Arthur Kilgore Edwards, Jr. -- Parkinson's Disease Research Participant

 

Arthur Kilgore Edwards, Jr. was born on June 17, 1924 in Oscar, Kentucky, a small community in Ballard County west of Paducah, Kentucky.  His parents were Arthur Kilgore Thomas Sr. and Willie Mae Holman who were farmers. His father was known across Ballard County in those times for feeding the hungry and helping the needy.  

Arthur was four years old when he lost his mother to tuberculosis which she had caught from caring from one of Arthur’s uncles.  His father died when he was sixteen years old. His older sisters, Anna, Elizabeth, and Robbie Lee took the place of his missing mother and dad. As a result, the siblings became very close which lasted over the years.

Arthur enlisted in the military in 1943 at the age of 19. He was in the U.S. Army Air Corps and was assigned as a military policeman.  He was a sharpshooter and marksman, earning the Good Conduct Medal, and 6 Bronze Stars for his time in the European theatre. He landed in Normandy and was assigned to General Patton's division. He vividly remembered the General standing in his tank when the American troops rolled through the streets of Paris celebrating the freeing of the city. He left the service with an honorable discharge and returned briefly as an aviation cadet before receiving a second honorable discharge.

After his military service, Arthur reentered Western Kentucky College which he had attended before being inducted into the service.  He then went on to attend the University of Kentucky, majoring in law. In July 1951 Arthur began his employment with Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation in Paducah, Kentucky. He started out in the plant protection department. Over the years Arthur received numerous promotions to positions of increasing responsibility including supervisory conference leader, training department supervisor, and supervisor of personnel and labor relations.

On June 6, 1953, Arthur and Juanita Imogene Westerman were married in the parsonage of the Broadway Baptist Church in Paducah, with the Rev. William H. Estes presiding.  Imogene was also an employee of Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation.  She was the daughter of Lawrence Calvin Westerman and Myrtle Merlene Barrow of Paducah.  Both her parents were natives of Stewart County, Tennessee with her mother having roots in Trigg County, Kentucky. Arthur and Imogene settled in their home in Paducah and became the parents of two children, Mark Arthur Edwards born November 4, 1960 and Susan Kimberly Edwards, born October 26, 1963.

 In 1995, Arthur was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He desperately wanted a cure for the disease and agreed to participate in research for the disease with Dr. Joel Perlmutter, a leading expert in the field in the neurology department at Washington University Center for Movement Disorders in St. Louis. He diligently participated in the research which included doing rigorous exercises. He went to St. Louis to be documented for the research until he was no longer able to do so.

Arthur died on June 22, 2011 in Western Baptist Hospital in Paducah ending his long battle with Parkinson’s disease.  He was buried in the Oscar Community Cemetery in Ballard County near where he grew up.

LINEAGE:  (Arthur K. Edwards was the husband of Juanita Imogene Westerman. Juanita was the daughter of Lawrence C.  and Myrtle Merlene Barrow Westerman, granddaughter of Horace D. and Lara Dell Cable Barrow, great-granddaughter of  Thomas A. and Lena Rivers Thomas Cable and great-great-granddaughter of Albert Dillard and Mary Jonathan Vinson Thomas. Albert was the second child 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.)

James Samuel Lancaster, Jr. -- City Clerk and Treasurer

 

James Samuel Lancaster, Jr.

James Samuel Lancaster, Jr. was born on October 20, 1944 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.  He was the third child of James Samuel “Sammie” Lancaster and Sarah Louise Light.  He had seven siblings, five sisters, Sarah Grace Lancaster Britt, Lucy Elizabeth Lancaster Lancaster, Mary Louise Lancaster Calhoun, Rose Nell Lancaster Reinitz and Betty Jean Lancaster Fuller; and two brothers, William Monroe Lancaster and Thomas Eugene Lancaster.  His father was a self-employed building contractor who was born in Trigg County, Kentucky and his mother was a homemaker who was also born in Trigg County.

James grew up in Cadiz and attended Cadiz Graded School and graduated from Trigg County High School in 1963. Growing up in Cadiz, James was known by his first two initial, J. S. and later as an adult he went by the name Jim. In high school, Jim was a shy guy and was selected by his classmates for the senior superlative for “Most Bashful” in the senior class.

On September 10, 1967, Jim entered the U.S. Army and was sent to basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia.  Following basic training, he was sent to advance infantry training at Fort Polk, Louisiana. At this time the United States was at its peak in the war in Vietnam.  In 1968 Jim was sent to Vietnam where he fought as a member of the 1st Air Calvary Division.  After his tour of duty of one year was over, Jim was sent back to the United States where he was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado.  He was honorably discharged from the Army on July 26, 1969 as a Sergeant, E-5.

Following his military service, Jim returned to Trigg County and worked in several jobs before enrolling and graduating from Murray State University. Jim became an avid tennis player and played in several tournaments in the Trigg County area. He played the sport throughout the later years of his life.

On Wednesday, December 22, 1976 the City Council of the City of Cadiz met in a special called meeting to take a final vote on the selection of a new City Clerk and Treasurer for the city to replace the previous clerk, Willard Hendricks, another Thomas-Bridges family member.  Jim had interviewed for the position with several members of the city council and at the meeting he was selected as the new City Clerk as well as serving as the service manager for the city water department.  Jim was 32 years old at the time.  His appointment was on a trial basis, but the council subsequently reviewed his performance and he was hired on a permanent basis.  Jim served for 27 years as the City Clerk before he retired.

Jim never married and continued to live in Trigg County after his retirement. He died on May 27, 2017, at the age of 72 at his home in Cadiz.  He was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz.

 Tombstone of Jim Lancaster

LINEAGE: (James Samuel Lancaster, Jr. was the son of James Samuel and Sarah Louise Light Lancaster, the grandson of James Monroe and Eunice Verna Lawrence Lancaster and James Samuel and Nettie Grace Cameron Light and the great-grandson of James and Lucy Thomas Lawrence and John J. and Emeline Catherine Thomas Light. Lucy and Emeline were both daughters 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. )

Bruce Carroll Garland -- Moonshiner

 

Bruce Garland with a "Moonshine Still"

“Moonshining” or the making of illegal whiskey has always been thought of as occurring mainly in the 1920’s during the Prohibition era,  but the “art” of making illegal moonshine whisky continued even in the 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s in the Land Between the Lakes area of western Kentucky. 

The late Bruce Garland of Murray, Kentucky was featured in a newspaper article by the Associated Press in 1988 about his “career” as a modern day moonshiner.  Bruce began his trade as the age of 16, when he got tired of working in a sawmill near Model, Tennessee. “Back in our days you couldn’t do any farming,” said the 65 year old Garland, at the time, who “retired” in 1976 after serving 25 months on a federal moonshining conviction. “The land wasn’t worth a darn and a fellow had to fall into something,” he said.

During the 1950’s Garland has as many as nine stills at a time in the rugged ridgeland between the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers in Trigg County, Kentucky. He was a moonshine king in the Land ‘Twixt’ the Rivers.  His income was that of a top executive.  “I ain’t no drunk,” he told his helpers. “It’s the money that puts me in the brush.”  In order to avoid detection, Garland worked by the light of the moon producing as much as 1,500 gallons of illegal whiskey per week which he was able to sell for around $4 per gallon.  Many of his customers were from as far away as Chicago and Detroit.  Individuals in some of the “dry” states in the south were among his customers.

Staying one step ahead of the law was always difficult for Garland.  “I’ve had them run me for miles.  They hardly ever caught me red handed, they would generally get me on a conspiracy charge, “ he said. Sometimes it was a lot of fun, when you would get away from them.”  There was a kind of gentlemen’s agreement between the moonshiners and the “revenooers” or federal agents. A person who was caught was generally released immediately after promising to appear in court.  “All we done in our ‘shine’ business, we just tried to get away,” said Garland, who was sent to prison six times.

Those on opposite sides of the law usually maintained a grudging respect for their opponents, and some became friends.   "I know Bruce Garland very well," said a former revenue agent, who lived in nearby Paducah. "I worked between the rivers for about 22 years. I reckon I've sent him to the pen a few times, but we got to be friends after it was all over."

Bruce Carroll Garland was born on July 19, 1923 in Trigg County Kentucky, the third of nine children of John Doyle Garland and Drucilla Hargrove Garland.  He married Melvie Melvina Colson and they were the parents of ten children, of which eight grew unto adulthood.  Bruce died on June 1, 1998 in Murray, Kentucky at the age of 74. His obituary said that he was a retired steel worker and farmer. There was no mention of his life as a “moonshiner”.  He was buried in the Elm Grove Cemetery in Murray.  His wife, Melvie, died on February 9, 2006 at the age of 75 and was buried next to her husband.

LINEAGE: (Bruce Carroll Garland was the son of John Doyle and Drucilla Hargrove Garland, the grandson of James Ouford and Virginia Marquess Hargrove,  the great-grandson of Francis Marion and Mary J. Thomas Marquess, and the great-great 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.)

Robert Peyton Thomas -- Cabinet and Furniture Maker

 

Robert Peyton "Pate" Thomas

Robert Peyton “Pate” Thomas was born on November 12, 1889 in the Donaldson Creek community of Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the only child of Robert Henry Thomas and his first wife, Lillie Belle Thomas Thomas.  Lillie died when Pate was only ten years old. His father subsequently married Ora Agnes Bridges and had three children, Ruby Virginia Thomas, Henry Cullen Thomas and Edison Hugh Thomas, Pate's half siblings.

Pate Thomas served in the U. S. Army during World War I.  He enlisted in the army at Cadiz, Kentucky on April 18, 1918 when he was 29 years old.  He was assigned to Fort Benjamin Harrison outside Indianapolis, Indiana, where he received his basic training.  He was then assigned to the ordinance depot at Camp Hancock, Georgia.  

In September of 1918, his company was shipped overseas and he landed at Brest, France on September 11.  His company was part of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) which was under the command of General John J. Pershing.  Pate’s assignment was working in Verdun, France in a repair shop which was part of the Ordinance Department.  Pate worked in this position until the armistice was signed on November 11, 1918 between the Allies of World War I and Germany.  Following the end of the hostilities, Pate was reassigned to the United States and he was honorably discharged on July 29, 1919. 

Shortly after Pate’s return from military duty, he married Birdie Lee Gordon on August 23, 1919.  Birdie had been born in Trigg County, Kentucky and was the daughter of Andrew Jackson Gordon and Minnie Ole Porter Gordon. Pate and Minnie had only one child, a son, Lonnie Jackson “Jack” Thomas who was born on July 9, 1920.

 Pate and Minnie made their home in the Donaldson Creek valley where he set up a woodworking and cabinet shop near his home. His woodworking abilities became well known and his cabinet shop was eventually established as a successful business. He pursued a career as a cabinet maker until ill health forced his retirement in the late 1950s. In May 1978 a devastating tornado swept through a portion of the Donaldson Creek community demolishing many homes.  Falling trees destroyed the old cabinet ship where Pate had built many a fine piece of furniture as well as an old log grist mill operated years ago by Pate’s father.

Pate lived life as he wanted it, free to do what he wanted, when he wanted.  He was musically inclined and his many talents helped him to live an independent and casual life.  He was fun loving and was always willing to relate a funny story, most of which he had told and retold.  He had a great sense of humor and enjoyed repeating tales of his army life in France.  He also loved to fish and hunt. 

Pate died on April 28, 1961 near the place he was born on Donaldson Creek.  He was 71 years old.  He was buried in the Peyton Thomas Cemetery, a cemetery named after his maternal grandfather.  His wife, Birdie outlived him by 31 years and died on July 12, 1992.  She was buried next to him in the Peyton Thomas Cemetery.

 

Robert Peyton and Birdie Thomas tombstone

 

LINEAGE: (Robert Peyton Thomas was the son of Robert Henry and Lille Belle Thomas Thomas and was the grandson of Carroll and Margaret Jane Reid Thomas.  Carroll was the second child of James, Jr. and Margaret Ethridge Thomas.  James Jr. was the sixth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas. Lillie Belle Thomas was the daughter of Peyton and Sarah Ethridge Thomas and granddaughter of Cullen and Elizabeth Futrell Thomas.  Cullen was the first child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

A 1950's Family Tragedy

 

It was in Hopkinsville, Kentucky during the first of November 1957, when twin sisters, Maurine and Christine Thomas, ages 9, were visiting their cousins in the home of their uncle and aunt, Rufus King or Raymond as he was known and his wife Flora Cunningham Thomas.  The two twins, daughters of Minnie McIntosh and Othell Lamont Thomas were enjoying their visit with their cousins, Virginia, age 14, Kenneth Ray, age 11 and Richard, age 8.

The Lamont Thomas family occupied a five room frame house in a residential section of Hopkinsville. On Saturday evening of November 9, they all bedded down for the night.  On the following Sunday morning, Minnie went to the Thomas home to retrieve her daughters and discovered a horrible tragedy.

Minnie entered the house through the front door around 8 a.m. on Sunday morning and detected the odor of gas fumes.  She quickly ran to the room where her daughters were sleeping and carried them to the front porch where she called for help.  When the police arrived they found the entire house filled with gas fumes.  The police found the other family members in beds in three different rooms and that all the windows in the house were locked.

The victims were rushed to Jennie Stuart Memorial Hospital where it was determined that the cousins Virginia Thomas and Christine Thomas were dead. Admitted to the hospital in serious condition were Christine’s twin sister, Maurine, her cousins, Kenneth Ray and Richard.  Their parents, Lamont and Flora, were also admitted and were reported to be in fair condition.  On the following day, Maurine died. The remaining victims survived but the tragedy had claimed the life of three young children.

The police determined that the two young girls had been dead about two hours when they were found.  It was also determined that a defective gas furnace, which had been installed about two weeks earlier, was the blame for the deaths.

The twins, Christine and Maurine were born on March 21, 1948 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  Virginia Juanita Thomas was born on June 17, 1944, also in Trigg County. All three children were buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

 

 Tombstone of twins Christine and Maurine Thomas

Tombstone of Virginia Thomas

LINEAGE:  (Christine and Maurine Thomas were the daughters of Othell Lamont and Minnie Lou McIntosh Thomas. Virginia Juanita Thomas was the daughter of Rufus King and Flora Cunningham Thomas. Othell Lamont and Rufus King were the sons of Robert Henry and Virginia Lee Ezell Thomas and the grandsons of Rufus King and Alvie Adeline Dunn Thomas. Rufus was the fifth child 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.)