Lola Jo Bridges Gray -- Wife of a Farmer

 

Lola Jo Bridges and Andrew Gray

Lola Jo Bridges was born on October 6, 1901 in Trigg County, Kentucky. She was the oldest of eight children born to Drew Manley Bridges and Lena Mae Guier Bridges.  Drew Manley was a farmer and both he and Lena were natives of Trigg County.  Lola Jo was a descendant of Starkie Bridges.

Lola Jo’s siblings were 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; John Thomas Bridges, born in 1915 and married Mary Henrietta Sumner; Clovis Manley Bridges, born in 1918 and married Ruby Helen Huddleston; and Mosco Doris Bridges, born in 1919 and married Myra Dean Sumner.

Lola Jo lived in the Mount Pleasant community of Trigg County in her youth and attended the local rural schools in the county.

On December 15, 1918, Lola Jo married Andrew Abner Gray at the home of Nathan G. Cunningham, a Justice of the Peace.  Andrew was born on June 27, 1891 in the Mount Pleasant community of  Trigg County, the son of Isaac Mason Gray and Narcissa Elizabeth Cunningham Gray.  Isaac was a farmer and both he and Narcissa were natives of Trigg County.  Before 1981. Andrew worked as a sharecropper in Calloway County, Kentucky before returning to Trigg County.

Lola Jo and Andrew settled in the Mount Pleasant community where Andrew worked as a farmer.  They later moved to the Maple Grove community and lived on Beechy Fork Creek and then settled on a farm on the Old Dover Road.  In 1953, they moved to Cadiz and Andrew worked at the Joe Nunn Sawmill and at the local pallet factory until his retirement.

Andrew and Lola Jo were the parents of five children, Homer Mason Gray, born in 1922 and died at the age of one; George Manley Gray, born in 1924 and married Marilyn Miller Clark; Stella Mae Gray, born in 1925 and married Maurice Alton Thomas; John Marshall Gray, born in 1932 and married Virginia Nell Braboy; and Lola Jewell Gray, born in 1943 and married Robert Arrice Prescott.

Andrew died on December 17, 1963 at the age of 72 at his home in Cadiz.  He was buried in the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Trigg County. Lola Jo died on March 9, 1985 at the age of 83 at the Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz of an apparent heart attack.  She was buried in the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery next to her husband.

Andrew and Lola Jo tombstone

LINEAGE:  (Lola Jo Bridges was the daughter of Drew Manley and Lena Mae Guier Bridges.  Drew was the seventh 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.)

Geneva Lou Calhoun Hopson -- Retail Sales Worker

 

 

Geneva Lou Calhoun was born on June 15, 1925 in Trigg County, Kentucky. She was the oldest of six children born to James Jefferson Calhoun and Ruth Alida Cunningham Calhoun.  James Jefferson was a farmer and both he and Ruth were natives of Trigg County.  Geneva was a descendant of Simco Bridges. 

Geneva’s siblings were James Lacy Calhoun, born in 1927 and married Marlene (last name unknown) and then married Mittie Louise Brueggemeyer; Ernest Dilton Calhoun, born in 1928 and married Naomi Lee Thomas; Rachel Calhoun, born in 1929 and married Jewel Smith Humphries; Sylvia Pearl Calhoun, born in 1933 and married Charles Wilford Marlow and then married John Copp and later married James Myrtle; and Patricia Ann Calhoun, born in 1935 and married Thomas Junior Cameron.

Geneva or Nemie as she was known grew up in Trigg County and attended the rural Trigg County schools.  As a teenager, she and her family lived in the Gracey community.

On July 11, 1942, Nemie married Kenneth Barkley Hopson in Charleston, Missouri.  Kenneth was born on February 19, 1924 in Trigg County, the son of Lee Carlisle Hopson and Bessie Susan Sizemore Hopson.  Lee was a prominent farmer and had served as Trigg County Judge for 13 years. Both he and Bessie were natives of Trigg County.

Kenneth grew up in the Cerulean community of Trigg County and attended the local rural schools.  During World War II he worked at the Vultee Aircraft Corporation in Nashville, Tennessee. He went on to operate the family farm in Cerulean and in 1978 he and Nemie moved to Cadiz.  Kenneth became a heavy equipment operator, a job he worked for over 20 years before retiring in 1984.  Nemie worked in retail sales which included a position with Marcia Anne Shoppe.

Nemie and Kenneth were the parents of two children, Lee Roy Hopson, born in 1943 and married Linda Dean Dunn and later married Edith Louise Whitman. Their daughter,Wanda Sue Hopson, was born in 1947 and married Jeffery Louis Stea, and then married Robert Allison Higgins and later married David Lynn Toms.

Kenneth died on April 2, 1993 at the age of 69 at the Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, Kentucky.  He was buried in the Cerulean Cemetery in Trigg County.  Nemie died on May 18, 2004 at the age of 78 at the Shady Lawn Nursing Center in Cadiz.  She was buried in the Cerulean Cemetery next to her husband.

Geneva tombstone

Kenneth tombstone

LINEAGE: (Geneva Lou “Nemie” Calhoun was the daughter of James Jefferson and Ruth Alida Cunningham Calhoun.  James was the second child of William Archibald “Bill” and Peachie Bridges Calhoun.  Peachie was the seventh 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.)

Joseph Blackford Fowler, Jr. -- Farm Co-op Employee

 

Joseph B. Fowler, Jr.

 

Joseph Blackford Fowler, Jr. was born on July 24, 1926 in Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the third of eight children born to Joseph Blackford Fowler and Alice Thomas Fowler.  Joseph, Sr. and Alice were both natives of Trigg County where Joseph worked as a farmer.  Alice was a granddaughter of Perry Thomas.

Joseph, Jr.’s, siblings were Kenneth Jefferson Fowler, born in 1923 and married Mary Lou Hammonds and later married Nancy Jane McDowell; John Chilton Fowler, born in 1924 and married Goldie Mae Allen and then married Clara Mae Owens and later married Maria Garcia; Barbara Gertrude Fowler, born in 1928 and married Lacy Hopson Sholar; Martha Nell Fowler, born in 1930 and married Jesse Leroy Sholar and later married James Douglas Wade; Maxie Kidell Fowler, born in 1932 and married Margaret Frances Britt; Gracie Jean Fowler, born in 1934 and married Robert Kelly Allen; Dorris Rhea Fowler, born in 1936 and married Shirley Ann Byrd; and Lonnie Hay Fowler, born in 1939 and married Carolyn Louise Gilkey and later married Linda Lewinkind. 

On November 22, 1944, Joe joined the United States Navy.  As a seaman second class, he participated in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of operations during World War II.  He served in the Leyte Gulf in the Philippine. Islands.  His most memorable experience was seeing all the devastation caused by the war on the many islands of the Pacific.  He was discharged from the Navy on April 6, 1946.

Joe married Sarah Frances Major on August 4, 1949.  Sarah was born on October 18, 1928 in the Big Rock community of Stewart County, Tennessee.  She was the daughter of Patrick Howard Major and Sallie Bell Greenhill Major.  Both Patrick and Sallie were natives of Stewart County where Patrick worked as a farmer.  Joe and Sarah had no children.

Joe started his career by working in Louisville for the Louisville Board of Trade as a grain inspector for two years.  He then went to work for the Gold Proof Elevator Company which was a division of the Indiana Farm Bureau Co-op Association.  He served in numerous positions with the company including grain inspector, blender administrative assistant, superintendent and merchandiser. He worked for 27 ½ years for the company before his retirement 

Following his retirement Joe and Sarah moved to Panama City Beach, Florida. 

Sarah died on September 12, 2004 in Panama City, Florida at the age of 75.  She was buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Clarksville, Tennessee.  Joe died on June 16, 2017 in Panama City at the age of 90.  He was buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Clarksville, next to his wife. 

 Joe and Sarah tombstone

 

LINEAGE: (Joseph Blackford Fowler, Jr. was the son of Joseph Blackford, Sr. and Alice Thomas Fowler and the grandson of Chilton Allen and Amanda Ellen Chewning Thomas.  Chilton was the tenth child of Perry and Elizabeth Josephine Bridges Thomas.  Perry was the third child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Katie Louise Dawson Herndon -- Hospital and University Employee

 

Katie Dawson Herndon

Katie Louise Dawson was born on July 2, 1919 in Trigg County, Kentucky. She was the oldest of two daughters born to Roy Dawson and Roberta Darl Carr Dawson.  Roy had worked as a farmer, mechanic and a carpenter and both he and Roberta were natives of Trigg County.  . Katie was a descendant of Drewry Bridges. 

Katie’s sibling was Eddie Grace Dawson, born in 1921 and married Lawrence Eugene Bridges.

Although born in Christian County, Katie’s family moved to Trigg County when she was young and she attended the rural Trigg schools and graduated as valedictorian from Trigg County High School in 1939.  She went on to graduate from Murray State University where she received her teaching degree.

On June 2, 1942, Katie married Clarence Woodrow Herndon in Corpus Christi, Texas.  Woodrow and Katie both grew up in Trigg County but had never met there.  Woodrow had moved to Hazel, Kentucky where he had graduated from Hazel High School in 1936 and had attended Murray State.  Woodrow was born on September 2, 1917 in the Canton community of Trigg County.  He was the son of Seldon Smith Herndon and Jessie Victoria Gower Herndon.  Seldon was a carpenter and a native of Trigg County.  Jessie was a native of Calloway County, Kentucky.

Woodrow enlisted in the U.S. Navy on November 16, 1937 and received his basic training at Great Lakes, Illinois.  He served on several ships in the Atlantic and Pacific and was honorably discharged on November 3, 1941 as an aviation radioman first class.  Less than a month later, Pearl Harbor was bombed and Woodrow was again called for service and he re-enlisted in the Navy on March 19, 1942.  He was stationed at the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi when he married Katie.  He served on several ships in the Pacific area including at Okinawa.  After more than nine years he received his last honorable discharge from the Navy in March 1946.

Katie and Woodrow settled in Murray where he went back to school at Murray State, and earned his bachelor’s degree in 1949.  He worked as an instructor in the Electronics Department at Murray State for two years and then accepted a position with Union Carbide Corporation in Paducah, Kentucky.  Katie and Woodrow continued to live in Murray while he commuted to his job in Paducah for 29 years until his retirement.  Katie worked at the Murray-Calloway County Hospital and at Murray State for several years.

Katie and Woodrow were the parents of four children, Clarence Woodrow Herndon, Jr. born in 1943 and married Donna Ruth Grogan; Robert Michael Herndon, born in 1947 and married Jen Elizabeth Brady; Nancy Carol Herndon, born in 1955 and married Steven Lane Herndon and later married Dennis N. Whittaker; and Elizabeth Ann Herndon, born in 1960 and married Loyren American Horse.

Woodrow died on May 14, 2006 at the age of 88 at the Murray-Calloway County Hospital in Murray.  He was buried in the Murray City Cemetery. Katie died on June 16, 2012 at the age of 92 at the Mills Health and Rehabilitation Center in Mayfield, Kentucky.  She was buried in the Murray City Cemetery next to her husband.

Katie and Woodrow

 

Young Katie and Woodrow at MSU

 

Katie and Woodrow tombstone

LINEAGE: (Katie Louise Dawson was the daughter of Roy and Roberta Darl Carr Dawson.  Roberta was the first child of Meredith Clay and Eddie Adeline Bridges Carr.  Eddie Adeline was the eleventh 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.)

Harriet Bridges Alexander --Farmer's Wife and Teacher

 

Harriet Divinia Bridges was born on July 3, 1892 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  She was one of ten children born to William Joseph Bridges and Sarah Wills Bridges. William Joseph was a farmer and a native of Trigg County.  Sarah was a native of  Mississippi.  Harriet was a granddaughter of Simco Bridges.

Harriet’s siblings were Cornelius Neal Bridges, born in 1873 and married Emma Jean Sons and later married Willie Rasco; Robert Lee Bridges, born in 1876 and married Lula Wade; Luther Edward Bridges, born in 1879 and married Cora Lula Banister; Julia Belle Bridges, born in 1881 and married Lemuel James Banister; Emma Skaggs Bridges, born in 1884 and married Robert Terrell; Joseph Franklin Bridges, born in 1886 and married Lula Pearl Ricks; Lemuel Porter Bridges, born in 1889 and died at the age of five; Grace Mae Bridges, born in 1896 and married Ernest Henry Barber; and Ora Lee Bridges, born in 1899 and married Homer Hall.

Harriet grew up in the Siloam community of Trigg County and attended the Cadiz schools.  Prior to her marriage, she was a teacher in a private school in the southern part of Trigg County where she lived with her brother, Cornelius Neal.

On June 2, 1912, Harriet married Hulett Albert Alexander.  Hulett was born on September 23, 1889 in the Siloam community of Trigg County, the son of Edward Franklin Alexander and Add Eliza Hendricks Alexander.  Both Edward and Add were natives of Trigg County and Edward was a prominent farmer of the community.

After their marriage, Hulett and Harriet lived on his father’s farm in Camp Hollow for two years.  They then purchased their own farm which was known as the Sanders Place where they lived and raised their family.  Hulett worked as a farmer for his entire life.

Hulett and Harriet were the parents of four children.  They were Dewey Clifton Alexander, born in 1915 and married Sylvia Dale Allen, and then married Lottie Halberg, Barbara Barnhart, Evelyn Woodrow Cobb and Virginia Law McCraw; Clarence Layton Alexander, born in 1918 and married Mamie Ethel Joiner; Eleanor Christine Alexander, born in 1928 and married Marion Willard Wood; and Martha Nell Alexander, born in 1933 and married Lacy Clayton Dixon.

Hulett died on July 1, 1968 at the age of 78 at the Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz.  He was buried in the Siloam Cemetery in the community where he was born and he and Harriet had lived their entire lives.  Harriet died on December 29, 1980 at the age of 88 in the St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights, Illinois.  She had been living with her daughter, Martha Nell Dixon in Crete, Illinois at the time of her death.  She was buried in the Siloam Cemetery next to her husband.

Hulett and Harriet

 

 Hulett and Harriet tombstone

LINEAGE: (Harriet Divinia Bridges was the daughter of William Joseph and Sarah Wills Bridges. William Joseph was the first 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.)

Nida Merle Ford Downs -- Gift Shop Operator

 

Burwick and Merle Ford Downs

Nida Merle Ford was born on February 16, 1924 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  She was the youngest of the seven children of William Albert Ford and Annie Emmaline Bridges Ford.  William was a farmer and both he and Annie were natives of Trigg County.  Merle was a descendant of Simco N. Bridges.

Merle’s siblings were Henry Kirklin Ford, born in 1906 and died at the age of two days; Betty Earle Ford, born in 1907 and married Thomas Odell Adams; Mavis Lorene Ford, born in 1909 and married James Franklin Wolfe; Willie Glenn Ford, born in 1915 and died at the age of one; Elaine Marie Ford, born in 1917 and married Troy Amos “Dave” Calhoun; and Howard Blane Ford, born in 1919 and married Irma Maxine Williams.

On April 24, 1943 Merle married James Burwick Downs in Charleston, Missouri.  Burwick was born on December 29, 1921 in Trigg County, the son of John McKinley Downs and Flora R. Williams Downs  John was a farmer and a heavy equipment operator and both he and Flora were natives of Trigg County.

Both Merle and Burwick went to elementary school in the local rural Trigg County schools and Merle graduated from Trigg County High School.  After their marriage they settled on a farm in the Boyds Hill community near Linton, Kentucky.  During World War II, Burwick taught grade school at the Graham School.

Burwick’s father had purchased a farm located on Highway 68 which Burwick operated for several years.  He then went to work as parts manager for the Henry White Chevrolet Company, later Boggess Chevrolet in Cadiz, Kentucky.  In 1965, Burwick and Merle built and opened the Downs Gable Shop on Highway 68 which later became the Stuckeys Pecan Shoppe. In 1966, they opened the Bar-Ken Bait Shop next door to the Stuckeys.  They later built the Downs Gyp Joint which dealt with collectibles and junktiques.  In addition to these endeavors, Merle worked at the International Shoe Factory in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. 

Merle and Burwick had no children.

Burwick died on December 13, 2002 at the age of 80 at the Murray-Calloway County Hospital in Murray, Kentucky.  He was buried in the Lawrence Cemetery in Trigg County.  Merle died on November 21, 2011 at the age of 87 at the Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz.  She was buried in the Lawrence Cemetery next to her husband.

Burwick and Merle

 

Merle and Burwick tombstone

LINEAGE: (Nida Merle Ford was the daughter of William Albert and Annie Emmaline Bridges Ford.  Annie Emmaline was the third child of Alfred Franklin and Lou Ella Turner 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.)

Alfred Leslie Cunningham -- Shoe Factory Employee

 

Alfred Leslie Cunningham

Alfred Leslie Cunningham was born on September  19, 1927 on Beechy Fork Creek in Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the third of six children of George Clyde Cunningham and Robbie Bell Bridges Cunningham. Clyde was a farmer and both he and Robbie were natives of Trigg County.  Alfred Leslie was a descendant of Cullen Bridges, Cullen Thomas and Starkie Bridges. 

Alfred’s siblings were Aubrey Hershel Cunningham, born in 1923 and married Anna Josephine Calhoun and later married Velina Guess England; Albert Dale Cunningham, born in 1925 and died in World War II; Dolly Mae Cunningham, born in1930 and married William Ray Stokes and later married Thomas Davis Rawlins; Martha Rhea Cunningham, born in 1934 and married Charles Robert Quarles; and Mava Dale Cunningham, born in 1946 and married Paul Raymond Brown.

Alfred grew up in the Maple Grove community and attended the local rural schools.  Alfred earned the nickname of “Pee Wee” in school.  In January 1951 Alfred enlisted In the U.S. Army.  He went to basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky.  He was then sent overseas to Bremerhaven, Germany in August of 1952 and then was sent to Aschaffenburg, Germany where he was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division.  He served there until he was discharged from the army in January 1953.

On May 27, 1950, Alfred married Joe Hazel Bush.  Joe was born on July 14, 1935 in Trigg County, the daughter of William Amos “Stub” Bush and Irene Louise Bullock Bush.  William was a farmer and both he and Irene were natives of Trigg County. 

After leaving the military, Alfred and Joe settled in Hopkinsville, Kentucky where Alfred went to work at the International Shoe Company.  He worked there for 35 years until the plant closed.  He then went to work for the International Paper Company in Hopkinsville.  Joe Hazel also worked at the International Shoe Company until she retired after working there for 28 years.  After her retirement she worked as a hostess at the Hunan Restaurant in Hopkinsville.

Alfred and Joe Hazel had no children.

Joe Hazel died on January 28, 2007 at the age of 71 at the Jennie Stuart Medical Center in Hopkinsville of an apparent heart attack.  She was buried in the Siloam Cemetery in Trigg County.  Alfred died on April 5, 2021 at the age of 93 at his home.  He was buried in the Siloam Cemetery next to his wife.

Joe Hazel

Alfred and Joe tombstone

LINEAGE:  (Alfred Leslie Cunningham was the son of George Clyde and Robbie Bell Bridges Cunningham.  George Clyde was the third child of Elmer Elsworth “Ell” and Rosa Lee Bridges Cunningham.  Rosa Lee was the seventh child of Cullen T. and Martha Ann 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 Manley 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 Charity Cohoon Bridges.  Martha Ann was the third child of Peyton and Sarah Ethridge Thomas.  Peyton was the third child of Cullen and Elizabeth Futrell Thomas.  Cullen was the first child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)