Dolly Mae Cunningham Stokes Rawlins -- Occupational Therapist

 

Dolly Cunningham Stokes Rawlins

Dolly Mae Cunningham was born on May 1, 1930 on Beechy Fork Creek in Trigg County, Kentucky.  She was the fourth of six children of George Clyde Cunningham and Robbie Bell Bridges Cunningham. Clyde was a farmer and both he and Robbie were natives of Trigg County.  Dolly was a descendant of Cullen Bridges, Cullen Thomas and Starkie Bridges. 

Dolly’s siblings were Aubrey Hershell Cunningham, born in 1923 and married Anna Josephine Calhoun and later married Velina Guess England; Albert Dale Cunningham, born in 1925 and died in World War II; Alfred Leslie Cunningham, born in 1927 and married Joe Hazel Bush; Martha Rhea Cunningham, born in 1934 and married Charles Robert Quarles; and Mava Dale Cunningham, born in 1946 and married Paul Raymond Brown.

Dolly grew up in the Maple Grove community and attended the local rural schools.  In 1943, Dolly was among the first group to be baptized the newly formed Maple Grove Baptist Church.

On November 26, 1947, Dolly married William Ray Stokes.  William was born on July 31, 1927, the son of Hubert Ray Stokes and Atta Clio Smith Stokes.  Hubert operated a grocery store and was a native of Elkton, Kentucky.  Atta was a native of Putnam County, Tennessee.

As a late teenager, William worked as a truck driver for the S. H. Latham Company.  After their marriage he worked as a barber at Fort Campbell and Dolly worked as an attendant at the Western State Hospital in Hopkinsville. In the mid-1950s they lived in Bowling Green and William worked as a manager with the Hill Service Company. The family lived in Fort Worth, Texas for a period of time and Dolly completed a year of commercial arts studies.  After returning to Hopkinsville, Dolly worked for nineteen years in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Western State Hospital.  William worked as a salesman and as a farmer in the Fairview community of Todd County, Kentucky.

William and Dolly were the parents of four children, Linda Joyce Stokes, born in 1948 and married William Joseph Fritz; Howard Ray Stokes, born in 1955 and married Vickie Ann McNeil; Jeffery Dale Stokes, born in 1963 and married Catherine Lane Latham; and Stephen Ray Scott (a foster son), born in1964 and married Cheryl Lynn Phillips and later married Kimberly Noffsinger Miller.

William died on January 9, 1999 at the age of 71 at the Regional Medical Center in Madisonville, Kentucky.  He was buried in the Stokes Community Cemetery in Elkton, Kentucky.

On September 15, 2002, Dolly married her second husband, Thomas Davis Rawlins at the Bethel Baptist Church in Fairview, Kentucky with the Rev Ron Hicks officiating.  Thomas was born on December 31, 1923 in Christian County, Kentucky, the son of Thomas Leslie Rawlins and Elizabeth Belle Wilkins Rawlins.  Thomas Leslie was a farmer and both he and Elizabeth were natives of Christian County.  Thomas Davis was retired from working for 40 years with the L&N Railroad.
Thomas died on August 24, 2004 at the age of 80 at his home in Madisonville, Kentucky.  He was buried in the Rawlins Cemetery in Pembroke, Kentucky.

Dolly died on April 22, 2022 at the age of 91 in Clarksville, Tennessee.  She was buried in the Stokes Community Cemetery next to her first husband.

Dolly and Thomas Rawlins

 

Dolly and William tombstone

 

Thomas Rawlins tombstone

LINEAGE:  (Dolly Mae Cunningham was the daughter of George Clyde and Robbie Bell Bridges Cunningham.  George Clyde was the third child of Elmer Elsworth “Ell” and Rosa Lee Bridges Cunningham.  Rosa Lee 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.  Robbie Bell was the second child of Drew Manley and Lena Mae Guier Bridges.  Drew Manley was the seventh 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.  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.)

Loys Lamont Williams -- Livestock Inspector SEP 18 2025

 

Loys Lamont Williams

Loys Lamont Williams was born on November 22, 1910 in Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the fifth of eight children born to Thomas Green Williams and Johnnie Vara Thomas Williams. Thomas Green and Vara were both natives of Trigg County, Kentucky where Thomas was a prominent farmer of his day.  Vara was a homemaker and operated the family farm after Thomas’ death.  She was a great-granddaughter of Starkie Thomas.

Loys’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; Lily Roberta Williams, born in 1908 and married Olive James Cunningham; Geneva Evelyn Williams, born in 1913 and married Earl Wayne Simmons; John Cullen Williams, born in 1915 and married Audrey G. Forrest and later married Vera May Cox Gibbs; and Forest Hilda Williams, born in 1918 and married Gilbert N. Bridges.

Loys grew up on the family farm. His father died in 1924 when he was 14 and he had to share the responsibility of operating the farm and providing for the family.  In the 1930s he was one of the first local men to become a member of the Civilian Conservation Corporation.  He served with the C.C.C. in Mount Shasta, California where the organization gave him the opportunity to broaden his education.

During World War II, Loys served two enlistments with the U.S. Army serving a total of four years and five months in the military. He spent his first enlistment stationed near Corpus Christi, Texas. During his second enlistment, he served overseas with the 106th Anti-aircraft Battalion in Ireland, North Africa, Italy, France, Austria and Germany. He operated army vehicles to provide personnel, supplies and ammunition to the front lines.  He was discharged on August 5, 1945 and he returned to Hopkinsville, Kentucky where he made his home.

On September 16, 1945, Loys married Mary Leta Boyd.  Mary was a native of Christian County and was born on December 21, 1914.  She was the daughter of John Richard Boyd and Dora Gabe Ella Littlefield Boyd, both natives of Christian County.

Loys and Mary lived in Hopkinsville where Loys was self-employed for several years. He later was employed with the United State Department of Agriculture as a livestock inspector, a position he held until his retirement. Mary worked as bookkeeper in Hopkinsville until her retirement.

Loys and Mary were the parents of one child, a daughter, Lucretia Williams, born in 1947 and married Robert Louis Moran.

Loys died on January 28, 1978, at the age of 67 at Jennie Stuart Hospital in Hopkinsville.  He was buried in the Green Hill Memorial Gardens in Hopkinsville.  Mary died on July 26, 1985, at the age of 70 at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.  She was buried in the Green Hill Memorial Gardens next to her husband.

Loys and Mary

 

Loys tombstone

Mary's tombstone

LINEAGE: (Loys Lamont Williams was the son of Thomas Green and Johnnie Vara Thomas Williams and the grandson 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.)

Grace Annalene Terrell Braboy -- Wife of Trigg County Farmer

 

Annalene Terrell Braboy

Grace Annalene Terrell was born on January 31, 1924 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  She was youngest of nine children born to Robert Terrell and Emma Skaggs Bridges Terrell.  Robert was a farmer and both he and Emma were natives of Trigg County.  Emma was a granddaughter of Simco N. Bridges.

Annalene’s siblings were Mary Cicero Terrell, born in 1907 and married John Carter Mitchell; Marie Eldo Terrell, born in 1907 and died at birth; Sarah Frances Terrell, born in 1909 and married Clyde Crenshaw Stallons; Myra Dean Terrell, born in 1911 and married Clarence Monroe Stallons; Martha Helen Terrell, born in 1913 and married Boyce Taylor Braboy; Virginia Irene Terrell, born in 1916 and married Ernest Lee Bridges; Robert Joe Terrell, born 1918 and married Nellie Myrtle Peal; and George Edward Terrell, born in 1921 and married Gladys Opal Gray.

On October 26, 1940, Annalene was married to Herbert Haydon Braboy by the Rev. L. L. Spurlin near Hopkinsville, Kentucky . They both were very young when they married as Herbert was 18 and Annalene was 16.  Herbert was born on December 6, 1922 and was the only child of Loyd Shirley Braboy and Velma Lancaster Braboy. Loyd was a farmer and both he and Velma were natives of Trigg County.

After their marriage, Herbert and Annalene settled in the Delmont community in southern Trigg County where they lived for three years.  Herbert and his father then purchased a farm about six miles south of Cadiz known as the Big Woods Farm.  Herbert farmed there for the rest of his life and Annalene worked for fifteen years at the Hopkinsville Clothing Company.

Annalene and Herbert were the parents of two children, Anna Louise Braboy, born in 1944 and married Jimmy Brandon Sanderson and Arlie Haydon Braboy, born in 1946 and died at the age of twelve.

Annaline died on December 15, 2008 at the age of 84 at the Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz.  She was buried in the Green Hill Memorial Gardens in Hopkinsville.  Herbert died on July 27, 2011 at the age of 88 at the Shady Lawn Nursing Home in Cadiz.  He was buried in the Green Hill Memorial Gardens in Hopkinsville next to his wife.

Herbert Braboy

 

 Herbert and Annalene tombstone

LINEAGE: (Grace Annalene Terrell was the daughter of Robert and Emma Skaggs Bridges Terrell.  Emma was the fifth child of William Joseph and Sarah Wills Bridges.  William 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.)

Mollie Evelyn Moore Godbold -- Playwright, Historian and Feature Writer

 

Mollie Moore Godbold

Mollie Evelyn Moore was born on November 4, 1877 in Proctor, Texas. She was the fifth of ten children born to Thomas Oscar Moore and Sarah Adelie Thomas Moore.  Thomas Oscar was a noted city leader of Comanche, Texas and was a native of  Talladega, Alabama.  Sarah was a native of Trigg County, Kentucky and a daughter of Stanley Thomas.  

Mollie’s siblings were Thomas Moore, born in 1867 and died at birth; Ida Kate Moore, born in 1869 and married Oliver Maxwell Simmons; Robert Hartwell Moore, born in 1872 and married Fannie Theresa Holmsley; Charles Maxon Moore, born in 1875 and married Ethel Hill; Henry Edward Moore, born in 1881; Susan Martin Moore, born in 1884 and married Claude William Meadows; Percy Adelle Moore, born in 1888 and married Walter Jack Cunningham; Stanley Thomas Moore, born in 1891 and married Louise Black; and Clara Edith Moore, born in 1893 and married James Dallas “J.D.” Slack.

Mollie grew up with her large family in Comanche, Texas.  She received her education in the public schools of Comanche as well as being tutored at home.

On June 15, 1897, Mollie married Sanctus Wilbur Godbold in Comanche. Sanctus was born in 1872 in Marshall, Texas, the son of  Nathan Wilbur Godbold and Mary Elizabeth Powell Godbold. Nathan worked as a bookkeeper and was a native of Alabama. Mary Elizabeth was a native of Texas.

Mollie and Sanctus lived in Comanche during the early years of their marriage and Sanctus worked as a salesman.  They later moved to Dallas and where Sanctus was employed by the Adams-Leonard Bank and later with the Padgitt Company.  In 1915 they moved from Dallas to Long Beach, California where Sanctus was the proprietor of the Park View Hotel.  He worked at the hotel for two- and one-half years until his death in 1918.

After Sanctus’ death, Mollie moved backed to Comanche and later moved to Dallas with her children. In 1909 while in Comanche, Mollie wrote a three-act play which was written primarily to please a friend that was produced locally.  To her surprise the play became well known and was produced at several locations throughout Texas. In 1920 a manager in Atlanta bought the rights to her play called “The Microbe of Love” and the play was soon being produced nationwide in amateur theaters. She wrote a second play called “Polly Ticks” about women suffrage which also became popular across the country. Mollie went on to write numerous other plays whose royalties helped her to support her young family in Dallas as she was the family breadwinner after her husband’s death.  Mollie also wrote the music and lyrics for several songs and published several articles for the Dallas newspapers. She was eventually considered one of Texas’ most successful playwrights as well as being known as a noted historian and feature writer.

Mollie also wrote several poems and three novels.  The novels were titled Raw Edges, Gun Shy and Quality Folks.  One of her last writing efforts was a two-part article on her home town of Comanche and the gunman John Wesley Hardin which appeared in the Southwestern Historical Quarterly in 1963.

Mollie and Sanctus were the parents of three children, Sanctus Wilbur Godbold, Jr., born in 1899 and married Pauline Minnie Demontel; Mary Ida Godbold, born in 1904 and married Christopher Octavious Gill; and Nat Hartwell Godbold, born in 1908 and married Evelyn Claudia Padgett.

Sanctus died on April 22, 1918 at the age of 46 in Long Beach, California of valvular heart disease.  He was buried in the Sunnyside Cemetery in Long Beach. Mollie died on June 4, 1964 at the age of 86 in Dallas, Texas of a cerebral hemorrhage.  She was buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Comanche.

 Mollie tombstone

 

Sanctus tombstone

LINEAGE: (Mollie Evelyn Moore was the daughter of Thomas Oscar and Sarah Adelie Thomas Moore. Sarah was the third child of Stanley and Sarah Thompson Rothrock Thomas.  Stanley was the seventh child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)