Donald William Thomas -- Victim of a Lake Drowning

 

 

 

Donald William Thomas was born in Angora, Nebraska on December 13, 1920.  He was the fifth of seven children born to Rufus Kenneth and Tina Avery Wood.  Rufus was born in Trigg County, Kentucky in 1882 and had moved to western Nebraska in the early 1900s.  It was there he met his wife, Tina Wood and they were married on June 9, 1909 in Alliance, Nebraska.

Don’s six siblings were Leonard Gotch Thomas, born in 1911; Russell Kenneth Thomas, born in 1917; Mildred Lavina Thomas, born in 1915; Dorothy May Thomas, born in 1917; Leo Vern Thomas, born in 1923 and Betty Thomas, born in 1931.

Don attended high school in Alliance and in 1942 he joined the US Army.  He went on to serve in the European, African and Middle Eastern Theaters during the war. He was in the 59th Armored Field Artillery Battalion.  On October 17, 1945, he was discharged from the army and he returned to his home in Alliance. 

During the time Don was in the military, he was stationed at Fort Smith, Arkansas when he married Opal Henley on February 27, 1943.  Opal was from his home town of Alliance.  Opal and Don were divorced on May 18, 1951. 

In January of 1953, Don along with his brother, Leo moved to Waneta, Nebraska.  There they formed the Thomas Gas Service which was a propane gas distributing business.  Don and Leo were very successful with the business. 

On October 10, 1953, Don married his second wife, Bonnie Marie Berry in McCook, Nebraska.  Bonnie was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Chester Berry of Wauneta, Don and Bonnie had their only child, Debra Kay Thomas, who was born on September 20, 1954.

Don Thomas lost his life in a tragic accident on Sunday evening, November 7, 1954 when he was drowned In Enders Lake, Nebraska. Don and Bonnie, along with their six-week-old daughter, Debra and their close friends, Fred Heldenbrand and his wife had spent most of Sunday afternoon boating on the lake. As it neared dusk, shortly after five o'clock, they brought the boat to shore at the dock on the north side of the lake and all of them left the boat preparing to go home.  During the afternoon ride they all had worn life jackets but had removed them as the boat was brought to the dock. Fred Heldenbrand went to a nearby location to get the pickup truck and boat trailer to load the boat for the return trip home.   Don decided that the boat should be loaded on the trailer from the opposite direction as to where they had docked it, and said he was going to take one more little spin on the lake so as to bring the craft in from the direction in which he wanted to load it on the trailer.  Don had taken off his life Jacket and donned a heavy coat.  As he was turning the boat around in the water it capsized throwing him into the lake. He was not a good swimmer and being handicapped by the cold water, was not able to make any progress toward the dock which was some 200 yards from where the boat had capsized. Fred quickly sent the ladies to get help while he tried to help Don. He shouted for Don to make for the overturned boat Instead of trying to swim to shore. Fred entered the water and tried to swim to Don’s assistance. However, the very cold water and cramps forced him to return to shore and Don was unable to get back to the boat.  Several members of the local fire departments, and a large number of other people quickly responded as the call for help, but they were unable to rescue him.  His body was not recovered until the following Monday afternoon, where it found not far from where the location of the overturned boat had been marked in water, about 50 feet deep and where there were strong undercurrents.  Don was 34 years old at the time of the accident.

Don was still involved in the gas distributing business at the time of his death.

Don was buried in the Alliance Cemetery in Alliance, Nebraska.

(LINEAGE:  Donald William Thomas was the son of Rufus Kenneth and Tina Avery Wood Thomas, grandson of William Henry and Sidney Dyer Thomas, and great-grandson 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.)

Thomas Golladay Evans -- Westinghouse Engineer

 

Thomas Golladay Evans was born on October 17, 1923 in Old Hickory, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville. He was the son of John Towles Evans, a native of Lafayette, Alabama and Sarah Elizabeth Golladay, a native of Trigg County, Kentucky.  His only sibling was his brother, John Towles Evans, Jr., who was born in 1921.

Tom grew up in Nashville and entered Vanderbilt University where he earned a degree in electrical engineering.  In 1945 he went to work for the Westinghouse Electric Company where he worked for 37 years.  At that time, Westinghouse was rebuilding infrastructure shattered during World War II and bringing power to countries that had none.  During those 37 years, Tom Evans became a dynamic Westinghouse engineer who helped build power plants and desalination facilities around the globe.

On December 26, 1945 Tom married Elaine Lataste Killebrew, a Vanderbilt graduate from Anniston, Alabama. Tom and Elaine had met when they were both freshmen at Vanderbilt.  They became the parents of three daughters, Susan Evans, born in 1946, Sarah Evans, born in 1949 and Vivian Evans, born in 1950.

Tom and Elaine moved to New York City and for the next 27 years Tom worked in engineering, construction and marketing of power plants around the world. Business travel took him to over 50 countries, often for weeks or months. His longer stays included trips to the Philippines, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Haiti, Thailand, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Egypt, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Australia. In 1972 he and Elaine moved to Brussels where Tom served as President of Westinghouse Electric Nuclear Energy Systems Europe for three years. He retired in 1982 after heading up strategic planning in Pittsburgh. Tom and Elaine raised their three daughters in Glen Rock, New Jersey, where he opened the eyes of his family to the international world with his exciting travel stories.

As Tom wrote in a Vanderbilt alumni magazine: "I was robbed by a Moro tribesman with a wicked-looking dagger on an inter-island freighter in Philippine waters; nearly drowned off the coast of Africa and barely escaped a murderous mob in Lagos, Nigeria, that was angered over the 1960 assassination of Congo leader Patrice Lumumba. I stayed in a hotel in New Delhi that had open windows that had monkeys climbing in my room. I argued the pros and cons of democracy for three hours with the Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza, and made a presentation on nuclear power plants to a utility company in Hiroshima, Japan, after the president of the utility opened the meeting by telling me his wife and children had been killed by the atomic bomb." 

When Cuba's Fidel Castro shut off the water to the U.S. base at Guantanamo in 1964, the Navy called Westinghouse, and Tom was dispatched to Washington.  At that time, the Navy had three tankers continuously hauling water to Guantanamo, and it wanted desalination plants built at Guantanamo within six month. Under Tom’s direction, Westinghouse disassembled a plant it had recently built in California, and the plant was reassembled and two similar plants were built within six months at Guantanamo.

After his retirement from Westinghouse, Tom and Elaine moved to Alpharetta, Georgia where he worked for many years in community projects. Tom died on January 12, 2011 in Naples, Florida from complications following a stroke. He was buried in the Highland Cemetery in Anniston, Alabama next to his wife, Elaine, who died in 2008.

Tom Evans Tombstone

LINEAGE:  (Thomas Golladay Evans was the son of John Towles and Sarah Elizabeth Golladay Evans, grandson of James Richard and Ida Thomas Golladay and great-grandson of Alfred Marshall and Eliza Anne Martin Thomas.  Alfred Marshall was the fifth 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. )

Charles Seaborn Abel

 

Charles Seaborn Abel was born on March 4, 1938 in Ashland, Oregon.  His parents were Charles Virgil and Charlotte May Mitchell Abel.  When Charles was young, his family moved to Modesto, California where he lived most of his life.  He had two brothers, Mike and Greg Abel and one sister, Robin Abel. He attended Modesto High School until his enlistment in the US Army in 1955.

Charles was stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky when he met Mary Ann Thomas.  Mary was born on March 14, 1937 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky and was the daughter of Vernon Jagoe and Ruby Lee Byrd Thomas.   Mary Ann had three older sisters, Ruth Mae Thomas, Naomi Lee Thomas and Dorothy Nell Thomas.

After their marriage, Charles and Mary Ann settled in Hopkinsville, Kentucky and became the parents of three children.  Gina Renea Abel was born on January 14, 1961 at Fort Campbell and died the following day on January 15. Their second child, Tonya Jill Able was born on December 22, 1961.  Their third child, Charles Scott Abel was born on December 18, 1964 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

In 1963, Charles attended and graduated from the US Army Officers Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia.  He received his commission as a second lieutenant in the army infantry.  

Charles had been stationed at Ft. Campbell for about six years serving as a career officer with the 101st Airborne Division. On June 15, 1966 he began a tour of duty in the Republic of Vietnam.  At that time he had been promoted to Captain and was a co-pilot on an UH-1B “Huey” helicopter.  He flew with the 68th Aviation Company, which was called “The Top Tigers”. On September 13, 1966 he and his unit were called upon to supply a platoon and a heavy fire team to support a classified operation.  Charles’ helicopter was one of two gunships escorting five military helicopters without armaments that were being used to transport troops and cargo.  They encountered bad weather and were unable to locate their landing zone.  While attempting to return to their base their aircraft became separated from the others because of heavy rain.  His helicopter was last seen through a low ceiling and ground fog, slowing and settling into the jungle canopy.

The military was unable to locate the missing helicopter and all aboard were considered missing in action.  His wife, Mary Ann, was notified that her husband was missing in action a few days after the incident.

Nine months later, in June 1967 the military discovered the wrecked helicopter and Charles’ body was recovered. Mary Ann was officially notified that her husband, Captain Charles Able had died of wounds suffered in battle.  She had not received any information about his condition since the initial missing in action notice in September 1966.

Charles’ body was and returned to US soil on 10 Jun 1967 and his body was returned to Hopkinsville for burial.  He was laid to rest in the Green Hill Memorial Gardens in Hopkinsville. He was 28 years old at the time of his death.

 Charles Abel's Grave Marker

LINEAGE:  (Charles Seaborn Abel was the husband of Mary Ann Thomas.  Mary was the daughter of Vernon Jagoe and Ruby Lee Byrd Thomas, granddaughter of Robert Henry and Jennie Lee Ezell Thomas and great-granddaughter of Rufus King and Alvie Adeline Dunn Thomas.  Rufus was the fifth child of Perry and Elizabeth Bridges Thomas. Perry was the third child of James and Mary Standley Thomas. Mary was the seventh child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

Horace Dean Aikins --Attorney

 

Horace Dean Aikin was born on May 12, 1909 in Saluda, North Carolina, the son of Grant and Maude Chase Aikin.  At an early age, he and his family moved to St. Petersburg, in Pinellas County, Florida. It was there that his father, Grant became the first city attorney of St. Petersburg. Growing up in Florida, he graduated from the University of Florida where he was the editor in chief of the college yearbook.  He continued his studies at the university and in 1929; he graduated from the University of Florida Law School.

Dean began his career as an attorney in St. Petersburg and in the early 1930’s; he was elected for a term as the mayor of Sunshine Beach, now Treasure Island, Florida. Returning to his law career, he became a partner in the law firm of Thompson and Aikin with Dean specializing in title law.

On June 18, 1939, Dean married Martha Buckner Trice.  Martha was born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky on February 13, 1907 and was the daughter of Frank Dagg and Katherine Quick Trice. Her mother was the daughter of John Carr and Martha Jane Thomas Quick.  Her family had moved to Florida in the mid 1930’s and Martha had graduated from the Florida State College for Women in Tallahassee.

Dean became a partner in the Aikin Open Air School, which was founded in 1912 by his mother, Maude Chase Aikin and was the oldest private school in Florida.  Martha became a teacher at the institution and in 1936 she became the principal of the school and Maude served as the superintendent.  The school had a system of teaching based on the tutor idea.  All classes were held in the open except in inclement weather when the class rooms were used.  A second Aikin open-air school was opened in 1924 in Coral Gables, Florida and was the largest institution of its kind in the Miami area.

Dean served as a City Judge for St. Petersburg for a number of years and in 1946 Dean went exclusively into the title business when he joined Guarantee Abstract Co. as title officer.  He later became vice president of the company where in 1953 he was named Boss of the Year.  Dean became the attorney for the draft board and In 1948, he was appointed to serve on the Civil Service Commission for St. Petersburg.  He left Guarantee Abstract Co. and joined Fidelity Title Company where he remained until his retirement in 1984 when he was in his mid 70’s.

Maitland Knapp, president of Fidelity Title Co. said, "Dean was a true Southern gentleman. He was a compassionate man and always tried to find the good in everyone rather than looking at their faults."

Dean died on August 3, 1984 in St. Petersburg and was buried in the Saint Thomas Episcopal Church Columbarium. Martha died on December 21, 1998 in St. Petersburg and was buried in the Columbarium with Dean.  Dean and Martha had no children.

 

Tombs of Dean and Martha Aikin

LINEAGE (Horace Dean Aikin was the husband of Martha Buckner Trice. Martha was the daughter of Francis Dagg and Katherine Quick Trice, granddaughter of John Carr and Martha Jane Thomas Quick and great-granddaughter of Allison William and Catherine Elizabeth Carloss Thomas.  Allison was the third child of Perry and Elizabeth Bridges Thomas.  Perry was the third child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.  Elizabeth was the sixth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

Ann Light Stallons -- Victim of a Night Club Fire

 

Ann Rita Light was born on December 10, 1932 in Trigg County, Kentucky, the sixth of seven children of Elzie Bertram Light and Peachie Adeline Bridges. Elzie was a farmer in the Maple Grove community where Ann and her siblings grew up.

On June 7, 1953 Ann married Marshall Wendell Stallons.  Marshall was born on January 30, 1931 in Trigg County and was the son of Clarence Monroe Stallons and Myra Dean Terrell.  His mother was the daughter of Robert Terrell and Emma Skagg Bridges, a descendant of the Simco Bridges family.

Ann and Marshall lived in Murray, Kentucky where she worked as a bookkeeper for a local accounting firm and Marshall worked with Southern Bell Telephone Company. They were the parents of two daughters, Marsha Ann Stallons who was born January 15, 1954 and Rayetta Fay Stallons who was born April 9, 1957.  Marshall died at the early age of 41 on August 3, 1972. He was buried in the Green Hill Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Hopkinsville.

Ann was a victim of a tragic fire at the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Kentucky on May 28, 1977.  The fire which occurred on a Saturday night over Memorial Day weekend was one of the worst night club fire disasters ever in the United States at that time.

The three-story, brick-walled Beverly Hills Supper Club, was crowded with thousands of holiday weekend merrymakers when fire broke out, apparently in the basement. Most of the victims died of suffocation, although many of those trapped inside were badly burned. The building had no sprinkler system as there was no law requiring one at the time of construction in 1970 and a subsequent law was not retroactive. Property damage was estimated at $2 million at the time.   Kentucky governor Julian Carroll told a news conference the following morning that it was believed the fire started in the basement, spread there without anyone realizing it and then suddenly broke through the floor of one of the dining areas.

The patrons were scattered in dozens of rooms and alcoves at the popular nightspot located just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. Many guests were finishing their dinner and preparing to walk to the Cabaret Room for a show by headliner John Davidson. Estimate of the number of patrons inside the club ranged from 3,500 to 5,000. Several waitresses in the dining area where flames were first seen tried unsuccessfully to put the fire out with portable extinguishers. . Word spread quickly for guests to leave, but thick black smoke spread even faster through the corridors blocking the main entrance entirely, making it impossible to see and ultimately choking hundreds of persons to death.  Fire trucks had difficulty reaching the scene because the club was located on an isolated 17-acre site atop a high bluff, reachable for the last quarter-mile only by a narrow two-lane road which became the site of a massive traffic jam.

When firemen arrived, they poured their energies into helping patrons escape rather than trying to douse the flames. The fire was brought under control about 1 a.m., but the rubble still smoldered as dawn broke that Sunday morning. About 125 bodies were taken to a makeshift morgue at a nearby armory and lined in rows on the floor where the dead were slowly identified by relatives and friends. In all 165 people perished in the fire.  The exact location of Ann’s body within in the building is not known.  It was determined later that the fire was apparently started by defective wiring in the walls or ceiling of the club's Zebra Room. That room apparently was added, without the fire marshal's inspection or approval, after the club was built in 1970 and allowed to open in 1971.

Ann was buried in the Green Hill Memorial Cemetery in Hopkinsville, Kentucky where her husband Marshall Stallons was buried.

 Ann Rita Light Stallons Grave Marker

LINEAGE:  (Ann Rita Light was the daughter of Elzie Bertram Light and Peachie Adeline Bridges, the granddaughter of John J. Light and Emeline Catherine Thomas and John Richard Bridges and Nancy Bell Meador and the great-granddaughter of Stanley Thomas and Emily Ann Light and Drewry Bridges and Peachie Ann Tart.   Stanley was the second child of Starkie Thomas and Mary Bridges.  Starkie was the fourth child of James Thomas and Mary Standley Thomas.  Drewry was the fourth child of William Bridges and Mary Thomas. William was the fourth child of Drury Bridges and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

Garnett Jett Thomas -- Administrative Officer and Accountant

 

Garnett Jett Thomas was born on July 27, 1920 in the Farmington community of Graves County, Kentucky, the youngest child of Pinkney Madison Thomas and Ethel Myrtis Drinkard Thomas.  His three older siblings were his sister, Bertie May Thomas, born in 1906 and his two brothers, Audree Madison Thomas who was born in 1901 and Cave Johnson Thomas who was born in 1913. Both his brothers became ministers. His father was a native of Trigg County, Kentucky and his mother a native of Graves County. Garnett was only 18 when he lost his father.

Garnett moved to Paducah, Kentucky where he resided with his sister and was employed as a clerk in the office of the superintendent of the Illinois Central Railroad.  He volunteered for service in the Naval Reserve in 1942 and was ordered to report for duty on November 7, 1942 at Davisville, Rhode Island. Serving on naval ships in the Pacific during the war, he received the American Asiatic Pacific, the China Service, WWII Victory, American Defense, Philippine Liberation and WWII Occupation Campaign medals as well as two Bronze Star medals.  Near the end of the war he attended the U. S. Naval Reserve Midshipmen’s school at the University of Notre Dame and received his commission as an Ensign.

After the war Garnett attended Lambuth College in Jackson, Tennessee where he graduated in 1947.  He went on to attend Mississippi State University where he received his master’s degree in business administration in 1949.

After his graduation from Mississippi State, he accepted a position with the university as an accountant and later appointed as the administrative officer and chief accountant for the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and its eleven branch stations across the state of Mississippi. He was a member of the President's Club at MSU, a director and past president of the government Employees Credit Union, on the advisory board of the National Bank of Commerce, a Rotarian, where he served as president and Rotary District governor, listed in the "Who's Who in the World", "Who's Who in Finance and Industry", and "Distinguished Americans by the International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England".

On March 26, 1948, Garnett married his first wife, Mabel Katherine Gardner of Jackson, Tennessee. Mabel was a graduate of the West Tennessee Business College. Garnett and Mabel settled in Starkville, Mississippi where Mabel was a piano teacher. She died at the age of 60 on September 29, 1979 in Starkville. She was buried in the Highland Memorial Gardens in Jackson, Tennessee.  Subsequently Garnett married his second wife, Robbie Nell Penton, a native of Hissop, Alabama. Garnett and Nell were married for 25 years prior to his death.

Garnett had no children by either of his two wives.  He was the stepfather of two sons, Vernon Bice, Jr. and Michael Bice and a daughter Gena Bice Black, children of his wife, Nell.

Garnett died on September 7, 2006 in Starkville, Mississippi at the age of 80.  He was buried in the Oktibbeha Memorial Gardens Park in Starkville.  Nell died May 18, 2014 in Huntsville, Alabama at the age of 78. She was buried in the Oktibbeha Memorial Gardens.

 Garnett J. Thomas Tombstone

LINEAGE: (Garnett Jett Thomas was the son of Pinkney Madison and Ethel Myrtis Drinkard Thomas and grandson of Starkie Duprey and Sarah Frances Pugh Thomas.  Starkie Duprey was the eleventh child of Perry and Elizabeth Bridges Thomas. Perry was the third child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.  Elizabeth was the sixth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

Linda Kelly Kompanik -- Librarian

 

Linda Maryanna Kelly Kompanik was on born February 13, 1955 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. She was the third of four children born to Harold Eugene Kelly and Johnnie Mae Thomas. Harold was a native of Willow Hill, Illinois and Johnnie Mae was born and grew up in Christian County, Kentucky.  Linda’s sister was Janice Ann Kelly born in 1949 and two brothers, Harold Eugene Kelly, Jr., born in 1952 and Thomas Dean Kelly, born in 1959.

Linda enrolled at Western Kentucky State University where she chose to become an attorney. She planned to get her law degree and practice law with her brother. But while working toward her law degree she stumbled onto a new dream while working part time in the Hopkinsville Library as their Reference Librarian. With some persuasion from a friend, she decided to switch tracks and head in the direction of Library Science.  That is where she found her niche in life.

Linda obtained her AB degree in Library Media Education and English from WKU and later received her Masters of Library Science in May 1995. Upon graduation, Linda continued to work at the Hopkinsville Library where she worked for three years as the head of the reference department and then became the assistant to the library director.

On July 1, 1995, Linda was hired as the director of the Logan County Public Library in Russellville, Kentucky. . The duties of Linda's new position included budget decisions, library stock management, coordinating library programs for the public, and managing the library's nine staff members.  Linda was genuinely committed to doing what she could to help provide the very best library service possible for the people of Logan County.  She respected and appreciated the community’s heritage and had a vision of the library’s place in the county’s continuing progress.

In May 1999, Linda was awarded the Outstanding Library Service Award by the Kentucky Library Association/Public Library Section. The award was presented to her for outstanding achievement in providing library service to the people of Kentucky. This honor is awarded to librarians whose work has enhanced library service across the Commonwealth. She was lauded for her work at the Logan County Public Library as well as her statewide work on various committees including the Legislative Committee, which achieved an increase in state aid to libraries throughout the state.

In 2011, Linda was instrumental in a statewide campaign for the state of Kentucky to create a specialty license plate with a library theme. To gain approval for the plates the state was required to obtain 900 applications.  She personally collected the applications and asked for contributions to make the plates. Linda was successful in her campaign as the state legislature subsequently approved the specialty license plate.

Linda recognizing the growth in the library had a vision for a new library for Logan County. Over the years she literally fought the establishment and public opinion on the need for a new library. She stood up in favor of a new library at meetings and events. The road to getting a new library building is a long one.  It required getting grants, legislative appropriations, obtaining loans and private donations from citizens.  Linda was successful in her efforts and bids for constructing the new Logan County Library were opened September 25, 2012 and construction finally begun on the new facility.  The new library opened in February 2014 in a beautiful new building on Armory Drive in Russellville.  Unfortunately Linda passed away August 28, 2013, in Bowling Green, Kentucky at the age of 58 from a lengthy battle with cancer, five months before the new library she fought for was completed. In January 2014, the local newspaper, the News-Democrat & Leader selected the former Logan County Librarian Linda Kompanik as its “Citizen of the Year.” It stated that, “Although Linda is no longer with us in body, she will be with us in spirit every time the doors swing open at the Logan County Public Library”.

Linda was married on October 9, 1992 to John Paul Kompanik.  They had one daughter, Tamara Kompanik Dillard.  She was buried in the Naples Memorial Garden Cemetery in North Naples, Florida.

 

LINEAGE:  (Linda Maryanna Kelly Kompanik was the daughter of Harold Eugene and Johnnie Mae Thomas Kelly, the granddaughter of John Clealon and Mary Willie Thomas Thomas and the great-granddaughter of Robert Allison and Emma Nora Cunningham Thomas.   Robert was the fifth child of Stanley and Emily Ann Light Thomas.  Stanley was the second child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas. Mary was the seventh child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges. )

 

Temperance Thomas -- Early Trigg County Pioneer

 

Temperance Thomas was born on February 7, 1794 in Bertie County, North Carolina.  She was the second child and oldest daughter of James and Mary Standley Thomas.  She was twelve years old in 1806 when her family traveled from North Carolina to settle in Christian (now Trigg) County, Kentucky. 

James Thomas and his wife Mary along with their six children settled into a one-room cabin made of white oak logs that James and his son Cullen built with the help of their neighbors.  It was located at what is now the intersection of the Donaldson and Cadiz roads in southern Trigg County. Their youngest child Stanley was born in November after the family had arrived in Kentucky in July and was their only child born in Kentucky.

Temperance or “Tempy” as she was known did not have a very easy life.  As the oldest daughter, it was her duty to help care for the younger children of the family as well as to help with the many household chores. 

A few years later in 1812, two of Temperance’s first cousins, Ezekiel Thomas, Jr., and Luke Thomas from Bertie County, North Carolina came to live in Kentucky.  Ezekiel, Jr. was born in 1792 and he and Luke were the sons of Ezekiel Thomas, Sr., a brother of James Thomas.  On November 11, 1813, after having been accused of disgracing the family by becoming pregnant outside of wedlock, Temperance married her first cousin, Ezekiel Thomas, Jr.

Temperance and Ezekiel set up housekeeping in a log cabin on land which had been acquired by Ezekiel that was located about two miles from her parent’s cabin.  On March 4, 1814, Temperance gave birth to a daughter whom she named Clarissa and they called her Clerry. Three years later on October 22, 1817, Temperance died at the young age of 23.  She was buried a short distance from their cabin which is reported to be near the graves of the Futrell family members. 

Her grave was never formally marked and today no one knows the exact location.  The gravesite area has been completely obliterated by numerous cultivations on the site over the years. A memorial monument honoring Temperance was erected in the Peyton Thomas Cemetery in Trigg County by a group of her descendant nieces and nephews.  The stone is engraved with the words, “Buried in unknown wilderness grave 1 mi. SE.  Presented in loving memory by nieces & nephews August 1989”.

Three months after Temperance’s death, Ezekiel, Jr. married Abrilla Parry Standley, a first cousin of Temperance, on her mother’s side of the family.  Around 1824, Ezekiel along with his brother, Luke and their families migrated to Tennessee and settled permanently in the Hico community in Carroll County. Ezekiel and his second wife, Abrilla, had nine children.  There is no further trace of Clarissa, his daughter by Temperance, but it is believed that she accompanied the family to Tennessee. Some records indicate that Clarissa died in her childhood.

Ezekiel died on January 3, 1850 at the age of 58 and was buried in the Ezekiel Thomas Cemetery in Hico, Carroll County, Tennessee.  The Ezekiel Thomas Cemetery contained an unknown number of his family.  Unfortunately, the cemetery was bulldozed by a Huntingdon, Tennessee motorcycle dealer in the 1970s. None of the stones exist today and even the skeletal remains may have been disturbed.

Damaged Tombstone of Ezekiel Thomas, Jr.

LINEAGE: (Temperance Thomas was the second child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Charles Lee Howard and Monico Howard -- Train Accident Victims

 

 

Charles Lee Howard was born on December 22, 1866 in Lyon County, Kentucky, the son of John T. Howard, a native of Caldwell County, Kentucky and Mary Jane King, a native of Lyon County, Kentucky.  He was third of seven children of John and Mary.

 Charles grew up in Lyon County, but later moved to Trigg County, Kentucky where he met and married Margaret Effie Baker. Charles was a farmer and he and his family lived on a farm in Trigg County. Sometime around 1910, he moved with his family to another farm in Lyon County.  Later he moved with his family and settled in Little Cypress, in Marshall County, Kentucky where he was known as a prominent farmer of the community.

Charles and Effie were the parents of six children, Mary Adeline Howard, born in 1890, Grover Steve Howard, born in 1893, Home Blane Howard, born in 1896, Mattie Lewis Howard, born in 1902, Johnny Charlene Howard, born in 1905 and Monico Collins Howard, born in 1906.

Early on the morning of March 4, 1919, Charles loaded his farm wagon with eggs, butter, milk and other farm products which he planned to sell in Paducah.  Paducah was located about twelve miles from their farm home.  He attached a team of two horses to the wagon and he and his 12 year old daughter, Monico, boarded the wagon and left for Paducah.

At approximately 8:45 a.m. Charles and Monico were about one mile from Paducah at the Benton Road crossing. At the same time the Illinois Central passenger train No. 135 which was en route from Central City to Paducah was also nearing the Benton Road crossing.  The train consisted of an engine, three coaches and a baggage car. Witnesses later said that Charles, realizing that his team and the train were going to reach the crossing at nearly the same time, began to whip his team in an apparent effort to get across the track before the train reached the crossing.

The train which was behind schedule and was due at Union Station at 8:30 a.m. had also gained speed.  The wagon and the engine reached the crossing at the same time. The engine struck the wagon, hurling it high into the air.  Charles body was found about 250 feet from the crossing, lying at the bottom of an embankment.  His head was mashed beyond recognition and his body was bruised and lacerated.  His daughter’s body was thrown about twenty-five feet beyond her father, over an embankment and her body was badly mangled.  The wagon was knocked to pieces but the horses escaped.

A Mr. and Mrs. Kirkland, who resided a short distance east of the crossing, were eyewitnesses to the tragedy.  Mr. Kirkland said he heard the engine whistle in short blasts, as a danger warning and the bell on the engine also was ringing.  Mrs. Kirkland said she was at a window where she could see the accident.  She said she remarked to her husband that "those people will be killed if they don't hurry and get over."   The train’s engineer said he was about ten yards from the crossing when he noticed the wagon and its occupants.  He said he blew the whistle and applied the brakes, the train stopping about thirty feet beyond the crossing.  

A coroner jury was empanelled and an inquest was held about 10 a.m. at the scene of the accident.  Their verdict was non committal and did not attach any blame, briefly saying Howard and his daughter were killed by an Illinois Central passenger train at the Benton Road crossing.  

Charles and his daughter Monico were buried in the Fooks Cemetery in the Sharpe Community of Marshall County.  Charles was 51 years old at the time of the accident. Charles’s wife Effie died five years later on October 19, 1924, at the age of 54, and was buried next to her husband and daughter in the Fooks Cemetery.

 Tombstone of Charles Howard

Tombstone of Monico Howard

LINEAGE: (Charles Lee Howard and Monico Collins Howard were the husband and daughter of Margaret Effie Baker Howard.  Effie was the daughter of Samuel Freeman and Sarah Adeline Thomas Baker and 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.)

Mattie Light Hughes -- Matriarch of the Trigg County Light/Hughes Family

 

Mattie Patterson Light was born on June 13, 1879 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  She was the first of fourteen children born to John J. Light and Emeline Catherine Thomas Light. Her father, John Light was a farmer in the Oak Grove Community of Trigg County where he lived his entire life. His obituary stated that he was a most honored citizen of the county and stood high in the estimation of his neighbors and friends. Her mother, Emily was a member of Trigg’s oldest families and lived a conscientious Christian life.

On December 21, 1902, Mattie married Luther Lee Hughes.  She was 23 years old at the time of her marriage.  Luther or “Luke” as he was known was born on February 13, 1875 in the Warrenton Community of Trigg County to Hampton “Ham” and Mary Della Guier Hughes. Luke and Mattie lived in the Warrenton Community where he was a successful farmer. Luke also served on the Trigg County Board of Education in the 1920’s.

Luke and Mattie were the parents of ten children.  All of these children were born in the Hughes home place on their farm located on Highway 68 west of Cadiz.  All ten of the Hughes children grew to adulthood. All were married except for one daughter. Four of the children married into distant relatives of the Thomas-Bridges Family.  They all grew to be well known and respected citizens of their community.

The ten children were:

Harmon Hughes was born on October 18, 1903. He married Georgia Lyle New, his first wife and Mary Clayton, his second wife.  Harmon lived primarily in Henderson, Kentucky.

Elizabeth Hughes was born on November 7, 1904 and married Clinton Harrell Stalons.  She and Clinton lived in Trigg County, Kentucky.

Mary Catherine Hughes was born on February 3, 1906.  She married Thomas Edward Mize.  She lived in Trigg County, Kentucky.

Gertrude Hughes was born on May 18, 1908. She married John Robert Flood and they lived in Trigg County, Kentucky.

Bertram Hughes was born September 25, 1909.  He married Edna Earl Thomas and they lived in Trigg County, Kentucky.

Edna Hughes was born on February 7, 1912.  She married Charles Calvert Flood. They resided in Trigg County, Kentucky.

Richard Hughes was born on February 17, 1914, He married Avernell Boyd.  They lived in Trigg County, Kentucky, but later made their home in Nashville, Tennessee.

Raymond Hughes was born on March 5, 1916.  He married Susie Hammond.  They resided in Trigg County, Kentucky.

Loutisha Hughes was born June 10, 1919.  Loutisha was the only one of the Hughes children to remain single.

Alton Hughes was born on October 18, 1921.  He married Hazel Lancaster and they resided in Trigg County, Kentucky.

Mattie Hughes died on July 30, 1944 in Trigg County of heart failure at the age of 65.  She was buried in the Lawrence Cemetery.  Luke Hughes died ten years later on January 2, 1954 of a heart attack at the age of 78 and was also buried in the Lawrence Cemetery.

Tombstone of Mattie Light Hughes and Luke Hughes

LINEAGE:  (Mattie Light Hughes was the daughter of John J. and Emeline Catherine Thomas Light, the granddaughter of Stanley and Emily Ann Light Thomas and the great-granddaughter 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.)

Preston Hoover Thomas -- Land Surveyor

 

Preston Hoover Thomas was born December 2, 1904, the second child of James Payton (Buck) and Avia F. Eggner Thomas.  He grew up on Donaldson Creek on a farm.  On June 30, 1928, he married Mary Pauline Bridges, daughter of John T. and Maggie D. Cunningham Bridges of Maple Grove.

After marriage, they moved to Akron, Ohio where he was employed by Goodyear Rubber Company for two years, after which they returned to Donaldson.  He helped his father farm and also did some barbering.

In the spring of 1940, he and his family moved to Maple Grove.  He got a job as foreman on the W.P.A. for a period of time, also raised tobacco for his father-in-law.  Later he did carpentry and assisted Mr. Bridges in surveying land.

His interest in surveying grew and at Mr. Bridges’ death he became the county surveyor. As times grew better, people started buying and selling land so surveying turned into a full time job.  Laws changed so he had to go to the University of Kentucky and take a test to become licensed. With only an eighth education, he passed the test with honors.  He then became a partner in the engineering firm of Gammel, Travis and Thomas.  By this time he had surveyed almost all of Trigg County including sub-divisions and land for the Lake Barkley Lodge.

He always charged a very minimal fee for his work and when his children confronted about it he said “I only want to make a living, not get rich.  I’d rather have friends than money.”**

Preston and Mary Pauline were the parents of five children, Harry Clifford Thomas, born in 1929; Bobby Gene Thomas, born in 1931; Nina Beatrice Thomas, born in 1933; Buster James Thomas, born in 1935; and Michael Lane Thomas, born in 1946.  Preston died on December 12, 1982 at the Trigg County Hospital.  He was buried in the Drury Bridges Family Cemetery in Maple Grove, just down the road from his home.

**Biography from the Preston H. Thomas Memorial, “Trigg County History, Cadiz, Kentucky, Volume Two” published 1987.

Tombstone of Preston H. and Mary P. Thomas

LINEAGE:  (Preston Hoover Thomas was the son of James Peyton and Avia Franklin Eggner Thomas, grandson of James Dillard and Sarah Armentia Sholar Thomas and great-grandson 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.)

Robert Cletus Baker --Alaska Tragedy

 

Robert Cletus “Bob” Baker was born on April 26, 1917 in Tuttle, Oklahoma.  His parents, Zee Y. Baker and Judith Idella Aldridge were both born in Trigg County, Kentucky and his grandmother was Sarah Adeline Thomas. Prior to 1910, Zee and Della left Trigg County to settle In Oklahoma. After Bob was born in 1917, Zee and Della moved their family to the state of Washington.  They settled in Tonasket, where they lived until their deaths.

Bob attended grade and high school in Tonasket and after becoming an adult he moved to Coulee Center, Washington where he made his home near the Grand Coulee Dam from 1937 to 1941.

In the early 1940s, Bob worked with a group of government engineers who were assigned to work in Alaska. His team was first assigned to work at Annette Island, Alaska which is about 250 miles south of Juneau in the Alaskan panhandle.  Later the team was assigned to an isolated area of Alaska known as the Excursion Inlet, about 40 miles northwest of Juneau.

While at Excursion Inlet, Bob worked as a truck dispatcher living with other workers in a barracks.  As the area was very isolated the workers, after several months, would chose any opportunity to get away for a change even if for a few hours. Bob was with a group of six men who chose to leave their camp by taking a boat trip across the strait to Hoonah, Alaska, on another island about 20 miles south of Excursion Inlet.

On June 5, 1943, the men chartered a boat known as the “Maybe” for their trip. The boat was piloted by a Mr. Clare who was known to be an able skipper.  The trip was to take about three hours and the men arrived early at the dock, all happy to be able to forget about their isolation for a short time. Unfortunately, the boat was in the middle of the icy strait when trouble struck.

Apparently a collar around the boat’s propeller shaft came loose, letting the packing out and allowing the water into their boat.  The men tried to bail the water out but were unable to keep up with the flow.  They managed to put on their life jackets, but the boat would sink in less than seven minutes.  The men pushed a small lifeboat over the side of the larger boat, but it turned upside down and the men were forced into the water.  They tried to set boat afire but were unable to do so because it sank so quickly.  They were in the water for about one and half hours.  Clare, the skipper, was able to keep all the men together and he tried to keep them moving their arms and legs to increase their circulation but the water was extremely cold and soon the men were overcome and their heads fell over into the water.  Bob held on to the last but not quite long enough.  Help arrived from a passing boat and the men were rushed back to Excursion Inlet for care, but it was too late.  Two of the men, including Clare the Skipper survived but the other four men including Bob died from exposure.

Bob, who never married was 27 years old at the time of his death.  His siblings were Calvert P. Baker, Lorine Baker, Irene Baker, Wilbert W. Baker, Joe W. Baker, Evelyn Baker and Adelyn Baker. Bob’s body was returned to his hometown of Tonasket, where he was buried.

 Tombstone of Robert C. Baker

LINEAGE: (Robert Cletus “Bob” Baker was the son of Zee Y. and Judith Idella Aldridge Baker, grandson of Samuel Freeman and Sarah Adeline Thomas Baker and great-grandson 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 Mary Cohoon Bridges.)

Francis Leadley Trice -- College Professor

 

 Francis Leadley Trice

Francis Leadley Trice was born on December 17, 1937 in St, Petersburg, Florida.  His parents were Leadley Dagg Trice and Frances Nedda Wood.  His father was born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky and had moved to St. Petersburg in 1926. Dagg was a fourth generation banker and had served as president of the Madeira Beach Bank.  He was chairman of the board of the bank when he retired. Francis Leadley or Frank as he was known had one brother, Paul Trice and one sister Helen Trice Faulkner.

Frank attended the St. Petersburg High School where he graduated in 1955.  He enrolled at Florida State University in Tallahassee where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.  He went on to attain a Master of Arts degree from the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York.  Frank then obtained his PhD from Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York.

On August 11, 1961, Frank married Sandra Louise Ward.  They later divorced and Frank married Mary Ann Wright on August 19, 1978.  Frank and Mary Ann were the parents of four children, two sons, Andrew Leadley Trice and Stephen Charles Busby and two daughters, Jennifer Louise Trice and Robin Cressida Trice.

Frank devoted his career to higher education.  In 1968 joined the faculty of Alfred University, a private university in Alfred, New York where he taught Spanish.  In the mid 1970’s he was promoted to Associate Professor and then became Chairman of the Department of Modern Languages.  He was awarded full professor status in 1983 and held that position until his retirement in 1999.

In 1979, he began working part time with SUNY Empire State College where he was unit coordinator and student mentor.  His work as a student mentor with Empire continued for the rest of his life.

Frank was the founder of the Alfred University chapters of the Phi Sigma Iota International Foreign Language Honor Society and Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society.  He was also a member of the Cooperative Association of Western New York Colleges and University.

In addition to his wide achievements in the area of higher education, Frank had a personal interest in bluegrass music and had a vast knowledge of the genre. As a part of his bluegrass hobby which had become his passion, he loved to collect, restore and play vintage banjos.

Frank died on February 21, 2012 at the Highland Hospital in Rochester, New York.  He was buried in the Alfred Rural Cemetery in Alfred, New York.

Francis L. Trice Tombstone

LINEAGE: (Francis Leadley Trice was the son of Leadley Dagg and Frances Nedda Wood Trice, grandson of Francis Dagg and Katherine Quick Trice and great-grandson of John Carr and Martha Jane Thomas Quick.  Martha was the fourth child of Allison William and Catherine Elizabeth Carloss Thomas. Catherine is the third child of Perry and Elizabeth Bridges Thomas. Perry was the third child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.  Elizabeth was the sixth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)