John Vernon Thomas -- Farmer and Hospital Employee

 

Vernon and Clemie Thomas

John Vernon Thomas was born on June 4, 1883 in Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the youngest of five children born to Jonathan Starkie Thomas and Julia Dyer Thomas.  Jonathan Starkie was a farmer and both he and Julia were natives of Trigg County.  Vernon was a descendant of Starkie Thomas.

Vernon’s siblings were Forrest May Thomas, born in 1876 and married Jesse Monroe Vinson; Rufus Hayden Thomas, born in 1878 and died on an unknown date in Cuba; Smith Thomas, born in 1879 and married Ida Mae Meador; and Lucian M. Thomas, born in 1881 and married Inez B. Crews.

Vernon married Clemie Wilson on December 25, 1902.  Clemie was born on December 1, 1883 in Trigg County.  She was the daughter of Alfred Marion Wilson and Matilda Susan Wiles Wilson. Alfred was a farmer and was a native of Trigg County.  Matilda was a native of Mecklenberg County, Virginia.

After Vernon and Clemie were married, they lived with his grandmother while Clemie finished the school year at South Union where she was a teacher.  They then moved to a farm that Vernon owned in the Oak Grove community. Vernon was interested in improving the county’s farming conditions and he worked closely with the Farm Extension Agents toward that goal. Over the years, Vernon and Clemie would later live in Cadiz, Hopkinsville and Toledo, Ohio. Vernon primarily worked as a farmer, but also worked as an automobile accessory dealer and worked at the Western State Hospital in Hopkinsville. At one point, he worked for the George L. Smith Drugstore in downtown Cadiz.

Clemie continued to work primarily as a school teacher.  She also became interested in real estate and worked  as a real estate agent for a period of time.  For a number of years, she operated a tourist home known as the Maple Tourist Home which was located in the old McKinney home across the street from the Cadiz Baptist Church in downtown Cadiz. 

Vernon and Clemie were the parents of two daughters, Isabelle Thomas, born in 1904 and married Otis Houston Francis and Louise Thomas, born in 1913 and married Herman Jefferson Boyd.

Vernon died on February 8, 1967 at the age of 83 at the Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz.  He was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz.  Clemie died on November 1, 1983 at the age of 99, just one month before her 100th birthday.  She died at the Trigg County Hospital and was buried in the East End Cemetery next to her husband.

Clemie Wilson Thomas

Vernon and Clemie tombstone

LINEAGE: (John Vernon Thomas was the son 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.)

Visit the entire Thomas-Bridges family tree at:   http://tinyurl.com/thomasbridgesfamily2

 

Homer Blane and Beulah Bridges Thomas --- Farmer and Trucker

 

Beulah and Homer Thomas

Homer Blane Thomas was born on July 4, 1911 in Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the third of six children born to Lucian M. Thomas and Inez B. Crews Thomas.  Lucian was a farmer and both he and Inez were natives of Trigg County.  Homer was a descendant of Starkie Thomas.

Homer’s siblings were John Alex Thomas, born in 1907 and married Mary Louise Sumner; Hubert Jackson “Tige” Thomas, born in 1909 and married Vada Helena Wallace; Mary Julia Thomas, born in 1914 and married Alvin Arthur Pfermann; William Boyd Thomas, born in 1917 and married Geneva Simmons and later married Eunice Grace Thomas; and Maurice Allton Thomas, born in 1923 and married Stella Mae Gray.

On March 1, 1936 Homer married Beulah Louise Bridges in Princeton, Kentucky at the home of Rev. Olen Sisk.  Beulah was born on May 21, 1913 in the Maple Grove community of Trigg County, the ninth of eleven children born to John Trice Bridges and Maggie Dora Cunningham Bridges.  John Trice was a farmer and both he and Maggie were natives of Trigg County.  Maggie was descendant of the large pioneer Cunningham family that settled in Trigg County.  Beulah was a descendant of Cullen Bridges.

Beulah’s siblings were Lillie Jane Bridges, born in  1899 and died at the age of two; Lucy Lee Bridges, born in 1900 and married James Stevenson “Jimmie Fant” Thomas; Lola Francis “Fanny” Bridges, born in 1902 and married Homer Ervin Francis; Dora Virginia Bridges, born in 1903 and married Otis Taylor Boyd; John Carl Bridges, born in 1904 and married Julia Bell Thomas; Mary Pauline Bridges, born in 1908 and married Preston Hoover Thomas; Queen Alexander Bridges, born in 1909 and died at the age of one; Hilda Agnes Bridges, born in 1910; Clifford Elma “Pete” Bridges, born in 1917 and married Lillie Frances Smith; and Dorothy Allene Bridges, born in 1920.

Homer spent most of his life as a farmer.  He owned an operated the farm that had belonged to his father, Lucien Thomas and his uncles.  After Homer was disabled later in his life and was unable to operate the farm, his son-in-law took over the role as main farmer on the property as well as raising cattle on the farm.  Homer also worked as a trucker when he was not working on the farm.  Homer and Beulah lived in their home located on the Maple Grove Road in Trigg County.

Homer and Beulah were the parents of four children, Robert Blane Thomas, born in 1937 and died at the age of eleven months; Dora Larue Thomas, born in 1938 and married Lewis Orville Sharp and later married E. W. Oliver; Velva Dale Thomas, born in1939 and married William Hawkins Smith, Jr. and later married Marvin Cloud Calhoun; and Sue Anna Thomas, born in 1941 and married Emlis H. King.

Homer died on July 8, 1986 at the age of 75 at his home.  He was buried in the Lucian Thomas Cemetery in Trigg County.  Beulah died on August 8, 1989 at the age of 76 at the   Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz.  She was buried in the Lucian Thomas Cemetery next to her husband.

 

Homer and Beulah tombstone

LINEAGE:  (Homer Blane Thomas was the son 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.)

(Beulah Louise Bridges was the daughter of John Trice and Maggie Dora Cunningham Bridges.  John Trice was the sixth 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.)

 

Visit the entire Thomas-Bridges family tree at:   http://tinyurl.com/thomasbridgesfamily2

Durwood Stanley and Jane Thomas Bridges -- Early Trigg County Citizens

 

Durwood Stanley Bridges

 

Jane "Jennie" Thomas Bridges

Durwood Stanley “Stan” Bridges  was born on February 27, 1866 in the Maple Grove community of Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the sixth of eleven children born to Drewry Bridges and Peachie Ann Tart Bridges.  Drewry was a farmer and both he and Peachie were natives of Trigg County. Drewry was the fourth child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges. 

Stan’s  siblings were Henrietta Gabrella Bridges, born in 1853 and married Benjamin Miles Sumner; Mary Louisa Bridges, born in 1855 and married James Edmond Sumner; James Filmore Bridges, born in 1857 and died the following year; William Henry Bridges, born in 1859 and married Sarah Elizabeth “Sadie” Lancaster; John Richard Bridges, born in 1862 and married Nancy Bell Meador; Martha Elizabeth “Bettie”Bridges, born in 1868 and married Seldon Trimble Thomas; Drewry E. Bridges, born in 1870 and died at the age of three months; Creta Bridges, born in 1871 and died at the age of four days; Peachie Ellen Bridges, born in 1874 and married Thomas Haywood Lawrence; and Eddie Adeline Bridges, born in 1876 and married Meredith Clay Carr. Stan’s father, Drewry’s marriage to his second wife, Nannie Gresham,  resulted in two half-siblings, Garland Drew Bridges, born in 1888 and married Annie Lurline Thomas and later married Joy K. Sutton and Hughie Bridges, born in 1890, who died at the age of five.

On December 5, 1890, Stan married Jane “Jennie” Thomas.  Jennie was a native of Trigg County and was born on May 25, 1870, the youngest of eight children born to William Bridges Thomas and Nancy Jane Rogers Thomas. William was a farmer and both he and Nancy were natives of Trigg County.  William was the first child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas. Therefore, both Stan and Jennie were fourth generation descendants of James Thomas and Drury Bridges, the pioneer families of Kentucky.

Jennie’s siblings were Peachie Ann Thomas, born in 1848 and married John Richard Mills; Sarah Josephine Thomas, born in 1851 and married William Henry Martin; Jonathan Starkie Thomas, born in 1853 and married Julia Dyer; Martha E. Thomas, born in 1858;William Madison “Bud” Thomas, born in 1859; Mollie Emily Thomas, born in 1861 and married James Pickney Sholar; and Bluford Ira Thomas, born in 1867 and married Alice Lula Vinson.

Stan and Jennie built a home in the Maple Grove community on a farm that had been in the Bridges family since 1806 when the original family moved from North Carolina. Although Stan was primarily a farmer, he had attended the Nebo Academy in Nebo, Kentucky and became a teacher at the one-room Maple Grove School. He had also been a merchant at Canton, Kentucky before becoming a farmer.  Stan was very interested in seeing that those in the community received a better education.  He served several terms on the Trigg County Board of Education and was chairman of the board from 1909 to 1913,  During this period, several school buildings were erected or improved in the county including the Maple Grove School and the Upper Donaldson School.

Stan and Jennie were the parents of five children, William Durwood Bridges, born in 1891 and married Ruth Alida Cunningham; Homer Dorris Bridges, born in 1895 and died at the age of one; Ira Clifton Bridges, born in 1897 and married Flo Templeton Bridges; Hubert Prentice Bridges, born in 1901 and died at the age of two; and Jane Ernestine Bridges, born in 1906 and married Sidney Gordon Bridges.

Stan died on June 27, 1924 at the age of 58 at his home in Maple Grove from complications of an abscess of the lungs.  He was buried in the Starkie Thomas Cemetery in the Oak Grove community of Trigg County.  Jennie died on August 19, 1956 at the age of 86 at her daughter’s home in Maple Grove.  She was buried in the Starkie Thomas Cemetery next to her husband.

Stan and Jennie tombstone

LINEAGE: (Durwood Stanley Bridges was the sixth 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.)

(Jane “Jennie” Thomas was the eighth 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.)

Visit the entire Thomas-Bridges family tree at:   http://tinyurl.com/thomasbridgesfamily2

Annie Emmaline Bridges Ford -- Farmer's Wife

 

Annie Emmaline Bridges Ford

Annie Emmaline Bridges was born on February 17, 1888 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  She was the youngest of three children of Alfred Franklin Bridges and Lou Ella Turner Bridges.  Alfred was a farmer and was a native of Trigg County.  Lou Ella was a native of Stewart County, Tennessee.  Annie was a descendant of Simco N. Bridges.  Annie’s mother died in November 1888 when Annie was only nine months old.

Annie’s siblings were Charlotte “Lottie” Bridges, born in 1883 and married Harry Winfield Lancaster and John Madison “Matt” Bridges, born in 1884 and married Huewell Tandy Lawrence.  Annie had five half-siblings from her father’s second marriage to Minnie Lancaster.  They were Bluford Clyde Bridges, born in 1891 and married Birdie Hopson Calhoun; Albert Claud Bridges, born in 1895 and married Ethelene Bonner; William Hopson “Willie” Bridges, born in 1899 and married Sarah Ellen McCoy; Ambie Lois Bridges, born in 1900 and married Amos Ira Guier; and Denny Lee Bridges, born in 1901 and married Margaret L. Nolan.

On December 31, 1905, Annie married William Albert Ford in a ceremony in Canton, Kentucky.  Will was born on May 27, 1884 in the upper Donaldson community of Trigg County, the son of Albert Samuel Ford and Martha Elizabeth Gordon Ford.  Albert was a farmer and was a native of Trigg County.  Martha was a native of Smith County, Tennessee.

Annie and Will settled on a farm near Linton in the Boyd Hill community of Trigg County where they lived for most of their married life.  Will worked as a farmer until his health forced him to retire. When Barkley Dam was built their farm went the way of numerous other farms in the area, into the hand of the Corps of Engineers.  On June 16, 1958, Will and Annie left their river-bottom farm and moved into a new home on the Maple Grove Road in the Oak Grove community.  Their new home was located next door to Annie’s sister and brother-in-law, Lois and Amos Guier.  The two couples became very close and enjoyed living next door to each other where they gardened together and spent many hours under the shade trees of the Guier house.

Annie and Will were the parents of seven children, Henry Kirklin Ford, born in 1906 and died at two days old; Betty Earle Ford, born in 1907 and married Thomas Odell Adams; Mavis Lorene Ford, born in 1909 and married James Franklin Wolfe; Willie Glenn Ford, born in 1915 and died at the age of one year; Elaine Marie Ford, born in 1917 and married Troy Amos “Dave” Calhoun; Howard Blane Ford, born in 1919 and married Irma Maxine Williams; and Nida Merle Ford, born in 1924 and married James Burwick Downs.

Will died on February 19, 1963 at the age of 78 at his home.  He was buried in the Lawrence Cemetery in Trigg County.  Annie died on November 13, 1980 at the age of 92 at the Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz.  She was buried in the Lawrence Cemetery next to her husband.

Will Ford

 

Annie and Will tombstone

LINEAGE: (Annie Emmaline Bridges was the daughter of Alfred Franklin and Lou Ella Turner Bridges.  Alfred was the fourth 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.)

 

Visit the entire Thomas-Bridges family tree at:   http://tinyurl.com/thomasbridgesfamily2

Ralph Keith Thomas -- Manufacturing Plant Employee

 

Ralph K. Thomas

Ralph Keith Thomas was born February 12, 1940 in the Lamasco community of Lyon County, Kentucky. He was the second of four children born to Wallace Eric Thomas and Maudie Ethelyn Cotton Thomas. Wallace was a native of Trigg County and Ethelyn was a native of Lyon County, Kentucky.  Wallace was a farmer and was a great-grandson of Starkie Thomas.

Ralph’s siblings were Zelma Marie Thomas, born in 1938 and married Claude Robert Harrison; Anthony Wade Thomas, born in 1941; and Peggy Yvonne Thomas, born in 1943 and married James Elmer Tomlin, Jr.

Ralph’s parents moved from Lyon County to Trigg County in the 1940s and he attended Trigg County Schools, graduating from Trigg County High School in 1958.

Ralph’s first marriage was to Dorothy Joanne Noel, a native of Trigg County.  Joanne was born on January 8, 1943 and was the daughter of Richard Charlie Noel and Edith Louise Stevens Noel.  This marriage ended in divorce and on October 17, 1975, Ralph married Helen Ann Sutton Bush, a native of Crittenden County, Kentucky. Helen was born on March 29, 1944 and was the daughter of Roscoe Bradley Sutton and Mabel Lucille Hargrove Sutton.  Roscoe was a native of Whitley County, Kentucky and was a farmer. Lucille was a native of Trigg County and was a descendant of Charity Bridges.

On June 20, 1966, he became one of the first employees hired at a new Cadiz manufacturing facility known as the Hoover Ball and Bearing Company, which would later become Johnson Controls.  His first job at the plant was an assembler. Ralph’s impressive work ethic soon caused him to be moved up the ladder as he was promoted to Supervisor of the Assembly Department. It was soon followed another promotion to Industrial Engineer.  After holding this position for several years, he was promoted to Quality Control Manager.  Under Ralph’s leadership the plant acquired the Ford Q1 Quality Award.  After this success, he became the Divisional Quality Manger and later became the plant’s Supplier Quality Development Engineer.  Ralph retired from Johnson Controls in 2004 after 38 successful years of dedicated service.

Ralph not only excelled in his work career; he was also a dedicated supporter of the youth baseball program in his home county.  For many decades he volunteered his time and love of the sport as a coach, mentor and role model to many boys and girls not only on the baseball fields but also in life. Ralph was also a dedicated member of the Thomas-Bridges Association, serving as President and on the Board for many years. He was always at the front line promoting and preserving his family heritage. 

Ralph and his first wife Joanne were the parents of two daughters, Tina Louise Thomas, born in 1963 and Toni Lee Thomas, born in 1965.  He had three step-children from his marriage to Helen, Sheryl Ann Adams, born in 1961 and married Michael H. Goforth; Donald Ray Bush, Jr., born in 1966 and married Pamela Kelly P’Pool; and Ronald Dean Bush, born in 1971 and married Dana J. Brooks.

Ralph died on December 30, 2023 at the age of 83 at the Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz, KY.  He was buried in the Trigg Memory Acres in Cadiz.

In August 2025, a plaque commissioned by the Trigg County Fiscal Court was unveiled at the Trigg County Recreation Complex naming the home of the Lady Wildcats softball team in his honor. Ralph spent many of his summers coaching on the baseball diamonds of the complex. 

 

 Ralph at his casual best

 

A young Ralph

LINEAGE: (Ralph Keith Thomas was the son of Wallace Eric and Maudie Ethelyn Cotton Thomas and the grandson of John Spurlin and Hattie Lee Ricks Thomas.  John was the seventh child of James Jasper and Mary Magadaline Cunningham Thomas.  James was the fourth child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)