Curtis Allen Lancaster -- Lost at Sea

 

Curtis Allen Lancaster

Curtis Allen Lancaster was born on June 30, 1933 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.  He was the fifth of seven children born to Pinkney Loys Lancaster and Virginia Thomas Mitchell Lancaster.  His siblings, who all grew to adulthood, were Thomas Loys Lancaster, born in 1923; Sylvia Rebecca Lancaster, born in 1925; Dorothy Lee Lancaster, born in 1927; June Matilda Lancaster, born in 1929; Joe Boyce Lancaster, born in 1934 and James Wendell Lancaster, born in 1937.  Curtis’ father, who was a farmer, died at an early age of 41 in 1938 when Curtis was just about to turn five years old.

Curtis grew up in Hopkinsville and when he was in his early twenties in the 1950s, he moved to Seattle, Washington.  Curtis was single and liked to hunt deer.  On October 17, 1958, Curtis and his roommate, Gordon  Fowler  travelled from Seattle to the small fishing and boating community of Anacortes, Washington, located about 80 miles north on a peninsula near the many islands of Puget Sound.   There he joined a small hunting party headed for Cypress Island in the San Juan Islands group where they planned to hunt deer.

In addition to Curtis and Gordon, the hunting party included James Gant and Don Pennington, along with Pennington’s 15 year-old daughter, Estelle.   The group planned to stay in cabins on Cypress Island.  The group set out in a 16-foot outboard boat from Anacortes late on Friday evening, October 17.  Soon after the hunting party left Anacortes, they encountered a storm.  Sometime later it was determined that their boat had not arrived at Cypress Island which was only about five miles north of Anacortes.  Nothing was found to indicate that the group had ever reached the island.

Family members alerted the Coast Guard about the boat’s failure to arrive at its intended destination.  On Saturday morning the Coast Guard initiated a sea and air hunt for the missing boat.  The search continued on Sunday and Monday in a 15 by 20 mile area surrounding Cypress Island.  Helicopters and fixed wing planes as well as patrol boats were used in the search.  By Tuesday morning hopes faded for the safety of the five members of the Seattle hunting party.  Although a few days later, some wreckage assumed to be from their outboard boat, was found, no trace was ever found of any of the five occupants of the boat.  

Curtis Lancaster was only 25 years old at the time of his death.  His loss in the Puget Sound was similar to the loss another family who died there in a plane crash nearby in 1945.  See Lindsay D. Thomas’ story published as a Leaf on September 15, 2022.

Although the remains of Curtis were never recovered, a monument in his memory was erected in the Lawrence Cemetery in Trigg County, Kentucky, the cemetery where his father Pinkney and his mother, Virginia are buried.  The tombstone reads:  “In Memoriam, Curtis Allen Lancaster, Born June 30, 1933 in Hopkinsville, Ky, son of Pinkney Loys & Virginia Mitchell Lancaster. LOST OCT 18, 1958 IN PUGET SOUND”.

Curtis Lancaster Memorial

(LINEAGE:  Curtis Allen Lancaster was the son of Pinkney Loys and Virginia Mitchell Lancaster, grandson of Ezekiel Allen and Peachie Matilda Harrell Lancaster and great-grandson of Thomas Jefferson and Margaret Francis Lawrence Lancaster.  Margaret was the daughter of Ezekiel M. and Polly Sholar Lawrence.  Polly was the second child of Allen and Jemima Bridges Sholar.  Jemima was the first child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

Sidney Gordon Bridges -- Trigg County Carpenter

 

Gordon and Ernestine Bridges

Sidney Gordon Bridges was born on July 22, 1906 in the Blue Spring community of Trigg County Kentucky.  He was the third of eight children born to Drew Manley Bridges and Lena Mae Guier.  Drew was a farmer and he and Lena lived on a farm in the Mount Pleasant community of Trigg County until 1925 when they moved with their family to farm they bought in the Maple Grove community.  

Gordon’s siblings were Lola Jo, born in 1901; Robbie Bell, born in 1904; Sarah Elizabeth, born in 1907; Clifton Earl, born in 1910; John Thomas, born in 1915; Clovis Manley, born in 1918; and Mosco Doris, born in 1919.

On December 11, 1927 Gordon married Jane Ernestine Bridges in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.   Ernestine was born on June 9, 1906, in the Maple Grove community and was the daughter of Durwood Stanley Bridges and Jane”Jennie” Thomas.  Ernestine’s father Stan had taught school in Maple Grove and later became a merchant in Canton, Kentucky before becoming a famer.  Stan and Jennie settled on a farm in the Maple Grove community.  Gordon and Ernestine lived on the farm with her parents after their marriage.

Gordon did not find farming to be a successful careen and in 1934 he decided he would quit farming and become a carpenter.  He worked on many local projects in the Trigg and Christian County area building homes and barns.  He built the log American Legion Club house in Cadiz as well as working on the CCC Camp.  In 1951, he helped to build the Trigg County Hospital, the first large medical facility in Cadiz.  In addition to his carpentry work, Gordon worked with the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Corps of Engineers on several projects on dams on the Ohio, Tennessee and Cumberland rivers.

Gordon was known as a passionate sportsman loving to hunt and fish.  He would travel to Colorado numerous times to hunt deer and trips to South Dakota to hunt pheasants.  He had the reputation of being the best known fisherman in the western Kentucky area.   After his retirement, Gordon worked as a fishing guide on Barkley Lake.  Country music star Eddy Arnold was one of the many fishermen that Gordon helped as a guide.  Gordon’s fishing adventures were even the subject of a newspaper article in the Louisville Courier Journal.

Gordon and Ernestine were the parents of three children, Betty Jo who was born in 1928; Billy Gordon, who was born in 1931; and Robert Stanley who was born in 1934.  Gordon and Ernestine continued to live on the farm where Ernestine was born until their deaths.

Gordon died on February 25, 1986 at the age of 79 in Cadiz, Kentucky.  He was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz.   Ernestine died four and one half years later on December 11, 1990 at the age of 84 in Cadiz.  She was buried in the East End Cemetery next to her husband.

 Ernestine and Gordon

 

 Gordon Bridges

 Gordon and Ernestine Tombstone

LINEAGE:  (Sidney Gordon Bridges was the son of Drew Manley and Lena Mae Guier Bridges, and the grandson of Starkie T. and Elizabeth W. Lawrence Bridge.  Starkie was the second child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.  Mary was the fifth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.

Eldon Lee Reid, Jr. -- Stock Car Racer

 

 

 

Eldon Lee Reid, Jr. was born on July 15, 1973 in El Paso, Texas, the third of eight children born to Eldon Lee Reid, Sr., and Edna Jo Eggleston.  His siblings were Regina Reid, Bobbie Jean Reid, Deserae Reid, Lisa Reid,  Veronica Reid, Andrew Reid and Michael Reid. 

Eldon grew up in New Mexico and his interest in stock car racing came from his father, Eldon, Sr., who was a well known modified race car driver competing in races all over Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.  He won many races and earned numerous achievements on dirt and asphalt tracks.  He taught his son a love for the thrill of the sport.

Eldon, Jr. married  Kristi Brewer and they became the parents of seven children, Zackary Reid, Adyson Reid, Aaron Reid, Kaden Reid, Ashley Reid, Taylor Reid and Zachary Reid.  Eldon started an oil pumping business in the mid 1990s. He grew the company over the following twenty years until 2017 when he, along with his wife, Kristi, increased their company unto a complete oil field service business.

Although his father had always raced, it was a friend of his mother who actually got him interested. . "My dad is in his 50s and they'll bury my dad in his race car," Reid was quoted as saying.  His mom arranged for him to pick up a bomber car which is a lightweight racing car used to race around oval tracks. This immediately sparked a passion for racing. Over the years, Eldon made a lot of friends and shared a lot of laughs at tracks across the country. Butch and Kristi loved traveling across the country to venture to new tracks and to pick up his next new race car. His  pit crew consisted of his cousins and close friends. Even though he was mechanically inclined, Reid relied on his pit crew to keep his car in tip-top shape. 

Reid was the top-point track champion race for several years at the Carlsbad  Speedway and was ranked in high standings at the Artesia, New Mexico track, which draws a competitive field of faster drivers.  In a local interview, Reid explained, that race car drivers always like to put on a show for the fans. An old car with the windows kicked out and driven "as is" fits into the bomber class. Street cars with souped-up  motors raced in the street stock class while four-cylinder, compact cars raced in the mini-stock class. A step up from super stock is the modified class. Reid said. "It s fun. It’s just fun," he added. "It beats going to the bar." . Reid's biggest fan was his son Zachary, who became the self-appointed, race-car inspector and personal coach. His sights were set on racing one day, which would make him a third-generation stock-car driver.

Eldon Reid, Jr., died on Saturday, October 19, 2019 in Amarillo, Texas as the age of 46,  He was buried in the Carlsbad Cemetery in Carlsbad, New Mexico.

LINEAGE:  (Eldon Lee Reid, Jr. was the son of Eldon Lee Reid, Sr. and Edna Jo Eggleston, grandson of Ray Reid and Mildred Marie Smyth and great-grandson of  Fred Rod Smyth and Jewel Irene Bleeker.  Fred was the fourth child of Charles Walter Smyth and Alpha Adeline Thomas.  Alpha was the fifth child of James Clark “Muck” Thomas and Elizabeth Josephine Lawrence Thomas.  James Clark was the fourth child of James Thomas, Jr. and Margaret Ethridge Thomas.  James Thomas Jr. was the sixth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Walter Wallis Baker -- Developer of the Trail of Tears Park

 

Walter Wallis Baker was born on October 14, 1935 in Trigg County, Kentucky, the third of four children born to Clyde Edward Baker and Edna Mae Wallis.  He had two older sisters, Martha Louise, born in 1928 and Elizabeth Jane born in 1933 and one older brother, Joe Ricks, born in 1940. 

Walter lived in the Trigg and Christian County area for most of his life.  He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and served during the Korean conflict.  Walter married three times.  His first wife was Norma Maxine Yates whom he married in 1954.  They were the parents of two sons, Richard Wayne, born in 1955 and Andrew Clyde, born in 1961. In 1962, Walter married his second wife, Barbara Ann Stokes and they were the parents of a daughter, Christina Louse, born in 1964.  Walter married again in 1978 to Beverly Tash Nave, a native of New York.  Walter was an accountant and operated his own business in Hopkinsville known as the Baker Accounting Service.

In late 1985, Walter and Beverly began working on an idea to create a commemorative park in Hopkinsville, to encourage interest in a tragic event known as the Trail of Tears.  The Trail of Tears was a route taken primarily by Cherokee Indians when they were forced to migrate from the southeast to Oklahoma.  A part of the trail was through Hopkinsville and Christian County.  The Bakers wanted to designate the Trail as a National Historic Trail in tribute to the importance of Native American Indians to the local history and culture with special emphasis on the Cherokee and to encourage tourism in the area through a park, a museum and related activities. They formed a local group with a donation of $1,000 from a local church to work toward their goal.

Walter and Beverly worked toward getting a congressional bill supporting the park.  On February 5, 1987, a bill was introduced in Congress to designate the Trail of Tears as a national historic trail. After committee hearings and voting, the legislation was passed and President Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law on December 16, 1987. Land, which contained the graves of the Cherokee Indian Chiefs White Path and Fly Smith, was donated for the park by the Kentucky New Era Newspaper and the Henry Morris family. In 1989, statues of the chiefs were unveiled at the park.

Following the creation of the park, Walter and Beverly worked to form a competition to be held in the park each year known as a “pow wow” to encourage attendance by Native Americans to a "non-Indian" land. Costumed dance competitions were held in a number of categories.   In 1992, the "pow wow" celebrated the Year of the American Indian. Craft demonstrations were added to the festivities, which began to attract out-of-towners. The state provided a grant to help develop the pow wow grounds as the Trail of Tears Commemorative Park, which opened in 1993. In 1996, the National Park Service designated the park as a certified site on the National Historic Trail of Tears-the first non-federal property to receive this designation.

Both Walter and Beverly were dedicated supporters of the park that they had helped to create and both worked in the operations of the park until their deaths. Walter died on August 6, 2002 in Bangor, Maine and was buried in the Dry Fork Cemetery in Lyon County, Kentucky.  Beverly died on June 11, 2010 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky and was also buried in the Dry Fork Cemetery,

 Tombstone of Walter and Beverly Baker

Grave Marker of Walter Wallis Baker

LINEAGE:   (Walter Wallis Baker was the son of Clyde Edward and Edna Mae Wallis Baker, grandson of Mark Smith and Mattie Mae Ricks Baker and great-grandson of Samuel Freeman and Sarah Adeline Thomas Baker.  Sarah Adeline was the first child 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.)

Carl Stanley Boyd -- Mechanic

 

Carl Stanley Boyd

Carl Stanley Boyd was born on April 17, 1930 in the Maple Grove Community of Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the son of Otis Taylor Boyd and Dora Virginia Bridges Boyd.  Taylor was a carpenter and a native of Lyon County, Kentucky.  Virginia was born in Trigg County and a great granddaughter of William Bridges and Mary Thomas Bridges.  Carl was the only child of Taylor and Virginia that grew to adulthood.  He had two brothers, Ernest Ragon, who was born in 1926 and died in 1931 and Louard Cash who was born in 1928 and died in 1928.

Carl started his education in the one-room Maple Grove School near his country home where he graduated from the eighth grade in 1946.  He then attended Trigg County High School in Cadiz.  He excelled in football playing center for the Trigg County Wildcats during his high school years. He graduated from TCHS in 1950.

After his graduation from high school, Carl enlisted in the United States Air Force.  He served three years in Europe as a special engineer mechanic.  He was discharged from the Air Force in 1954 after serving for four years.

On June 12, 1959, Carl married Audrey Faye Fisher.  Faye was born on April 14, 1942 in Pleasant Ridge, Alabama.  She was the daughter of Clifton Clay Fisher, a native of Franklin County, Alabama and Eula Ivalee Frederick Fisher, a native of Marion County, Alabama.  Carl and Faye became the parents of three children, Alan Gene Boyd, born on February 9, 1960; Dora Ivalee Boyd, born on July 17, 1961 and Clifton Taylor Boyd, born on November 13, 1973.

Carl continued his career as mechanic which he had started in the Air Force by working at Wayne Supply in Bowling Green, Kentucky and later at Rish Equipment Company in Cleveland, Ohio.  He then returned to Trigg County  where he worked for  the Kentucky State Highway Department;  Noel Concrete in Cadiz; Case Equipment Company in Christian County, Kentucky; the Tennessee Valley Authority in the Land Between the Lakes in Trigg County and Averitt Lumber Company in Trigg County.  His wife, Faye, worked for over twenty years for the Trigg Knit Manufacturing Company in Cadiz.

Carl and Faye lived and raised their three children in their home in the Maple Grove Community near where Carl was born and grew up.

Carl died on Tuesday, February 18, 1997 at his home at the age of 66.  He was buried in the Drury Bridges Cemetery in Maple Grove.  His wife, Faye died at the age of 65 on Thursday, April 10, 2008 at a nursing home in Cadiz, Kentucky.  She was buried in the Drury Bridges Cemetery next to her husband.

 Tombstone of Carl and Faye Boyd

LINEAGE:  (Carl Stanley Boyd was the son of Otis Taylor and Dora Virginia Bridges Boyd.  Virginia was the daughter of John Trice and Maggie Dora Cunningham Bridges.  John Trice was the sixth child of Cullen T. and Martha Ann Virginia Thomas Boyd.  Cullen was the twelfth child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.  Martha Ann Virginia Thomas was the third 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.)