Ollie James and Roberta Williams Cunningham -- Barber and Homemaker

 

Ollie and Roberta Williams Cunningham

Olive “Ollie” James Cunningham was born on December 23, 1900 in the Canton area of Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the second of seven children of Elmer Ellsworth “Ell” Cunningham and Rosa Lee Bridges Cunningham. Ell was a farmer and both he and Rosa Lee were natives of Trigg County.  Ollie was a descendant of Cullen Bridges and Cullen Thomas.

Ollie’s siblings were Myrtle Mabel Cunningham, born in 1898 and married Burnett Finley; George Clyde Cunningham, born in 1904 and married Robbie Bell Bridges; Carmon Aubrey Cunningham, born in 1907 and married Ora Noel and then married Belva Ricks Dixon; Maurine Ell Cunningham, born in 1909 and married Grover Douglas Creamer; Earl Wayne Cunningham, born in 1912 and married Lois Velma Page; and Iva Mavis Cunningham, born in 1915 and married Robert “Jack” Rowen, Jr.

Ollie married Lily Roberta Williams who was born on November 26, 1908 in the Canton area.  Her family had moved from Calloway County to the Canton on the day that Roberta was born.  She was the fourth of eight children born to Thomas Green Williams and Johnnie Vara Thomas Williams.  Thomas was a farmer and was a native of Stewart County, Tennessee.  Johnnie Vara was a native of Trigg County.  Roberta was a descendant of Starkie Thomas.

Roberta’s siblings were Sidney Alma Williams, born in 1901 and married Pink Harrell Guier; Annie Lucille Williams, born in 1903 and married Robert Elliott Malone; Gillis Thomas Williams, born in 1905 and married Kittie Hendricks; Loys Lamont Williams, born in 1910 and married Mary Leta Boyd; Geneva Evelyn Williams, born in 1913 and married Earl Wane Simmons; John Cullen Williams, born in 1915 and married Audrey G. Forrest and then married Vera May Cox Gibbs; and Forest Hilda Williams, born in 1918 and married Gilbert N. Bridges.

After Ollie and Roberta were married, they settled into their first home near Canton.  In 1929 they moved to Cadiz and lived there until 1935 at which time they built a home on the Old Dover Road about one mile from Cadiz.  This was the home they lived in until their deaths.  In 1929, when Ollie was 29 years old, he began his career as a barber.  He worked at the Cadiz Barber Shop in  downtown Cadiz.  He became a partner in the business in 1945 until 1965,  He then went into semi-retirement until 1971 when he built and operated the Cunningham Barber Shop located in the west end of Cadiz.  He worked there part-time up until about one year before his death, having worked over 50 years as a barber. Roberta was a homemaker. Both Ollie and Roberta were among the organizing members of the Thomas-Bridges Association.

Ollie and Roberta were the parents of five children, James Arvin “Jimmie” Cunningham, born in 1926 and married Betty Jo Bridges; 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.

Ollie died on November 15, 1981 at the age of 80 at the Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz.  He was initially buried in the Green Hill Memorial Gardens in Christian County but was later moved to the East End Cemetery in Cadiz.  Roberta died eight days later on November 23, 1981 at the age of 72 at her home.  She was buried in the East End Cemetery.

Ollie and Roberta tombstone

 

LINEAGE:  (Olive James Cunningham was the son of Elmer Ellsworth “Ell” and Rosa Lee Bridges Cunningham.  Rosa was the seventh child of Cullen T. and Martha Ann 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.  Martha Ann 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.)

(Lily Roberta Williams was the daughter of Thomas Green and Johnnie Vara Thomas Williams.  Johnnie was the third child of William Henry and Sidney Dyer Thomas.  William Henry was the third 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.

Charles Thomas -- Auto Body Repair Shop Owner

 

Charles Thomas was born on August 7, 1937 in Detroit, Michigan. He was one of a set of triplets born to Hubert Jackson “Tige” Thomas and Vada Helena Wallace Thomas.  Hubert operated an automobile body shop and was a native of Trigg County.  Vada was a native of Dover, Tennessee. Charles was a descendant of Starkie Thomas.

Charles’ siblings were Carolyn Sue Thomas, born in 1934 and died at the age of 1 day; Billie Joe Thomas, born in 1935 and married Carolyn Raquel Williams; fellow triplets, Andrew Thomas, born in 1937 and married Frances Carol Bridges; Bruce Thomas, born in 1937 and married Joyce Ann P’Pool; and Dennis Glyn Thomas, born in 1944 and married Linda Dale Hancock.

Charles  spent his first nine years growing up in Detroit, but moved to Trigg County, Kentucky in 1946, He enrolled in Trigg County High School where he was on the football team.  He graduated with the class of 1956. 

Charles  along with his brothers Andrew and Bruce enlisted in the U.S Army together on February 18, 1959. They received their basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky and then were assigned to a unit at Fairbanks, Alaska.  They were exceptionally recognized as the only set of triplets to be serving together in the army at that time.  The triplets were discharged in February of 1961.  

On May 23, 1958 Charles married Martha Ann Myers.  Martha was born on August 16, 1939 in Webster County, Kentucky and was the daughter of Carvill H. Myers and Viola Mae McGraw Myers.  Carvill worked for the water department in Dixon, Kentucky and both he and Viola were natives of Webster County, Kentucky.

Martha died unexpectedly at the age of 23 on September 7, 1962 at the Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz.  She was buried in the Green Hill Memorial Gardens in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

Charles married his second wife, Clara Ellen McKinney on April 23, 1965 in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.  Ellen was born on September 19, 1942 in Bumpus Mills, Tennessee.  She was the daughter of Jack Wilton McKinney and Edna Clare Scott McKinney. Jack was a farmer and a native of Trigg County.  Edna was a native of Bumpus Mills, Tennessee.

After finishing school, Charles worked for his father in the Thomas Body Shop in Cadiz.  In 1966, Charles began working for the Chicago Bridge and Iron Company. building water towers. This job required him to work in seven different states. He left this job and returned to Trigg County and built an auto body repair shop next to his dad’s body shop which he owned and operated for the rest of his life.  Ellen worked as a secretary with the Cadiz Drywall Contractors from 1977 until her death.

Charles and Ellen were the parents of two children, Mitzi Lane Thomas, born in 1966 and married Michael Lynn Jones and later married Ronnie Lee Smith and Nick Charles Thomas, born in 1967 and married Dana Dunn Darnell.

Charles died on May 13, 1996 at the age of 58 at his home in Cadiz.  He was buried in the Lucian Thomas Family Cemetery in Trigg County.  Ellen died on September 22, 2020 at the age of 78 at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.  She was buried in the Lucian Thomas Family Cemetery next to her husband.

The Thomas Triplets

 

Ellen Thomas

 

Charles and Ellen tombstone

LINEAGE: (Charles Thomas was the son of Hubert Jackson and Vada Helena Wallace Thomas. Hubert was the second child of Lucian M. and Inez B. Crews Thomas.  Lucian was the fourth child of Jonathan Starkie and Julia Dyer Thomas.  Jonathan was the third child of William Bridges and Nancy Jane Rogers Thomas.  William was the first child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Clinton and Elizabeth Hughes Stalons -- Long time Trigg County Farmer

 

Clinton and Elizabeth Stalons

Clinton Harrell Stalons was born on September 15, 1904 in Trigg County, Kentucky, the second child of William Barnes Stalons and Pinkie Elizabeth Harrell Stalons.  William and Pinkie were both natives of Trigg County where William worked as a farmer.

On February 28, 1926, Clinton married Verna Elizabeth Hughes.  Elizabeth was born on November 7, 1904 in Trigg County, the second of ten children born to Luther Lee Hughes and Mattie Patterson Light Hughes. Luther or Luke, as he was known was a well-respected farmer of the community.  Both Luke and Mattie were natives of Trigg County.  Mattie was a descendant of Starkie Thomas.

Elizabeth’s siblings were Harmon Marcellious Hughes, born in 1903 and married Georgia Lyle New and then married Mary Dixon Townsend Clayton; Mary Catherine Hughes, born in 1906 and married Thomas Edward Mize; Lula Gertrude Hughes, born in 1908 and married John Robert Flood; Luther Bertram Hughes, born in 1909 and married Edna Earl Thomas; Edna Lorene Hughes, born in 1912 and married Charles Calvert Flood; Richard Stanley Hughes, born in 1914 and married Avernell Boyd; James Raymond Hughes, born in 1916 and married Susie Gertrude Hammonds; Sarah Loutisha Hughes, born in 1919; and Thomas Alton Hughes, born in 1921 and married Hazel Douglas Lancaster.

Clinton was a farmer and was raised and lived on the same farm in the Mt. Pleasant community for 61 years. Elizabeth attended school at the Warrenton School and after her marriage, she joined her husband on the family farm in the Mt. Pleasant community.  In the mid-1960s their farm was purchased by the U.S Corps of Engineers for the creation of Lake Barkley as a result of Barkley Dam. They moved to a Cadiz subdivision which was near the homeplace of Elizabeth’s father, L. L. Hughes.  In addition to his farming, Clinton worked as a carpenter assistant.

Clinton and Elizabeth were the parents of two children.  Their first child was an unnamed son that was born in 1927 and lived for only two days.  Their second child was Martha Harrell Stalons, born in 1941 and married William Marshall Fortner.

Elizabeth died on Tuesday, December 14, 1982 at the age of 78 at the Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz, Kentucky.  She was buried in the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in the Blue Spring community of Trigg County.  Clinton died on Monday April 11, 1988 at the age of 83 at the Trigg County Hospital.  He was buried in the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery next to his wife.

Clinton and Elizabeth with a young Martha

 

Clinton and Elizabeth tombstone

    

LINEAGE: (Verna Elizabeth Hughes was the daughter of Luther Lee and Mattie Patterson Light Hughes and the granddaughter of John J. and Emeline Catherine Thomas.  Emeline was the seventh child of Stanley and Emily Ann Light.  Stanley was the second child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas. Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Samuel Leon Garrett -- Outstanding Teen Athlete and Rifleman

 

Samuel Leon Garrett

Samuel Leon Garrett was born on October 22, 1998 in Clarksville, Tennessee, the youngest of two children born to Kenneth Michael Garrett and Amy Denise Sumner Garrett.  Amy was a native of Christian County, Kentucky and a descendant of James Thomas, Jr.  Kenneth was a resident of Clarksville and was a 1978 graduate of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine with a DDS degree and practiced general dentistry in Clarksville.  Sam’s only sibling was a sister, Hannah Elizabeth Garrett, born in 1991 and married Brian Menhennet.

Sam spent his elementary school years as a student at Clarksville Academy in Clarksville and went on to graduate in 2019 from Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) in Nashville, Tennessee. He attended Belmont College in Nashville and then went on to attend Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Tennessee.

While at MBA, Sam was on the Shotgun Team, where he was also the captain and assistant coach, for the MBA Skeet Shooting Team and Junior Olympics Team. In 2017, he was the “Top Gun” for the highest average scorer. He won the Alabama and South Carolina Junior Sporting Clay Championship, as well as the 2019 Junior World Championship. Sporting clays is a form of clay pigeon shooting often described as “golf with a shotgun.” Sam also received the Francis E Carter Jr. Award for Service and Achievement at Honors Night, MBA Shotgun Team Captain, and Top Gun Award in 2017.   In addition, in 2015 Sam was on the Division 2-A State Champion football team.

Sam was married to Jenna Smith and they had no children.

A young victim of cancer, Sam died at the age of 22 on Wednesday, May 19, 2021 in Cookeville, Tennessee, where he had made his home.  He was buried in the Resthaven Memorial Gardens in Clarksville.

MBA established the Sam Garrett Award. This award is presented to a shooter who, like Sam Garrett, is a leader that hones the direction of the team and helps everyone around him improve. Displaying great sportsmanship, enthusiasm, and perseverance, this shooter pushes everyone to be the best they can be, setting a great example, raising the bar and elevating the game.  The award is given annually in Sam’s memory and to further develop the Montgomery Bell Academy Shotgun Team, a team that meant a great deal to Sam.

Sam Garrett tombstone

LINEAGE: (Samuel Leon Garrett was the son of Kenneth Michael and Amy Denise Sumner Garrett and the grandson of Billy Wayne and Judy Ezell Sumner.  Billy was the second child of Jessie James and Eunice Thomas Sumner.  Eunice was the third child of John Cullen “Taylor” and Myrtle Green Chewning Thomas.  Taylor was the ninth child of Carroll and Frances Wills Vinson Thomas.  Carroll was the second child of James Jr. and Margaret Ethridge Thomas.  James, Jr. was the sixth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Herbert Clifton Hargrove -- Victim of a Dump Truck Accident

 

Herbert Clifton Hargrove was born on April 19, 1913 in Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the oldest of eight children born to John Henry Hargrove  and Dora Ellen Battoe Hargrove.  John Henry was a farmer and a state highway department worker and both he and Dora were natives of Trigg County.  Herbert was a descendant of Charity S. Bridges.

Herbert’s siblings were Jesse Woodrow Hargrove, born in 1915 and married Eva Lorene Atwood; Hershel Linsley Hargrove, born in 1918 and married Mary Elizabeth Baker; Mabel Lucille Hargrove, born in 1920 and married Roscoe Bradley Sutton; Martha Louise Hargrove, born in 1921 and married William Lynn Maddox; Katie Marie Hargrove, born in 1924 and married Rudolph Ray McDowell; Dora Ernestine Hargrove, born in 1929 and married Herbert Amos P’Pool; and Robert Hunt Hargrove, born in 1926 and married Ruby C. Gibson and later married Constance M. Wyperd.

Herbert grew up in Trigg County on the Dover Road where his father worked on a farm and later went to work for the state highway department.   He received a basic elementary level of education.

On December 31, 1939, Herbert married Virginia Mae Daniel.  Virginia was born on February 14, 1912 in Trigg County and was the daughter of John G. Daniel and Dana Puckett Daniel.

After their marriage, Herbert and Virginia lived in Crittenden County, Kentucky with his parents  and Herbert worked as a mechanic on large dump trucks used to carry huge loads of crushed rocks from rock quarries.

On the late afternoon of Friday, November 22, 1940, Herbert was working with the quarry dump truck as usual.  He was at the J. B. Alexander Rock Quarry in Marion, Kentucky.  Herbert and two other men, L. D. Marshall and Guy Guess, both of Marion were working under the raised dump truck bed oiling the hoisting apparatus.  The loaded dump truck suddenly tripped itself and poured more than a ton of crushed rock on the three men.  All three were severely injured. Herbert, however, suffered the worst injury as the truck bed had struck his head, trapping him underneath the bed.  The bed which weighed about 2000 pounds caused a fractured skull. An ambulance was called for Herbert and he was being transported to a hospital in Evansville, Indiana when he was pronounced dead in the ambulance when it was in Sturgis, Kentucky.  Marshall was admitted to the Evansville hospital in serious condition with a crushed chest and a broken right arm.  Guess only suffered slight injuries.

Herbert and Virginia were the parents of one child, Lynda Jane Hargrove, who was born in January 1941 approximately two months after her father’s death.  She married Kenneth Deryl Locke and later married Herbert Showalter.

Herbert was 27 years old at the time of his death.  He is buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz.  Virginia died at the age of 80 on July 2, 1993 in Dearborn Heights, Michigan.  She was buried in the East End Cemetery next to Herbert.

Herbert and Virginia tombstone

LINEAGE:  (Herbert Clifton Hargrove was the son of John Henry and Dora Ellen Battoe Hargrove.  Dora was the third child of John Edwin and Malinda Hawkins Battoe.  John was the first child of James J. and Charity S. Bridges Battoe.  Charity was the tenth child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

James Jasper Thomas -- Teacher, Farmer and Civil War Soldier

 

James Jasper Thomas

James Jasper Thomas, Sr. was born on March 19, 1833 in Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the fourth of eleven children born to Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Starkie was born in Bertie County, North Carolina and had migrated to Trigg County in 1806 with James and Mary Standley Thomas.  Mary was born in Trigg County and was the youngest child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.

James’ siblings were William Bridges Thomas, born in 1825 and married Nancy Jane Rogers and later married Sarah Elizabeth Light; Stanley Thomas, born in 1828 and married Emily Ann Light; Adeline Thomas, born in 1830 and died at the age of seven; Peachie A. Thomas, born in 1834 and died at the age of four; Alfred Marshall Thomas, born in 1835 and married Eliza Anne Martin; Francis Marion “Fant” Thomas, born in 1839 and married Mary Forrest Rogers; Bluford Mills Thomas, born in 1841 and married Peachie Ann Martin; Perry Curlin Thomas, born in 1843 and married Mary E. Carter; Starkie Armstead Thomas, born in 1844 and married Inez Miller; and Mary Jane Thomas, born in 1847 and married William Thomas Armstrong.

James married Mary Magdaline Cunningham on July 14, 1856.  Mary was born on December 4, 1838 in Trigg County and was the daughter of John “Duck” Cunningham and Mary “Polly” Gresham Cunningham. John was a native of Charlottesville, Virginia and Mary was a native of Halifax, Virginia. Both had settled in Trigg County with the large Cunningham family.

James and Mary settled into their home which was located on the Old Dover Road south of Cadiz.  While growing up, James had received a generous education for his day and as a result for a few years, he taught school.  He later became a farmer and continued to reside in the family farm house for his entire life.

On July 6, 1861, James was mustered into the militia of the Confederate Army.  He was stationed at Fort Donelson, Tennessee which was located only a short distance from his home.  He was granted a leave to return home to visit his family and while he rode home, he was trailed by a group of Union soldiers.  To keep from being captured after he arrived at his home, his wife, Mary hid him in a cellar which had an opening in the floor inside the house. Mary placed a bed over the cellar door opening, laid in the bed and pretended to be sick.  Not wanting to disturb her, the Union soldiers did not locate the hidden door, nor find the hidden James. However, they did steal horses and meat from the nearby smoke house.

Mary raised a slave baby whose mother had died.  She had named the child Lewis.  Following the Emancipation Proclamation, Lewis was given the option to leave the family.  However, he chose to continue to reside on the James J. Thomas farm, where he lived his entire life.

James and Mary were the parents of nine children,  Seldon Trimble Thomas, born in 1857 and married Martha Elizabeth Bridges; Joseph Cullen Thomas, born in 1860 and married Onie F. 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; John Spurlin Thomas, born in 1874 and married Hattie Lee Ricks; Cicero Berter Thomas, born in 1880 and married Edward Seymore Spurlock; and Edgar Clyde Thomas, born in 1881. 

James died on January 23, 1903 at the age of 69 at his home on the family farm.  He was buried in the Starkie Thomas cemetery in the Oak Grove community.  Mary died on November 19, 1911 at the age of 71 and was buried in the Starkie Thomas cemetery.

Mary Cunningham Thomas

 

James J. Thomas Homeplace

 

James tombstone

 

James tombstone close up

 

Mary tombstone

 

Mary tombstone close up

LINEAGE: (James Jasper Thomas was the son of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)