Robert Leonard Clayton was the husband of Francis Pearl Bridges, daughter of Cornelius Neal Bridges and Emma Jean Sons. Cornelius and Emma were born in Trigg County, Kentucky as well as their daughter Francis who was born on November 17, 1899.
Robert was born on June 25, 1887, the son of Warham Johnson Clayton and Ann Eliza Scarberry. The Claytons were born in Kentucky and Robert was born in Princeton, Kentucky. The family lived in the Bucksnort community of Caldwell County in 1900. Robert was the second oldest child of fifteen children of Warham and Ann.
Robert left Caldwell County as a young man and moved to Palmer, Pennsylvania where he purchased an interest in a garage in Adah, Pennsylvania. Robert was inducted into the armed services on March 28, 1918 at Uniontown, Pennsylvania and was assigned to the Aviation School at the Kelly Air Force Base in Texas. He was honorably discharged a few months later on October 22, 1918 as World War I was ending.
While living in Pennsylvania he met and married his first wife, Bessie Pearl Dearth of Fayette County, Pennsylvania. On January 9, 1923, Bessie, age 30 at the time, died from injuries suffered when an automobile in which she was riding was struck by a train. Following the death of his wife, Robert sold his interest in the garage and returned to live in Princeton, Kentucky.
While living in Princeton, Robert met Frances Pearl Bridges and they were married on June 23, 1925. They became the parents of four sons, Robert Leonard Clayton, Jr., who was born in 1925, Harold Clayton, born in 1926 but died at 2 ½ months, Charles Edward Clayton, born in 1928 and James O. Clayton, born in 1929.
On the late Sunday evening of November 23, 1930, Robert lost his life in a tragic incident. On that evening, Robert and his wife Frances along with their three young children were traveling in the family car just outside Princeton. Unfortunately, the car ran out of gas. Robert left Mrs. Clayton and the two younger children in the car alongside the road and took five-year old Robert, Jr., with him in search for some help. They came upon a small wayside filling station that was closed. Robert knocked on the door of the station in an attempt to get the attention of the owner. The owner approached the door from the inside, but Robert, who suffered from a hearing defect, failed to hear the approaching owner call in response and continued to rattle the door. The owner, thinking the intruder was a potential burglar fired a gun through the closed door. The bullet struck Robert just above the heart, killing him instantly.
Robert was buried in the Cedar Hill Cemetery in Princeton, Kentucky. His wife, Frances died on February 13, 1985 in Evansville, Indiana and was buried next to her husband.
Tombstone of Robert and Frances Bridges
LINEAGE: (Robert Leonard Clayton was the husband of Frances Pearl Bridges. Frances was the daughter of Cornelius Neal and Emma Jean Sons Bridges, granddaughter of William Joseph and Sarah Wills Bridges and great-granddaughter of Simco 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.)
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