eight children born to Carroll Thomas and Margaret Jane Reid Thomas. Carroll was a native of Trigg County, Kentucky and worked as a farmer. He was a son of James Thomas, Jr. Margaret Jane was a native of Stewart County, Tennessee and was a homemaker. Richard’s siblings were Sarah L. “Sallie” Thomas, born in 1860 and married James Edmond Sumner; Jesse Milton “Bud” Thomas, born in 1862 and married Lou Augusta Shelton; Robert Henry Thomas, born in 1867 and married Lillie Belle Thomas and then married Ora Agnes Bridges; Martha Thomas, born in 1870 and died at the age of two; Margaret “Jennie”. Thomas, born in 1874 and married George Walton Thomas; Charles Major Thomas, born in 1879; and Edward Clark Thomas, born in 1882 and married Augusta Arbelle Carr.  Carroll’s second marriage to Frances Wills Vinson produced two half-siblings, John Cullen “Taylor” Thomas, born in 1891 and married Myrtle Green Chewning and James Carroll “Pat” Thomas born in 1899 and married Bessie Elizabeth Satterfield.

Richard grew up in the Donaldson Creek community and began his postal career as the assistant to the postmaster at the old Donaldson Post Office which was located in the grocery store owned by Chilton Thomas. He worked in this position for ten years until the rural free delivery system was inaugurated in Trigg County.  Up unto that time patrons were required to come to the post office to get their mail. On December 1, 1915, he started delivery on what was known as Route Three after he petitioned patrons and organized the route.  Later he went on to organize Route Six and Route Nine. He served as temporary carrier on some of these routes until a regular carrier was appointed, finally ending up as the carrier on Route Three until his retirement.  All of the routes were served by the Cadiz post office.  He estimated the he had traveled over 200,000 miles on the different routes he served on, handled over 750,000 pieces of mail, and worked under six different postmasters at the Cadiz post office.  Practically all the routes he traveled were in Trigg County.

Richard said that in delivering the mail along his routes over the years, he had used four different horses, one mule, had worn out three buggies, one motorcycle with side car, and seven automobiles.  During the cold winter of 1918, he said he even walked much of the time, the roads being too slippery to permit even riding horseback.  He was affectionately known as “Mr. Richard," to the vast number of people, he served as their rural carrier. On February 28, 1937, Richard at the age of 65, retired as the rural mail carrier for Route Six out of Cadiz after 21 years, four months, and 14 days of active service.

On September 4, 1892, Richard married Nannie G. Hendricks in Stewart County, Tennessee. Nannie was born on February 25, 1873 in Trigg County. Richard and Nannie were the parents of five children, Ella Mae Thomas, born in 1894 and married Ethell Moore Blackford; Owen S. Thomas, born in 1896 and married Alfred Washington Coleman and later married Albert Conway Thomas; William Gobel Thomas, born in 1900 and died at the age of four months; Fannie Jane Thomas, born in 1902 and died at the age of three years; Oscar Earl Thomas, born in 1905 and married Willie May Adams.

Nannie died on June 20, 1907 at the age of 34, and was buried in the Carroll Thomas Family cemetery in Trigg County.  On March 14, 1921, Richard married his second wife, Effie Sivills.  Effie was born on February 18, 1883 in Trigg County. Richard and Effie were the parents of three children, Richard Ellis Thomas, Jr., born and died in 1922; Ellis Franklin Thomas, born in 1923; and Lula Evelyn Thomas, born in 1925 and died a year later.  

Effie died on April 12, 1925 at the age of 42, and was buried in the Chewning Cemetery in Trigg County. On November 9, 1933 Richard married his third wife, Ora Crute Wills in Hamilton County, Indiana.  Ora was born on April 6, 1880 in Trigg County.  Richard and Ora had no children.  Ora died on December 1, 1935 at the age of 55 and was buried in the Carroll Thomas Family Cemetery. On October 10, 1940, Richard married his fourth wife, Ada Justice Middleton Smith in Joplin, Missouri.  Ada was born on December 28, 1886 in Van Buren, Missouri. Richard and Ada had no children. Ada died on May 13, 1958 at the age of 71 in Joplin, Missouri and was buried next to her first husband in the Forest Park Cemetery in Joplin, Missouri.

Richard died on May 16, 1953 at the age of 81 in the Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee after suffering a broken hip in a fall two years earlier.  He was buried in the Carroll. Thomas Family Cemetery in the Donaldson Creek community.

Richard Ellis Thomas tombstone

 

LINEAGE: (Richard Ellis Thomas was the son of Carroll and Margaret Jane Reid Thomas and the grandson of James, Jr., and Margaret Ethridge Thomas.  James, Jr. was the sixth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

John Thomas and Mary Sumner Bridges -- Farmer and Carpenter

 

 John Thomas Bridges

 Mary Sumner Bridges

 

John Thomas Bridges was born on July 23, 1915, in the Mount Pleasant community of Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the sixth of eight children born to Drew Manley Bridges and Lena Mae Guier Bridges. Both Drew Manley and Lena Mae were natives of Trigg County, Kentucky and Drew worked as a farmer. Drew was a son of Starkie Bridges and a grandson of William Bridges.  John’s siblings were Lola Jo Bridges, born in 1901 and married Andrew Abner Gray; Robbie Bell Bridges, born in 1904 and married George Clyde Cunningham; Sidney Gordon Bridges, born in 1906 and married Jane Ernestine Bridges; Sarah Elizabeth Bridges, born in 1907 and married Henry Cullen Thomas; Clifton Earl Bridges, born in 1910 and married Inez Lorene Lancaster; Clovis Manley Bridges, born in 1918 and married Ruby Helen Huddleston; and Mosco Doris Bridges, born in 1919 and married Myra Dean Sumner.

John grew up on a farm that his parents owned in the Maple Grove community.  He would later in the 1940s buy his own farm on the Old Dover Road about four miles south of Cadiz.  There he would build a home for him and his family to reside. In addition to farming, John also worked as a carpenter, working on many construction projects throughout Trigg County.

On December 24, 1937, John married Mary Henrietta Sumner.  Mary was born on May 3, 1919 in Trigg County.  She was the seventh of eleven children of John Calvin Sumner and Lucy Ethel Lawrence Sumner.  Both John Calvin and Lucy were natives of Trigg County.  John Calvin was a farmer and was a descendant of Drewry Bridges.  Lucy was a homemaker and was a descendant of Starkie Thomas. Mary’s siblings were: William Odell Sumner, born in 1907 and married Julia Ruby Cameron; Lacy Calvin Sumner, born in 1909 and married Lorena Farmer and later married Mary Bryant; James Woodson Sumner, born in 1911 and married Myra Lorraine Thomas; an unnamed infant, who died in infancy; Martha Alberta Sumner, born in 1915 and married George Lewis Gothard; George Robert Sumner, born in 1917 and married Dorothy Mae White; John Lawrence Sumner, born in 1921 and married Belva Marie Compton; Myra Dean Sumner, born in 1924 and married Mosco Doris Bridges; Sarah Frances Sumner, born in 1926 and married Forrest Lanston Matthews and a second marriage to John Franklin Phillips and a third marriage to Clarence Noble P’Pool and Perry Cullen Sumner, born in 1927 and married Lorena Farmer.

John and Mary were instrumental in forming the Thomas-Bridges Association as both were charter members of the organization.  Both served on the Board of Directors and on many committees.  John served as President of the organization from August 1, 1980 to August 1, 1982.  Mary was also a member of the James Thomas Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

John and Mary were the parents of seven children, Ethel Mae Bridges, born in 1940 and married Boyd Alton Simmons; Dorothy Nell Bridges, born in 1941 and married Elbert Franklin Moore; Mary Jean Bridges, born in 1943 and married Larry Jacob Marthaler; John Drew “J. D.” Bridges, born in 1944 and married Rachel Juanita Gallegas and then married Vicki Elaine Wilson Dockery; Beverly Kay Bridges, born in 1948 and married Charles Ray Powell; Jerry Sumner Bridges, born in 1950 and married Betty Sue Lawson and then married Virginia Lee Plawecki; and Thomas Randall Bridges, born in 1957 and married Cynthia M. Duncan and then married Judy Fay Sumner.

John died on November 27, 1998 at the Jennie Stuart Medical Center in Hopkinsville, Kentucky at the age of 83.  He was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz.  Mary died on June 22, 2016 at the Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz at the age of 97.  She was buried in the East End Cemetery next to her husband.

 

 

 John and Mary tombstone

LINEAGE: (John Thomas Bridges was the son of Drew Manley and Lena Mae Guier Bridges and the grandson of Starkie T. and Elizabeth W. Lawrence Bridges.  Starkie was the second child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges. William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

(Mary Henrietta Sumner was the daughter of John Calvin and Lucy Ethel Lawrence Sumner and the granddaughter of Benjamin Miles and Henrietta Gabrella Bridges Sumner and James H., II and Lucy Thomas Lawrence.  Henrietta was the first child of Drewry and Peachie Ann Tart Bridges.  Drewry was the fourth child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges. William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.  Lucy was the eighth child of Stanley and Emily Ann Light Thomas. Stanley was the second child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

John Quincy Adams -- Timberman and Farmer

 

John Quincy Adams

John Quincy Adams, who bore the same name as the sixth president of the United States, was born on August 7, 1875, in the Roaring Springs community of Christian County, Kentucky. He was the second of seven children born to John Wylie Adams and Martha Jane Coleman Adams. John Wylie was a native of Trigg County, Kentucky and worked as a farmer. Martha Jane was also a native of Trigg County, worked as a homemaker, and was a descendant of Perry Thomas.  John Quincy’s siblings were Lucy Agnes Adams, born in 1874 and married Robert Henry Williams; Alfred Sidney Adams, born in 1877 and died at the age of 12; James Sterling Adams, born in 1880 and married Hattie Grace Bell and then married Mary Docia Atkins; Willie Helen Adams, born in 1884 and married John Sherman Bell; Martha Gertrude Adams, born in 1887 and married James Pascal Hendon and Eulis Franklin Adams, born in 1892 and died at the age of 4.

John grew up in the river bottom area near Linton, Kentucky in Trigg County.  As a young man he helped to clear the river bottom land where he and his neighbors lived.  He helped to cut the virgin timber and then had log rollings along with his neighbors to roll the logs into large piles to be burned in order that new ground could be cultivated.  He farmed in both Trigg and Christian counties.  He traveled by steamboat from Linton down the Cumberland River to Nashville where he took the train to Union Grove, Alabama where he again worked as a timberman, cutting tall pine trees from the mountainside, hewing them and then using a broadax making them into crossties. He also worked to clear land in the Missouri Delta.

John returned to Kentucky where he worked in the tobacco factories in Hopkinsville.  He then worked in the steel mills in Alton, Illinois and later lived in Akron, Ohio where he worked at the Saalfield Publishing Company and the East Ohio Gas Company. He returned again to Trigg County in 1930 and bought a farm in the Donaldson Creek community where he settled down as a farmer and lived longer there than any other place during his life.

On December 1, 1894, John married Suphronia (Sophronia) Adeline Williams in Stewart County, Tennessee.  Suphronia was born January 24, 1875 in Trigg County, the daughter of Lessenberry Nance and Cynthia Ann Vinson Williams. Nance was a native of Trigg County and Cynthia was a native of Stewart County, Tennessee.

John and Suphronia were the parents of eleven children, most who were born in Trigg County and raised in the river bottom area near Linton.  They were, Lou Bess Adams, born in 1895 and died at the age of 3 years; John Troy Adams, born 1897 and married Nova Mae Sumner, a second marriage to Maurine Sumner and a third marriage to Ora Monico Gordon; James Floyd Adams, born in 1899 and married Maggie Belle Hargroves; Hattie Bell Adams, born in 1901 and married Perry Amos Thomas; Willie May Adams, born in 1904 and married Oscar Err Thomas; Sammy Ray Adams, born in 1905 and died in early childhood; Thomas Odell Adams, born in 1906 and married Helen Anne Moore and later married Betty Earle Ford; Herbert Truman Adams, born in 1909 and married Mary Thomas; Herman Taylor Adams, born in 1912 and married Bessie Mae Thomas; Plomer Douglas Adams, born in 1914 and died at the age of 1 year and Daphane Estelle Adams, born in 1921 and died at the age of 11 years.

John Quincy died on June 13, 1961 at his home in the Donaldson Creek community at the age of 85.  He was buried in the Lancaster Cemetery located on the South Road in Trigg County.  His wife, Suphronia had died on February 4, 1950 and was also buried in the Lancaster Cemetery.

 Suphronia Williams Adams

John and Suphronia's tombstone

LINEAGE:  (John Quincy Adams was the second child of John Wylie and Martha Jane Coleman Adams.  Martha Jane was the second child of Alfred Boyd and Alpha Thomas Coleman.  Alpha was the second child of Perry and Elizabeth Bridges Thomas.  Perry was the third child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Albert Dale Cunningham -- World War II Casualty

 

Albert Dale Cunningham

Albert Dale Cunningham was born on August 30, 1925 in Trigg County, Kentucky the second of six children of George Clyde Cunningham and Robbie Bell Bridges Cunningham. , His father was a farmer and a native of Trigg County, Kentucky, who died in a tragic tractor accident in 1973.  His mother was also a native of Trigg County and was a homemaker.  His siblings were Aubrey Hershell, born in 1923; Alfred Leslie, born in 1927; Dolly Mae, born in 1930, Martha Rhea, born in 1934 and Mava Dale, born in 1946.

Albert grew up on Beechy Fork Creek in the Maple Grove Community of Trigg County.  He attended school at the Lower Donaldson School and the Maple Grove School.

Albert reached the age of 18 during the height of World War II.  On November 15, 1943 he entered the US Army and was sent to Camp Blanding near Starke, Florida for his basic training. Following his basic training he was given a furlough from March 28, 1944 to April 7, 1944 before being sent to Fort Meade, Maryland where in May 1944, he was shipped overseas.

On May 18, 1944 he landed in Naples, Italy where he was assigned to the Company G, 143rd Infantry Regiment,  36th Infantry Division, which was part of the US 5th Army under the command of General Mark Clark.  The 36th was the Texas Division and the men of the 36ths were known as “T+Patchers” because their insignia was made up of an arrowhead with a capital T in the middle.  Albert’s job was an assistant gunner on an 81 mm mortar.

During the summer of 1944 Albert fought with his unit in numerous locations across Italy and Southern France.  He had been promoted to private first class.  Several of his letters home during that summer were of such interest that they were published in the local Cadiz Record newspaper. 

During the late fall, his unit was involved in a battle fighting the German 19th Army in an effort to hold the Vosges Mountain passes in France when Albert was killed in action on November 28, 1944 while crossing the Moselle River.  Albert, age 19, was buried with full military honors in the Epinal American Cemetery near the village of Dinoze, France.  The cemetery was on a plateau 100 feet above the Moselle River in the foothills of the Vosges Mountains.

In April 1948, Albert’s body was brought home to the United States with his final resting place being the Allen-Cunningham Cemetery in Trigg County.  Again, he received full military honors at his burial.  A special tribute was given in October 1991 to the memory of Albert Dale Cunningham during the dedication of the historical marker for Lower Donaldson School when he was recognized as the only student from the school to pay the supreme sacrifice in military service.

Albert Dale Cunningham tombstone

Epinal American Cemetery, France

LINEAGE: (Albert Dale Cunningham was the son of George Clyde and Robbie Bell Bridges Cunningham and the grandson of Elmer Elsworth “Ell” and Rosa Lee Bridges Cunningham.  Rosa Lee was the seventh child of Cullen T. and Martha Virginia Thomas Bridges.  Cullen was the twelfth child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.  Robbie Bell was the second child of Drew Manley and Lena Mae Guier Bridges.  Drew was the seventh child of Starkie T. and Elizabeth Lawrence Bridges.  Starkie was the second child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Mary Cohoon Bridges.)

Hubert Jackson "Tige" Thomas -- Auto Body Repairman

 

Hubert Jackson "Tige" Thomas

Hubert Jackson “Tige” Thomas was born on August 14, 1909 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the second of six children of Lucian M. Thomas and Inez B. Crews Thomas.  His father Lucian, was a farmer and a native of Trigg County and Inez was also a native of Trigg County and had taught school during the early 1900s. Hubert was a descendant of Starkie Thomas.  Hubert’s siblings were John Alex Thomas, born in 1907 and married Mary Louise Sumner; Homer Blane Thomas, born in 1911 and married Beulah Louise Bridges; Mary Julia Thomas, born in 1914 and married Alvin Arthur Pfermann; William Boyd Thomas, born in 1917 and married Geneva Simmons and then married Eunice Grace Thomas; and Maurice Alton Thomas, born in 1923 and married Stella Mae Gray.

Hubert grew up in the Oak Grove community of Trigg County.  He farmed with his father and brothers  on the family farm on land which had been in the Thomas family since the early 1800s when the family first settled in Trigg County.

On December 25, 1933, Hubert married Vada Helena Wallace.  Vada was born on November 24, 1913 in Dover, Tennessee, the daughter of Henry Austin Wallace and Sarah Elizabeth Lancaster Wallace. Her parents were both natives of Stewart County, Tennessee where her father had worked as a farmer. Hubert and Vada were the parents of six children: Carolyn Sue Thomas was born in 1934 and only lived one day; Billie Joe Thomas was born in 1935 and married Carolyn Raquel Williams; triplets Andrew Thomas was born in 1937 and married Frances Carol Bridges; Bruce Thomas, born in 1937 and married Joyce Ann P’Pool; Charles Thomas, born in 1937 and married Martha Ann Myers and then married Clara Ellen McKinney; and Dennis Glynn Thomas, born in 1944 and married Linda Dale Hancock.

Hubert and Vada left the farm in 1937 and moved with their family to Detroit, Michigan.  There he worked in an automobile dealership where he was trained in auto body repair.  He worked in a defense plant during World War II.  After the war, Hubert and his family moved back to Trigg County and using the talents he learned in Detroit, opened his own business, the Thomas Body Shop, which was located near the west city limits of Cadiz.  In 1955, Hubert built a new body shop on his property located about five miles west of Cadiz.  He operated the body shop in this location until his health failed in 1965 and he retired from the business.  At that time, he turned over operation of the business to his son, Charles.  After her sons were grown, Vada worked as a practical nurse at the Shady Lawn Nursing Home in Cadiz and as a private duty nurse at Trigg County Hospital.

On January 2, 1967, Hubert died at his home outside of Cadiz at the age of 57.  He was buried in the Lucian Thomas Family Cemetery in Trigg County.  Vada died on October 22, 1997 at the age of 83 in the Trigg County Hospital.  She was buried in the Lucian Thomas Family Cemetery next to her husband.

Vada Thomas with her five sons

 

Young Hubert with his older brother John Alex

 

Hubert and Vada tombstone

LINEAGE: (Hubert Jackson “Tige” Thomas was the son of Lucian M. and Inez B. Crews Thomas and the grandson of Jonathan Starkie and Julia Dyer Thomas.  Jonathan was the third child of William Bridges and Nancy Jane Rogers Thomas.  William was the first child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standly Thomas.)

Milton Roger Thomas -- Real Estate Developer and Community Leader

 

Roger Thomas

Milton Roger Thomas was born on July 2, 1938 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the second of three children of Milton Ward “Chuck” Thomas and Martha Elizabeth Crawford Thomas.  His father Chuck, was a prominent civic leader and farmer and a native of Trigg County and Martha was also a native of Trigg County and had worked as a director of a servicemen’s center. Roger was a descendant of Starkie Thomas.  Roger’s siblings were Norma Gail Thomas, born in 1936, and married Robert Clive Gold and then married Richard Lawrence McKillip and a third husband, Ernest Linwood Hardy, Jr.; and John Ward Thomas, born in 1944, and married Patricia Ellis and then married Patsy Melanie Davis and a third wife, Stacy Winders.

Roger grew up on his family farm located near Canton and attended the Canton Grade School.  He moved to Hopkinsville in 1952 and attended Hopkinsville High School for two years before transferring to Columbia Military Academy in Columbia, Tennessee where he graduated.  He then attended Murray State University where he graduated with a degree in engineering.

Roger began his career as a chemistry and math teacher at Trigg County High School in Cadiz. He left the teaching profession after seven years and devoted his full-time attention to his real estate business, the Century 21-Thomas Real Estate Company.  He became a founding member of the Trigg County Industrial Development Committee and actively sought new industry and growth in the community.  He also was involved in promoting tourism for the county. As a member of the Trigg County Tourist Commission, he helped to organize and promote boat races and bass tournaments which increased the number of tourists in the area.  In 1970, Roger was one of the founding directors of the Bank of Cadiz.  He served as a director until near the end of his life.

On June 4, 1957, Roger married Margaret Joyce “Peggy” Allen at the Cadiz Baptist Church in Cadiz.  Peggy was born October 27, 1934 and was the daughter of William Orville Allen and Ruth Moorefield Allen.  Peggy was a descendant of Drewry Bridges.  Roger and Peggy were the parents of two sons, Allen Ward Thomas, born in 1958 and married Shelia Lane Littlejohn Jones and Mark Crawford Thomas, born in 1960 and married Maranita Kathleen Roberts and later married Lisa Fuller Oliver. Roger and Peggy’s marriage subsequently ended in divorce.

On November 8, 1975, Roger married his second wife, Elizabeth Ann Rogers.  Ann was born on August 27, 1944 in Trigg County and was the daughter of Kenneth L. Rogers and Alberta Lyons Rogers.  After their marriage, Ann obtained her real estate license and worked with her husband in his real estate business. Roger and Ann had no children, but Roger had two stepchildren, Treav Tooke and Carla Tooke from Ann’s previous marriage.

Roger died at his home in the Canton community on June 24, 1984 at the age of 45.  He had been diagnosed with cancer.  He was buried in the Lawrence Cemetery in Trigg County. Posthumously, Roger was honored by having a street leading into the Industrial Park named the Roger Thomas Drive.

 

Roger Thomas tombstone

LINEAGE: (Milton Roger Thomas was the son of Milton Ward “Chuck” and Martha Elizabeth Crawford Thomas and the grandson of William Robert “Willie” and Emma Rogers Thomas.  William Robert was the second child of Robert Allison and Emma Nora Cunningham Thomas.  Robert Allison was the fifth child of Stanley and Emily Ann Light Thomas.  Stanley was the second child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standly Thomas.)

Ira Clifton Bridges, Jr. -- Merchant Marine

 

Ira Clifton Bridges, Jr.

Ira Clifton Bridges, Jr. was born on April 17, 1923 in the Maple Grove community of Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the third of four children of Ira Clifton Bridges, Sr. and Flo Templeton Bridges Bridges.  Ira, Sr. was a construction worker and a native of Trigg County and Flo was also a native of Trigg County. Ira, Sr. was a grandson of Drewry Bridges.  Ira, Jr.’s siblings were Morris Dale “M. D.” Bridges, born in 1918 and married Lora Dean Cunningham; Barbara Mae Bridges, born in 1920 and married William Eugene McBride; and Frieda Nell Bridges, born in 1933 and married Eugene Lewis Sumner.

Junior, as he was called, attended grade school in the one-room Maple Grove School and one year of school in Hamburg, Tennessee.  He spent three years at Trigg County High School and went one to graduate from Marshall County High School in 1942.  He went on to attend Murray State College (now University).

World War II was at its height and rather than being drafted, Junior chose to join the Merchant Marines where he attended the Merchant Marine Academy at King’s Point, Long Island, New York. He was assigned to serve on several escort ships to convoys that carried arms and supplies to the European War zones.  The escort ships were not armed and some of their sister ships were sunk during their voyages.
After the war ended, Junior continued his career as a civilian merchant seaman and worked as a deep sea engineer from 1945 to 1970.   He shipped out of many U. S. ports including New York, New Orleans, Galveston, Houston, Panama City and other Atlantic seaports.

For many years, Junior lived in the French Quarter in New Orleans and it was there me met and married his wife, Margaret Frances Church.  They were married on December 18, 1952 at Gulfport, Mississippi.  Frances was born June 11, 1916, the daughter of William Harry Church and Lola Theora Bish Church.  Harry worked as a mechanic and was a native of Wisconsin.  Lola was a housewife and a native of Indiana. Frances had served in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II.  Junior and Frances had no children.

In 1961 Junior returned to his home state of Kentucky and purchased a house in Cadiz in where he lived until his death.  Junior had a tragic death on February 5,1970.  He was returning from an intercoastal voyage from California to Morrisville, New Jersey. He was driving on the New Jersey Turnpike near Edison, New Jersey when he was stricken with a fatal heart attack His body was returned to Trigg County and he was buried in the Drury Bridges Cemetery in the Maple Grove community.  He was 46 years old at the time of his death.  Frances died on June 26, 1980 at the age of 64 and was buried in the Drury Bridges Cemetery.

Frances Church Bridges, wife of Ira, Jr.

Ira Bridges, Jr. tombstone

Ira, Jr. military tombstone

Frances Bridges military tombstone

LINEAGE: (Ira Clifton Bridges, Jr. was the son of Ira Clifton, Sr. and Flo Templeton Bridges Bridges and the grandson of Durwood Stanley and Jane “Jennie” Thomas Bridges.  Durwood Stanley was the sixth child of Drewry and Peachie Ann Tart Bridges. Drewry was the fourth child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

Elaine Baker Sanders -- Cafeteria Manager

 

Elaine Baker Sanders

Eris Elaine Baker was born on March 8, 1923 in Cadiz, Kentucky.  She was the oldest of four children of Samuel Lee Baker and Vera Evelyn Cunningham Baker. Sam and Evelyn were Trigg County natives of the Rockcastle community who had moved to Cadiz where Sam was a clerk for the F. B. Wilkerson Co. department store for 40 years.   Elaine’s siblings were James Minos “Jimmie” Baker, born in 1925 and married Lyla Morrison; Cora Mae Baker, born in 1927 and married George Atkinson and Mary Ann Baker, born in 1929, and married Thomas Julius Carr.

Elaine attended schools in Trigg County and graduated from Trigg County High School in 1941. On December 14, 1940, Elaine married Eura Elvis “Mutt” Sanders in Crofton, Kentucky.  Mutt was born in Trigg County on March 23, 1920, the son of Clarence Murl Sanders and Annie Ruth Morris Sanders. Murl was a farmer in the Wallonia community of Trigg County.  Elaine and Mutt became the parents of two children, Jack Elvis Sanders, born in 1941 and married Carla Lea Roach, his first wife and Jackie Mays Beasley, his second wife; and Joyce Annette Sanders, born in 1945 and married Danny Green Bozarth.

Mutt lived his entire life in Trigg County except for the time spent serving his country in World War II.  He served with the 491st Armored Field Artillery Division of the U.S. Army from June 1942 to November 1945, with fifteen months of that time in the European Theatre.  He was in the Battle of the Bulge. After the war, Mutt began working as a rural letter carrier with the U.S. Post Office in Cadiz in 1945.  He retired from that position in 1977. Elaine spent her early married years raising her two children and in the mid 1950s, began working for the Trigg County School system as a cafeteria manager.  She was active in federal, state and district lunchroom associations while serving as cafeteria manager.  She was a familiar face to many local students who dined daily over the years in the school cafeteria.  Elaine retired as cafeteria manager in 1978 after working for 21 years for the school system.

After her retirement, Elaine became very active in local community and church activities.  She was a member of the Trigg County Homemakers, the Trigg County Hospital Auxiliary Club as well as the Trigg County Business and Professional Women’s Club. She served as an officer in all these organizations. In October 1980 she was named as the B&PW Woman of the Year which is the highest honor given to a local club member, which is a tradition of the organization to honor outstanding women in the community.  Elaine was also active in the fundraising for the County Heart Fund.

Mutt and Elaine lived on a farm in the Wallonia community where Mutt was born.  They purchased the farm in 1955.  The farm had been in the Sanders family since 1908 when it was purchased by Louis Sanders, the grandfather of Mutt. They raised crops on the farm as well as maintaining a herd of cattle.

Mutt died on May 16, 2000 in Nashville at the age of 80.  He was buried in the Wall Cemetery in the Wallonia Community of Trigg County.  Elaine died on May 15, 2014 in Cadiz at the age of 91.  She was buried in the Wall Cemetery next to her husband.

Elaine Sanders

Elaine and Mutt

Mutt, Elaine and son, Jack, circa 1944

Elaine and Mutt's tombstone

LINEAGE:  (Eris Elaine Baker was the daughter of Samuel Lee and Vera Evelyn Cunningham Baker and the granddaughter of Mark Smith and Mattie Mae Ricks Baker.  Mark Smith was the second child of Samuel Freeman and Sarah Adeline Thomas Baker.  Sarah was the first child of Stanley and Emily Ann Light Thomas.  Stanley was second child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Ira Thomas "Boone" Bridges -- Victim of a Shooting Incident

 

Ira Thomas “Boone” Bridges was born on December 1, 1902 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the fourth of seven children of Starkie Emerson “Bud” Bridges and Matilda Elizabeth Wallis Bridges.  Bud was a farmer and a native of Trigg County and Matilda Elizabeth was also a native of Trigg County. Bud was a son of Starkie Bridges.

Boone’s siblings were Johnnie Pearl Bridges, born in 1897 and married Herman Conrad Coleman; Roy Emerson Bridges, born in 1899 and married Tishie Lucille Adams; Jesse Arvil Bridges, born in 1901 and married Nellie Vertris Thomas and then married Gladys Helen Childress; Mary Alma Bridges, born in 1904 and married Wiley Bell Stallons; Myrtle Ernestine Bridges, born in 1908 and married Raymond Howard Williams; and Willie Louise Bridges, born in 1913 and married Raymond Rodgers Stallons.

Boone grew up in Trigg County and attended the county schools. He never married and spent his career working as a laborer on a farm.  He lived in his father’s household over the years and worked primarily on his father’s farm. He also worked as a truck driver in the county.  After his parents’ death, he made his home with his sister, Mrs. Herman Coleman.

On Thursday afternoon, September 4, 1947, Boone went to a café located on the Cerulean Road near Cadiz which was operated by Mrs. Gertie Turner.  Mrs. Turner asked Boone to “watch” the café while she left to attend to some other business.  While Boone was watching the café, Marvin Adams who lived near the restaurant came in to buy a package of cigarettes. Apparently, some type of argument ensued between the two men.  Mr. Adams shot Boone just below the heart, reputedly with a 32-caliber pistol, the bullet completely piercing his body and coming out through his back.  Boone was taken to a local clinic for first aid treatment but the seriousness of his wound required that he be rushed to Jennie Stuart Hospital in nearby Hopkinsville.  His condition required three blood transfusions before he could undergo surgery.  His family gathered around him and they thought his condition was satisfactory.

 Meanwhile, Marvin Adams was arrested late Thursday afternoon about an hour after the incident and was charged with malicious shooting and was placed in the county jail.  He was later released on a $2,000 cash bond.   County officials at that time failed to establish the motive or the background for the shooting.  Adams was a landowner of a large farm in Lyon County as well as several farms in Trigg County.  The sheriff said at the time that arraignment of Adams was delayed pending the outcome of Bridges’ condition.

Five days following the shooting, Boone’s condition worsened and on Tuesday afternoon, September 9, Boone died in the hospital in Hopkinsville of the wounds he suffered in the shooting. His cause of death on his death certificate was “coronary occlusion following a gunshot wound to the abdomen.”

In the following May, 1948, Marvin Adams was brought to trial in Cadiz for the murder of Ira “Boone” Bridges.  Adams pleaded not guilty in the case and claimed he had shot the deceased in self-defense. Two days were given to selecting the jurors for the case. A large number of prospective jurors were disqualified for having opinions about the case, but finally twelve men were selected. The trial only lasted one day and on the following morning, May 22, 1948, the jury rendered their verdict that Mr. Adams was “Not Guilty.”  

Ira “Boone” Bridges died at the age of 44 and was buried in the Lawrence Cemetery in Trigg County.

 Ira "Boone" Bridges tombstone

LINEAGE:  (Ira Thomas “Boone” Bridges was the son of Starkie Emerson “Bud” and Matilda Elizabeth Wallis Bridges and the grandson of Starkie T. and Elizabeth W. Lawrence Bridges.  Starkie was the second child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)