John Carl Bridges was born on October 16, 1904 On Beechy Fork Creek in the Maple Grove community of Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the fifth of eleven children born to John Trice and Maggie Cunningham Bridges. His siblings were Lillie Jane, born in 1899 and died as an infant; Lucy Lee, born in 1900, Lola Frances, born in 1902; Dora Virginia, born in 1903; Mary Pauline, born in 1908; Queen Alexander, born in 1909 and died as an infant; Hilda Agnes, born in 1910; Beulah Louise, born in 1913; Clifford Elmo “Pete”, born in 1917 and Dorothy Allene, born in 1920.
Carl grew up on a farm and became a farmer for most of his life. However, he was very interested in the mechanics of motor vehicles. Before he grew to manhood, he had several times taken apart and put back together the engine of the first Ford automobile owned by his father. By the time he was an adult he was an established mechanic.
Carl worked for a period of time for the Ford dealership in Cadiz. In 1934 he converted his pickup truck to a school bus and secured a contract with the Trigg County Board of Education to transport students from their homes in the Maple Grove and Donaldson Creek communities to the school in Cadiz. He worked continuously for the Board for over thirty years except for a few months during World War II when he was employed in the war effort.
In 1938, the Board constructed a central garage for its growing fleet of buses and Carl was placed in charge of the operations as the head mechanic and as the Director of Transportation. His responsibility was to maintain and keep in operation all the motor vehicles owned by the Board of Education. During his thirty years with the school board, Carl begin with three county buses which grew into a fleet of thirty modern school buses which transported over 1,600 children daily, covering 1,400 miles per day at an annual cost of $100,000 at the time. Under Carl’s supervision the Trigg County School Bus system became noted as one of the most efficiently and safely operated school transportation system in the state. At the time of his retirement in 1966, it was estimated that school children had ridden over seven and one-half million miles on buses maintained and checked by Carl without a single serious mechanical failure.
On June 1, 1926, Carl married his childhood sweetheart, Julia Thomas who was born on August 1, 1905 and was the daughter of Smith and Ida May Meador Thomas. Around the time of his marriage, Carl was helping his carpenter father built Julia’s parents’ second home. During the building process, Carl had written “Carl Bridges plus Julia Thomas” in bold large letters on the ceiling of an upstairs closet. The marking wasn’t discovered until the house was remodeled in 1970 after both of them had died.
Carl and Julia were the parents of two children, Rose Claire, born in 1932 and Carl Trice “Bunny”, born in 1934. They were also the foster parents of Betty Ann Bridges who came to live with them in 1935. Betty was born as Ossie Bell Creek in 1920 and changed her name in 1941.
Julia died on January 26, 1969 at the age of 63 in Cadiz, Kentucky. Carl died six months later on August 8, 1969 in Cadiz at the age of 64. Both Carl and Julia were buried in the Starkie Thomas Cemetery in the Oak Grove Community of Trigg County.
John Trice and Maggie Cunningham Bridges Family
From Left...back row
Homer Francis, Carl Bridges, Frances Bridges Francis, Lucy Bridges
Thomas, Virginia Bridges Boyd, James S. Thomas (husband of Lucy)
Front row....
Hilda Agnes Bridges, John Trice Bridges, Beulah Bridges Thomas, Dora
Maggie Cunningham Bridges holding Clifford (Pete) Bridges, Mary Pauline
Bridges Thomas
Tombstone of Carl and Julia Bridges
LINEAGE: (John Carl Bridges was the son of John Trice and Maggie Dora Cunningham Bridges, the grandson of Cullen T. and Ann Virginia Thomas Bridges and the great-grandson 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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