Ambie Bridges, Vernon Bridges and Twyman Hughes -- Trigg County Family Members

 

Ambie Bridges

 

Vernon Bridges

 

Twyman Hughes

 

Nora Ambie Bridges  was born on May 5, 1907 in the Chestnut Grove area of Trigg County, Kentucky. She was the second of four children born to John Robert Bridges and Georgia Mae Hargrove Bridges.  John Robert was a farmer and both he and Georgia were natives of Trigg County. John Robert was a son of Starkie Bridges. 

Ambie’s siblings were Norris Thomas Bridges, born in 1904 and married Lucy Parthenia Lancaster and later married Lona Carter; Bessie Pearl Bridges, born in 1910 and married Hugh Calhoun and later married Thomas Garner Ralston; and James Hershel Bridges, born in 1912 and married Beulah Belle Bellamy.  Ambie’s father, John Robert had a second marriage to Jessie Lee Williams. This marriage produced five half-siblings for Ambie, Rosie Clyde Bridges, born in 1921 and married Herbert K. Lowe; Cordie Hugh Bridges, born in 1923 and married Carrie Loueva Millay; Robert Louis Bridges, born in 1925 and married Dorothy Jean Barton; Nellie Marie Bridges, born in 1927 and married William Pemberton; and Faithie Helen Bridges, born in 1932 and married Hubert Rex Burden.

Ambie grew up on the Beechy Fork Creek in the Maple Grove community of Trigg County in the home of her grandmother, Elizabeth “Betsy” Lawrence Bridges.  Ambie’s grandfather had died before she was born and her mother, Georgia, died when Ambie was six years old.  It was in the Maple Grove community that Ambie met her husband, Mount Vernon Bridges.

Ambie married Mount Vernon Bridges on  March 7, 1924 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Vernon was born on March 30, 1891 on the Beechy Fork Creek in the Maple Grove community, the fourth of five children of William Henry Bridges and Sarah Elizabeth “Sadie” Lancaster Bridges.  William Henry was a farmer and he and Sadie were both natives of Trigg County.  William Henry was a son of Drewry Bridges.

Vernon’s siblings were Mollie Lackey Bridges, born in 1882 and died at the age of one; Samuel Henry Bridges, born in 1885 and married Inez Agnes Thomas; William Stanley “Willie”  Bridges, born in 1886 and married Bessie Earl Ricks and later married Orene Noel; and Daisy Pearl Bridges, born in 1896 and married James Orval “Jake” Allen.

After Ambie and Vernon were married, they settled into a small house on his father’s farm near the “Little Spring” on Beechy Fork Creek.  There Ambie helped Vernon raise his three children by a former marriage to Dannie Agnes Noel, who had died before his marriage to Ambie.  Vernon worked as a farmer in the Maple Grove community.

Vernon had married his first wife, Dannie Agnes Noel, on December 10, 1910 in Stewart County, Tennessee.  Dannie Agnes was born on August 11, 1892 in Trigg County and was the daughter of Thomas S. Noel and Veturia Tura Cunningham Noel.  Both Thomas and Veturia were natives of Trigg County. Dannie Agnes died on January 20, 1923 at the age of 30.  She was buried in the Mount Pleasant Cemetery in the Blue Spring community in Trigg County.

In 1941 Ambie and Vernon moved from their farmhouse into the home with Vernon’s parents as they were aging and their health was failing. Vernon continued to work as a farmer and as a timberman. They lived on the farm until Vernon’s death.

Ambie and Vernon were the parents of three children in addition to his three children by his first wife. The children of Vernon and Dannie Agnes are Lonnie Murl Bridges, born in 1915 and married Dorothy Mae Curling; Myrtle Rhea Bridges, born in1918 and married Elmo Ryner Hendricks; and Lacy Wade “Dink” Bridges, born in 1921 and married Martha Ann Bryant.  The children of Vernon and Ambie are Cecil Vernon “Bill” Bridges, born in 1925 and married Dorothy Nell Guier; Sadie Mae Bridges, born in 1929 and married Howard Blane Wyatt; and Glenda Faye Bridges, born in 1941 and married Jerry Bernard Lawrence.

Vernon died on May 21, 1951 at the age of 60 at the Jennie Stuart Hospital in Hopkinsville, Kentucky of a stroke following an earlier heart attack. He was buried in the Allen Cemetery in Trigg County.

After Vernon’s death, Ambie, along with her youngest child, Glenda, moved to Cadiz.  Ambie operated a restaurant in Cadiz until 1953 when she married her second husband, Twyman Mason Hughes.

Ambie married Twyman Mason Hughes in September 1953. Twyman was born on May 20, 1914 and was the youngest of three children of Mason Hamilton Hughes, Jr. and Mattie Pearl Thomas Hughes. Mason was a farmer and both he and Mattie were natives of Trigg County.  Mattie was a descendant of Starkie Thomas.

Twyman’s siblings were Eliza Dell Hughes, born in 1904 and married Thomas Perry Gentry and Hazie Irbell Hughes, born in 1911 and married John Clayton Light.

Twyman had married his first wife, Eldo Myra Boyd, on October 10, 1934. She was the daughter of James Permetus Boyd and Sally Belle Baker Boyd.  James was a farmer and both he and Sally were natives of Trigg County. Twyman and Myra were the parents of one child, Annette Hughes, born in 1948 and married Howard Thomas Skinner.  Myra died on April 1, 1951 at the age of 37.  She was buried in the Lawrence Cemetery in Trigg County.

Twyman was a farmer and after his marriage to Ambie, they moved into his farm home located In the Oak Grove community.  A few years later, Twyman sold the farm and he and Ambie moved back to Cadiz.  Twyman worked with the Kentucky Department of Highways and later at the Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville, Kentucky.  He also worked at several part-time positions during this period including with the Ben Franklin Store and driving a school bus for the Trigg County School System.

Twyman died on October 6, 1981 at the age of 67 at the Jennie Stuart Hospital in Hopkinsville.  He was buried I the Lawrence Cemetery.  Ambie died on April 3, 1986 at the age of 78 at the Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz.  She was buried in the Allen Cemetery.

Ambie tombstone

 

Vernon tombstone

Twyman tombstone

LINEAGE: (Nora Ambie Bridges was the daughter of John Robert and Georgia Mae Hargrove Bridges. John was the second child 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.)

(Mount Vernon Bridges was the son of William Henry and Sarah Elizabeth “Sadie” Lancaster Bridges.  William Henry was the fourth 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.)

(Twyman Mason Hughes was the son of Mason Hamilton, Jr. and Mattie Pearl Thomas Hughes.  Mattie was the first child of Wesley Gunn and Eliza L. Henderson Thomas.  Wesley Gunn was the sixth 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.)

James Morris Guier -- Young Victim of a Vehicle Accident

 

James Morris Guier  was born on May 1, 1934 in Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the sixth of seven children born to Amos Ira Guier and Ambie Lois Bridges Guier.  Amos was a carpenter and both he and Lois were natives of Trigg County.  James, or Jimmie as he was known, was a descendant of Drewry Bridges.

Jimmie’s siblings were Jesse Lloyd Guier, born in 1920 and died at the age of 1½ years old; Virginia Guier, born in 1922 and married Vernon Eugene Anderson; Juanita Guier, born in 1924 and died at the age of 4 years old; Dorothy Nell Guier, born in 1929 and married Cecil “Bill” Vernon Bridges; Jane Colleen Guier, born in 1931 and married Lloyd Shelton; and Clara Josepine Guier, born in 1938 and married Jerry Uriah Price.

Jimmie lived most of his life in Trigg County except for a three-year period when he lived near Paducah, Kentucky. In 1940 he entered the first grade at Andrew Jackson School in Paducah.  Over the following years he attended several other schools, and in 1949 he was a member of the eighth-grade class at Trigg County High School.  He was active in the High School Band where he played the trumpet and was a member of the Cadiz Boy Scouts.

On Saturday evening, September 17, 1949 around 7:30 p.m. Jimmie along with two friends, Eugene Sumner, age 22  and Frieda Bridges, age 15 were enroute from Cadiz to Princeton to attend a movie.  The threesome was traveling in a half-ton pick up truck.  They were traveling in a very hard rain at the time and it was difficult to keep the vehicle on the road.  They were on the Cadiz-Princeton Road near the Rock Spring Church where there was a noted dangerous curve.  As they approached the curve in the torrential downpour, the vehicle left the road and crashed.  Jimmie was killed instantly at the scene of the wreck; his cause of death given as a crushed skull.  Fortunately, Eugene and Frieda were unhurt in the crash.

Jimmie was 15 years old at the time of his death.  He was buried in the Lawrence Cemetery in Trigg County.

 

 A young Jimmie Guier

Jimmie, far right, with his sisters

 

Jimmie tombstone

 

LINEAGE:  (James Morris Guier was the son of Amos Ira and Ambie Lois Bridges Guier.  Amos was the second child of Nathan Stanley and Emma Lee Sumner Guier.  Emma was the second child of Benjamin Miles and Henrietta Gabrella Bridges Sumner.  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.  Ambie was the seventh child of Alfred Franklin and Minnie Lancaster Bridges.  Alfred was the fourth child of Simco N. and Emeline Martin Bridges.  Simco was the third child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

Sylvia Carol Kingins Alexander Miller -- Teacher

 

Sylvia Carol Kingins

Sylvia Carol Kingins was born on February 19, 1942 in Bumpus Mill, Tennessee.  She was the only child of James Carroll “Buster” Kingins and Annie Pearl Carr Kingins.  James Carroll was a native of Stewart County, Tennessee and worked as a farmer.  Annie Pearl was a native of Trigg County, Kentucky and was a descendant of Drewry Bridges.

Carol grew up on the Kingins homestead which lies on the state border of Stewart County, Tennessee and Trigg County, Kentucky. The farm is noted because it lies at the point on the state line where the early surveyors made the offset in the state line.  Legend has it that the mistake was made because the surveyors had consumed too much peach brandy at the time.

Carol attended the Bumpus Mills Grade School, the Dover Elementary School and went on to graduate from Stewart County High School.  She went on to graduate from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee in 1964.  She later received her master’s degree in education at Murray State University.  She taught school in Christian and Caldwell counties in Kentucky in her early years. In 1970, she became a science and biology teacher at Trigg County High School in Cadiz.

After retiring from the Trigg County school system, Carol taught in the Clarksville, Tennessee school system for a number of years.  She then obtained her real estate license and began her second career as a realtor with Coldwell Banker Realty Company.

On June 18, 1964, Carol married Jackie Wade Alexander at the home of her aunt, Mrs. N. C. Hancock in Russellville, Kentucky.  Jackie was born on October 9, 1938, the son of Troy Alexander and Alma Wade Allen Alexander.  Both Troy and Alma were natives of Trigg County where Troy worked as a farmer and maintenance worker.

Jackie grew up in the Siloam community of Trigg County and graduated from Trigg County High School in 1957.  He went on to attend Western Kentucky University.  He worked for a construction company that laid pipelines across the Southwest. In 1961, he joined the U. S. Army where he was stationed at Fort Bragg. North Carolina and worked as a Military Policeman with the 82nd Airborne Division.

After Carol and Jackie were married, they lived in Princeton, Kentucky where Jackie worked for the Electric Plant Board of Princeton. After Jackie began working for South Central Bell, they built a home in the Siloam community in 1967. Jackie engaged part time as a farmer and later retired from South Central Bell.

Jackie and Carol were the parents of two sons, Kevin Blaine Alexander, born in 1967 and married Kimberly Marie Jones and Kendall Blair Alexander, born in 1974 and married Kristin Marie Hurst.

Carol and Jackie’s marriage ended in divorce and she married her second husband, William Ferrel Miller who was born January 17, 1933.  She and Ferrel lived in Murray, Kentucky.  

Jackie died on October 12, 2004, at the age of 66 at his home.  He was buried in the Siloam Church Cemetery in Trigg County.  

Carol died on October 17, 2022 at the age of 80 at the Anna Mae Owen Residential Hospice House in Murray. She was buried in the Salem Cemetery in Murray, Kentucky.

 Jackie Alexander, Carol Kingins' first husband

LINEAGE: (Sylvia Carol Kingins was the daughter of James Carroll “Buster” and Annie Pearl Carr Kingins and the granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson and Daisy Dean Sumner Carr.  Daisy was the first child of James Edmond and Mary Louisa Bridges Sumner. Mary was the second 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.)

W.C. and Doris Thomas Skinner -- Construction Supervisor and Deputy Court Clerk

 

W.C. Skinner

Doris Thomas Skinner

Wallace Clarence “W.C.” Skinner was born on February 6, 1925 in the Donaldson Creek community of Trigg County, Kentucky.   He was the fourth of six children born to Walter Calvin Skinner and Lona Mae Thomas Skinner.  HIs parents were both natives of Trigg County and Calvin worked in farming, carpentry and bridge construction.  Lona was a descendant of Perry Thomas. W.C.’s siblings were Mavis Pauline Skinner, born in 1918 and married Eston Mitchell Bridges; Sammy Virginia Skinner, born in 1920 and married Charles Jackson Taylor and later married Woodford M. Collier; Lacey Haywood Skinner, born in 1922 and married Margaret Hazel Williams; Noble Franklin Skinner, born in 1927 and married Winnie Pearl Hunter; and Beulah Christine Skinner, born in 1926 and married Billy Ray Adams.

W. C. married Doris Jean Thomas on March 19, 1948 in Piggott, Arkansas.  Doris was born on January 31, 1931 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  She was the youngest of four children born to Eura Wesley Thomas and Lucy Pearl Lawrence Thomas.   They were both natives of Trigg County.  Eura Wesley was a prominent Trigg County farmer and a descendant of Starkie Thomas.  Doris’ siblings were Ivy Elizabeth Thomas, born in 1915 and married Charles Edward Rogers; Leslie Edward Thomas, born in 1918 and died at the age of 4; and Virginia Dare Thomas, born in 1923 and married Rumsey Holt “Pete” Alexander.

Doris attended Trigg County schools and graduated from Trigg County High School in 1948.  While a student in high school, she worked at the White Eagle Restaurant and at the Red Front Grocery Store in downtown Cadiz.  After she and W.C. were married, they moved to Akron, Ohio.  In Akron, W.C. worked as a salesman for the Serv-Ice Delivery Company.  After one year, they returned to Trigg County Back in Kentucky, W.C. worked as a supervisor for the John Woodruff Construction Company, worked with the A. Z Farley Construction Company and as a General Superintendent of Edro Coal Mine for the Jim R. Smith Contracting Company.  After his retirement from construction, W.C.  operated the W.C. & D. Locksmith Company for many years.

In 1958. Doris began work as the Deputy Circuit Court Clerk for Trigg County.  She served in this position until 1973.  In 1974. She became the Chief Deputy in the Trigg County Court Clerk’s office, a position she served for 16 years until her retirement in December of 1989.

W.C. and Doris were the parent of three sons, Stephen Allen Skinner, born in 1952 and married Jacqueline Lee Witty and later married Cynthia Ann Bruner Orem; Robert Clarence Skinner, born in 1953 and married Nancy Lou Birdsong and later married Linda Diane Oakley Taylor; and Randall Scott Skinner, born in 1956 and married Marisa Corinne Riley. 

Doris died on May 18, 2000 at the age of 69 at the Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz.  She was buried in the Lawrence Cemetery in Trigg County.  W.C. died on December 10, 2016 at the age of 91 in the Shady Lawn Nursing Home in Cadiz.  He was buried in the Lawrence Cemetery next to his wife.

W.C. and Doris tombstone

LINEAGE: (Wallace Clarence “W.C” Skinner was the son of Walter Calvin and Lona Mae Thomas Skinner and the grandson of James Hervey and Cora Effie Futrell Thomas. James Hervey was the fourth child of Rufus King and Alvie Adeline Dunn Thomas.  Rufus King was the fifth child of Perry and Elizabeth Josephine Bridges Thomas.  Perry was the third child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

(Doris Jean Thomas was the daughter of Eura Wesley and Lucy Pearl Lawrence Thomas and the granddaughter of Wesley Gunn and Eliza L. Henderson Thomas.  Wesley Gunn was the sixth 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.)

Perry Thomas, Jr. -- Farmer and Government Worker

 

Perry Thomas Jr.

Perry Thomas, Jr. was born on November 14, 1836 in Trigg County, Kentucky, the eighth of fourteen children born to Perry Thomas and Elizabeth Josephine Bridges Thomas.  Perry, Sr. was a native of Bertie County, North Carolina who was nine years old when his family arrived on Donaldson Creek in Kentucky in 1806.  Elizabeth was born in Trigg County shortly after her family arrived from North Carolina in 1804.

Perry Jr’s siblings were Albert Thomas, born in 1822 and married Mary Jane Frizzell Futrell; Alpha Thomas, born in 1823 and married Alfred Boyd Coleman; Allison William Thomas, born in 1825 and married Catherine Elizabeth Carloss; William Stanley Thomas, born in 1827 and married Sallie Jacqueline Thomas; Rufus King Thomas, born in 1829 and married Avie Adeline Dunn; Benjamin Franklin Thomas, born in 1832 and married Ruth Noe; James Hervey Thomas, born in 1834 and died at the age of four; Eliza Jane Thomas, born in 1839 and married William R. Futrell; Chilton Allen Thomas, born in 1841 and married Martha Ann Duncan and then married Amanda Ellen Chewning; Starkie Duprey, born in  1843 and married Sarah Francis Pugh and then married Permelia Elizabeth Pugh Ingram; Josephine Thomas, born in 1846; Etna Thomas, born in 1848 and married William Jackson Turner; and Winfield Scott Thomas, born in 1850 and married James Cassandra Jemima Futrell.

Perry, Jr. grew up on Donaldson Creek and worked as a young man on his father’s farm. On February 24, 1859 when Perry Jr. was 23 years old, he married Aurora Wimberly, who was only 15 years old.  The marriage took place in Trigg County in the home of Aurora’s grandfather, Solomon W. Barnes. where Aurora lived at the time of her marriage.  Aurora was born on September 1, 1843 in Trigg County the daughter of John Dillard Wimberly and Cynthia F. Barnes Wimberly.  John Dillard was a native of Bertie County, North Carolina. Cynthia was born in Trigg County, and had died at the age of 30 when Aurora was only eight years old.  

After their marriage, Perry, Jr. and Aurora lived with her father and Perry continue his career as a farmer.  By 1870 Perry Jr. has established his own farm and he and Aurora lived separately from her father’s farm.

Perry Jr. continued to be a prominent farmer in Trigg County and in 1889 he was appointed by Kentucky Governor John Feland to a position in the Office of Collector of Internal Revenue for the state of Kentucky. In December 1889 he and Aurora moved to Owensboro, Kentucky to fulfill his duties in his new job.  While Perry’s position with the state government only lasted for four years, Perry Jr. and Aurora continued to make their home in Owensboro the rest of their lives.

Perry, Jr. and Aurora had no children of their own, but they took in several orphan children to raise in their home. One child died when very young but the others were raised to adulthood in the Thomas home. Among the orphans raised in the Thomas household were three sisters, Pop Boyd who later married King Cunningham; Fannie Boyd who married Bart Cannon; and Lou Boyd who married Nathan Wallace. Others raised in the home were Henry Kennedy, Willie Batts, and Eliza Guier who married Will Gregston.  Two individuals, Mary Cayce and Alice Cunningham lived in the household after Perry’s death and were with Aurora during her declining years.

Perry, Jr. died on October 13, 1902 at the age of 67 in his home in Owensboro.  He had been diagnosed with Bright’s disease which is known today as nephritis. He was buried in the Rosehill Elmwood Cemetery in Owensboro. While his funeral was attended by numerous citizens of Owensboro, only one person from Trigg County was known to be in attendance, his brother, Allison W. Thomas. Aurora continued to live in Owensboro after her husband’s death. She died on June 16, 1932 at the age of 88 in the local hospital from injuries sustained from a fall at her home.  She was buried in the Rosehill Elmwood Cemetery next to her husband.

 

 Perry Jr. tombstone

 

Aurora tombstone

 

LINEAGE: (Perry Thomas, Jr. was the son of Perry and Elizabeth Josephine Bridges Thomas and the grandson of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Starkie Emerson "Bud" Bridges -- Prominent Trigg County Farmer

 

Starkie Emerson “Bud” Bridges was born on March 23, 1868 in Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the third of eight children born to Starkie Thomas Bridges and Elizabeth W. Lawrence Bridges.  Starkie was a farmer and both he and Elizabeth were natives of Trigg County.  Bud was a grandson of William Bridges.  

Bud’s siblings were Laura Bridges, born in 1864 and married Alford McClelland Calhoun; Ida Bridges, born in 1866 and married a Jefferson Hargrove; Mary Priscilla Bridges, born in 1872 and married James Robert Harris; Sanford Fayer Bridges, born in 1874 and married Rose Lee Holcomb; Drew Manley Bridges, born in 1875 and married Lena Mae Guier; Effie Bridges, born and died in 1878;  and John Robert Bridges, born in 1883 and married Georgia Mae Hargrove and later married Jesse Lee Williams.  In addition, Drew had one half-sister from his father’s first marriage, Martha Frances Bridges, born in 1853 and married William Henry Sholar and later married John Labon Lawrence.

Bud grew up on the family farm and records indicate that he attended the local schools. As he grew up, he did farm work along with his father.

On September 12, 1895. Bud married Matilda Elizabeth “Lizzie” Wallis.  Lizzie was born on June 23, 1879 in Trigg County.  She was the daughter of Iredell H. Wallis and Peachie Ann Dixon Wallis.  Iredell was a farmer and both he and Peachie were natives of Trigg County.

Bud worked on the family farm until after his marriage at which time he and Lizzie lived with her parents for a period of time and he continued to work as a farmer.  They later settled on their own farm located about four miles west of Cadiz near the site of the Vinson farm. The farm became the family home for several generations of Bud’s family and continued to be owned by his descendants in later years.

Bud and Lizzie were the parents of seven children, 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; Ira Thomas Bridges, born in 1902; Mary Alma Bridges, born in1904 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 Rogers Stallons.

Lizzie died on July 10, 1916 of typhoid fever at the age of 38. She had been ill for several weeks and had died early on a Monday morning and was buried that same afternoon.  Even with such short notice, it was reported that a large crowd attended her funeral.  She was buried in the Lawrence Cemetery in Trigg County.

Bud married for the second time to Rosa Lee Holcomb Bridges who was the widow of his brother Sanford Fayer Bridges.  Rosa was born on April 28, 1875 in Mayfield, Kentucky, the daughter of Jason Holcomb and Margurete Crawford Holcomb.  Bud and Rosa had no children. Rosa died on January 21, 1941, two weeks before Bud died. She was buried in the Maplewood Cemetery in Mayfield.

Bud died on February 4, 1941 at the age of 72 at his home.  He was buried in the Lawrence Cemetery next to his first wife, Matilda Elizabeth "Lizzie".

Bud and Lizzie tombstone

LINEAGE: (Starkie Emerson “Bud” Bridges was the son of Starkie Thomas   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.)

Billie Joe Thomas -- Career Army Soldier

 

Billie Joe Thomas was born on November 17, 1935 in Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the second of six children born to Hubert Jackson “Tige” Thomas and Vada Helena Wallace Thomas.  Hubert operated an automobile body shop and was a native of Trigg County.  Vada was a native of Dover, Tennessee. Billie Joe was a descendant of Starkie Thomas.

Billie Joe’s siblings were Carolyn Sue Thomas, born in 1934 and died at the age of 1 day; triplets Andrew Thomas, 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 later married Clara Ellen McKinney; and Dennis Glyn Thomas, born in 1944 and married Linda Dale Hancock.

Billie Joe grew up in Trigg County and went to the local elementary schools,  He graduated from Trigg County High School in 1955.  In high school, he played the drums in the school band and also played football for four years.  He attended Murray State University for one year and then entered the U.S. Army in 1956.

On September 8, 1959, he married Carolyn Raquel Williams in Princeton, Kentucky.  Raquel was born on March 17, 1940 in Princeton, the daughter of Byron Dempsey Williams and Mildred Norman Greer Williams. Byron was a garage operator and both he and Mildred were  natives of Caldwell County.  Raquel graduated from Princeton High School and went on to graduate from the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana.

After completing a two-year tour of duty with the U.S. Army in 1958. Billie Joe re-entered the Army in July 1959. He served two tours of duty in Korea, the first in October 1962 and the second in July 1966. He also served a tour of duty in Vietnam. Billie Joe, Raquel and his family lived in Leominster, Massachusetts until he retired from the military in 1977 as a Sergeant.  The family then relocated back to Princeton, where Billie Joe received training in the art of woodworking at the Princeton Vocational School.  He also owned and operated a farm near Dawson Springs, Kentucky that had once been the home of Raquel’s grandparents.  Beginning in 1978, Raquel worked as a registered nurse at the Caldwell County Hospital. After their retirement, Billie Joe and Raquel moved to Colo, Iowa which was near the home of their daughter, Barbara.

Billie Joe and Raquel were the parents of three children, Barbara Jo Thomas, born in 1960 and married Russell Alvin Brown and then married Robert Laurence Fears, Jr.; Beth Ann Thomas, born in 1964 and married Timothy Karmen Faul; and Brian Keith Thomas, born in 1966 and married Debra Ann Bratcher.

Raquel died on January 16, 2015 at the age of 74 in Ames, Iowa.  She was buried in the Lucian Thomas Family Cemetery in Trigg County. Billie Joe died on May 14, 2020 at the age of 84 in Ames, Iowa.  He was buried in the Lucian Thomas Family Cemetery next to his wife.

Raquel Williams Thomas

 

Billie tombstone

 

Raquel tombstone

LINEAGE: (Billie Joe Thomas was the son of Hubert Jackson and Vada Helena Wallace Thomas. Hubert was the second child of Lucian M. and Inez B. Crews Thomas.  Lucian was the fourth child 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 Standley Thomas.)