Pinkney Loys Lancaster -- Military Sharpshooter

 

Pinkney Loys Lancaster

 Pinkney Loys Lancaster was born on November 6, 1896 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the second of five children of Ezekiel Allen “Zeke” Lancaster and Peachie Matilda Harrell Lancaster.  Zeke was a farmer, a native of Trigg County and a great grandson of Allen and Jemima Bridges Sholar.  His wife Peachie was a homemaker and also a native of Trigg County.  Loys’ siblings were Thomas Lloyd Lancaster, born in 1895 and married Elsie Gradinsky; Ophia Pearl Lancaster, born in 1898 and married Otho Whitfield Tuggle and then Otho Lee Spurlin; Jessie Carl Lancaster, born in 1900 and married Nancy Whitt Mitchell; and Denny Derwood Lancaster, born in 1902 and married Oneta Belle Rees.  Loys had two half-siblings from his father’s marriage to his second wife, Virginia Nora Wiles.  They were Otis Hopson Lancaster, born in 1912 and married Ruby Rhea Ezell and Inez Lorene Lancaster, born in 1914 and married Clifton Earl Bridges.  Loys’ mother, Peachie, died several months before his eighth birthday.

Loys grew up on the farm and by the time he was 13, he had completed his formal education and was working as a farm laborer. His favorite past time was spent hunting and he was known for his hunting skills. These hunting skills later became an important asset when Loys entered his military service.

When Loys was 18 years old, World War I broke out and he traveled to Peoria, Illinois where he enlisted in the U. S. Marine Corps on September 14, 1915.  Although he was never shipped off to fight the enemy in Europe as many of his Trigg County buddies, his duty to his county was nevertheless important. He served with the expeditionary force of marines that landed in Haiti for the protection of America’s interest.  From April 6, 1917 to September 13, 1919 he served in Cuba, Charleston, South Carolina and New Orleans, Louisiana.  While in the service, he was treated for malaria in 1916 and 1917 which took a toll on his body.

Loys early years as an expert hunter paid off while he was in the service. He qualified as a sharpshooter for the U. S. Marine Corps.  The Marine Corps officials considered his performances in gunnery as outstanding and he broke many marksmanship records before his enlistment expired. Loys was honorably discharged from the Marines on September 13, 1919 and he returned to his home in Trigg County.

Loys continued his career as a farmer and on February 14, 1922 he married Virginia Thomas Mitchell.  Virginia was born on April 28, 1903 in Trigg County.  She was the daughter of Whitson and Colie Lee Crawley Mitchell, both natives of Trigg County.  Loys and Virginia were the parents of seven children, Thomas Loys Lancaster, born in 1923 and married Mary Belle Moneymaker and then Betty Jean Kranich; Sylvia Rebecca Lancaster, born in 1925 and married Douglas Milburn and then Charles Lester Maxwell; Dorothy Lee Lancaster, born in 1927 and married Edwin Carl “Ick” Loeffler; June Matilda Lancaster, born in 1929 and married Elvis Homer Butler; Curtis Allen Lancaster, born in 1933; Joe Boyce Lancaster, born in 1934 and married Florence Ann Parker and then Margaret Sylvia Berry Satterlee; and James Wendell Lancaster, born in 1937 and married Jean Evelyn Valente. 

Loys’ health had become weakened by the diseases he had contracted while in the military and in 1938 he contracted a severe case of pneumonia. He died on May 27, 1938 at the age of 43 at the Jennie Stuart Memorial Hospital in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.  He was buried in the Lawrence Cemetery in Trigg County.  Virginia died on January 27, 1989 at the age of 85 in Hopkinsville.  She was buried in the Lawrence Cemetery next to her husband.

Virginia Mitchell Lancaster

 

Loys Lancaster tombstone

 

Virginia Lancaster tombstone

LINEAGE: (Pinkney Loys Lancaster was the son of Ezekiel Allen “Zeke” and Peachie Matilda Harrell Lancaster and the grandson of Thomas Jefferson and Margaret Francis Lawrence Lancaster.  Margaret was the first child 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.)
  

Percy Dillard Bridges -- Farmer and Carpenter

 

Percy and Edna Bridges

Percy Dillard Bridges was born on April 17, 1902 on Beechy Fork Creek in the Maple Grove community of Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the fourth of five children of Mark Dale Bridges and Mallie Mae Lancaster Bridges.  Mark Dale was a farmer and the salesman of a prominent monument firm.  He was a native of Trigg County and was a son of Cullen Thomas Bridges.  Mallie was a housewife and a native of Trigg County. Percy’s siblings were Nellie Cleveland Bridges, born in 1892 and married Mark McCarty; Flo Templeton Bridges, born in 1897 and married Ira Clifton Bridges; Preston Dale Bridges, born in 1899 and died at the age of 18 months and Douglas Eugene Bridges, born in 1909 and married Katherine Elizabeth Edwards and then married Dixie Louise Minton and a third marriage to Letha Louise Plumbee.

Percy grew up in the Maple Grove community and attended classes in the one-room Maple Grove School.  Soon after leaving school, at the height of World War I, Percy was inducted into the U. S. Navy in Louisville, Kentucky and was sent off to the U. S. Naval Training School in Gulfport, Mississippi.  He served on the battleship the USS Florida and spent time in the southern waters off the coast of Brazil.  After serving 18 months in the Navy, he was discharged from the service and returned to Trigg County.

Percy became a farmer on one of his father’s farms located in the Maple Grove community. He continued as a farmer during the 1920s but in the 1930s he started a career as a carpenter.

On October 8, 1921, he married Edna Pearl Thomas.  Edna was born on March 13, 1901 in Trigg County and was the fifth of eleven children born to Starkie William and Julia Louise Sumner Thomas. Starkie William was a grandson of Starkie Thomas and had worked as a farmer, machinist and a truck driver. Julia was a housewife and was a granddaughter of Drewry Bridges.  Edna’s siblings were Earlie Miles Thomas, born in 1892 and married Gertrude Elizabeth Wallis; James Ellmer “Elmo” Thomas, born in 1896 and died at the age of 16;  Erma Lee Thomas, born in 1898 and married Lacy Ott Stewart; Eska Maude Thomas, born in 1900 and married Gordon Price Walker; Samuel Ottawa Thomas, born in 1902 and first married Ruth Baker and then Louise Jannelle Reed and his third wife, Willie Boyd; Mary Henrietta Thomas, born in 1904 and married Cecil Edward Poe and then Hiram Louis Boyd; Eula Louise Thomas, born in 1905 and married Emery Alexander Carpenter; OCL Thomas, born in 1907 and married Gilbert Wall “Gip” Wallace; Clyde William Thomas, born in 1910 and Floyd Calvin Thomas, born in 1911 and first married Doris Bricker and then Dorothy Jean Thomas. Edna grew up on a farm and attended school in the Tuggleville community of Trigg County until her family later moved to Hopkinsville.

Percy and Edna were the parents of one child, a daughter, Mallie Louise Bridges, who was born in 1922 in the Maple Grove community. She married Herman Ray Franks.

Percy and Edna moved from the farm in Maple Grove to Cadiz while he was pursuing his career in carpentry.  He also operated the American Legion Clubhouse in Cadiz during the 1930s.  In the 1940s they moved to Hopkinsville and then on to Louisville where he was employed with the E. I. Dupont Company.  He was later transferred to Birmingham, Alabama by the company and then to Memphis, Tennessee.

In March of 1942, during World War II, Percy was drafted back into the military where he was stationed with the 62nd Infantry Division in Fort Jackson, South Carolina.  It was there that he developed health problems and after a few months he was given an honorable discharge.

In the mid-1940s, Percy and Edna returned to Trigg County where they built a home in the Maple Grove community. He continued to do carpentry work and then became a correctional officer with the Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville, Kentucky.

On April 12, 1967, Percy died at the age of 64 in the Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz of heart problems.  He was buried in the East End Cemetery.  Edna died at the age of 80 on April 12, 1981 at the Baptist Hospital in Memphis and was buried in the East End Cemetery next to her husband.

Percy and Edna's tombstone

LINEAGE: (Percy Dillard Bridges was the son of Mark Dale and Mallie Mae Lancaster Bridges and the grandson 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.  Edna Pearl Thomas was the daughter of Starkie William and Julia Louise Sumner Thomas and the granddaughter of James Jasper and Mary Cunningham Thomas. James Jasper was the fourth child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.  Julia Louise was the daughter 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.)

Thomas Lacy Jones -- Prominent Farmer

 

T. Lacy and Mary Thomas Jones

Thomas Lacy “T. Lacy” Jones was born on June 2, 1911 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the son of Charles Henry Jones and Annie Pearl Alexander Jones.  Charles Henry was a farmer and a native of Christian County, Kentucky.  Annie was a housewife and a native of Trigg County. Lacy’s siblings were H. B. Jones, Clyde Jones and Louise Jones, who married William Street Thomas.

T. Lacy grew up in Trigg County and attended the local schools, graduating from Cadiz High School in 1929.  He went on the attend Bethel College in Russellville, Kentucky.

After getting out of school it was very difficult for T. Lacy to get a job as it was the middle of the Great Depression.  With the help of a relative, he found a job with the Raleigh-Wyoming Coal Company in Glen Rogers, West Virginia, a mine that had so many fatalities that it was nicknamed “The Widow Maker.”.  He also worked in the Texas oil fields but couldn’t find steady work there.  He ended up hitchhiking from Tyler, Texas back to Louisville. In 1933 he returned to Cadiz and worked in Cunningham’s Café and Saloon.  When the saloon was closed by a local option election, he returned to Louisville to find work.

T. Lacy returned to Cadiz where on February 21, 1941, he married Mary Agnes Thomas.  Mary was born on July 24, 1912 in Trigg County, Kentucky, the daughter of Wiliam Robert “Willie” Thomas and Emma Rogers Thomas.  Mary had five siblings, Milton Ward “Chuck” Thomas, William Howell Thomas, Eunice Grace Thomas, John Robert Thomas and Cecil Wayne Thomas and one half-brother, Harlan Truman Thomas.  Mary was a descendant of Starkie Thomas.

After their marriage, T. Lacy and Mary lived in Louisville a short time, but later returned to Trigg County where T. Lacy began his career as a farmer when he entered into a partnership with his brother-in-law, Chuck Thomas, farming what was known as the “Old Tanyard Farm.”  This farm was one of the first farms settled in Trigg County A tannery had been established next to the Big Spring on the property by one of the county’s early settlers, Levi Harlan. The property had been acquired by Chuck Thomas in 1943.  T. Lacy was involved in producing high quality livestock and served as the President of the Trigg County Livestock Improvement Association.  He helped to eradicate brucellosis, a contagious disease affecting cattle, from the county.  He was also a founding director of the Bank of Cadiz and Trust Company and served on their Board of Directors for over 20 years.

Mary obtained her L.P.N. license and worked as a nurse for the Drs Futrell clinic in Cadiz as well as working on their private duty cases.  Her last eight years of employment was with the Pennyroyal Mental Health Center in Hopkinsville.  

T. Lacy and Mary were the parents of one child, a daughter, Mary Louise Jones, born in 1945 who married William Daniel Lavery, Jr.

T. Lacy died on April 29, 1996 at the age of 84 at his home in Cadiz. He was buried in the Bethel Cemetery in Trigg County.  Mary died on June 23, 1999 at the age of 86 in Collingswood, New Jersey.  She was buried next to her husband in the Bethel Cemetery.

 T. Lacy and Mary's tombstone

LINEAGE: (Thomas Lacy Jones was the husband of Mary Agnes Thomas Jones. Mary was the daughter of William Robert “Willie” and Emma Rogers Thomas and the granddaughter of Robert Allison and Emma Nora Cunningham Thomas.  Robert 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.)

John Robert Bridges -- Korean War Casualty

 

John Robert Bridges was born on September 17, 1927 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the only child born to Ira Wade Bridges and Birch Lena Kennedy Bridges.  Ira had worked as a field agent for the Kentucky Alcoholic Beverages Control Board for four years.  He then served for sixteen years as deputy sheriff of Henderson County and finished his law enforcement career as the Sheriff of Henderson County for four years. John’s mother, Birch, was a housewife.

John’s earliest years were spent in Trigg County, but the family moved to Henderson, Kentucky in 1935 when he was eight years old and he attended the Henderson Schools.  He went on to attend and graduate from the University of Kentucky in Lexington.

On September 6, 1950, John married Doris Jean Richards, a native of Henderson.  Doris was born July 23, 1930, the daughter of Richard Kenneth Richards and Elizabeth Griffin Richards. Richard was a native of New York and Elizabeth was from Henderson. Richard was a local businessman in Henderson.  John and Doris were the parents of two children, Darry Ellen Bridges, born in 1951 and married Donald J. Guli and Kathleen “Kathy” Ann Bridges, born in 1953 and married Michael Lane Rafael.

Following graduation from the University of Kentucky, John entered the U. S. Army as an officer in the Infantry. In November of 1952, John who had reached the rank of Captain was sent overseas to the Republic of Korea at the height of the Korean conflict.  He was assigned to the 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division.  On June 15, 1953, after being in the war zone for a little over six months, John was killed on the front lines while leading a counterattack on the enemy in North Korea.  His widow, Doris Bridges, received a telegram from the Army on Monday June 22, informing her of his death.  His body arrived by ship back in the United States at San Francisco in early September. A funeral service with full military honors were held in Henderson on September 9, 1953.  John’s two young daughters, Darry was only 2 years old and Kathy was only 5 months old at the time.  As John had gone overseas the prior November, he never saw his younger daughter.  His widow and Captain Bridges’ mother, Mrs. Ira Bridges were presented with the flags that covered his coffin at the funeral.

A letter was read at the funeral that was written by a sergeant who cited an unusual quality possessed by his commander, Capt. Bridges.  "He wore his bars easily." the sergeant wrote.  A number of soldiers in his battalion asked for transfers to Capt. Bridges' unit, a rifle company, for the honor of serving under him, the sergeant said.  The letter was written the day after Capt. Bridges' death.  It pictured the capable leadership and fair treatment given by Capt. Bridges to his men.  

John was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.

John, who was 25 at the time of his death was buried in the Fairmont Cemetery in Henderson.

 John's tombstone

LINEAGE: (John Robert Bridges was the son of Ira Wade and Birch Lena Kenady Bridges and grandson of Robert Lee and Lula Wade Bridges.  Robert Lee was the second child of Wiliam Joseph and Sarah Wills Bridges.  William Joseph was the first child of Simco N. and Emeline Martin Bridges.  Simco was the third child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges. William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

James Arvin "Jimmie" Cunningham -- Garage and Body Shop Owner

 

James Arvin "Jimmie" Cunningham

James Arvin “Jimmie” Cunningham was born on February 18, 1926 in the Canton community of Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the first of five children born to Olive James “Ollie” Cunningham and Lillie Roberta Williams Cunningham.  Ollie was a well-known barber in Cadiz, Kentucky and Roberta was a homemaker.  Both were natives of Trigg County.  Ollie was a descendant of Cullen Bridges and Roberta was a descendant of Starkie Thomas.

Jimmie’s siblings were Thomas Elwood Cunningham, born in 1927 and married Frances Lucille Wesley; William Herbert Cunningham, born in 1930 and married Shirley Ann Strickland; Patsy Louise Cunningham, born in 1935 and married Joe Morris Woosley; and Robert Glenn Cunningham, born in 1937 and married Linda Faye Pepper.

Although born in a rural area, Jimmie’s parents moved to Cadiz when he quite young, but the family returned to the Canton and Maple Grove areas almost every Sunday to visit his grandparents and he considered himself a rural resident.  He attended Cadiz Graded School and graduated from Trigg County High School in 1948 which was after a stint in the military.

Jimmie enlisted in the United States Navy on May 30, 1944 and was sent to Great Lakes, Illinois for his basic training. He was then sent to Little Creek, Virginia where he received amphibious training. In the summer of 1945 while serving aboard the USS LSN 200, a flotilla flag ship, he left Providence, Rhode Island on his way to Japan.  While the ship was going through the Panama Canal, the atomic bomb was dropped in Japan. His ship went on to Pearl Harbor where it transported Marines and equipment to the smaller islands in the Pacific. After serving both in the Pacific and the Atlantic the USS LSN 200 was sent to Green Cove Springs, Florida where I was decommissioned in June 1946.  Jimmie was discharged from the Navy on June 4, 1946 as a Ship Cook, second class.

On February 13, 1948, Jimmie married Betty Jo Bridges who had graduated with him in the TCHS class of 1948. Betty was born on October 24, 1928 and was the daughter of Sidney Gordon Bridges and Jane Ernestine Bridges Bridges.  Gordon was a carpenter and Jane was a homemaker and both were natives of Trigg County.  Gordon was a descendant of Starkie Bridges and Ernestine was a descendant of Drewry Bridges.

After their marriage Jimmie and Betty moved to Nashville, Tennessee where he enrolled in the Tennessee Automotive Trade School.  In 1950, he received a graduate certificate in auto body repairs. They moved to Franklin, Kentucky where he was employed with the Ford Motor Company. In the following year, 1951, he and Betty moved back to Cadiz where he was employed with the Cadiz Motor Company where he worked for nine years.  In 1960, he formed a partnership with James Hendricks and Jasper Thomas to establish the East Cadiz Garage and Body Shop. Jimmie worked there for 26 years as an auto body repairman before his retirement.  Betty also worked for the garage and body shop as a bookkeeper.

Jimmie died on July 22, 2019 at the age of 93 at the Covington Convalescent Center in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.  He was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz.

Jimmie Cunningham

Jimmie tombstone

LINEAGE:  (James Arvin “Jimmie” Cunningham was the son of Olive James “Ollie” and Lillie Robert Williams Cunningham.  Ollie was the second child of Elmer Elsworth “Ell” and Rosa Lee Bridges Cunningham.  Rosa Lee was the seventh child of Cullen T. 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.  Virginia was the third 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.)

Clarence Hopson Taylor -- Pharmacist

 

Clarence Hopson Taylor was born on August 1, 1890, the only child of Dr. John Cullen Taylor and Emma Lee Hopson Taylor.  Dr. John Taylor was a prominent physician who practiced medicine in Canton, Kentucky and was a great grandson of Cullen Thomas.  Emma Lee was a housewife.

Clarence grew up in Canton and was educated in the Trigg County schools. At the age of 14, he moved from Canton to Cadiz where he began working in his father’s drug store.  He also worked as a pharmacist at a drug store in Hopkinsville.  He went on to study pharmacy at the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky in Lexington.

After graduation, he moved to Nashville where he worked as a pharmacist. During World War I, he enlisted in a Vanderbilt unit and ended up serving overseas as a U. S. Army pharmacist.

In 1926, he opened his own drug store known as the Vanderbilt Pharmacy in the college area of Nashville.  The drug store was advertised as a drive-in pharmacy and the only one of its kind in the United States at that time.  Clarence owned and operated the Vanderbilt Pharmacy up until the time of his death.

On October 23, 1930, Clarence married Virginia Jackson White at the home of the bride’s parents in Cadiz, Kentucky.  The wedding was a big social event of the year with over 250 guests in attendance.  Virginia was born on May 28, 1910 in Cadiz, the daughter of Ben Terry and Virginia Bell Jackson White.  Ben was a native of Trigg County and was a prominent hardware merchant in Cadiz. Virginia Bell was a native of Lyon County, Kentucky.

Clarence and Virginia were the parents of two sons, Charles White Taylor who was born in 1933 in Nashville and married Alice Archer Prewitt and Clarence Hopson Taylor, Jr. who was born in 1934 and married Mary McGee Davenport.  Mary McGee was the daughter of Rodolph Blevins Davenport, Jr., the founder of the Krystal Hamburger chain. Clarence, Jr. and Mary were subsequently divorced.

Clarence died on December 11, 1944 at the age of 54, at his home in Nashville.  His body was brought back to Kentucky where he was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz.  After Clarence’s death, Virginia married Maurice Graham Scott.  Virginia died on October 5, 1953 at the age of 43, in Frankfort, Kentucky.  She was buried in the East End Cemetery. 

Ad for the opening of the Vanderbilt Pharmacy in 1926

LINEAGE: (Clarence Hopson Taylor was the son of John Cullen and Emma Lee Hopson Taylor and the grandson of Custer and Mary Elizabeth Vinson Taylor.  Mary was the second 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.)

Herbert Ottoway Bridges -- Master Carpenter

 

Herbert Bridges

Herbert Ottoway Bridges was born on April 4, 1900 in the Maple Grove community of Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the youngest child of Ghent Alford (Alfred) Bridges and Nettie Linden Cunningham Bridges.  His father was a teacher who was the longest serving active teacher in the county at the time of his death.   His father also managed a farm and was a genealogist who recorded the first history of the Thomas and Bridges family.  His mother, Nettie, was a descendant of William Cunningham and Nancy Carr Cunningham, who were the original Cunningham settlers in Trigg County in 1818.

Herbert had three siblings, Alvin Ghent Bridges, who was born in 1892 and married Bertha Major; Ivy Lorene Bridges, born in 1894 and married John Hughes and Peyton Thomas Bridges, born in 1898 and married Ida Light.

Herbert grew up on Beechy Fork Creek along with his siblings in the Maple Grove community and attended the one–room Maple Grove School where his father was the teacher.  After reaching the eighth grade, Herbert left school and worked as a farm laborer on his father’s farm.

On June 18, 1929, he married Annie Porthena Francis, who was born on January 7, 1908 in Trigg County, Kentucky. She was the daughter of Eura Filmore Francis and Daisy Lancaster Francis. Eura was a grandson of Simco Bridges, the third child of William Bridges.

Herbert left the farm and worked with the Tennessee Valley Authority in Gilbertsville, Kentucky where he trained as a carpenter.  He and Annie moved to Paducah in 1940 where he continued to work as a carpenter.  He became actively involved in the carpenters’ union and was known as a respected and accomplished carpenter.

One of Herbert’s favorite jobs as a carpenter was in 1961 when Hollywood came to Paducah to film the movie, “How the West Was Won.”  Herbert worked with the Hollywood crew helping to build the numerous sets for the movie.  He was especially proud of his work on a replica of a 1800s homesteader’s home built near the Cumberland River which met the specifications of the original home.  He also enjoyed working on building large “rocks” made from wood but painted to look like real rocks and used in the cave scenes in the movie.

Herbert and Annie were the parents of one child, a daughter, Laverne Bridges, born in 1933 and married Richard Paul Hess.

Herbert and Annie lived in Paducah for most of their lives.  Herbert died on October 23, 1972 in Paducah at the age of 72.  He was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz, Kentucky.  Annie died on June 15, 1993 in a nursing home in Indianapolis, Indiana at the age of 85.  She was buried in the East End Cemetery next to her husband.

 Annie Francis Bridges

Herbert and his father Ghent after a fishing trip

Herbert and Annie tombstone

LINEAGE: (Herbert Ottoway Bridges was the son of Ghent Alford (Alfred) and Nettie Cunningham Bridges and the grandson of Cullen Thomas and Martha 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.)

John Spurlin Thomas -- Farmer in the Oak Grove Community

 

John Spurlin and Hattie Thomas

John Spurlin Thomas was born on May 7, 1874, in Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the seventh of nine children born to James Jasper Thomas and Mary Magdaline Cunningham Thomas. James Jasper was a native of Trigg County, Kentucky and worked as a farmer. He was son of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Mary Magdaline was also a native of Trigg County.  

John Spurlin’s siblings were Seldon Trimble Thomas, born in 1857 and married Martha Elizabeth Bridges; Joseph Cullen Thomas, born in 1860 and married Onia Francis Thomas; James Jasper Thomas, Jr., born in 1863 and married Lula Maye Crews; Ophelia Thomas, born in 1867 and married Charles H. Pursley; Starkie William Thomas, born in 1869 and Married Julia Louise Sumner; Ella May Thomas, born in 1871 and married Clarence Winston Wilson; Cicero Berter Thomas, born in 1880 and married Edward Seymore Spurlock; and Edgar Clyde Thomas, born in 1881.

John Spurlin grew up on his father’s farm in the Oak Grove community of Trigg County. As a youth he became engaged in farming and was a farmer practically all of his life.  He farmed in the Oak Grove community until about 1916 when he moved to Caldwell County.  He farmed in Caldwell County until 1935 when he moved back to the Oak Grove community where he spent the rest of his life.

On November 16, 1899, John married Hattie Lee Ricks at the home of the bride’s father. Rev. John Cunningham performed the wedding ceremony and a reception and supper was given by the groom’s parents following the ceremony.  Hattie was born in the Oak Grove community and was the daughter of Joel Lee Ricks and Faithie E. Sumner Ricks, both natives of Trigg County.  John and Hattie were the parents of six children.  They were Lacy Dell Thomas, born in 1900 and married Macie Bell Cummins; Hugh Delbert “Buddy” Thomas, born in 1901 and married Willie Hazel Sanders; Georgia Pearl Thomas, born in 1905 and married Shellie McKinley Cummins; James Douglas Thomas, born in 1911; Wallace Eric Thomas, born in 1914 and married Maudie Ethelyn Cotton; and Marjorie Earl Thomas, born in 1917 and married Lee Adrian Warren.

John Spurlin died on July 5, 1937 at his home in the Oak Grove community at the age of 63 He has suffered a light stroke about six years before his death that had left him practically an invalid.  He was buried in the Starkie Thomas cemetery. 

Hattie Lee died unexpectedly on July 10, 1962 at the age of 81 at her home in Cadiz of a coronary thrombosis.  She was buried in the Starkie Thomas Cemetery next to her husband.

 

Hattie Ricks Thomas

 

John and Hattie tombstone

LINEAGE: (John Spurlin Thomas was the son of James Jasper and Mary Magdaline Cunningham Thomas and grandson of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)