John Robert Vinson, Sr. -- Banker and Mayor

 

 

John Robert Vinson, Sr. had family roots in Trigg County, Kentucky and later became a prominent citizen of the county, but he was born in Arkansas on December 5, 1871.

His grandfather, Thomas Allison Vinson was born in Stewart County, Tennessee and married Emeline Thomas of Trigg County in 1845.   John Robert’s father, Henry Cullen Vinson was born in 1847. Unfortunately Emeline died in 1852 at the young age of 24.  Thomas Allison subsequently married Alpha Gemima Sholar on March 30, 1853. After the Civil War, he moved his family to Arkansas. His son, Henry Cullen Vinson who had married Mary Catherine Sumner of Trigg County joined his father in Arkansas and it was there that John Robert was born on December 5, 1871 in the town of Austin, Arkansas located in Lonoke County.  His brother Jesse Monroe Vinson was also born in Arkansas. His two older siblings, Alfred Thomas Vinson and Alice Lula Vinson had been born in Kentucky, as later his youngest sibling Clyde Herman Vinson was born in Kentucky.

When John Robert was seven years old, his parents returned to Trigg County in a covered wagon. He became a graduate of the University of Kentucky.  He lived in the Warrenton Community and taught school for several years.

On November 10, 1898, he married Willie Armstrong and they had one daughter, Nora Lucille Vinson who was born in 1899.  After Willie died in 1902 at the age of 25, John Robert married his second wife, Gertrude Wilson on December 12, 1905. John Robert and Gertrude moved to Cadiz and they became the parents of two children, Henry Richard Vinson born in 1906 and John Robert “Jack” Vinson, Jr. who was born in 1912.

John Robert was associated with the Cadiz Bank and Trust Company for 30 years.  He served most of that time as a cashier and was acting president at the time the bank closed in 1932 in the middle of the Great Depression.  He had also operated an insurance agency in Cadiz which was established in 1906.

Mr.  Vinson was a prominent leader of the Cadiz city government for 28 years.  He served as a member of the City Council for eight years and then was elected mayor of Cadiz for which he served for two decades.

After his wife died in 1953, he made his home with his son, John Robert, Jr. and his family.  On December 31, 1962, John Robert died at the age of 91.  He was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz, Kentucky with his wife, Gertrude.

LINEAGE: 

(John Robert Vinson, Sr. was the son of Henry Cullen and Mary Catherine Sumner Vinson, grandson of Thomas Allison and Emeline Thomas Vinson and great-grandson of Cullen and Elizabeth Futrell Thomas.  Cullen Thomas was the first child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Timothy Mark Crutchfield -- Amateur Writer

 

Tim Crutchfield was born on March 5, 1966 in St. Louis, Missouri, the oldest son of Dennis Crutchfield and Margaret Douthitt Crutchfield.  When he was two days old, they moved to Cape Girardeau, Missouri and when he was nine months old they settled in Graves County, Kentucky.

He graduated from Mayfield High School in Mayfield, Kentucky and went on to earn a degree in Criminal Justice from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau.  He later settled in Dexter, Missouri.

As a young child he was encouraged to read by his mother and was already reading at a 4th grade level by the time he was in the 1st grade. Even at a young age, he had a keen interest in political history as a hobby. He had the Presidents memorized by 3rd grade and the Prime Ministers of Canada memorized by 5th grade.  He started writing short stories at a young age and even created his own comic books. He became an avid reader with his reading interests including Stephen King and Edgar Allen Poe, but he read anything he could get his hands on. His reading frequently centered on politics and history.

In October of 2015, he published his first novel, Spirit and Image, which was self published and is available on Amazon. The story came to him 20 years before he published it but he had difficulty putting it into writing.  With encouragement from his fellow writers, he finished it after those 20 years of writer’s block.  The majority of the book was written while sitting beside his wife’s hospital bedside where she was in a coma after a car accident.  His wife was in the coma for over five years until her death.

Tim also had a great interest in cemeteries since he was a kid.  It always bothered his parents who called it a "morbid hobby".   But he felt his cemetery interest paid off, since cemeteries have helped his knowledge of History. As an adult when he visited a city he would visit their local cemetery or cemeteries and search for famous graves   He would then take pictures and post them to the Find-a-Grave website if they are not already posted.  Tim posted over 11,000 memorials to the Find-a-Grave website as well as adding over 15,000 photos.

In April of 2000, he became the youngest elected Alderman in Dexter, Missouri and the second youngest Alderman to ever sit on the Council.  He also became the first Alderman to be of Native American Descent (He was 1/8 Cherokee.) He was also the first elected Republican from his Ward. He was reelected on April 2nd, 2002.  He lost in 2004, but was elected again in 2006.

Tim died on November 7, 2017. Tim’s obituary did not mention any of the accomplishments stated above. It simply said he was a cashier at the Wal-Mart in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.  He was buried in the Wingo Cemetery in Wingo, Kentucky.

The cover of Tim Crutchfield's novel Spirit and Image

Tim and his wife Tracy standing in front of the Woolridge Monuments in Mayfield, Kentucky, holding their local newspaper. They won a month’s free subscription to the newspaper for this photo.

LINEAGE:

(Timothy Mark Crutchfield was the son of Dennis Russell and Margaret Douthitt Crutchfield, the grandson of Louis Jesse and Reba Dean Martin Douthitt, the great grandson of William Luther and Ollie Esther Pritchard Martin and the great-great grandson of John Wesley and Dora Mae Bridges Pritchard.  Dora Mae was the third child of James C. and Mary Calhoon Bridges.  James C. was the sixth child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.  Mary Thomas was the fifth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Hilda Williams Bridges -- Teacher and Genealogist

 

 

Forest Hilda Williams was born on April 7, 1918, in Trigg County, Kentucky at the family farm of her parents, Thomas G. and Vara T. Williams. The family farm is now the entrance to Lake Barkley State Resort Park on Highway 68, near Cadiz, Kentucky. She attended Canton Grade School, and graduated from Cadiz High School in 1936.  She later graduated from Murray State College, now University, in Murray, Kentucky.

Her first teaching assignment was at the one-room Crossroads School in rural southern Trigg County.   Later she was a faculty member at Uniontown and Morganfield Elementary schools, and Union County High School in Union County, Kentucky where she was responsible for developing and operating the first high school audio visual department in the region.

In February, 1945, she married Gilbert N. Bridges, also a native of Trigg County. His occupation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers took them to Lock No. 49 near Evansville, Indiana, and Lock No. 49 in Union County, Kentucky. Upon retirement in 1974, they again made their residence in Trigg County. After Gilbert’s death in 2003 she made her home in Murray, Kentucky in 2007. 

Gilbert and Hilda were recognized for their historical and genealogical interests, having published a definitive Thomas and Bridges History. They were also contributing editors to The Trigg County History and she participated in preparing Canton on the Cumberland. They were among the 29 original organizing charter members of the Thomas-Bridges Association, both having served in supportive and leadership roles.

Hilda wrote the preface to her husband’s book, History of the Thomas Bridges Family, in which she vividly describes the early years of the Donaldson Creek area where the two families settled and tells of the hardships and drudgery of growing up in those pioneer times.  She ended her preface by asking our family to “…never, ever forget our ancestors and the role they played in bringing us, their descendants, into this land of milk and honey.”

Hilda was also known for her talent in voice and piano. She was a member of Cadiz Baptist Church, The James Thomas Chapter of the National Society for the Daughters of the American Revolution, Ophelia Chapter No. 55 of the Eastern Star, the Thomas-Bridges Association, the Trigg County Historical Society and other civic and benevolent organizations. 

At the age of nine, she witnessed the untimely death of her eldest brother, Gillis T. Williams and vowed to her mother she would name her first child in his honor.  In June 1946, Hilda gave birth to her and Gilbert’s only child and she fulfilled her promise to her mother by naming their son, Gillis Aaron Bridges after her brother.

Hilda died on May 2, 2012 in Murray, Kentucky and was buried with her husband in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz, Kentucky.

LINEAGE:

(Forest Hilda Williams Bridges was the daughter of Thomas Green and Johnnie Vara Thomas Williams, the granddaughter of William Henry and Sidney Dyer Thomas and the great granddaughter 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.  Mary was the seventh child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

Bertie E. Battoe -- A Tragic Teen Death

The following is the September 14, 1902 news article which tells the tragic death of Miss Bertie E. Battoe, one of our family members living in the Donaldson Creek community at that time. She was born in January 1887 in Trigg County, Kentucky and is buried in the Drury Bridges Cemetery in the Maple Grove Community.  Warning: some of the descriptions in the article are somewhat graphic.

Horrible Was the Death of Miss Battoe Last Sunday
Dragged By Run-away Horse
Caused By Firing Pistol On the Public Highway
And Two Young Men Charged With Murder Trial Today

The death of Miss Bertie Battoe, a young lady sixteen years of age, which occurred near Canton last Sunday, and the circumstances leading up to it, compose one of the most horrible deeds ever recorded in these columns.

On Saturday night Miss Battoe, in company with George D. Cunningham, son of Mr. Dab Cunningham, attended preaching at South Union, about three miles above Canton in the Donaldson Creek country.
About ten o'clock service broke up and this young couple like everybody else, started home. When a hundred or two yards from the church someone fired a pistol several times near them, causing the horse they were driving to run away. After going a short distance the buggy struck a bank and young Cunningham was thrown out and dashed against the ground several feet away. Miss Battoe remained in the buggy for several yards further, when she was also thrown out. No one absolutely knows, but from the circumstances, some of her clothing evidently caught in the buggy and she was dragged a hundred and twelve steps. It was a very rough road, and her body was horribly mangled. Her life had simply been beaten out against the ground as the horse ran. Her teeth were nearly all knocked out, locks of her hair were torn out by roots, her face cut and scarred, and her body bruised and mangled. She never regained consciousness and was removed to the home of William Upton nearby, where she died Sunday at twelve o'clock.

Warrants were issued Sunday night for the arrest of Berry (Pos as he is familiarly called) Hendon, son of Jim Hendon, who lives just across Cumberland River from the mouth of Donaldson Creek, and Joe Calhoon, son of Griff Calhoon, who lives on the east side of the river. They were charged with willful murder and with malice aforethought causing the death of the young lady. The warrants were placed in the hands of Constable Blair Guier, who made the arrest Monday and brought them to Cadiz. They were arraigned before County Judge Bingham and their examining trial set for today and the defendants sent to jail without bond. The boys deny that they did the shooting. Mr. Calhoon, the father of Joe Calhoon, accompanied the boys when the officer brought them to Cadiz, and says he will have no trouble in proving his son clear. Both of the boys are under twenty-one, and Hendon is very small to his age. Miss Battoe, was the eldest daughter of Edwin Battoe, of Maple Grove, and was a beautiful girl and a social favorite. The remains were buried Monday at the C. T. Bridges grave yard.


 

LINEAGE:

(Bertie E. Battoe was the daughter of James Edwin and Malinda Hawkins Battoe and the granddaughter of James J. and Charity S. Bridges Battoe.  Charity was the tenth child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.  Mary Thomas was the fifth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Ghent Alfred Bridges -- Genealogist, Teacher and Businessman

 

Ghent Alfred  (G. A.) Bridges was born on May 3, 1867, the oldest child of Cullen T. Bridges and Virginia Thomas Bridges.  He grew up on Beechy Fork Creek in the Maple Grove Community of Trigg County.  On May 8, 1890, he married the former Nettie Linden Cunningham and they became the parents of four children, three boys and one girl.

Ghent A. Bridges is most noted for writing and publishing the first history of the Thomas- Bridges families of Trigg County.  His original book was only 84 pages long.  Ghent spent years of time-consuming and at times frustrating research on the book as he worked to make the book a reality.  Ghent became interested in learning more about the family history when he first read the sketch of the family history by Perry Thomas, his great uncle.  Perry wrote the sketch in 1886 just a few months before he died.  Ghent read the sketch when he was a teenager but it was not until several years later, in the 1920’s, that Ghent started his research work on the family.  He sent out letters to numerous folks with the Thomas or Bridges name that lived in North Carolina and finally to people all across the United States seeking to research and create the definitive family tree.  He only made one trip out of Trigg County to do his research and that was to visit the Old Brick Church in Smithfield, Virginia.  With the help of his cousin, Marston Thomas, a printer, he published the 84 page book which included 20 pictures and two pages of advertising.  The exact number of copies printed is unknown, but is thought to be less than 100 copies.  It had a soft, brown cover and was stapled together and was on sale at the 1928 Thomas-Bridges reunion for 75 cents.  Today original copies of the volume are hard to find and are considered family heirlooms.  The book was reprinted in 1960 and again in 2016 for later generation members.

Ghent along with his brothers operated a business known as the Bridges Brothers Nursery, which helped to supply many an orchard in Trigg County with fruit trees. This nursery, located on the farm of Ghent’s father, Cullen T.  Bridges, in the Maple Grove community, was operated by his sons

The nursery supplied a wide variety of fruit trees including apple, pear, peach, plum and cherry and in addition, it also supplied grapevines, rose bushes and ornamental shrubs.  The Bridges brothers did their own grafting and set the seedlings out to grow to suitable size for transplanting.  The business was established prior to 1908 and closed before World War I.

Ghent was also noted as an early photography expert.  He and his wife, Nettie, maintained a photography studio in their home which included a darkroom where they could develop their own film.  Ghent loved to experiment with photography and several of his photos show double images of his subject. He liked to develop photos on surfaces other than paper.  In particular he developed photos on cloths which could be framed.  He developed large two by three feet photos that were especially suitable for a wall frame.

Another job in Ghent Bridges resume was that of a school teacher.  Ghent began teaching in 1886 in the county public schools when he was only 19 years old.   Upon his death, he was said to have been the oldest active teacher in point of service in the county as he had taught for forty-seven school years.

In the 1800’s and early 1900’s teachers were not required to have formal training. These early grammar school teachers rarely had any education beyond what they have acquired in the very schools where they have to teach.  And this was the case with Ghent Bridges when he taught in the one room school house at Maple Grove School. For many years Ghent taught at this school as well as other schools in the county. 

Ghent liked to keep records.  He maintained meticulous accounting records for the family nursery business.  He also recorded a journal or diary of events in Trigg County from the late 1890’s up until his death in 1938.  His journal included a recording of all the deaths that occurred in the county during that period as well as his comments on the weather, local fires that took place, prices of food and agricultural products and current events. An example of his diary was this entry for October 8, 1918 at the end of World War I and the developing flu epidemic:

         This month in the good year 1918 will go down in both national and local history
         as having more happy and tragic events that has transpired in many months before.
         The greatest war which humanity has even known came to a close in this month.
         Preliminary articles of peace and a complete surrender was signed by Germany and
         on the eleventh, hostilities ceased.  The call for soldiers were immediately
         suspended and plans for disbanding a great many soldiers were begun. There was a
         new outbreak of Spanish flu and many persons died.  Five of the family of Mrs. J. L. B.
         Darnell died including Mrs. Darnell herself.  Four boys out of John Randolph’s family
         died.  John W. Kelly and Daniel H. Hillman also died about the same time and many
         others died In other parts of the county.

Ghent A. Bridges died on April 15, 1938 and is buried along with his wife Nettie in the Drury Bridges Cemetery in the Maple Grove Community.

First Maple Grove School in the 1800s

 

LINEAGE:

(Ghent Alfred Bridges was the son of Cullen Thomas and Martha Virginia Thomas Bridges and the grandson of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.  Mary Thomas was the fifth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Virginia Thomas Alexander -- Civic Leader and Businesswoman

 

 

 

Virginia Dare Thomas was born on June 24, 1923 at home on the Thomas family farm, 3 1/2 miles west of Cadiz, on the Maple Grove Road.  She was one of four children of Eura W. and Pearl Lawrence Thomas. Virginia finished 7th grade of school at Warrenton Grade School, and later graduated from the 8th grade at Cadiz Grade School. After graduating from Trigg County High School, she enrolled in Newton's Business College in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

On April 8, 1949, Virginia married Rumsey H. "Pete" Alexander. They had no children, but always cared for the three children of Virginia's sister, Doris Thomas Skinner, as their own children.

Virginia was offered a job as secretary at the Trigg County Extension Office in the courthouse in early 1941. She also served as secretary of Trigg County Farm Bureau and Trigg County Soil Improvement Coop, Inc. Eleven years later, Virginia became a member of the Trigg County Democratic Party. She was appointed for a two year term to fill the unexpired term of R. C. Burnett, the Trigg County Circuit Court Clerk at the time.

On August 5, 1953 Virginia was the first woman elected to hold the office of Trigg County Circuit Court Clerk. She was never opposed in this office for a span of 20 years. During this time, she served as Master Commissioner of the Court, appointed by Circuit Judge Stephen White. In 1953, she was also named as secretary/treasurer of Trigg County American Red Cross, a position she would hold until 1994. Additionally, Virginia was also the first woman to serve as president of the Cadiz-Trigg County Chamber of Commerce.

Virginia continued her political pursuits by serving as local chairwoman for many state and national candidates, including John F. Kennedy for President, Lawrence Weatherby, Bert Combs, and Ned Breathitt for Governor of the Commonwealth. In 1973, Virginia ran for the office of Trigg County Clerk, an office which she easily won. She ran for her fourth term as Trigg County Clerk, but unfortunately lost this election. Disappointed, but not discouraged, she ran and won a two year term as a member of the Cadiz City Council with the largest number of votes in that election. This enabled Virginia to continue her volunteer work for the people of Trigg County, thus ending her political career of 40 years.

One of the great projects of Virginia's life was being one of ten business women in Trigg County to found the Barkley Lake Broadcasting Company - Radio Station WKDZ. Virginia and a group of retail merchants organized the Cadiz Retail Merchants' Association in the late 1950's. In 1962, the Retail Merchants' Association was disbanded, and the Trigg County Chamber of Commerce was organized. Virginia served as secretary until 1974, and in 1991 and 1992, she served as Vice President and then President of the Chamber of Commerce.

Another great progress for Trigg County in which Virginia was involved was the founding of the Trigg County Hospital in the early 1950's. She served as secretary to the hospital committee. Virginia also served as a member of the Trigg County Sesquicentennial Committee. At the time, she was acting president of the Trigg County Business and Professional Women's Club, and in 1976, the group elected Virginia as Business Woman of the Year, honoring her during the Sesquicentennial.

Virginia also was a charter member of the Thomas-Bridges Association and served as President of the organization as well as other offices. She had a keen interest in the genealogy of her family and the perpetuation of the legacy of the Thomas-Bridges family. She was also very influential in the local and state chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Virginia Dare Thomas Alexander died on May 16, 2019, and was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz, Kentucky.

 

LINEAGE:

(Virginia Dare Thomas Alexander was the daughter of Eura Wesley and Lucy Pearl Lawrence Thomas, the granddaughter of Wesley Gunn and Eliza L. Henderson Thomas and the great-granddaughter 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.  Mary was the seventh child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

The Champion Murders -- A Family Tragedy

 

Joy Allen and Lindsey Champion both attended and knew each other at Trigg County High School in Cadiz, Kentucky.  Soon after they graduated they were married.  Joy became a school teacher and Lindsey worked with the Farm Credit Services Office in Cadiz. The Champions had difficulty having children so in 1979, they adopted a son they named Ryan.  Fortunately, a few years later they were able to have a daughter, who was born in 1983 and was named Emily.

The Champions were a well-respected family in rural Trigg County outside of Cadiz. Lindsey Champion was active in the farming community; his wife was a former Teacher of the Year in the local public schools. Emily Champion had graduated Western Kentucky University and had completed her studies to become a veterinarian at Auburn University. 

On Sunday morning, October 26, 2014, Joy and Lindsey returned from church to their country home.  Their two adult children had not attended church with them and were alone at their home.

Police authorities were called to the Champions' home shortly before noon on that Sunday. There, Emily Champion, 31, who had worked five years as a veterinarian in Louisiana; her parents, Lindsey, 62, and Joy, 60, Champion; and an apparent assailant, 22 year-old Vito Riservato, were found dead.  All four bodies were found in or around the home, all suffering from gunshot wounds.  Emily had been restrained by duct tape during the attack.

Ryan Champion told police he was home at the time of the killings, and Riservato was initially identified as the killer. Ryan was treated and released from a local hospital that evening. He later talked with a local TV station about the case, saying only that he was home when the killings occurred and that he had "turned the tables" on the killer, Vito Riservato, of nearby Hopkinsville.

Through their weeklong investigation, KSP detectives realized that the events given by Ryan Champion did not “add up”.  By the end of the week, the Kentucky State Police arrested Ryan Champion, and formally charged him with the Sunday deaths of his sister and their parents. He was also charged with the death of Vito Riservato, 22, who police had earlier said was the Champions' suspected killer.  Ryan had apparently conspired with Riservato on a “murder for hire” plot to commit the murders, but later turned the tables and killed him.

Ryan was held for trial for the murders, but prior to the start of his trial in December, 2016, Ryan avoided the possibility of the death penalty by pleading guilty to four counts of murder.  He also pleaded guilty to kidnapping in an agreement that called for Champion to be sent to prison for life without the possibility of parole.

On January 27, 2017 Ryan Champion, was formally sentenced by his presiding judge to life with no chance of parole over the 2014 killings.  He did not show any sign of remorse during the sentencing, and refused to speak when asked to by the judge. 

 Ryan Champion at his sentencing before the judge

LINEAGE:

(Emily Kathryn Champion was the daughter of Boyd Lindsey and Joy Madolen Allen Champion. Joy was the daughter of John Henry and Madolen Rivers Downs Allen, the granddaughter of James Orval and Daisy Pearl Bridges Allen and the great granddaughter of William Henry and Sarah Elizabeth Lancaster Bridges. Sarah 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.  Mary Thomas was the fifth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Joe Myatt Mays, Jr. -- Actor

Joe Myatt Mays, Jr. was born to Joe Myatt Sr. and Nancy Belle Lay Mays in Little Rock, Arkansas on February 25, 1948.  He grew up in Marshall, Arkansas, a small town of about 1,300 people in Searcy County located about 80 miles from Little Rock.

Joe showed an interest in acting at an early age.  In 1969, he was a student at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas and had a major role in Hendrix College Player’s production of “Beggar on Horseback” and Somerset Maugham’s “The Circle” along with his fellow collegiate actors. In 1971, he continued his education at the University of Arkansas and toured Arkansas with the University of Arkansas Touring Children’s Theatre appearing in such plays as “The Mouse King” in which he played the part of “The dog”. 

 After college, Joe settled in New York City where he began his professional career as a stage, television and movie actor.  He initially began performing professionally in numerous off-Broadway shows. In 1977, he moved to Hollywood and became a frequent guest star on television.  He appeared in bit parts in several TV series including Rhoda, Happy Days, The Dukes of Hazzard, L. A. Law, Family Matters, The Golden Girls, Matlock, Jake and the Fatman and numerous others. Mays is probably best known as his role as the polygamist on L. A. Law.  His last TV appearance was in 1991 in an episode of The Golden Girls titled Rose Loves Miles in which he played the part of the Maitre D’.

He was a character actor who appeared in over a dozen feature films.  He can be seen in Angel on My Shoulder (1980), The Last Innocent Man (1987), Spontaneous Combustion (1990), The Seventh Sign (1988), and Future Kick (1991) along with numerous TV movies and mini-series. His final role was in 1992 in the movie, Mr. Saturday Night which starred Billy Crystal and Helen Hunt.

Joe Mays died on January 27, 1994 in Little Rock, Arkansas from complications of AIDS. He was 45 years old.  Survivors included his father, two sisters, a brother, two nieces and three nephews.  He is buried in the East Lawn Cemetery in his home town of Marshall, Arkansas.

LINEAGE:

(Joe Myatt Mays, Jr. was the son of Joe Myatt, Sr. and Nancy Belle Lay Mays, grandson of Buchanan Hammond and Claudia Elizabeth Myatt Mays, great-grandson of James Hardy and Permelia Emily Vinson Myatt and the great-great grandson of Thomas Allison and Alpha Gemima Sholar Vinson.  Alpha Gemima was the ninth child of Allen and Jemima Bridges Sholar.  Jemima was the first child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges)

Drewry Bridges -- Early Trigg County Kentucky Pioneer

Drewry Bridges, one of eleven children and the fourth son of William and Mary Thomas Bridges, was born January 20, 1827.  He was named for his grandfather Drury Bridges, the early Trigg County pioneer who came from North Carolina to Kentucky in 1804.  On October 25, 1849 he married Peaches “Peachie” Ann Tart who was the daughter of Richard P. and Elizabeth “Betsy” Lawrence Tart.  The ceremony was performed by James Thomas, Jr., a justice of the peace and uncle of the groom.

Drewry acquired the home place where his father William had settled, and eventually became one of the most successful farmers and livestock breeders in Trigg County.  He had always been a farmer and enjoyed the distinction of being perhaps the most prosperous citizen of his community.

Eleven children were born to Drewry and Peachie:  Henrietta Gabriella, Mary Louisa, James Fillmore, William Henry, John Richard, Durwood Stanley, Martha Elizabeth, Drewry E., Creta, Peachie Ellen and Eddie Adeline. All their children grew into adulthood except James Fillmore, Drewry E. and Creta, who died in childhood.

Peachie Ann, his wife, died on March 26, 1884 at the age of 50.  Three years later on June 13, 1887, Drewry married his second wife, Nancy “Nannie” Gresham.  Nannie was the daughter of James Lawson and Mary Shirley Gresham.  They had two children, Garland Drew, and Hugh who died July 11, 1895, at the age of five.  Nannie died on July 7, 1901.

He was a member of Donaldson Creek Baptist Church for more than sixty years, and was active in the Canton Masonic Lodge.  He died at his home near Maple Grove on July 4, 1916, at the age of eighty-nine years, outliving all his brothers and sisters.  He and Peachie, his first wife, are buried in the William Bridges Cemetery in Trigg County, Kentucky.  Nannie, his second wife and their son Hugh, are buried in “the garden”, a site once used as a vegetable garden located to the right of their home.

His obituary stated that “He was a man of fine judgment, enjoyed a large circle of friends, and until failing health overtook him, was always found in the front of any movement looking to the betterment of his county and community and for the uplift of mankind generally.  Mr. Bridges always lived a life that his family and friends delighted in pointing to with pride.  For almost a year he had been one of five living generations, a distinction that come to but few people.”

Peachie Ellen, Drewry, Martha Elizabeth, Peachie Ann and Eddie Adeline

The Drewry Bridges Homeplace

 

LINEAGE:

(Drewry Bridges was the fourth child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.  Mary Thomas was the fifth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

William Orval Allen, Jr. -- Crop-Dusting Pilot Flying Winner

 

William Orval “Billy” Allen was born on December 18, 1936 in Pickwick Dam in Hardin County, Tennessee, one of three children of William Orval, Sr. and Ruth Moorefield Allen.  On July 7, 1962 he married Betty Jo Cossey of Cadiz, Kentucky and they became the parents of two children, a daughter, Stephanie and a son, William III.

Billy was an aircraft pilot and owned and operated the Hopkinsville Flying Service and Allen Aviation in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.  His particular interest was in agricultural aviation as a crop duster. He spent many years in the cockpit of his yellow crop-dusting biplane that was very familiar over Hopkinsville skies during the planting season.   His wife, Betty was also a pilot.  The Allens were also fixed-base operators at Memorial Field in Hopkinsville and operated charter, aerial photograph and flight instruction services.

Billy attained national prominence in May 1983 by winning a national victory in agricultural flying that proved very special – it was the first national championship ever held in that event.  Christian County produced the “cream of the crop-dusters” in the nation as aviator Billy Allen flew to first place in an agricultural pilots’ championship in Americus, Georgia, outscoring 35 pilots from 20 states in a three day national completion event. 

Allen and his wife, Betty, along with some of their supporters flew to Georgia for a day’s familiarization with competitive flying. “The weather was perfect, but it was a little windy,” Mrs. Allen said, explaining the course that was set up to test skills normally associated in crop-dusting.

The competition required pilots to fly swaths over designated fields, spraying water as they would normally apply insecticides.  The pilot’s skills were also tested by flying through “gates’ that were hung between poles with red balloons set at intervals on the ground.  Misjudging one’s approach through a gate would cause a balloon to explode, costing points for the contestants.  Allen said that he realized the promoter, Miller Brewing Co., was helping give the agricultural spraying profession an improved reputation.  “It was also really safety oriented,” he said.

Allen’s national title was even more satisfying since he was unfamiliar with the competition plane, a blue and white Eagle. “Most of us didn’t have much experience in Eagles.  I had never flown one, “he said.  Southern Field, the facility from which the 35 pilots flew, had a special meaning among aviators since it is supposedly the location of Charles A. Lindbergh’s first solo flight.  Former president Jimmy Carter was among the spectators of the competition.

“I’m as elated as I can be,” the top crop-duster said after claiming the top flying trophy and $2,000 first prize money.  A portion of the $2,000 award was donated to the American Cancer Society and Jennie Stuart Medical Center in Hopkinsville in memory of their daughter, Stephanie, a victim of cancer.

In 1986, Billy became a corporate pilot with MSI, Inc. in Atlanta, GA.  During his years in aviation, he logged over 40,000 hours.  Billy died on June 25, 2006 in Cadiz, Kentucky at the age of 69 after a long battle with cancer.

LINEAGE:

(William Orval Allen, Jr. was the son of William Orval, Sr. and Ruth Moorefield Allen, the grandson of James Orval and Daisy Pearl Bridges Allen and the great-grandson of William Henry and Sarah Elizabeth 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.  Mary Thomas was the fifth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

James Maston Thomas -- Printer

 

 

On November 21, 1940, The Cadiz Record reported that a short film, featuring James M. Thomas of Model, Tennessee, and his homemade printing press, would be shown at the Kentucky Theater in Cadiz. The short film was only a few minutes long and was cut from a Universal Studios series.

James Maston Thomas was born in the Donaldson Creek community of Trigg County, but moved with his family to the Model, Tennessee area where he remained for many years. Thomas was an extraordinarily interesting and intelligent man, an inventor, farmer, and a minister of the Christian Union Church. However, he was best known as a newspaper publisher and was widely recognized for the unusual way his paper was printed.

As a boy, Thomas hung around the printing office of the Cadiz Record, watching and learning the trade. He carved cedar sticks into stencils and began printing with them. Eventually he was given a small hand press, and in 1901 he began using it to print a newspaper. He decided he needed a better press, and built his own in 1917 - a wooden cylinder press. By then he was printing a newspaper titled “The Model Star” once a year. It was a small four-page, three-column periodical, and set entirely by hand. Much of the paper was of a religious nature, but of no specific denomination. Thomas built up a worldwide circulation for “The Model Star” through missionary societies and it was sent to places such as Tahiti, Russia, China, and Egypt.

The Thomas & Bridges families owe a thank you to James Maston Thomas for preserving the family history in print form. G.A. Bridges wrote the first Thomas & Bridges family history in the late 1920s, and James M. Thomas printed the booklets on his homemade press.
(Source: The Cadiz-Trigg County Kentucky Bicentennial Facebook page, November 21, 2020)

 Maston also sent copies of “The Model Star” to service men all over the world.  Mementos sent by these men back to him were on display throughout his home and shop.  When Kentucky Lake was formed, the waters covered his farm and after selling his land, he and his family moved to Calloway County, Kentucky.  He was married to the former Miss Flora J. Seawright on October 20, 1901 and they had three daughters.

 

 Maston Thomas and his printing press. Photo courtesy of Ira Scott, The Cadiz-Trigg County Kentucky Bicentennial Facebook page, November 21, 2020.

THE LINEAGE:
(James Maston Thomas was the son of Albert Dillard and Mary Jonathan Vinson Thomas and the grandson of Peyton and Sarah L. Ethridge Thomas.  Peyton was the third child of Cullen and Elizabeth Futrell Thomas.  Cullen was the first child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Ronald Chappell Redd -- Drowning Victim

 

On the morning of Wednesday, May 21, 1980, 29-year-old Ronald Chappell Redd and his friend Mervin Keck of Grand Junction, Colorado set out on a trip to canoe the whitewater rapids of the Gunnison River in western Colorado. The Gunnison River, between the towns of Delta and Grand Junction, Colorado, usually offers a very scenic and gentle float. The river flows through beautiful slick rock canyon country. The solitude and unspoiled beauty of this river make this trip truly a unique river experience. The narrow river corridor of the Gunnison Gorge creates exciting whitewater rafting in Colorado as the rapids wind into the 2,800 ft high walls of Black Canyon.

However, recent rains in the area had caused the rapids of the Gunnison to be more treacherous than usual. Redd and Keck had difficulty maneuvering their canoe in the rough waters and their boat capsized by the rapids near the town of Bridgeport.  Redd was not wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident.  Both were thrown from the boat and Keck was able to make it to safety, but Redd was lost in the rapids.

Mesa County authorities searched the area for Redd but by the afternoon he was presumed drowned in the torrents of the Gunnison River.  The search for the Redd’s body was hampered by a river swollen from runoff and heavy rain.  Mesa County Sheriff Capt. Joe Hicks said the river was moving swiftly and full of debris, making it difficult to search for Redd's body.  “There are some logs three feet wide and 30 feet long in the river" Hicks said "It's just too high and too fast."  Sheriff's deputies used an airplane and a boat in the search for Redd, who was declared lost in the river at 5:21 p.m. Wednesday, May 21, 1980 when his canoe capsized. Hicks said search dogs were also used in an attempt to sniff out a trail, but no trace of Redd had been uncovered.  Officials speculated Redd did not survive when the canoe capsized halfway between Bridgeport and Whitewater, between 12 and 15 miles south of Grand Junction.   "It doesn’t' appear that he got out." Hicks said.

Crews of the Denver and the Rio Grande western railroad trains that pass near the river were asked to watch for Redd's body.  Most of the stretch where Redd was believed to have drowned is accessible only by railroad tracks running next to the river.

The body of Ronald Chappell Redd was not recovered for over two weeks after the accident, until Thursday, June 5, 1980 at 7:45 p. m. by sheriff officers.  The body was noticed about 6:15 p.m. by railroad crews who had notified authorities.

Redd and his family had been residents of Grand Junction for only about two years at the time of the accident.  He had lived in Colorado Springs for most of his life.  He was born in Trigg County, Kentucky on July 15, 1951 and was a bricklayer by trade.  He was survived by his wife, Lauretta “Jenny” Atnip Redd and two children, Carrie Ann and John Blane and his parents, Chappell and Vernell Redd of Colorado Springs.

THE LINEAGE:

(Ronald Chappell Redd was the son of Chappell Blane and Anna Vernell Johnson Redd, the grandson of D. B. and Bessie Marie Sumner Redd, the great-grandson of Thomas “Tommie” Darnell and Lula Bell Thomas Sumner and the great-great-grandson of James Edmond and Mary Louisa Bridges Sumner.  Mary Louisa 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.  Mary Thomas was the fifth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Stanley Thomas -- Early Trigg County Pioneer

 

Stanley Thomas was the youngest child of John and Mary Thomas.  He was born on November 6, 1806 and died on April 11, 1858.  His brother-in-law, Cyrus Thompson, wrote a sketch of Stanley’s life as reported in the publication, “Pioneers of Trigg County, Kentucky, as Seen Through the Biographical and Genealogical Articles of Cyrus Thompson in the Kentucky Telephone and the Cadiz Record, 1889-1899” which was edited by Barney Thompson in 1996. Presented below is that sketch:

“In some of my previous communications I made mention of Stanley Thomas, titled Colonel, as having been a merchant in Cadiz in about 1836 and a partner of Maj. Alfred Boyd, and I now propose to speak of him at some length because he became a noted citizen.

Stanley Thomas, after going to Cadiz, first embarked in the goods business with Frasier Y. Lawson, who was a well-known citizen of Cadiz, a rather handsome man of pleasing address, and a tailor by trade.  Then with a man by the name of Burkley or Buckland, a northern man who, it was said, did not "tote fair," and lastly with Maj. Alfred Boyd.  Neither copartnership lasted over a year or two-- that with Boyd the longest.

After retiring from the mercantile business Mr. Thomas became the acting Sheriff of Trigg, and filled the position for six years under the leasing or farming system; and afterwards for four years by election by the people under the present constitution—being all the while a popular officer.  He was for a short time the proprietor of the old Hotel previously owned and kept by my father, and in 1849 was elected to the Kentucky legislature as a Whig, besting Col. Daniel Landes, the nominee of the Democrats in a Democratic county, thereby showing his personal popularity; and here allow me to digress by saying that Col. Thomas and Col. Landes were brothers-in-law, having married sisters,  and altho' the contest was heated and the race an exciting one, they were as good friends after the election as before.

Stanley Thomas was a man of generous impulses, social, honorable and liberal.  He had a sunny countenance and pleasing manners, and scarcely a man ever lived in Cadiz--so well known, and for so long a time, so prominent before the people in some public capacity--who was so popular.  He was very convivial in his nature and disposition, and this characteristic came very near destroying his usefulness.

In the first years of his residence in Cadiz, by association with frolicsome young men and indulgence in the social glass, he acquired a taste and formed a habit that injured him and threatened his destruction, but he had the moral firmness to throttle the "monster," and became an instance and an example of permanent reform.  He soon thereafter joined the Baptist Church, and lived thereafter a consistent Christian life.

In 1843, Stanley Thomas married my sister, Sarah Thompson, then the widow of N. W. Rothrock, and they had and reared three children, two sons and one daughter, who, if they have not or shall not honor their parents, certainly have never brought reproach upon them--they were Robert B., Henry C., and Sarah. Robert is a respectable and honorable merchant of Louisville, having been quite successful.  Henry came to Texas in the latter years of his boyhood, and in early manhood married and sold goods at Weimar, until his death some years since, having been honored and respected; and Sarah married Thomas Moore, a respectable merchant of Comanche, Texas, a brother of Mollie E. Moore, the gifted Texas poetess.  Stanley Thomas died in Cadiz in 1858 in his 50th year, an honored and respected citizen, and was preceded by his wife, who died in 1853, she having been an honored member of the Methodist Church.”

THE LINEAGE:

(Stanley Thomas the seventh child of James and Mary Standley Thomas)

James Luther Ledbetter -- Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee

 

 

Dr. James Luther Ledbetter or “Doc" as he was known was born on May 17, 1913 in the Bryan Chapel Community near Boatman in Mayes County, Oklahoma.  He was the eighth child of the nine children of Thomas Lewis Ledbetter and Amanda Elizabeth Thomas.  Amanda had been born in Trigg County, Kentucky, but as a child had moved by covered wagon with her family to Arkansas and then later into Oklahoma.

He graduated from Pryor High School in 1931 as class salutatorian. He graduated from Northeastern State College in 1935, and then he earned his master’s degree in 1940 from Oklahoma State University, and later his Doctoral Degree in 1964 from the University of Tulsa.

He served in the United States Navy from 1942 through 1945, where he taught math techniques of weight and balance control to officers who flew military cargo aircraft during World War II He was an engineer for McDonnell Douglas in Convair and contributed to the design of the B52 Bomber.

On July 9, 1944, he married Mildred Morgan of Nashville, Tennessee and they became the parents of two children, a son, Allen and a daughter, Marlis.

He settled down as a professor at Northeastern State University located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma less than an hour southeast of Tulsa, in the heart of Oklahoma's Green Country and nestled at the foot of the Ozark Mountains.

On January 25, 2003, Dr. Ledbetter was one of two men who were inducted into Northeastern University’s Athletic Hall of Fame at Tahlequah, Oklahoma.  The other inductee was Virgil Knight, Assistant Coach with the Green Bay Packers and one of Dr. Ledbetter’s former students.  

He was recognized for his meritorious service for his tireless work in the athletic department. He had served as NSU Athletic Ticket Manager for more than 40 years, was sponsor for NSU’s Baptist Student Union for 20 years, and was faculty representative for the Division of Practical Arts at NSU.  He had taught 21 year at NSU in the Department of Industrial Arts, Education and Technology.  

Present for the ceremony, which was preceded by a formal dinner, were his wife and all of Dr. Ledbetter's children and grandchildren along with several of his relatives from Pryor, Oklahoma.

He was also inducted into the Who's Who of South and Southwest for education excellence. He was a deacon in the First Baptist Church for 45 years, where he was also a Sunday school teacher for more than 35 years.  He also served as president of the local Lion’s Club.

James died on August 4, 2007 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma at the age of 94, leaving behind his wife of 63 years.  He was buried in the Fairview Cemetery in Pryor, Oklahoma.

THE LINEAGE:

(James Luther Ledbetter was the son of Thomas Lewis and Amanda Elizabeth Thomas Ledbetter, the grandson of James Clark “Muck” and Elizabeth Josephine Lawrence Thomas and the great-grandson of James Jr., and Martha Ethridge Thomas.  James, Jr. was the sixth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Mary Stanley Thomas McCasland --Childhood Recipient of a Family Heirloom

 

On a rather cool autumn morning in 1870, James Clark Thomas and his wife, the former Mary Elizabeth Lawrence, and their six children climbed into their mule-drawn covered wagon on Donaldson Creek in Trigg County, Kentucky and prepared to leave for Lonoke County in Arkansas.

Clark, whose nickname was “Muck” was about to say “giddap,” when his mother, Margaret Thomas interrupted. “Wait a minute,” she said.  “Those children need to be wrapped up better or they’ll catch a world of cold.”  She went back into the house and came out carrying a quilt. “Here,” she said to Mary Stanley, who at age ten, was the oldest of the six children.  “Take this and see to it that all you children keep warm.  After you get there, you can claim the quilt as yours.”

Clark was 35 and Mary Elizabeth was 32.  The children in addition to Mary Stanley were, Ezekiel, the only son, Drucilla, Harriett, Alpha Adeline and Amanda Elizabeth, who was only a few months old.  Their seventh and last child, Jemima Emma, was born in Arkansas in 1872.

The reason Clark Thomas pulled up stakes and moved to Arkansas has been guessed at for years.  He had inherited more than a hundred acres of fertile farmland in the Donaldson Creek Valley when his father, James Thomas, Jr., died in 1864.  Just why he sold it and moved to Lonoke County, Arkansas, no one among his many descendants remember today.   Undoubtedly letters were sent back to Kentucky telling about their 200-mile trek, but little is known about the route they traveled or how many days they spent on the way.

One thing we do know – Mary Stanley took her grandmother Margaret at her word – the quilt was definitely hers.  Ten years later, on February 16, 1879, Mary Stanley married Thomas Jesse McCasland.  She was 19 and he was 21.   When she and her new husband began their life together, the quilt which her grandmother Margaret had given her in 1870 went with her.  It’s been in her family ever since.

Thomas and Mary Stanley subsequently moved to Oklahoma and in the ensuring years, the quilt was passed along to their daughter, Monnie.  Due to its age, this family heirloom was brought out only on special occasions, or to show it to some of Grandmother Margaret’s other descendants.  All through the years since the quilt left Kentucky, it was used to help keep Thomas descendants warm during those cold Oklahoma winters.  Despite its use, it is in a remarkable state of preservation, with only a bit of wear apparent around the edges. 

The possession of the quilt was passed on to Betty Bradford Bergman of Pryor, Oklahoma, the daughter of Monnie McCasland and granddaughter of Mary Stanley.  Betty passed away in January of 2020.  She was quoted as saying, “I inherited the quilt from my mother.  My daughter keeps it in her cedar chest for me.  Since she is my only daughter, she will be the next owner.”  That daughter and current owner of the quilt is Lisa Anne Bergman Dennis of Oklahoma.

Margaret Thomas had been a widow for 22 years when she died in 1886.  The mother of six children, she may well have given quilts to others of her family, but this example of her handiwork likely is the only one in existence today.

Sisters, (Rear) Mary Stanley Thomas McCasland, Drucilla Thomas Smyth,
 (Front) Emma Thomas Martin, Amanda Thomas Ledbetter

Information for this article based on “With Love, from Grandma Peggy”, by Edison Thomas, TBA Newsletter, July 2000.

 

THE LINEAGE:

(Mary Stanley Thomas McCasland was the first child of James Clark “Muck” and Mary Elizabeth Lawrence Thomas and the granddaughter of James, Jr. and Margaret Ethridge Thomas.  James, Jr. was the sixth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Ophelia Thomas Ellis -- Centenarian of Three Centuries

 

 

Ophelia Angela Thomas Ellis has the unique honor to have lived in three different centuries.  She was born in 1899 and died in 2004, her life having spanned three centuries. 

At a special birthday celebration on her 100th birthday in 1999, Ophelia said she no special formula living for 100 years, “Just keep the faith, and be ready when the Lord calls,” she said “I’m going to hang in there”, she added, “I was born in 1899.  The 21st century is less than seven months away, and I want to say that I lived during three centuries.”  And she met that goal.

She was born in Trigg County, Kentucky on June 20, 1899.  As she put it, “…one of fifteen babies” born to William Henry and Martha Tinsley Thomas.  Twelve of those grew to adulthood. 

Ophelia married Lester Perry Ellis of adjoining Christian County, where they settled and raised a family of four.  She was 73 old when she joined the Thomas-Bridges Association as a charter member.  She attended most, if not all the reunions and was honored as the oldest person present at several reunions.  She was also a charter member of the James Thomas Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Trigg County, Kentucky.

Ophelia died on July 30, 2004 in Cadiz, Kentucky at the age 105.  She outlived her husband by 52 years.  Lester Perry Ellis preceded her in death on July 10, 1952.  Both of them are buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

(Upon the completion of the above article, it came to my attention that May Harris Gray, featured in another article below dated October 15, 2020 also lived in three centuries. May was born in 1896 and died in 2005.)

 

THE LINEAGE:

(Ophelia Thomas Ellis was the daughter of William Henry and Martha Ellen Tinsley Thomas and the granddaughter 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. Mary was the seventh child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

Selethia and Piety Bridges -- Twin Pioneer Sisters

Selethia and Piety Bridges were two of the seven children of Drury Bridges and Charity Cohoon Bridges.  The twin sisters were born November 16, 1790 in North Carolina prior to their family’s departure to western Kentucky. Selethia and Piety, along with their older sister, Jemima and their brother William migrated along with their parents from their plantation home in the Tyancoca Swamp community of Edgecombe County, North Carolina to their new home in the area now known as Maple Grove, in Trigg County, Kentucky.  Another son, Orren Dates Bridges, died before his parents left for Kentucky.  The two youngest children of Drury and Charity, Elizabeth Josephine and Mary, were born in Kentucky and later, along with William, married into the Thomas family.

Piety Bridges married Noah Brunk in Christian County, Kentucky on June 3, 1813, with Dudley Williams as the officiating minister. She and her husband had five daughters, Lucinda, Elizabeth, Jennie, Priscilla and Martha.  Although each of the five daughters were married, Gilbert Bridges stated in his 1968 research of Piety’s daughters that there was minimal information on their families available  and that he “deemed it unfeasible to undertake tracing these families any further.”  Piety and Noah Brunk are both buried in a cemetery in McCracken County near Paducah, Kentucky.

Selethia Bridges became the second wife of Joel Futrell on November 9, 1813.  Joel was born on November 29, 1802, the son of Shadrach and Charlotte Johnson Futrell, who had also migrated from North Carolina.  Selethia and Joel had no children.  Selethia died on December 9, 1879 and was buried adjacent to her parents in the Drury Bridges Cemetery in the Maple Grove community.  Selethia was the only child of Drury and Charity to be buried in the same cemetery as their parents.  Joel died after 1880 and is buried somewhere on Donaldson Creek, also in an unmarked grave.

For over 119 years since her death, Selethia rested in an unmarked grave next to her parents.  During that time, members from seven generations of Drury and Charity descendants were interred near her.  In 1998 as a result of a special fund drive, funds were raised to purchase a marker for Selethia which was finally erected to mark her final resting place.  

A note, likely written by Perry Thomas, states ”Soletha Futrell, daughter of Drewry and Charity Bridges, was born in North Carolina on Nov 26, 1790,  She profest religion and was baptised in 1814 – was a member of the United Baptist Church – departed this life the 9th of December 1879.  She died in the triumph of living faith in Jesus Christ. Aged 89 years and 13 days.”    

  
THE LINEAGE:

(Selethia and Piety Bridges are daughters of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

Wesley Gunn Thomas -- Farmer and Genealogist

 

Wesley Gunn Thomas, was born April 1, 1859 in Trigg County, Kentucky and was one of eleven children born to Stanley and Emily J. Light Thomas. He was a highly respected farmer and longtime resident of the Oak Grove community. Known throughout Trigg County as "Cousin Wes," he was a great-grandson of James and Mary "Mollie" Standley Thomas, who migrated to Trigg County from North Carolina and settled on Donaldson Creek in about 1806.

On March 17, 1881, he was married to Eliza S. Henderson, daughter of John and Susan Larkins Henderson of Caldwell County, Kentucky, with whom he had ten children. A deeply religious man, he was of the primitive Baptist faith. He and his wife raised their ten children on an 150-acre farm on Birds Creek not far from Oak Grove Baptist Church. She passed away in March, 1936.

Those who knew him always mention in particular--his remarkable memory, especially about his family. He had an ability to recall who descended from what branch of the large Thomas clan, and could even recall individual dates of birth. In 1928, when G.A. Bridges and Maston Thomas put together the first history of the Thomas and Bridges families, they relied heavily on "Cousin Wes" for assistance. Additionally, many in Oak Grove and nearby communities sought his assistance in verifying their birth when they applied for birth certificates. He was also well known for his love of Southern Harmony hymns. He traveled throughout Western Kentucky to "all day singings." For many years, the main highlight of his year was to attend the "Big Singing" (of Southern Harmony hymns), a ritual that has been held annually at the Marshall County Courthouse in Benton since 1884.

His children were Mattie Pearl Thomas Hughes, Hazie L Thomas., Eura Wesley Thomas, Leslie Edwin Thomas, Annie Thomas Bridges, Peachie Thomas Terrell, James Stone Thomas, Lucien M. Thomas, Luther Thompson Thomas, and Berta Thomas Francis.

Wesley Gunn Thomas died on February 3, 1946 in Cadiz, Kentucky at the age of 86 at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Peachie Terrell. Funeral services were conducted on Wednesday, February 4th, 1946 at Dyer's Chapel Methodist Church with burial in the nearby Lawrence Cemetery. Pallbearers included Hershel Thomas, Hugh Thomas, Elzie Light, Allen Lawrence, Clarence Bruce and D. Bruce.

(Biographical information from obituary in Cadiz Record February 5, 1946 and from an article "Cousin Wes" which appeared in the Thomas-Bridges Association newsletter)

THE LINEAGE:

(Wesley Gunn Thomas was the sixth child of Stanley and Emily Ann Light Thomas and the grandson of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.  Mary was the seventh child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)