Martha Nell Malone Smith - Secretary and Newspaper Columnist

 

 

Martha Nell Malone Smith

 

Martha Nell Malone was born on March 17, 1925 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  She was the oldest of six children born to Robert Elliott Malone, Sr. and Annie Lucille Williams Malone  Robert was a farmer and a native of Trigg County.  Annie was a homemaker and a native of Calloway County, Kentucky.  Martha was a descendant of Starkie Thomas.

Martha’s siblings were Edmund Pendleton Malone, born in 1929 and died in 1930 at the age of 15 months; Celena Ann Malone, born in 1931 and married Nicolas Virgilio Mejia, Jr.; Betty Sue Malone, born in 1934 and married Douglas Claude Hayes; Vara Jo Malone, born in 1940 and married William Wallace Adams, Jr. and later married Billy Ray Powell; and Robert Elliott Malone, Jr., born in 1944 and married Mary Janyth Hurt and later married Janice L. Finch and then married Norma K. McCord Keller.

Martha attended the Warrenton School for her elementary education and then went on to graduate from Trigg County High School in 1942.  She received a scholarship from Draughon’s Business College in Paducah, Kentucky where she graduated with a secretarial certificate.

Martha began her career as a secretary for the manager of the Pet Milk Company in Mayfield, Kentucky where she worked for more than two years.  In 1945, she accepted a position with the U.S. Army at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. In 1958 she received a promotion as the secretary to the Deputy Post Commander at Fort Campbell.  She served in this position until her retirement in June 1974, having worked at Fort Campbell for 29 years,

On April 1, 1949, Martha married James Houston Smith at the Dyers Chapel Methodist Church.  James, known as Jimmie, was born on January 22, 1925 in Whitesand, Mississippi, the son of George William Smith and Letha Marie Smith Smith. George worked for the Borden Milk Company and was a native of Covington County, Mississippi,  Marie was a homemaker and a native of Lawrence County, Mississippi. 

After Martha and Jimmie  were married, they lived in Hopkinsville where James worked with the Wood Music Company and later with the Office Machine Repair Shop in Fort Campell. Jimmie established his own office machine repair shop known as J. Houston Smith Office Machines.

The Smiths operated the Hilltop Bird Farm in Gracey, Kentucky where they raised rare breeds of pheasants,  partridge,  grouse, turkey and peacock as well as many species of canaries.  They imported a number of birds from Taiwan and were the only breeders in the United States to import and raise the ferruginous wood partridge, that is a native of Indonesia. Martha and Jimmie were active members of the American Pheasant and Waterfowl Association.

Jimmie and Martha had no children and their marriage ended in divorce.  Jimmie died at the age of 76 on December 21, 2001 at the Belle Meade Nursing Home in Greenville, Kentucky. and was buried in the Green Hill Memorial Gardens in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

Martha moved from Gracey to the Malone Farm in Trigg County.  She lived in the log house where she grew up and had been the home of her parents, her grandparents and her great grandparents . In the 1990s Martha wrote a weekly column for the Cadiz Record called “This n’ That.”  The column featured such human-interest topics as the weather, proper etiquette, the British Royal Family trivia on the U.S. presidents, political history and other random subjects.

Martha died on January 2, 2015 at the age of 89 at the Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, Kentucky.  She was buried in the Malone Cemetery in Trigg County.

Martha tombstone

 

LINEAGE:  (Martha Nell Malone was the daughter of Robert Elliott and Annie Lucille Williams Malone.  Annie was the second child of Thomas Green and Johnnie Vara Thomas Williams.  Johnnie Vara was the third child of William Henry and Sidney Dyer Thomas.  William 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.)

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

Amanda Elizabeth Thomas Ledbetter -- Homemaker and Wife of a Farmer

 

 Amanda Thomas Ledbetter

Amanda Elizabeth Thomas was born on May 14, 1870 in the Donaldson Creek community of Trigg County, Kentucky.  She was the sixth of seven children of James Clark “Muck” Thomas and Elizabeth Lawrence Thomas.  Muck was a farmer and Elizabeth was a homemaker.  Both were natives of Trigg County.  Amanda Elizabeth was a descendant of James Thomas, Jr.

Amanda’s siblings  were Mary Stanley Thomas, born in 1859 and married Thomas Jesse McCasland; Ezekiel Mitchell Thomas, born in 1861 and married Cora Mae Horton; Drucilla Thomas, born in 1864 and married Samuel Monroe Smyth; Harriett Thomas born in 1868 and married Albert Sid Johnson Acree; Alpha Adeline Thomas, born in 1865 and married Charles Walter Smyth; and Jemima Emma Thomas, born in 1872 and married James Henry Martin; .  Amanda had four half siblings from Muck’s second marriage to Mary Ann “Mollie” Fowler Meeks.  They were James Clark Thomas, Jr., born in 1879 and married Myrtle Booze; Robert Thomas, born in 1880 and died in infancy; Letha Thomas, born in 1880 and died in infancy; and Fannie Beatrice Thomas, born in 1882 and married Clarence C. Archer and later married William Russell Talley.

When Amanda was four years old, she left with her family from their Donaldson Creek home and boarded a flat boat at Canton, Kentucky and travelled down the Cumberland, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers until they reached Memphis.  They then traveled into Arkansas where the family settled in Searcy County, Arkansas.  Her mother died in 1874 and her father married his second wife in 1879 when Amanda was nine years old.  Amanda grew up on her father’s farm in Arkansas.  

On August 7, 1890, Amanda married Richard Smyth in Marshall, Arkansas. Richard was born in 1865 in Weakley County, Tennessee and was the son of Pinkney Houston Smyth and Mary Westley Nowlin Smyth. Pinkney was a farmer and both he and Mary were natives of Weakley County, Tennessee and had moved to Searcy County, Arkansas in the 1870s.  After their marriage, Amanda and Richard moved to the small community of Maud in the Oklahoma Territory. 

Richard died in 1894 in Maud, He and Amanda had only been married for four years.  They had one child, a son, Cullen Mitchell Smyth, born on April 1, 1893 in the Oklahoma Territory.  He died on August 12, 1899 in Maud at the age of six.

On March 3, 1895, in Pottawatomie, County, Oklahoma, Amanda married her second husband, Thomas Lewis Ledbetter.  Both Amanda and Thomas were 25 years old when they married.  Tom was born on October 29, 1869 in Hood County, Texas, the son of Arthur Brooks Ledbetter and Mary Pell Wright Ledbetter.  Arthur was a farmer and a native of Overton County, Tennessee. Mary Pell was a native of Giles County, Virginia.

Amanda and Tom settled in Maud where Tom operated a blacksmith shop and a cotton gin as well as doing some farming.  They later settled in Pryor, Oklahoma where he was considered a progressive farmer.  He served for approximately 20 years as a member of the Board of Education at Boatman and Pryor.  Amanda was a homemaker and was called “Aunt Shug” by her nieces and nephews and in later years she was called “Mama Better” by her grandchildren.  She was known as a good homemaker who cared for her home, her family and her neighbors.

Amanda and Tom were the parents of nine children, Ruth Ledbetter, born in 1897 and died at age of one day; Leslie Orchard Ledbetter, born in 1898 and died at the age of seven; Alpha Pell Ledbetter, born in 1900 and died at the age of two; Ruby Pearl Ledbetter, born in 1902 and married Clayton Gerald Williams; Arthur Brooks Ledbetter, born in 1905 and married Effie Taylor; Mary Esther Ledbetter, born in 1908 and married Howard Vernon Trogdon; Thomas Logan Ledbetter, born in 1910 and married Elsie Loraine Ivans; James Arthur Ledbetter, born in 1913 and married Mildred Margaret Morgan; and Oliver Vinson Ledbetter, born in 1914.

Amanda died on May 3, 1936 of pneumonia at the age of 65 at her home in Pryor, Oklahoma.  She was buried in the Fairview Cemetery in Pryor.  Tom died on April 29, 1952 at the age of 82 In Pryor.  He was buried in the Fairview Cemetery next to his wife.

 Amanda Ledbetter

 

Tom Ledbetter

Amanda and Tom tombstone

 

LINEAGE: (Amanda Elizabeth Thomas was the daughter of James Clark “Muck” and Elizabeth Josephine Lawrence Thomas.  James Clark was the fourth child of James, Jr. and Margaret Ethridge Thomas.  James, Jr. was the sixth child of  James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

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

Glenda Bridges Littlejohn -- Factory Employee

 

 Glenda Bridges Littlejohn

Celia Glenda Bridges was born on December 24, 1938 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  She was the only child of Edgar Lee Bridges and Mildred Marie Calhoun Bridges.  Edgar was a defense plant worker, construction worker and a farmer and Marie worked as a clerk at a state park.  Both were natives of Trigg County.  Glenda was a descendant of Simco N. Bridges.

In 1940 when Glenda was a child, her family moved from Trigg County to Dearborn, Michigan.  She attended her elementary school years in Michigan and later her family moved back to Trigg County where she completed her formal education and obtained her diploma in 1968.

On April 19, 1956 Glenda married Charles Benjamin Littlejohn.  Charles was the son of Harvey H. Littlejohn and Emma May Lane Littlejohn.   Harvey was a state employee and was a native of the Golden Pond community of Trigg County.  Emma was a homemaker and was also a native of Golden Pond,  Charles was a veteran of the U.S. Army and had served during the Korean Conflict.  

After their marriage, Glenda and Charles moved to Hammond, Indiana where they lived until they returned to Trigg County where they settled in their home on the Tanyard Road.  Glenda worked for several years at the International Shoe Company in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and at the Johnson Controls plant in Cadiz and at the Lake Barkley State Resort Park in Trigg County.  Charles worked at the Paradise Steam Plant in nearby Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.  After his retirement from the steam plant, he also worked at the Lake Barkley State Resort Park.

Glenda and Charles are the parents of one child, a daughter, Shelia Lane Littlejohn, born on August 27, 1957.  Her first marriage was to Randall Arvil Jones and her second marriage was to Allen Ward Thomas.

Charles died on July 4, 2012 at the age of 79 at his home in Cadiz.  He was buried the East End Cemetery in Cadiz.  Glenda died on January 9, 2018 at the age of 79 at the Tri-Star Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.  She was buried in the East End Cemetery next to her husband.

 Charles Littlejohn

LINEAGE:  (Celia Glenda Bridges was the daughter of Edgar Lee and Mildred Marie Calhoun Bridges.  Edgar was the first child of John Madison “Matt” and Huewell Tandy Lawrence Bridges.  John was the second child 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

Mava Dale Cunningham Brown -- Speech Pathologist

 

Mava Cunningham and Paul Brown

Mava Dale Cunningham was born on July 9, 1946 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  She was the youngest 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.  Mava was a descendant of Cullen Bridges, Cullen Thomas and Starkie Bridges.

Mava Dale’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; Dolly Mae Cunningham, born in 1930 and married William Ray Stokes and later married Thomas Davis Rawlins; and Martha Rhea Cunningham, born in 1934 and married Charles Robert Quarles.

Mava Dale attended the Cadiz Graded School in Cadiz and went on to graduate from Trigg County High School in 1964. After high school, she attended Hopkinsville Community College where she received her Associates degree. She went on to receive her Bachelor’s Degree at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee and then received her Master’s Degree in speech language pathology at Murray State University.

On December 14, 1968, Mava Dale married Paul Raymond Brown at the Maple Grove Baptist Church in Trigg County with the Rev. Irwin Darnell officiating.  Paul was born October 17, 1941, the son of Cordell Hull Brown and Emma Liza Brown Brown.  Cordell was a civil service employee and a farmer and was a native of  Overton County, Tennessee.  Emma was a native of Clay County, Tennessee.  Paul graduated from South Christian High School in Herndon, Kentucky in 1959 and graduated from Murray State University in 1971 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Education and English. He was in the U.S. Army from 1965 to 1967 and served in Seoul, Korea with the 7th Infantry Division.

Mava Dale worked as a secretary for the Hoover Universal/Johnson Controls in Cadiz for 26 years.  After receiving her advanced degrees, she worked as a speech pathologist at the Christian County School System and the Christian Care Communities, both in Hopkinsville.  She also worked at the River’s Bend Retirement Community in Kuttawa, Kentucky.  Paul taught English at Hopkinsville High School for several years and then was employed with the Pennyrile Allied Community Services in Hopkinsville where he inspected houses for their weatherization program.  He also worked as an inspector for the Dana Corporation in Hopkinsville for over 20 years.

Mava and Paul were the parents of a son, William Timothy Brown, born in 1988 and married Tracy Lee Juechter. 

Mava Dale and Paul died on the same day, November 30, 2021 amidst the Covid-19 epidemic, at the Baptist Hospital in Paducah, Kentucky.  Mava Dale was 75 years of age and Paul was 80. They were both buried in the Green Hill Memorial Gardens in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

LINEAGE:  (Mava Dale 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.)

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