James Thomas, Jr. -- Early Trigg County Pioneer

 

Historical Marker Honoring James Thomas, Jr.

James Thomas, Jr. was one of the seven children of James Thomas and Mary “Mollie” Standley Thomas who make up the core of the Thomas side of the Thomas and Bridges family.  James, Jr. was the fourth son of the family and was born on November 3, 1803 in the Cashie River area of Bertie County, North Carolina.  He was only three years old when his family left their plantation in North Carolina and traveled about 650 miles to their new home in Christian County (now Trigg), Kentucky.

The traveling family included James, Jr.’s siblings: Cullen, age 15, Temperance, age 13, Perry, age 9, Starkie, age 7, and Mary, age 4.  In addition his mother, Mary, was expecting her seventh child, Stanley, who was the only child of James and Mary that was born in Kentucky. The family traveled by oxen-drawn wagons to a location on the Holston River near what is now Kingsport in east Tennessee. The family had a choice at this point to continue to western Kentucky.  They could travel by flatboat down the rivers of central Tennessee or continue an overland journey along the trail with the oxen-drawn wagons.  It is not known for certain what James chose to do, but it is believed that he most likely chose to continue the journey by flatboat as the rivers were high in the spring time when they were traveling which made travel by flatboat much easier.

The family arrived in July of 1806 and settled on a farm in the Donaldson Creek section of the county.  James, Jr. grew up on this family farm and his formal education was obtained by attending the Donaldson School.  He also received some tutoring from his older brother, Perry.  After he turned 21 years old, he purchased approximately 100 acres of land in the Donaldson Creek valley for $100 on February 24, 1824.  His property adjoined that of his brother Perry on the east.  This made over two miles of land on both side of the Big Road, the main thoroughfare through the valley, which now belonged to James Thomas, Sr. and his sons.  

In 1829, when James, Jr. was 26 years old, he married Martha Ethridge. Martha was born in 1810 and was a native of Davidson County, Tennessee.  Her parents were David Tatum Ethridge and Penina Skinner Ethridge.

James, Jr. was a Democrat, a Mason, a planter, a justice of the peace and a deacon in the Donaldson Creek Baptist Church and lived his entire life in the Donaldson Creek valley where he had settled with his family in 1806.  Matthew McKinney, who published a newspaper in Cadiz, Kentucky in the 1880’s described James Thomas, Jr. as “…the most rugged in appearance of all the Thomas brothers.  He was as stern and immovable as a Federal judge; irrascable but remarkably quiet, but when aroused for a cause, perhaps the most dangerous of them all,…He was more retiring than any other of the brothers and consequently the lesser known.  He was a kind neighbor and much beloved by his friends.”

James, Jr. and Martha became the parents of six children, Edwin C. Thomas, born in 1830, Carroll Thomas, born in 1831, James Clark “Muck” Thomas, born in 1835, their only daughter, Amanda Jane Thomas, born in 1838. They had one unnamed child who died in infancy.

James Thomas, Jr. died on February 20, 1864 at the age of 61.  He was buried in the Peyton Thomas Cemetery which was located at the intersection of the Old Dover and Donaldson Creek roads.  His wife, Martha outlived her husband by 22 years and died on April 6, 1886 when she was 76 years old.  She was buried next to her husband in the Peyton Thomas Cemetery.

 

Tombstone of James, Jr. and Margaret Thomas

LINEAGE:  (James Thomas, Jr. was the sixth child of James Thomas and Mary Standley Thomas)

Thelma Josephine Coleman -- Dedicated Teacher

 

Thelma Josephine Coleman was born on May 28, 1926 in Cleveland, Ohio, the first of two children of Albert Milton Coleman and Ethel Hodson Coleman.  Her father had been born in Graves County Kentucky and her mother was a native of Stockport, Cheshire, England who had migrated to the United States in 1922, settled in Ohio, and was naturalized as an American citizen in 1928.

Thelma grew up in Cleveland and graduated from Fairview Park High School in 1944.  She went on to attend the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio where she graduated in 1948 with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. The following year in 1949, Thelma married Anthony John Peterle, who was her high school sweetheart.  They eventually shared 58 years of marriage living the majority of their lives on the bank of the Scioto River in Delaware County, Ohio.

Thelma showed a high degree of skill as an educator who dedicated her life to teaching.  She and Tony settled in Delaware, Ohio, where Thelma began teaching Kindergarten in the Buckeye Valley School district, She became the recipient of the prestigious Martha Holden Jennings Award which is awarded by the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation to honor outstanding classroom educators in line with the foundation’s major objective of improving the quality of primary and secondary education in Ohio.  Thelma’s life centered on children of all ages within the community. She took delight in crossing paths with many generations of her former students.

Thelma was a community steward and devoted volunteer. Over the years she choreographed the Buckeye Valley High School musicals.  She worked at the guilds at the Grady Memorial Hospital and the United Way and the Arts Castle.  She was chairperson of the Delaware Area Recovery Resources and the alumni representative for the College of Wooster. She was involved with the Central Ohio Symphony and the Delaware County Library Board.  In 1992 she was named the Delaware Area Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year.

Through all her activities, she also made time for her weekly water aerobic and Jazzercise session, where she became known at the “gummy bear lady”.  Always with an adventurous spirit, she and her husband traveled extensively around the world following their retirement.  Thelma was an avid reader and in her own words, she enjoyed a “super” life.

Thelma and Tony had two children, a daughter, Ann Peterle who was born on February 19, 1956 and a son, Tony Scott Peterle, who was born on March 13, 1959.

Thelma died at the age of 81 on Sunday morning, November 18, 2007 at the Riverside Hospital in Columbus, Ohio from complications following surgery.  She was buried in the Oak Grove Cemetery in Delaware, Ohio.  Her husband, Tony died on November 15, 2011 and was buried beside her.

LINEAGE:  (Thelma Josephine Coleman was the daughter of Albert Milton and Ethel Hodson Coleman, granddaughter of Bluford Boyd and Frances Carman Coleman and great-granddaughter of Albert Thomas and Rhoda Josephine Lancaster Coleman.  Albert was the Alfred Boyd and Alpha Thomas Coleman.  Alpha was the second 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.)

Henry Cullen Vinson -- Prominent Farmer

 

Henry Cullen Vinson is assumed to be the man in the center of this photo surrounded by his four sons

Henry Cullen Vinson was born on April 10, 1847 in Stewart County, Tennessee.  He was the first of three children born to Thomas Allison Vinson and Emeline Thomas Vinson.  His sister, Mary Elizabeth Vinson was born May 28, 1850 and his brother, James J. Vinson, was born in 1851 and died at the age of 1 on November 1, 1852.

The young Vinson family moved to Trigg County when Henry was very small.  His mother died in 1852 at the age of 24.  As a result, Henry and his sister were raised by his grandparents, Cullen and Elizabeth Futrell Thomas.

Soon after the Civil War erupted, Henry enlisted in the Confederate Army.  He was about 15 years old at the time he enlisted and was assigned to Company D, of the Second Kentucky Calvary. He was captured shortly thereafter by the Union soldiers and was sent to a prison camp in the north.  He subsequently told the story of eating rats to survive while a prisoner. 

After the war, Henry returned to Trigg County where on November 8, 1865, he married Mary Catherine Sumner who was born on April 20, 1850 in Trigg County.  She was the daughter of John Thomas Sumner and Terese Olive Coleman Sumner.  According to family legend, they started their marriage with a mule and a three-legged iron skillet which was used on the coals and was called a spider.

After the birth of their first two children, Alfred Thomas, on November 21, 1866 and Alice Lula, on April 3, 1869, Henry and Mary Catherine moved to Searcy County, Arkansas.  His father, Thomas also moved to Arkansas along with the family.  While in Arkansas, Henry and Mary Catherine had two more children, John Robert, born on December 5, 1871 and Jesse Monroe, born on October 21, 1874.  In 1877 the family left Arkansas and moved back to Trigg County where they spent the remainder of their lives. After they moved back to Trigg County, their last son, Clyde Herman was born on February 7, 1882.

Back in Kentucky, Henry and Mary Catherine lived for several years on what was known as the Greenwade farm near Roaring Springs, Kentucky, In 1886 he bought the farm that was owned by his father in the small community of Warrenton which was located about three miles south of Cadiz.  He and his family moved to this new farm on January 13, 1887. 

 On their farm property, Henry and his sons built a Victorian farm house which had porches on three sides, a house that still stands today.  They raised their family in this new home and became prominent citizens of the community and Henry was recognized as one of the leading farmers of the county. He donated the land and helped to start the Warrenton School in the local community. Many friends were entertained at the Vinson home where hospitability was bountifully dispensed. Henry and Mary Catherine delighted in the company of their friends and enjoyed having their visitors.

Henry never forgot his war years and regularly attended the national confederate reunions.  He proudly wore his uniform which has been preserved by the family.

Mary Catherine died on January 26, 1920 after a long illness.  She was buried in the Vinson Cemetery which Henry had founded and was located on their land.  Henry died five years later on July 15, 1925 at the home of his son on Main Street in Cadiz. He was 78 years old.  He was buried in the family cemetery next to his wife.

 

Tombstone of Henry and Mary Catherine Vinson

LINEAGE:  (Henry Cullen Vinson was the son of Thomas Allison and Emeline Thomas Vinson and grandson of Cullen and Elizabeth Futrell Thomas.  Cullen was the first child of James Thomas and Mary Standley Thomas.)

George Prentice Thomas -- Attorney, Politician and Public Servant

 

George Prentice Thomas was born on Monday, April 19, 1869 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the youngest child of the nine children of Allison William Thomas and Catherine Elizabeth Carloss Thomas. Allison was also born in Trigg County, but his wife Catherine was a native of Sumner County, Tennessee. Two of George’s siblings died in childhood, but the rest grew to adulthood.

George or "G. P." as he was known graduated from Bethel College in Russellville, Kentucky and was a member of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity.  After his graduation he was admitted to the bar in 1892 in Cadiz, Kentucky after studying law under Fenton Sims. He had a keen interest in politics and was a leader in the Republican Party for many years in Trigg County.  In 1896, he was elected as the state representative from Trigg County in the Kentucky state legislature. He also served as county attorney, He also ran as a candidate for U. S. congressman in 1916 for Kentucky’s First District. However, that election was won by Alben W. Barkley who later went on to serve as Vice President of the United States from 1949 to 1953.

G. P. married Annie Laurie Meacham on June 8, 1907. Annie was born July 22, 1871 and was from Hopkinsville, Kentucky.  Their marriage took place in Nashville, Tennessee in the home of Annie’s parents, Marion Delain and Georgia Anderson Meacham. The marriage ceremony was conducted by Rev. A. P. Lyon, pastor of the local Methodist Church. G. P.’s best man was Henry R. Lawrence, who was the Adjutant General for the state of Kentucky and the maid of honor was Mellie Meacham, niece of the bride.  G. P. was serving as postmaster in Cadiz at the time of his marriage.

G. P. was appointed as a member of the first board of regents at Murray State University.  Founded in 1923 as Murray State Normal School and later renamed Murray State Teachers College, MSU was one of two schools created in Kentucky in the early 20th century to meet the growing demand for professional teachers. G. P. was sworn in as a member of the Board of Regents in 1924 by the board’s executive secretary, Alice Keys and served on the board for six years. 

George and Annie were the parents of only one child.  Their son, George Prentice Thomas, Jr., was born on October 13, 1914 in Cadiz, Kentucky. George Jr. also was active in public service in Trigg County.  He died on September 25, 1978 and was single.

G. P. died on May 29, 1943 at the age of 74 at his home in Cadiz after an illness of several months.  He was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz.  His wife, Annie, died on August 6, 1951 in Christian County, Kentucky and was buried next to him.

Tombstone of George Prentice Thomas

LINEAGE:  (George Prentice Thomas was the son of Allison W. and Catherine Elizabeth Carloss Thomas and grandson of Perry and Elizabeth Josephine Bridges Thomas. Perry was the third child of James and Mollie Standley Thomas.  Elizabeth was the sixth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)