George Emmett Roper -- Riverboat Company Executive

 

 

George Emmett Roper was born on July 11, 1892 in Paducah, Kentucky, the second of four children born to Charles U. Roper and Lucy Dyer Thomas Roper.  George had an older sister, Ida M. Roper who was born in 1889 but died a year later in 1890.  He had another younger sister, Celine Louise Roper who also died at the age of one. She was born in 1912 and died in 1913.  His only sibling to live to adulthood was a brother, Clyde Hale Roper, who was born in 1897. His father, Charles, was a native of Terre Haute, Indiana and worked as a carpenter. His mother, Lucy, was a native of Trigg County, Kentucky and was a housewife.

George grew up in Paducah and began his career working in the coal industry.  He was employed for a number of years with the Pittsburg Coal Company in Paducah.  He later worked with the Southern Coal, Coke and Mine Company in St. Louis. He transferred to New Orleans with the company and became involved with the steamships and tugs used to transport the coal.

George became the president and general manager of the Crown Coal and Towing Company of New Orleans which was incorporated on October 15, 1920.  The company operated tugboats used to tow steamships in the New Orleans harbor.  As head of the company, George was instrumental in purchasing ocean-going tugs that were used during World War I.  These tugs were refurbished and equipped with wireless communication units for use in the New Orleans harbor.

George eventually became president of the River Terminal Corporation of New Orleans.  The company maintained freight service on the Mississippi River and its tributaries.  The River Terminal Corporation had a fleet of 27 barges and several towboats. In 1937, the company christened the "Captain Alphin" which was considered the "last word' at the time in river packets or passenger and freight steamers. This towboat was built under personal direction of Capt. George E. Roper. Captain Roper had piloted the "Captain Alphin" on Its triumphant trip from Paducah down to New Orleans.  He had had 29 years river experience at the time. All rooms on the boat had hot and cold running water. There were electric refrigerators aboard and the latest type of kitchen ranges.  Living quarters on the boat were called "luxurious" by veteran rivermen who were used to the old hard bunks and the plain staterooms of old.

On May 6, 1915, George married Katherine Rebecca Thieleman at the home of the bride’s parents in Paducah. Katherine was native of Paducah and the daughter of John Jacob Thieleman and Sarah Chambers Thieleman.  George and Katherine were the parents of one child, a son, George Emmett Roper, Jr., born in 1917. Although George and Katherine lived the last 20 years of their lives in New Orleans, they made many river trips back to Paducah to visit their families.

George died on September 16, 1942 in New Orleans at the age of 50.  He was buried in the Maplelawn Park Cemetery in Paducah.  Katherine died on January 11, 1977 in Escambia County, Florida at the age of 82.  She was buried in the Maplelawn Park Cemetery next to her husband.

 

George and Katherine Roper tombstone

George Roper tombstone

Katherine Roper tombstone

LINEAGE:  (George Emmett Roper was the son of Charles U. and Lucy Dyre Thomas Roper and the grandson of Albert Dillard and Mary Jonathan Vinson Thomas.  Albert was the second child 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.)

Kate Eliza Thomas -- Two Interesting Marriages

 

 

 

 

 

Kate Eliza Thomas was born August 10, 1864 in Trigg County, Kentucky the eighth of nine children born to Allison William Thomas and Catherine Elizabeth Carloss Thomas.   Her siblings were Sarah “Sallie” Elizabeth Thomas, born in 1849; Benjamin Clay, born in 1852; Charles Edgar Thomas, born in 1854; Martha Jane Thomas, born in 1856; Tommy Wilson Thomas, born in 1858; John Quincy Thomas, born in 1860; Mary Allison Thomas, born in 1862 and George PrenticeThomas, born in 1869. Kate’s father was a farmer in Trigg County.

Little is known about the early life of Kate. Being born near the end of the Civil War, she apparently lived with her family in a home in Cadiz until 1895. On June 12, 1895, Kate married John Howard who was born January 2, 1825 in Trigg County. John was 70 years old and Kate was 30 years old at the time of the marriage.  A news article in the Louisville Courier Journal on June 15, 1895 cryptically announced the wedding: “John Howard, a wealthy old farmer and Miss Katie Thomas, both of Trigg county, were married at a hotel in Hopkinsville with great secrecy.  The New Era says: ‘No Hopkinsville person saw the marriage, and the person who accompanied the couple to this city left town directly after the ceremony’.”  

In the 1910 census the John Howard household included Kate and listed a daughter, Marguerite Howard, who was 15 years old which would indicate that she was born in 1895, the year John and Kate were married.  Interestingly, the 1900 census lists John and Katie with no children. No evidence could be found as to the absence of Marguerite from the 1900 census. 

John Howard died on May 13, 1910 in Trigg County at the age of 85. He was buried in the Bethel United Methodist Church Cemetery in Trigg County.  Shortly after her father’s death, Marguerite married Roger Drake on June 9, 1910 in Hamilton County, Ohio (Cincinnati).  Roger was a laborer born in Kentucky.  Kate became the heir to John’s extensive farm holdings. On her marriage certificate, Marguerite listed John Howard as her father and Kate Howard as her mother.

After Howard’s death, there were several lawsuits filed over his estate.  His will was contested by his family members and they claimed that Kate unduly influenced her husband into leaving his estate to her. Amid all this legal tangling, Kate married her second husband, John Watson “Pete” Bruff on August 13, 1912 in Louisville, Kentucky.  Pete was born on September 20, 1878 in Trigg County and was the son of James W. and Virginia Ladd Bruff. Their wedding announcement in the Louisville Courier Journal stated that he was a nephew of John Howard and that Kate was the sister of the Cadiz Postmaster, G. P. Thomas.

Both Bruffs died in early 1928, just a few weeks apart. Kate has been suffering with an illness and was bedridden most of the time.  Rumors began to flow that Pete was trying to poison her.  She died on January 22, 1928 which was three days after Pete was involved in an incident where he shot as his sister-in-law and had disappeared.  Kate’s death certificate stated her cause of death was “general paralysis of the insane”.  Pete died on February 4, 1928 following his being missing after his sister-in-law’s shooting.  He was found in an abandoned house just north of Hopkinsville with his throat cut and pistol wounds in his abdomen.  While officially ruled a suicide, the multiple causes of his death cast a large shadow of doubt on the verdict.  Local neighborhood lore suggests that Kate may have been poisoned, and that Pete’s demise may have been retribution.

Over the years following the death of Kate and Pete, there were several lawsuits concerning their wills and ultimately who would inherit their extensive property holdings. On March 14, 1928, all parties agreed to transfer the property to George Prentice Thomas, Kate’s brother.

Kate and Pete were both buried in the Bethel United Methodist Church Cemetery.

Kate Thomas Bruff's tombstone

 

John Watson "Pete" Bruff's tombstone

 

John Howard's tombstone

Newspaper article on Pete Bruff's death

LINEAGE:  (Kate Eliza Thomas was the daughter of Allison William and Catherine Elizabeth Carloss Thomas and the granddaughter of Perry and Elizabeth Josephine Bridges Thomas.  Perry was the third child of James and Mary Standley Thomas. )

Thomas Anthony "Tony" DeName -- Outstanding Public Servant

 

Tony DeName

Thomas Anthony “Tony” DeName was born June 8, 1949 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, the son of Carmine “Johnny” DeName and Lillie Frances Thomas.  Tony’s parents met and married when Johnny, a soldier and native of New York City, came to Cadiz on leave from nearby Fort Campbell. Tony had two sisters, Vicki Louise Godwin and Cindy Frances Long.

He graduated from Trigg County High School in 1967 and from Murray State University. While in school, Tony worked part-time at radio station WKDZ where he worked with Wanda Calhoun.  The two married August 18, 1970.  Wanda was the daughter of Roscoe Calhoun and Thelma Brown Bridges.  Tony and Wanda had one child, Bridger Ann DeName Bright.

After college, Tony began his career with the Commonwealth of Kentucky in its Hopkinsville employment office, later transferring to the Pennyrile Area Development District.  He commuted daily to Hopkinsville continuing to reside in Cadiz where he was very active in local civic and political matters.  Throughout the 1970s, he was in the local Jaycees, serving on its board of directors and receiving its Key Man Award in 1971. In 1972, he was elected as the president of the Cadiz Trigg Jaycees.  In 1976, when fire destroyed neighbors’ homes, Tony helped organize the Montgomery Volunteer Fire Department.  In 1979, County Judge Cossey named him to the Trigg County Hospital Board. In 1982, he was appointed to the new Trigg County Industrial Development Authority.

In 1984, Tony left public employment to purchase Cadiz Motor Company, the local Ford dealership which he operated until 1991. In 1986, the county judge, Cossey, named him as his deputy county judge executive, citing Tony’s successes in securing federal grant programs and the need for experienced leadership when the judge was absent from the county. During the 1980s and early 1990s, Tony was involved with the Cadiz Rotary Club chairing its youth services committee. In 1987, he served as president of the Cadiz-Trigg County Chamber of Commerce.

In 1992, Tony returned to public service in the field of his expertise—employment services.  Tony and Wanda moved to Frankfort for an appointment by Governor Bereton C. Jones, as the director of the state’s Division of Unemployment Insurance.  He later served as the manager of the Kentucky Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. 

Tony had a lifelong love of music, playing multiple instruments (bass horn, sousaphone and tuba) in his high school band.   In the 1970s, he was an organizer and played guitar and string bass for “The Amusement Company”, a local band that played for dances on weekends throughout Western Kentucky and Northwest Tennessee for nearly 20 years.

Tony valiantly fought cancer but died on September 21, 2017 at the University of Kentucky Hospital in Lexington. He is buried in East End Cemetery in Cadiz.

 A young Tony DeName

Wanda and Tony DeName

Tony working at Radio Station WKDZ
 

Tony DeName tombstone

Lineage: (Thomas Anthony DeName was the son of Carmine Anthony and Lillie Frances Thomas DeName. Lillie Frances was the only child of Cordie Gilbert and Mina Louise Wallis.  Cordie Gilbert was the son of Stanley Dyer and Willie Hite Thomas and grandson of William Henry and Sidney Dyer Thomas. William Henry was the second son of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

 (Thanks to Dan Thomas who helped to contribute to this “leaf”.)

Jesse Clyde Bridges -- Prominent Farmer and Carpenter

 

Jesse and Myrt Bridges

Jesse Clyde Bridges was born on February 13, 1887 in the Maple Grove Community of Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the youngest of ten children of Cullen Thomas Bridges and Martha Ann Virginia Thomas Bridges. Cullen was a Civil War veteran and early Trigg County farmer and teacher.  Jesse’s siblings were Sallie, born in 1846, who died at the age of one; an unnamed infant born and died in 1865; Ghent Alfred, born in 1867; Ora Agnes, born in 1869; Mark Dale, born in 1871; John Trice, born in 1874; Rosa Lee, born in 1876; Cleveland, born in 1878; and Mollie May, born in 1880.

Jesse was a farmer as were his forefathers.  He was also known as an excellent carpenter. He was in partnership with four of his brothers to create the Bridges Brothers Nursery located in the Maple Grove Community. They had several large orchards where they sold fruit and fruit trees that they grafted.  They also made gallons of apple cider that they later sold as apple vinegar.  In addition, they raised all kinds of farm products for sale such as chickens, geese, turkeys and guineas as well as tobacco, corn, wheat and sorghum.

On April 6, 1908, Jesse married Myrtress “Myrt” Grace Davis, at the home of her parents. Following the wedding the bridal party went to the home of the groom where they were given “a supper and the evening was spent with music, singing and social enjoyments,” according to the local newspaper.  Myrt was born April 14, 1890 and was the daughter of John Forrest and Julia Ella Sumner Davis.

Jesse and Myrt lived in the homestead that had been his father’s, grandfather’s and great-grandfather’s home and would later become his youngest son’s home which made five generations of the family to reside in the home place.  Jesse and Myrt had five children, Conrad Hershel, born in 1909 and married Annie Opal Calhoun; Myra Lou, born in 1911 and married Clyde Layton Lawrence; Robert Chappell, born in 1913 and married Virginia Mize, Blanche Elaine, born in 1916 and married Chaffin Moorfield; and Clyde Taylor “C. T.”, born in 1920 and married Willie Lee Sharp.

The Bridges’ home was a place where visitors were always welcome. Myrt was noted as an outstanding cook as well as being a very talented in sewing, crocheting and quilting. Her quilts were sought by many local people and well as from other states.  She was recognized as a professional quilter with her heirloom needlework being located throughout the country.  Myrt also worked in the Maple Grove Post Office from 1908 to 1913 assisting her father-in-law, Cullen, who was the Postmaster.

Jesse died on August 21, 1963 in Cadiz at the age of 76.  He was buried in the Drewry Bridges Family Cemetery located across the creek from his family home in the Maple Grove Community.  Myrt died on May 1, 1988 in Cadiz at the age of 98.  She was buried in the Drewry Bridges Family Cemetery next to her husband.

Young Jesse and Myrt

Jesse and Myrt's Home

The Nursery

Jesse and Myrt's tombstone

LINEAGE:  (Jesse Clyde Bridges was the son of Cullen Thomas and Martha Ann Virginia Thomas Bridges and the grandson of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

Ruby Jeane Bridges Handelsman -- Radio City Rockette and Political Campaigner

 

Ruby Jeane Bridges

 Ruby Jeane Bridges was born on February 21, 1929 in the Mount Calm Township in Fulton County, Arkansas.  She was the sixth of ten children born to Drew Thomas Bridges and Alpha Melvina Cooper Richardson Bridges.  In addition to his ten children with Alpha, Drew had two children by his first wife, Lillie Collins Bridges.  They were Lola Oletha, born in 1913 and Roy Lee, born in 1915.  Ruby’s siblings with Drew and Alpha were Clyde Everett, born in 1918; Thelma Ellen, born in 1921; Coy Lee, born in 1923; Anna May, born in 1927; James Cleve, born in 1931; Junior Glen, born in 1934; Barbara Sue, born in 1937; Bobby Dale, born in 1939 and Alma.  Drew was a farmer and the grandson of Orren Dates Bridges, a Trigg County native who had migrated to Howell County, Missouri in the late 1890s.

Ruby grew up in Mount Calm and attended Fulton County schools. On July 8, 1944 she married William Earl Weldon in Leslie, Arkansas. The marriage was short-lived as they were divorced on August 25, 1945.

Ruby’s life is one that can be considered “a mixture of show business and politics.” Little is known about her climb to show business success.  She was a member of the famed Radio City Music Hall Rockettes in New York City.  Her fame as a Rockette was probably in the 1950s when she was in her 20s. The Rockettes had been an attraction at the Radio City Music Hall since its opening night on December 27, 1932.  After leaving the Rockettes, Ruby moved to Las Vegas where she appeared as a dancer in several Las Vegas shows.

Even though Ruby was talented as a dancer, her real talent was in political campaigning along with her second husband. While in Las Vegas, she met William Douglas Handelsman, a prominent west coast labor leader and activist in local, state and federal politics. Ruby and Bill were married on February 21, 1973 in Las Vegas.  Bill was an American born July 17, 1918 in the Philippines.  He was a Lieutenant in the Maritimes Service for 43 years and was a survivor of Pearl Harbor.

Ruby and Bill moved to San Francisco where they became heavily involved in politics.  In 1978, they were both instrumental in the passage of Californian’s most famous and influential ballot measure known as Proposition 13.  Proposition 13 was an amendment to the state’s constitution which limited property taxation. Ruby also worked on campaigns to elect John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Hubert Humphrey, San Francisco Mayors Joe Alioto and Dianne Feinstein and California’s Governor Jerry Brown just to name a few.

Bill and Ruby had one child, Patricia. Ruby died on January 10, 1987 in San Francisco at the age of 58.  She was cremated and her ashes were buried in the Mount Calm Cemetery in Viola, Arkansas. When Bill brought her ashes back to her native Arkansas for burial, he was accompanied by the San Francisco chief of police as an escort in honor of her political contributions.  Bill died on August 27, 1993 in San Francisco and was buried in the Garden of: Peace in Colma, California.

Tombstone of Ruby Bridges Handelsman

 

LINEAGE: (Ruby Jeane Bridges Handelsman was the daughter of Drew Thomas and Alpha Melvina Cooper Richardson Bridges and the granddaughter of John William “Buck” and Nancy Pugh Bridges.  John William was the fourth child of Orren Dates and Mary Elizabeth Hixon Bridges.  Orren was the first child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)