Chester Keidell Bridges -- City Employee and Cemetery Sexton

 

Keidell Bridges

Chester Keidell Bridges was born on January 14, 1925 in the Maple Grove Community of Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the second child of Peyton Thomas Bridges and Ida Crutchfield Light Bridges.  Peyton was a native of Trigg County and was a great grandson of William Bridges. Ida was the daughter of John J. and Emeline Thomas Light and was the great-granddaughter of Starkie Thomas. Keidell’s siblings were Alfred Wesley, born in 1922 and died in 1926 at the age of 4, Juanita Katherine, born in 1929 and Charles Kenneth, born in 1944.

Keidell grew up in the Maple Grove Community of Trigg County.  In his early school years, he attended a one room schoolhouse with his grandfather being the teacher.  He later attended Trigg County High School where he excelled in basketball.  In the mid 1940s, Keidell went for induction into the military service, but was turned down for service because of a heart condition.

On November 24, 1948 Keidell married Doris Dale Anderson in Piggott, Arkansas. Doris was born on February 2, 1933 and was the daughter of Raymond and Vera P’Pool Anderson of the Wallonia community. Raymond was a native of Corinth, Arkansas and Vera a native of Trigg County. Keidell and Doris were the parents of four children, Chester Dale, born in 1951; Timothy Allen, born in 1958; Jeannie Lynn, born in 1960 and Michael Wayne, born in 1968.

During the 1950s and early 1960s, Keidell worked at several jobs in Cadiz, Russellville and Trenton, Kentucky. He worked for several years at the Gulf Service Station in east Cadiz and later as a salesman for a wholesale snack company in western Kentucky.

In 1968, Keidell became an employee of the City of Cadiz in the city’s maintenance department. He later became in charge of the department and was responsible for maintenance and repairs of city streets, upkeep and replacement of street signs, the clearing of brush and leaves in the city and upkeep of the city-owned East End Cemetery. Keidell became well respected in his position as sexton of the East End Cemetery.

One of his proudest accomplishments at the cemetery was the discovery of the original entrance sign to the cemetery which had been torn down by the W. P. A. during the construction of the original rock fence that now runs in front of the cemetery and the nearby high school.  The sign was discovered covered in leaves and trash in an old gully behind the cemetery.  Keidell was instrumental in getting the old sign, repaired, repainted and made four feet wider due to the difference in the measurements of the old iron fence on which it originally stood and the presently standing rock fence. Keidell stated that he was very proud to have the old sign reinstalled as many people had questioned him concerning the name of the cemetery.  The sign clearly states East End Cemetery.

Keidell was also instrumental in bringing to the attention of the East End Cemetery Committee that there were up to 200 African-American citizens that were buried in the cemetery with only about seven of those graves having a marker. The area in the center of the cemetery that appears to be open space is the location of these graves. Many of the graves date from the origins of the cemetery in 1835. As a result of this revelation, an African-American Memorial was erected in the cemetery in 2014,  

Keidell retired in 1990 after serving the city of Cadiz for 22 years. Keidell died on July 10, 1991 of an apparent heart attack at his home. He was 66 years old.  He was buried in his beloved East End Cemetery in Cadiz.  Doris died on May 12, 2004 in Cadiz at the age of 71.  She was buried next to her husband in East End Cemetery.

Doris Anderson Bridges

Tombstone of Keidell and Doris Bridges

LINEAGE: (Chester Keidell Bridges was the son of Peyton Thomas and Ida Light Bridges and the grandson of Ghent Alfred and Nettie Cunningham Bridges.  Ghent was the third child of Cullen Thomas and Virginia Thomas Bridges.  Cullen was the twelfth child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)