Ethan Allen Taylor -- Victim of a UTV Accident

 

 

Ethan Allen Taylor

 

 Ethan Allen Taylor was born on March 22, 1991 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. He was the first of two children born to Jeffery Allen Taylor and Cindy Ann McNIchols Taylor.  Jeffery was a native of Erin, Tennessee and worked as a welder. Cindy was a native of Trigg County, Kentucky and was a descendant of Starkie Thomas. Ethan’s only sibling was Macy Leann Taylor, born in 1993 and married to James Robert Wallace.

Ethan grew up on the family farm in the Linton community of Trigg County.  He was a 2009 graduate of Trigg County High School and was a 2012 graduate of Hopkinsville Community College where he received his Associates in Applied Science of Agriculture Technology degree. Ethan first married Amelia Futrell on June 8, 2013.  They were divorced and on October 3, 2015, he married his second wife, Lynley Anne Sullivan.  Lynley was a graduate of Murray State University with a BS degree in Agriculture with an emphasis in animal health technology and worked as a veterinary technician at the Trigg County Veterinary Clinic.

Ethan owned a farm in the Linton community known as the Hidden Hollow Farms.  The farm contained numerous farm animals that Ethan and Lynley, along with his parents, exhibited as the Taylor’s Petting Zoo.  The family took the Zoo to numerous county fairs and other celebrations which was a popular attraction throughout western Kentucky.

In addition to operating his farm and the petting zoo, Ethan was a welding instructor at the Gateway Academy of Innovation and Technology in Hopkinsville. He previously worked as a maintenance technician and welding specialist at Commonwealth Agri-Energy, a corn ethanol plant in Hopkinsville.

On Friday afternoon, July 8, 2016, Ethan was operating a Polaris Utility Vehicle (UTV) while working near his home.  A UTV is built more for work than recreation. At about 1:15 p.m. at Hidden Hollow Farms he hit an embankment and the UTV overturned and Ethan was pinned underneath the vehicle.  He was alone at the time of the incident.  A short time later he was discovered by his parents, Jeff and Cindy Taylor.  The local coroner declared that he had died at the scene of the accident. It was later determined that the cause of death was due to blunt force trauma to the victim’s neck and chest. Ethan’s father, Jeff Taylor, passed away just two days later at his home in Linton.

Ethan was 25 years old at the time of his death.  He was buried in the Rose Cemetery in Trigg County.

 

Ethan and Lynley Taylor

Ethan Taylor Tombstone

LINEAGE: (Ethan Allen Taylor was the son of Jeffery Allen and Cindy McNichols Taylor and the grandson of Samuel Wilkinson “S. W.” and Anita Joyce Clayton McNichols.  Anita was the third child of Richard Boyd and Pauline Travis Clayton.  Pauline was the first child of Carney Baccus and Mamie Adeline Light Travis.  Mamie was the tenth child of John J. and Emeline Catherine Thomas Light.  Emeline was the seventh 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.)

Betty Jean Thomas Ricks -- Businesswoman and Realtor

 

Betty Thomas Ricks

Betty Jean Thomas was born on December 10, 1942 in Caldwell County, Kentucky. She was the second of seven children born to Clifton Doris “Eli” Thomas and Dollie Vanell Smith Thomas. Eli was a native of Trigg County, Kentucky and was a prominent farmer and livestock dealer and was a descendant of Starkie Thomas. Dollie was born in Reynolds, Arkansas and worked as a homemaker. Betty’s siblings were, Josephine Thomas, born in 1940 and married Jerry Carr and then William Howard Williamson; Clifton David Thomas, born in 1947 and married Sandra Lou Alexander and then Linda G. Stiles; Deloris Ann Thomas, born in 1948 and married Leslie Ray Burnam; Brenda Dale Thomas, born in 1950 and married Thomas Ray Knight and then a Mr. Underwood; Bobby Gail Thomas, born in 1951 and married Mae Elizabeth Francis and Ross Thomas, born in 1954 and married Gayla R. Curtis.  In addition, Betty had three half-siblings, Doris Young Thomas, born in 1923 and married Frances Louise Hawkins; Naomi Jane Thomas, born in 1931 and married Chester McPherson and then Gunther H. Priester and Bessie Nell Thomas, born in 1934 and married Ralph V. McClure.

Betty grew up in Princeton, Kentucky and on February 9, 1963, she married John Ferd “J. F.” Ricks of Trigg County.  J. F. was born January 18, 1940 and was the son of Earlie Preston and Annie Maud Noel Ricks, both natives of Trigg County.

J. F. worked as a drywall hanger, but new buildings were very slow in 1963 in Trigg County. So soon after Betty and J. F. were married, they moved to South Holland, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago and then later to Gary, Indiana. In 1967, Betty and J. F. moved to Blue Island, Illinois in their pursuit of better jobs.  Finally, they moved back to Cadiz in 1968 and built their first house outside the town.  In 1972 they sold their home and purchased a small farm in the Oakland Church community where they built their second home where their children grew up enjoying the country life.  J. F. continued to work in the building business.  He became the original owner of Cadiz Drywall, Inc. and later became a partner as a building contractor. In 1985 Betty and J. F.  after living 13 years in the country sold their country home and moved back to Cadiz.

Betty chose to become a stay-at-home mom as her boys grew up.  In 1974, she and a business partner opened a childrens clothing store which she operated for six years, closing in 1980.  For the next five years she worked at the Trigg County Hospital until 1985 when she obtained her real estate license.  She then became a sales associate with Century 21 Thomas Real Estate.  Betty was very successful in the real estate business and in 1992, she became the owner of her own realty firm, the Coldwell Banker Service 1st Realty in Cadiz.  Betty worked over 32 years in the real estate business in Trigg County.  She was a member of the Pennyrile Board of Realtors, where she served on the Board of Directors and was awarded the Realtor of the Year in 1994 and 2016.

Betty and J. F. were the parents of four sons, Jeffrey Scott Ricks, born in 1963 and married Miranda Glass and then Rebecca Lynn Herndon; Timothy Darren Ricks, born and died in 1966, having lived only five days; Kerry Trent Ricks, born in 1967, and married Angela Marie Drennan and then Lori Lea Brandon and Joel Todd “Joey” Ricks, born in 1970 and married Melanie Dawn Williams and then Beth.

Betty died on April 18, 2018 at the age of 75 at her home in Cadiz.  She was buried in the Lawrence Cemetery in Trigg County.  J. F. died on December 12, 2022 at the age of 82 in the Trigg County Hospital.  He was buried in the Lawrence Cemetery next to his wife.

J. F. Ricks

J. F. and Betty Ricks

J. F. and Betty Ricks tombstone

LINEAGE: (Betty Jean Thomas Ricks was the daughter of Clifton Doris “Eli” and Dollie Vanell Smith Thomas and the granddaughter of Robert Allison and Emma Nora Cunningham Thomas.  Robert Allison was the fifth 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.)

Carey Thomas "Tom" Vinson -- Teacher and Superintendent of Schools

 

Carey Thomas "Tom" Vinson

Carey Thomas “Tom” Vinson, Jr. was born on September 5, 1926 in Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the fifth of six children born to Carey Thomas Vinson, Sr. and Mallie Mae Guier Vinson. Carey Sr. was a native of Trigg County, Kentucky and was a well-known farmer and chairman of the local Soil Conservation District. He was a descendant of Cullen Thomas. Mallie was also a native of Trigg County, worked as a homemaker, and was a descendant of Drewry Bridges. Tom’s siblings were Lula Vinson, born in 1919 and married Lawrence Allen Wilson; June Theresa Vinson, born in 1921 and married Johnny Edmond Yeates, Jr.; Jesse Stanley Vinson, born in 1923 and married Kathryn Constance Sweeney; James Monroe Vinson, born in 1925 and died at the age of four months and Clyde Roger Vinson, born in 1940, and married Marcia Randolph Dean and then Ellen Hawley Watson.

Tom grew up in the Warrenton community of Trigg County and attended the one-room Warrenton Elementary School through the seventh grade.  He went on to attend Trigg County High School in Cadiz and graduated with the class of 1944.  Following graduation, Tom farmed with his father and brother for two years.  Then in 1946 he enrolled at the University of Kentucky where he graduated in 1950 with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and biology.

On April 10, 1951, Tom was drafted into the U. S. Army during the Korean Conflict.  He was assigned to Fort Jackson, South Carolina where he received sixteen weeks of basic training.  Then after attending an eight-week special training school, he was appointed as a classification and assignment clerk in the personnel office at Fort Jackson.  On April 9, 1953, he was honorably discharged from the service with the rank of corporal.

Tom returned to Trigg County and again engaged in farming.  Two years later in September 1955, Tom was asked by Dr. John Minton, principal of Trigg County High School if he would like to become a teacher. Tom accepted the offer and was employed in the Trigg County School system until his retirement in 1984.

Tom received his master’s degree from Murray State College in 1958 and went on to teach science classes at Trigg County High School until 1961 when he was appointed assistant principal of the high school and administrative principal of the consolidated schools.  In 1965, he was appointed to the position of finance officer and later to assistant superintendent of schools.  In 1970 he was appointed superintendent of the Trigg County Schools and remained in that position until his retirement in 1984.

On November 23, 1950, which was Thanksgiving Day, Tom married Winnie Nell Petty at the Second Baptist Church in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.  Nell was born on July 14, 1932 in Christian County, Kentucky the daughter of George Wallace and Nannie Belle Wade Petty.  Nell graduated in 1949 from the Sinking Fork High School in Christian County and later graduated from the Lois Glen School of Cosmetology in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Tom and Nell were the parents of four sons, Carey Thomas Vinson, III, born in 1952 and married Tracey Elizabeth Garland; Nathan Wallace Vinson, born in 1954; Forest Wayne Vinson, born in 1955 and married Brenda Butler Shields and James Stanley Vinson, born in 1957 and married Robin Patton Chalmers.

During his career, Tom was a member of numerous educational organizations.  In 1980 he was the president of the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents. In 1984 he received the Kentucky Association of School Administrators' annual Distinguished Service Award.  Tom also served as a commissioner of the Barkley Lake Water District from 1965 to 1981.

Tom died on March 28, 2023 at the age of 96, at the Princeton Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Princeton, Kentucky.  He was buried in the Vinson Cemetery in Trigg County.

 Nell Petty Vinson

Tom Vinson tombstone

LINEAGE: (Carey Thomas “Tom” Vinson, Jr. was the son of Carey Thomas, Sr. and Mallie Mae Guier Vinson.  He was the grandson of Jesse Monroe and Forrest May Thomas Vinson and Nathan Stanley and Emma Lee Sumner Guier.  Jesse Monroe was the fourth child of Henry Cullen and Mary Catherine Sumner Vinson.  Henry Cullen was the first child of Thomas Allison and Emeline Thomas Vinson.  Emeline was the fifth child of Cullen and Elizabeth Futrell Thomas.  Cullen was the first child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.  Emma Lee Sumner was the second child of Benjamin Miles and Henrietta Gabrella Bridges Sumner.  Henrietta was the first child of Drewry and Peachie Ann Tart Bridges.  Drewry was the fourth child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)  

Roland Dale Swank -- Kroger Store Manager

 

Roland “Ronnie” Dale Swank was born on July 7, 1929 in Akron, Ohio, the son of George W. Swank and Margaret M. Laschinsky Swank. George was a native of Ohio and was a longtime employee of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Akron. Margaret was a native of Pennsylvania.

Ronnie attended schools in Akron and graduated from Ellet High School in 1947. After graduation, he set off for California to seek fame and fortune but after one year, he returned to Akron to attend Akron University.  In 1950, went to an employment bureau to apply for a job.  He ended up being hired by the Kroger Company and he began a 38-year career as one of the most successful Kroger managers in northeast Ohio. 

Early in his time with Kroger, he met Norma Lorraine Adams, a cashier, and they were married on September 12, 1954 in Akron, Ohio.  Norma was born on July 6, 1934 in Trigg County, Kentucky, the daughter of James “Jim” Floyd Adams and Maggie Belle Hargroves Adams. Jim was a native of Trigg County and had been a farmer in Trigg County before moving to Akron in 1951 where he worked for 15 years with the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.  Jim was a descendant of Perry Thomas.  Maggie was also a native of Trigg County and had moved to Akron with her husband in 1951.  Norma had graduated from Trigg County High School in the class of 1952 before she moved with her family to Ohio.

Norma had ten siblings.  They were Virginia Loyce Adams, born in 1921 and married Lillard Brown and then married Robert Edward Martin; Mallie Eliane Adams, born in 1923 and married James Franklin Morris; Clara Helen Adams, born in 1925 and married William Doy Carr, Jr.; Jimmie Luree Adams, born in 1927 and married Frank Arthur Woody; Bennie Gene Adams, born in 1930 and married Joan Mae Thomas; Mary Earl Adams, born in 1931 and married Robert Grove Marmaduke; Bobby James Adams, born in 1936 and married Shirley Jean Little and then married Patricia Ann Stover;  Carolyn Gray Adams, born in 1940 and married Robert Donald Harrison; Patricia Ann Adams, born in 1943 and married James Richard Ryan and then married Robert Charles Oberbillig; and Billy Dale Adams, born in 1944 and married Sandra Gail Sleeth.

Ronnie and Norma while living in Akron liked to visit family and friends in Cadiz and Trigg County. They were in regular attendance for over a 60-year period of the Trigg County High’s annual alumni gathering.  Ronnie attended so many of these gatherings that the alumni association considered granting him honorary alumnus status even though Norma was the TCH alumni.  Cadiz became his adopted second home and he was a regular attendee at Cadiz Baptist and Donaldson Creek Baptist Churches where Norma had been a member.  They named their oldest son Alan Glen and daughter Alison Ann after Melissa Ann and Karle Glenn, the long-time organist at the Cadiz Baptist Church and the owner of Glenn's store where Norma worked as a teenager.

Ronnie died on December 30, 2021 in Akron and is buried in Akron's East Liberty Cemetery.

 

LINEAGE: (Roland Dale Swank was the husband of Norma Lorraine Adams.  Norma was the daughter of James Floyd and Maggie Belle Hargroves Adams and the granddaughter of John Quincy and Suphronia Adeline Williams Adams. John was the second child of John Wylie and Martha Jane Coleman Adams.  Martha was the second child of Alfred Boyd and Alpha Thomas Coleman.  Alpha was the second child of Perry and Elizabeth Josephine Bridges Thomas.  Perry was the third child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Joe Lacy Lancaster -- Building Contractor

 

Joe Lacy Lancaster, Sr.

Joe Lacy Lancaster was born on September 27, 1922 in Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the tenth of eleven children born to John Jefferson Lancaster and Albirtia “Bird” Sholar Lancaster.  John Jefferson was a native of Trigg County, Kentucky and worked as a farmer and a timberman. Albirtia was also a native of Trigg County and worked as a homemaker.  Both John and Albirtia were descendants of Jemima Bridges. 

Joe Lacy’s siblings were Myra Lou Lancaster, born in 1902 and lived for 13 days; an unnamed infant, born in 1904 and lived for 7 days; Herman Crenshaw Lancaster, born in 1905 and died at the age of 11; Thomas Durwood Lancaster, born in 1907 and married Sylvia Lorene Stallons; Johnny Claude Lancaster, born in 1911 and married Birdie Lois Francis; Wilton Henry Lancaster, born in 1912 and married Mildred Gustia Francis; Garnett Lee Lancaster, born in 1916 and married Destelle Alberta Green; Lula Pearl Lancaster, born in 1918 and married Robert Jesse Sholar; Beulah Frances Lancaster, born in 1920 and married Hershel Earl Gray; and Mary Bessie Lancaster, born in 1926 and married Clifton Meade Mize.

Joe Lacy grew up on a farm in the Oakland and Maggie communities of Trigg County and attended the local schools.  Joe Lacy was inducted into the U.S. Army on March 17, 1945.  As World War II ended soon after he was inducted, he did not serve overseas, but instead served stateside as a private at Camp Atterbury, Indiana.

After his military service, Joe Lacy returned home where he became a building contractor working primarily in Trigg and Christian counties.  He alone built over one hundred houses in Trigg County not including the many homes he remodeled, subcontracted, and worked on for others. Joe Lacy also worked with his four brothers, Durwood, Claude, Wilton and Garnett, as carpenters and building contractors.  These five brothers individually and collectively established the name Lancaster as the largest family of carpenters, cabinetmakers and building contractors in the area.  The hundreds of houses they built and the thousands of jobs they worked on are left as a legacy of their craftsmanship in the carpenter trade.

In addition to being a skillful carpenter, Joe Lacy worked as a farmer while living on the family farm in the Maggie community in south Trigg County.  In addition, he worked as a used car dealer.

On May 14, 1947, Joe Lacy married Martha Gertrude Ezell.  Gertrude was born on April 12, 1931 in Trigg County and was the daughter of Luther Herman and Dessie Lena Francis Ezell.  Both Luther and Dessie were natives of Trigg County.  Gertrude worked as a factory seamstress and as a homemaker. Her hobby was antique collecting.  Joe Lacy and Gertrude were the parents of two children, a daughter, Peggy Sue Lancaster, born in 1948 and married James Francis Smith; and a son, Joe Lacy Lancaster, Jr., born in 1960 who first married Susan Camille Davis and then married Jill R. Shorder Caldwell.  

Gertrude Lancaster died in Cadiz on April 4, 1968 at the age of 36.  She was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz.

Joe Lacy married his second wife, Lucy Elizabeth Lancaster Parker on December 11, 1970.  Lucy was born on April 26, 1941 in Christian County, Kentucky and was the daughter of James Samuel “Sammie” and Louise Light Lancaster. Sammie and Louise were both natives of Trigg County.  Both Sammie and Louise were descendants of Starkie Thomas.  Lucy worked as a cook at the Trigg County Hospital, a seamstress at Elk Brand Manufacturing Company and as a successful salesperson for the Avon company. 

Lucy died on September 23, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 78.  She was buried in the East End Cemetery.

Joe Lacy died on December 13, 2011 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky at the age of 89.  He was buried in the East End Cemetery next to his first wife, Martha Gertrude.

 

  Joe Lacy and Martha Gertrude's tombstone

 

Joe Lacy's military tombstone

 

Lucy Parker Lancaster

 

Lucy Lancaster's tombstone

LINEAGE: (Joe Lacy Lancaster, Sr. was the son of John Jefferson and Albirtia Sholar Lancaster and the grandson of Thomas Jefferson and Margaret Frances Lawrence Lancaster and Cornelius and Mary Adeline Bridges Sholar. Margaret was the daughter of Ezekiel M. and Polly Sholar Lawrence.  Polly was the second child of Allen Thomas and Jemima Bridges Sholar. Jemima was the first child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.  Cornelius Sholar was the son of William Bridges and Mary Hutt Sholar.  William was the fourth child of Allen Thomas and Jemima Bridges Sholar.  Jemima was the first child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

Gordon Keith Mitchell -- Victim of a Horse Riding Accident

 

Gordon Mitchell

Gordon Keith Mitchell was born August 14, 1963 in Caldwell County, Kentucky, the oldest of three children born to Willard Barkley Mitchell and Janie Marilyn Williams Mitchell.  Gordon’s father, Willard, was a native of Caldwell County who died in an automobile accident when Gordon was two years old.  His mother, Janie, was a native of Trigg County, Kentucky and a descendant of Starkie T. Bridges.  Gordon’s siblings were Gregory Lynn Mitchell, born in 1964 and married Melissa Tara Fuller and Willard Barkley Mitchell, Jr., born in 1965.  He also had two half-siblings, Melissa Jo Oliver, born in 1970 and married Michael Jay Lefan; and Michael Oliver and a foster brother, Gary Houha.

Gordon lived in Trigg County and on June 12, 1993, he married Martha Jane Boren.  Martha was born December 18, 1967 in Shelbyville, Kentucky, the daughter of James Howard and Katherine Leola Stewart Boren. James Howard was a native of Woodlawn, Tennessee who had moved to Caldwell County, Kentucky.  Gordon and Martha were the parents of one child, a daughter, Megan Cheyenne Mitchell who was born in 1999.  Gordon and Martha were divorced in 2002.  Martha died on August 10, 2004 as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident.

Gordon and Martha were the owners and operators of the Cadiz Family Restaurant in Cadiz.  Gordon left the operation of the restaurant to become the farm manager for the Garrett Farms in Trigg County.  Gordon served as the president of the Kentucky Junior Rodeo Association.

In May of 2010 Gordan ran for Trigg County Sheriff in the Republican primary against one other candidate while two other candidates ran against each other in the Democrat primary.  The local newspaper endorsed Gordon’s opponent in the race and he lost the election by a vote of 736 to 261.

On August 30, 2010, around 10:00 a.m. in the morning, Gordon was at the Garrett Farm and was riding a horse near the intersection of Montgomery Church Road and Barefield Road when he was involved in a horseback-riding accident.  He was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident by the Trigg County Coroner.

Gordon died at the age of 47.  He was buried in the Canton Baptist Church Cemetery in Canton, Kentucky.

 Gordon Mitchell tombstone

Back of Gordon Mitchell tombstone

LINEAGE: (Gordon Keith Mitchell was the son of Willard Barkley and Janie Marilyn Williams Mitchell and the grandson of Sanford Frazier and Lillie Mae Gresham Williams.  Sanford was the third child of George Raymond and Ida Elizabeth Hargrove Williams.  Ida Elizabeth was the first child of Jefferson and Ida Bridges Hargrove.  Ida was the third child of Starkie T. and Elizabeth Lawrence Bridges.  Starkie was the second child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

James Wesley Marquess -- Biologist and Teacher

 

James Wesley Marquess

James Wesley Marquess was born on April 19, 1943 in Bumpus Mills, Tennessee. He was the oldest of three sons born to James Odell Marquess and Martha Arminta Bowe Marquess.  Odell was a native of Trigg County and a descendant of Cullen Thomas. He was a minister and a farmer. Martha was a native of Christian County, Kentucky and was a housewife. Wesley’s two brothers were William Clayton Marquess, born in 1945 and married Linda Dale Calhoun and Herbert Payton Marquess, born in 1946 and married Helen Diane Heaton.  Wesley remained single during his life.

Wesley grew up in Stewart County, Tennessee and attended the local county schools as well as schools in Christian County, Kentucky.  He enrolled in Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree in biology in May 1975. After graduation, he entered military service and served at Ft. Detrick, Maryland. As part of his military service, Wesley worked in virology research and hematology at the Military Hospital in Heidelberg, Germany.

After completing his military service, Wesley lived overseas for ten years where he worked for the Department of Defense and taught in schools in Japan, the Philippine Islands and Germany.  Wesley was able to travel around Europe on his long weekends and holidays.  After returning to the United States, he developed and opened the Health Hall at the Cumberland Museum and Science Center in Nashville and prepared an exhibit for the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville.

He returned to government service and developed the Fort Campbell Nature Center at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He retired from government service with 38 years of service.  Wesley then taught science for three years in Sacramento, Kentucky and was Professor of Biology for ten years at his alma mater, Austin Peay State University and Hopkinsville Community College.

Wesley died on March 4, 2019 at the age of 75 in Clarksville, Tennessee.

LINEAGE: (James Wesley Marquess was the son of James Odell and Martha Arminta Bowe Marquess and the grandson of John Wesley and Addie Peninah Pope Marquess.  John Wesley was the third child of Francis Marion and Mary J. Thomas Marquess.  Mary J. was the sixth 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.)

Joel Robert Bridges -- Breeder of Miniature Horses

 

Joel Robert Bridges

Joel Robert Bridges was born on June 4, 1923 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the youngest of five children born to Sheffer Brown Bridges and Enolia Berd Downs Bridges.  His father, Sheffer, was primarily a farmer, but had also worked as a car salesman and a service station operator. His mother died when Joel was only 3 years old.  His siblings were Thelma Brown Bridges, born in 1914 and married Marvin Roscoe Calhoun; Nina Pearl Bridges, born in 1916 and married Joe Clifford Taylor; John Lacy Bridges, born in 1917 and married Maureen Williams and later married Norma Helen Angloff; and Howard McKinley Bridges, born in 1920 and married Helen Panter and later married Dorotha Deon English.  He had two step sisters, Nancy Evelyn Bridges, born in 1933 and married Charles E. Crabtree and later married Joseph Monroe Chisenhall and Mary Louise Bridges, born in 1934 and married John Herman Herndon.  Their mother was his father’s second wife, Myrtle Lucille Creamer.

Joel grew up in Trigg County and when he was 18, he left for Detroit, Michigan with eight dollars in his pocket.  From that humble beginning, he managed to save enough money to open a small produce market which later grew into two of the largest open-air markets in Detroit. From that point, he moved to Florida where he continued to succeed in various business ventures, becoming a very successful businessman and entrepreneur.  He opened one of the first five-star mobile home parks in Florida, sold various real estate parcels and even worked as a funeral director.

All of Joel’s business enterprises culminated in him establishing the Komoko Miniature Horse Ranch in Newberry, Florida in 1968.  Joel liked being in the role of a “cowboy” and this worked well for him working as a rancher in the breeding of miniature horses. In July of 1973, Joel had bred the world’s smallest perfect horse, a 14-inch tall, 14-pound foal that he had named “Gumba.”  He had a herd of 141 American miniature horses on his 400-acre ranch at the time of Gumba’s birth as well as a herd of miniature Sardinian donkeys. Joel was quoted as saying at the time, "As far as I know, this is the smallest perfect horse in the world, excluding dwarfs and freaks."  His customers for these miniature horses were usually just ordinary people who wanted them for backyard pets, but some were also sold for breeding purposes.   In addition, he sold them to circus performers.  Many of his customers were from Japan, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Canada. Joel discouraged those who expected to make house pets of their minihorses.  He was quoted as saying, "They're not puppies, and shouldn't be treated like puppies.  They're horses. They need everything horses need, grass, grain, exercise but about 93 percent less food and space. "  “And they need love," he added.

On October 9, 1944, Joel married Frances Marie English in Steuben, Indiana. Frances was born on May 1, 1930 in Golden Pond, Kentucky and was the daughter of Franklin Dwight and Willie Lee Flood English. Joel and Frances were the parents of four children, Carl Bruce Bridges, born and died in 1946; Joel Robert Bridges, Jr., born in 1947 and married Nina Marie Geiger and later married Cassandra Lee Heagy; Judith Ann Bridges, born in 1948 and married Robert Moore Waddell, Jr.; and Janet Diane Bridges, born in 1950 and married Larry Christopher West and later married William Jackson Calhoun and Dale Rogalski.  Joel and Frances were divorced in March 1965.  In July, 1965, Joel married his second wife, Alma L. Albright in Broward County, Florida. Joel married his third wife, Lucille Delgado on July 19, 1985 in Alachua, Florida. Lucille was born on September 9, 1950.

Joel died on January 23, 2018 in Gainesville, Florida at the age of 94.  He was buried in the Forest Meadows Memorial Park and Mausoleum Central Cemetery in Gainesville.

Joel Robert Bridges tombstone

LINEAGE: (Joel Robert Bridges, Sr. was the son of Sheffer Brown and Enolia Berd Downs Bridges and the grandson of John Richard and Nancy Bell Meador Bridges. John Richard was the fifth child of Drewry and Peachie Ann Tart Bridges. Drewry was the fourth child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

Thomas "Tommy" Clay Fourshee -- Building Contractor

 

Tommy Fourshee

Thomas “Tommy” Clay Fourshee was born on November 22, 1920 in Trigg County, Kentucky, the first of two children born to Riley Isaac Fourshee and Edna Earl Carr Fourshee His sibling was a sister, Thelma Irene Fourshee, born in 1926 and married Harry Clinton Coleman.  Tommy’s father as well as his grandfather had been carpenters.  The family lived in the Lock E community of Canton on the Cumberland River.

Tommy graduated from Trigg County High School and was inducted into the U.S. Army on September 29, 1942.  He received his initial military training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and later assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. His battalion left for England and he landed on Utah Beach, Normandy, France on August 17. He eventually was in the Battle of the Bulge and was in Prague when the war ended.  Tommy was discharged on December 27, 1945 at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

On April 11, 1946, Tommy married Geneva Nell Mize.  Nell, a native of Trigg County, was born on August 19, 1923, the daughter of John Robert and Verna Hughes Mize.  Tommy and Nell were the parents of three sons, Anthony Darrell Fourshee, born in 1948 and married Linda Kaye Williams and later married Polly A. Rhone, Lisa M. Champion and Jill E. Clark; John Riley Fourshee, born in 1951 and married Vickie Louise Mitchell; and Paul Evans Fourshee, born in 1959.

After the war, Tommy settled with his family in Cadiz. As both his father and grandfather had been carpenters, Tommy chose to work in that field.  Tommy initially worked for contractors at nearby Fort Campbell and at times built window frames for Nunn Brothers Lumber Company.  He set up a workshop to make frames in the basement of his home.  The workshop gradually led to a full time residential construction business and by 1953 he was building homes for a living. He also built several area churches such as the Mt. Pleasant Church and Liberty Point Church.

As his construction business flourished, Tommy began to buy supplies directly from distributors. In order to store these supplies, he built an office and storage space near the Trigg County Schools on Lincoln Street. Tommy described the building as just a shed, a block building and an old barn.  In 1969, Tommy sold his property near the school to the Board of Education and relocated his business to Highway 68, east of Cadiz.  After the relocation, Tommy began to shift his business from an emphasis on residential construction to retail sales and commercial construction. Tommy’s three sons helped in the daily operations of the business. The name of the business was Fourshee Building Contractor and Fourshee Building Supply Company.  Tommy worked at the company until his retirement.

Nell died on October 7, 1975 in Cadiz at the age of 52.  She was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz.   Tommy remarried on September 11, 1976 to Edith Stewart Cameron.  Edith was born on January 24, 1925 in Trigg County and was the daughter of Harry Lee and Effie Piercy Stewart.
Tommy died on April 4, 2010 in Cadiz at the age of 89 and was buried in the East End Cemetery.  Edith died on April 30, 2017 in Cadiz at the age of 92 and she was also buried in the East End Cemetery.

 

Tommy and Nell Fourshee Tombstone

LINEAGE:  (Thomas “Tommy” Clay Fourshee was the son of Riley Isaac and Edna Earl Carr Fourshee and the grandson of Meredith Clay and Eddie Adeline Bridges Carr.  Adeline was the eleventh child of Drewry and Peachie Ann Tart Bridges.  Drewry was the fourth child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)