William Madison Thomas -- Pilot for Pan American World Airways

 

William Madison “Bud” Thomas was born on June 27, 1939 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.  He was the second of three children born to Clyde S. “Sonny” Thomas and Lillian Ladd Thomas.  He grew up in Trigg County, Kentucky and graduated from Trigg County High School.  

After graduation from high school He enrolled in Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee and subsequently graduated from Vanderbilt with a degree in civil engineering.  After graduation he served with the United States Marine Corps as a Captain in the Far East.  After leaving the Marine Corps, he became a pilot with Pan American World Airways.

On September 20, 1969, Bud married Roxanne Reeder Peterson, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. G. B. D Peterson of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Roxanne was a graduate of the University of Miami and was a stewardess with Pan American World Airways.  Bud and Roxanne were living in Fairfax, Virginia when their two children were born, a daughter Nicole who was born in 1971 and a son Matthew who was born in 1974.  Later, the Thomas family established a home in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

In September of 1986, Bud was thrust into the national limelight when he became involved in an international airline hijacking incident.  On Thursday, September 5, Bud was a co-pilot on Pan American flight 73 that had originated in Bombay (now Mumbai), India.  The flight was scheduled to stop in Karachi, Pakistan, Frankfurt, Germany and end in New York City.  The plane had just landed in Karachi when four armed Arab gunmen sped on to the tarmac and entered the Boeing 747 firing shots into the air.

Thomas and two other members of the cockpit crew were alerted by a flight attendant of what was happening in the back of the plane.  They made the decision to escape the plane by climbing through a hatch in the roof of the cockpit and sliding down a cable. The cable was an escape device that reels out at a steady speed.  The cockpit is roughly three stories high. The crew made the decision to escape because they believed that by rendering the craft inoperable, the passengers would be better off.  As a result of their actions, the flight was not able to take off. “Keep the plane on the ground” is the first rule on how to handle an airline hijacking according to airline policy.

The 379 passengers and crew aboard were held hostage as the hijackers demanded a pilot to fly them to Cyprus. To enforce their demand, the hijackers executed an American citizen. Efforts by the hijackers to identify other Americans were frustrated by flight attendants who hid the passports of the remaining American passengers. The hijackers also threatened to blow up the aircraft with all passengers on board. After a grueling 16-hour standoff, the plane’s onboard power supply was exhausted. Shortly thereafter, the plane went dark and the hijackers, thinking that the plane was being assaulted by security forces, fired on the hostages. Twenty-one hostages were killed, and scores were injured. The assault ended when the gunmen ran out of ammunition, and members of the flight crew reentered the aircraft to aid the wounded all four hijackers were eventually apprehended by Pakistani police and imprisoned.

Captain William Madison Thomas died in Hopkinsville, Kentucky on July 22, 1996 a little less than ten years after the Flight 73 hijacking incident.  He was buried in the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery West in Hopkinsville.

 The Boeing 747 that was hijacked on September 5, 1986

Tombstone of William Madison Thomas

LINEAGE:  (William Madison Thomas is the son of Clyde S. “Sonny” and Mary Lillian Ladd Thomas, grandson of Bluford Ira and Alice Lula Vinson Thomas and great-grandson of William Bridges and Nancy Jane Rogers Thomas.  William Bridges Thomas was the first 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.)

Stanley Thomas, Jr. -- Hopkins County Jailer

 

Stanley Thomas, Jr. was born on April 27, 1865 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the son of Stanley and Emily J. Light Thomas.  As a young man, he worked on his father’s farm.  He later moved to Graves County, Kentucky where in 1890 he married Callie Mae Bennett, the daughter of George and Missouri Bateman Bennett of Graves County.

Stanley and Callie’s first child was a daughter named Connie who was born on November 24, 1890 in Graves County.  Unfortunately, Connie died on July 19, 1892 at the age of one.  Later that year on September 29, 1892 their first son, Curtis Elbert Thomas was born in Mayfield, Kentucky. A second son, Richard Bennett Thomas was born on December 26, 1984 and a third son, Cyrus Bryan Thomas was born on August 16, 1896.  A fourth son, Dewey Rudolph Thomas was born on March 24, 1899 in Graves County.  Their fifth son, Orie Clifton Thomas was born on October 19, 1901.

In 1906, Stanley moved with his family to Madisonville, Kentucky. For fifteen years he was a traveling representative for the J. R. Watkins Drug Company of Winona, Wisconsin.  In 1921, Stanley ended his job with the J. R. Watkins Drug Company and became a candidate for Jailer for Hopkins County in the Democratic Primary Election that was held on August 6, 1921.  Stanley was successful in his run for Jailer and began his term in January 1922. He subsequently ran for reelection in the fall of 1925 but was unsuccessful and his term ended in early 1926.

One humorous incident that occurred while Stanley was jailer was his battle with the Fiscal Court over the payment of soap for prisoners.  The March 26, 1922 issue of the Louisville Courier Journal reported that when Jailer Stanley Thomas presented his bill for $8 to the Fiscal Court for soap used by the prisoners, it caused an uproar. The court wanted to investigate to ascertain if the county should pay for soap to wash clothes for prisoners. Jailer Thomas was quoted as saying “that if he had to pay for the soap to wash clothes of prisoners they would have to go dirty.”  It is assumed that Stanley received his $8 reimbursement as there were no further news reports on the incident.

Following his term as Hopkins County Jailer, , Stanley purchased the Blue Front Grocery Store on Hopewell Street in Madisonville in November of 1926 which he operated for a number of years.

Stanley suffered from a heart ailment for several years but on February 10, 1939, he was struck by an automobile while walking near Center and Franklin Streets in downtown Madisonville.  He sustained a brain concussion and several rib fractures and was admitted to the local hospital.  On February 24, he succumbed to a heart attack and died.  He was 73 years old at his death.

Stanley was buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Madisonville, Kentucky along with his wife, who had died on February 4, 1923 at the age of 51. 

 

LINEAGE: (Stanley Thomas, Jr. was the son 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.)

Peyton Thomas – Early Trigg County Kentucky Pioneer

 

The following is the verbatim biographical sketch of Peyton Thomas as recorded in 1884 in the History of Trigg County, Kentucky by William Henry Perrin, published by F. A. Battey Publishing Co.  This detailed 1884 history has a large amount of historical and genealogical information about Trigg County, Kentucky from its earliest settlement up to 1884 and is an invaluable resource for those interested in the history of Trigg County, Kentucky. The volume includes are a total of 185 different Trigg County, Kentucky family biographies and family histories.

PEYTON THOMAS was born in this  [Canton] precinct April 6, 1820, and is a son of Cullen and Elizabeth (Feutrell) Thomas. The father was born in Bertie County, N. C., in 1790, and came to this county with his father, James Thomas, in 1805. The grandfather settled on the farm now occupied by Peyton Thomas, where he died in September, 1832. The father grew to manhood here, and settled on a farm to the south of his father. He first inherited seventy-five acres, and by his own exertions finally increased it to 1,000 acres; be was Magistrate of the county for a number of years under the old Constitution, and held the office of Sheriff for two years by seniority. His death occurred June 8, 1862, the mother's in 1844. Subject was the second of six children, and is the only one now living; he worked on the home farm until twenty-one and then came to his present farm; he now owns about 400 acres, of which 100 acres are in cultivation. At the age of eighteen he began blacksmithing, and worked at the trade himself for a number of years. Afterward hired hands and had the business carried on. In 1855 he sold goods for one year, and in 1858 he commenced merchandising again, engaging in it until 1862. In April, 1883, he opened his present store, and now carries a stock of about $1,500. In 1865 he began to keep the county poor, and with the exception of seven years he had charge of them up until December, 1883. Mr. Thomas was married December 2, 1841, to Miss Sallie Ethridge, a daughter of David T. Ethridge, of Davidson County, Tenn. Mrs. Thomas was born in the same county, and is the mother of ten children. Of this number nine are now living-four sons and five daughters. Subject and family are members of the Baptist Church, and he has held the office of Church Clerk for many years; he was Magistrate of the county for twelve years. From 1858 to 1860 he was Postmaster at Donelson Postoffice; he is a member of Canton Lodge, No. 242, A. F. .& A. M. Peyton Thomas had one married sister, who gave birth to two children and then died of consumption; his mother died in 1844, and about a year later his father married Drusilla Carter, who bore him two children, who died within four years. James Thomas, brother of our subject, served through the Mexican war. He was subsequently elected Major of the Kentucky State Militia, and then ranked as Colonel of Trigg County. He once ran for the Legislature on the Whig ticket, but was defeated through the machinations of the Sons of Temperance.  An incident rather unusual occurred in the deaths of James Thomas (brother of subject) and his father, Cullen Thomas, which occurred respectively at ten minutes past 12 o'clock P. M., June 8, 1881, and June 8, 1882.

History of Trigg County, by William Henry Perrin, 1884.

Peyton Thomas Tombstone in the Peyton Thomas Cemetery

Historical Marker for the Peyton Thomas Cemetery

LINEAGE: (Peyton Thomas was the third child of Cullen and Elizabeth Futrell Thomas and the grandson of James and Mary Standley Thomas)

George Silas Turner -- Victim of Steamer Ship Sinking in the Ohio River

 

George Silas Turner was born on May 2, 1866 in Trigg County, Kentucky, the son of William Franklin Turner and Elizabeth Carr Turner. On November 8, 1885, in Stewart County, Tennessee he married Louella E. Bridges, the daughter of Simco N. Bridges and Emeline Martin Bridges.

George was a farmer who lived with his family about eighteen miles south of Cadiz. On the evening of January 31, 1924, George was in Paducah, Kentucky.  He was planning to return to Trigg County by boarding the steamer ship, the “Tom C. Powell”.  The “Tom C. Powell” made regular trips cruising up the Ohio River to its junction with the Cumberland River and then following the Cumberland down to Nashville, Tennessee.  George planned to disembark the ship at Sugar Tree Landing, Kentucky, where he would return to his farm in southern Trigg County. 

When the ship was about eight miles above Paducah in the channel of the Ohio River, it struck an obstruction and within three minutes the ship sunk into the river.  George Silas Turner died in the sinking of the ship.

The body of George Turner was recovered about ten thirty the following day by three survivors of the disaster.  According to the Paducah News Democrat, Turner's body was found “on the deck, wedged behind a freight box, one hand was partially out of the water.”  Water was so deep in the cabin of the sunken steamer, that no attempt was made to find the body of Joe Creamer, .19, another Trigg County citizen, who was believed to have been caught in the cabin with Turner when the Powell sank. Turner was traveling with Creamer who lived with his father on a farm owned by Turner’s brother-in-law, J. B. Downs in Sugar Tree Landing, Kentucky.

In addition, three “roustabouts” were lost on the ship. All of them were seen on the hurricane deck of the boat a few moments before she struck and careened so rapidly that her smokestacks fell into the river.  The three young men probably jumped or were thrown into the river, surviving passengers said. They had been playing cards with Turner and Creamer when the crash came which sent the Powell to the bottom. The steamer’s Second Clerk Leo Blake said soon after the wreck that he heard someone struggling to get out of the freight while he and Mrs. Mary McReynolds, the only woman aboard were caught against the outer wall of the cabin.

The Captain of the ship, who survived, found that ice had formed around the steamer soon after it sank, but he stated that he didn’t think the vessel was wrecked by the light floe of ice but had struck a much heavier obstruction in the channel.  The water that swept through the Powell carried away a small fortune in money and valuables.  The steamer’s safe, containing money and jewelry, was lost and passengers were unable to save any of the belongings in the staterooms.  One passenger from Kuttawa, had $460 in his stateroom, the proceeds of the tobacco crop he had just sold in Paducah.

Turner’s body was sent back downstream to Paducah on another steamer where it was identified by John Sumner, of Paducah, a nephew of George Turner.  The coroner ruled that the cause of death was accidental drowning. Because of the lack of communication at that time, there was difficulty in notifying his family of his death.  On February 3, Sheriff W. C. Broadbent of Trigg County announced in the city court room that Turner had drowned on the Powell and that he had sent four messengers into the “rough country” south of Cadiz to notify his wife and two of his sons, who had nearby farms of their father’s death.

According to the news article at the time, Turner’s survivors included his wife and five daughters and four sons.  They were Mrs. May Morgan, of Trigg County, Mrs. Emma Thomas of Illinois, Ethel Turner, 20, Mahala Turner, 17, and Willie Turner, 14, all of Trigg County and Alvin Turner, of Gilbertsville, Sam Turner and Julius Turner who owned farms in Trigg County, and Jesse Turner, 15, who lived at his father’s home.

Photo of the steamer "Tom C. Powell" docked at one of its ports.

LINEAGE:  (George Silas Turner was the husband of Louella E, Bridges.  Louella was the daughter of Simco N. and Emeline Martin Bridges.  Simco was the third child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges. William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges. Mary Thomas was the fifth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)