John Trice Bridges -- Surveyor, and a host of other talents

 

John Trice Bridges was born on February 15, 1874 in the Maple Grove Community of Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the sixth child of Cullen T.  and Virginia Thomas Bridges.

On July 31, 1898, he married Maggie Dora Cunningham. The Trigg County Historical Clippings, Volume 3 contains the following description of their wedding:

July 1898                       
Will Marry Sunday                       

A marriage license was issued yesterday afternoon to Mr. John T. Bridges and Miss Maggie D. Cunningham, and the wedding will take place next Sunday afternoon at four o clock at the home of the bride’s father, Mr. E. A. Cunningham, in Canton district. Rev. George E. Atwood will perform the ceremony. George Mitchell and Miss Jennie Cunningham, Neely Bridges and Miss Ora Bridges will be the attendants. The bride is a beautiful young lady of nineteen summers. The groom is a clever young farmer and the third son of Mr. C. T. Bridges.

John and Maggie had eleven children, Lillie Jane Bridges, born in 1899; Lucy Lee Bridges, born in 1900; Lola Frances “Fanny” Bridges, born in 1902; Dora Virginia Bridges, born in 1903; John Carl Bridges, born in 1904; Mary Pauline Bridges, born 1908; Queen Alexander Bridges, born in 1909; Hilda Agnes Bridges, born 1910; Beulah Louise Bridges, born in 1913; Clifford Elmo “Pete” Bridges, born in 1917 and Dorothy Allene Bridges, born in 1920.

During his life he worked at many different jobs among them contracting, surveying and farming.  As a carpenter, he built many houses, barns and other buildings in various section of the county.  He was most noted as a surveyor and was responsible for surveying practically all of Trigg County.  Almost all deeds filed for that period included his name. He served in the elected position of “County Surveyor” for Trigg County for many years. While carrying out his jobs as a carpenter and surveyor, he also maintained a farm at his home. In addition, he served one term as a Trigg County magistrate for his home district. Upon his retirement from the surveying business, his son-in-law, Preston Thomas took over his business and became the eminent surveyor of his day.

Among John’s other activities was being a member of the Bridges Family Band, which was made up of family members that lived in the Maple Grove Community,  In addition, he worked with the Bridges Brothers Nursery which supplied the community and the surrounding counties with all varieties of fruit trees, vines, shrubs and roses.  He built one of the first radios that required ear phones for listening.  He built a rural telephone system.  He and his wife Maggie operated the telephone switchboard that connected citizens from Linton, Kentucky to Cadiz, Kentucky. He also served as a foreman of the W. P. A., a project President Roosevelt introduced during the depression to give jobs to many.

In the early 1900’s, John built his own house in the Maple Grove Community, but unfortunately it was destroyed by fire in 1916.  He then replaced it with a concrete block house.  The blocks were made by hand in a block machine.  The sturdy house still stands today and is occupied by his granddaughter’s family.

John died on July 29, 1944 at the Futrell Clinic in Cadiz, after an illness of about three weeks due to complications from heart trouble.  He was 70 years, 5 months and 14 days old.  He was buried in the Drury Bridges Cemetery, the family cemetery in Maple Grove, just down the road from his home.  His wife, Maggie, died on February 11, 1975 and was buried beside him.

The Bridges Family Band of which John Trice was a member

 

Tombstone of John and Maggie Bridges

LINEAGE: (John Trice Bridges was the son of Cullen T. and Virginia Thomas Bridges.  Cullen was the twelfth child of William Bridges and Mary Thomas Bridges. William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.  Mary Thomas was the fifth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

James O. "John" Clayton -- Musician and Artist

 

James O, “John” Clayton was born on September 10, 1929 in Caldwell County, Kentucky, the son of the late Robert Leonard Clayton and Frances Pearl Bridges Clayton.  He graduated from Butler High School in Princeton, Kentucky in 1947 and then went on to attend Western State College (now Western Kentucky University) in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

He entered the US Army and served as a 1st Lieutenant in the Korean War in 1952 and 1953 where he was awarded the Bronze Star medal.  Following his military service, John attended the University of Kentucky where he graduated in 1954 with degrees in art and music.

On January 28, 1956, John married Sally Jo Patton the daughter of William and Jean Patton from Louisa, Kentucky.  On May 14, 1968, their only child, a son, John Bridges Clayton was born. John and Sally were divorced and he subsequently married Carolyn Steere.

For several years John taught art and music in the Franklin County, Kentucky schools.  He then left the teaching profession and went on to sell insurance and real estate before settling into the textbook publishing business where he worked for 34 years.

Even though John had left the profession of teaching music, his love of music never waned.  He remained actively involved in music up to his death.  He played trombone with the Lexington Symphony Orchestra as well as many musical ensembles. He was director of the Frankfort Community Chorus, Shelby County Bicentennial Chorus, Franklin County High School Acapella Choir, Frankfort Drum and Bugle Corps, Frankfort First Presbyterian Church, Shelbyville First Presbyterian Church and Full Circle Singers. 

In addition to his musical abilities, John was an accomplished painter.  Among his many awards was winning the Purchase Prize at the Kentucky State Fair in 2007 and 2012, the Best in Show for the Louisville Women’s Club exhibit, first place in a Kentucky-Indiana Pastel Society show, first place in a Mammoth Cave Regional Art Show, and second place in the VA’s National Combat Veteran’s competition. As a supporter of community art, John was president of the Kentucky –Indiana Pastel Society, co-founder of the Shelby Artists on Main in Shelbyville, Kentucky, and was one of the founders of Paul Sawyier Galleries in Frankfort, Kentucky.

John was involved in several civic organizations including serving as  President of the Frankfort Jaycees, state vice president, national director and member of Rotary Club in multiple cities, President of the Kentucky Educational Publishers, and a member of Shelby County UK Alumni Club, and two terms on the University of Kentucky National Alumni Board.

James “John” Clayton died on July 16, 2017 in Shelbyville, Kentucky.  He was buried in the Cedar Hill Cemetery in Princeton, Kentucky.

Tombstone for James O. Clayton

LINEAGE: (James O, Clayton was the son of Robert Leonard and Frances Pearl Bridges Clayton, the grandson of Cornelius Neal and Emma Jean Sons Bridges, the great-grandson of William 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.  Mary Thomas was the fifth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Larry Marthaler -- Florida Tourism Leader

 

Larry Jacob Marthaler was born on February. 1, 1935, in Chicago, Illinois, the son of the former Marguerite Leona Quintez and Alfred Jacob Marthaler. He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1957.  The following year he joined Pan American Airways.  During the following sixteen years, he was stationed in New York, Denver, Miami, Chicago, South Vietnam and Atlanta as an employee of the airlines.

On August 23, 1975, he married Mary Jean Bridges of Cadiz, Kentucky, and the couple moved to Longboat Key, Florida. Larry then worked for Florida Airlines from 1975 to 1982.  In 1982, Larry joined the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce as head of the tourism association.  Under his leadership, the county’s tourism agency separated from the chamber to become the Greater Sarasota Tourism Association and he became the executive director of the organization until 1998. The organization eventually became the Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau.

On Oct. 17, 1983, a drawbridge between Longboat Key and Sarasota became stuck in an open position. Suddenly, drivers who used the bridge for a 10- to 12-minute drive had to travel for more than an hour on a detour road to reach their destination. Larry, who made the drive twice daily, said to himself, "There has got to be a better way."  Within 48 hours, Marthaler had worked out a plan to ferry passengers between Longboat Key and the mainland, with buses carrying passengers to their destination.

Suddenly, frustrated commuters were starting their days with a cup of coffee on board the Le Barge and ending it with a beer while heading home. Within a few days, live music was added to the boat.  "It was a nice little party on the boat," Marthaler told the Longboat Observer in 2008. "There was a common inconvenience."  The ferry logged as many as 5,000 passengers per day

The bridge reopened exactly two weeks after it became stuck with its north and south spans welded together. Nearly one year later, Marthaler received the Golden Gavel Award for "Outstanding Community Service" in recognition of his novel solution.

Marthaler founded the St. Armands Circle Circus Ring of Fame in 1986 as a way to highlight Sarasota’s unique ties to the circus industry. The Ring of Fame currently honors 125 individuals and groups for their contributions to the circus and inducts new members each year. A plaque honoring Marthaler’s contribution was added to the display in 2014.

He spent his 16 years as SCVB director working tirelessly to promote Sarasota County as a world-class tourist destination. Marthaler led a successful campaign that persuaded voters to pass a tourist development tax in 1988, after the measure failed twice. In 2015, the tourist development funds generated more than $19 million for beach renovation, arts and cultural activities and tourism promotion.

Larry died on March 29, 206 in Nashville, Tennessee where he had moved to be closer to his wife’s family.

LINEAGE:  (Larry Marthaler was the husband of Mary Jean Bridges.  Mary is the daughter of John Thomas and Mary Henrietta Sumner Bridges, granddaughter of Drew Manley and Lena Mae Guier Bridges and great-granddaughter 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.  Mary was the fifth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

William Madison Thomas -- Pilot for Pan American World Airways

 

William Madison “Bud” Thomas was born on June 27, 1939 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.  He was the second of three children born to Clyde S. “Sonny” Thomas and Lillian Ladd Thomas.  He grew up in Trigg County, Kentucky and graduated from Trigg County High School.  

After graduation from high school He enrolled in Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee and subsequently graduated from Vanderbilt with a degree in civil engineering.  After graduation he served with the United States Marine Corps as a Captain in the Far East.  After leaving the Marine Corps, he became a pilot with Pan American World Airways.

On September 20, 1969, Bud married Roxanne Reeder Peterson, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. G. B. D Peterson of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Roxanne was a graduate of the University of Miami and was a stewardess with Pan American World Airways.  Bud and Roxanne were living in Fairfax, Virginia when their two children were born, a daughter Nicole who was born in 1971 and a son Matthew who was born in 1974.  Later, the Thomas family established a home in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

In September of 1986, Bud was thrust into the national limelight when he became involved in an international airline hijacking incident.  On Thursday, September 5, Bud was a co-pilot on Pan American flight 73 that had originated in Bombay (now Mumbai), India.  The flight was scheduled to stop in Karachi, Pakistan, Frankfurt, Germany and end in New York City.  The plane had just landed in Karachi when four armed Arab gunmen sped on to the tarmac and entered the Boeing 747 firing shots into the air.

Thomas and two other members of the cockpit crew were alerted by a flight attendant of what was happening in the back of the plane.  They made the decision to escape the plane by climbing through a hatch in the roof of the cockpit and sliding down a cable. The cable was an escape device that reels out at a steady speed.  The cockpit is roughly three stories high. The crew made the decision to escape because they believed that by rendering the craft inoperable, the passengers would be better off.  As a result of their actions, the flight was not able to take off. “Keep the plane on the ground” is the first rule on how to handle an airline hijacking according to airline policy.

The 379 passengers and crew aboard were held hostage as the hijackers demanded a pilot to fly them to Cyprus. To enforce their demand, the hijackers executed an American citizen. Efforts by the hijackers to identify other Americans were frustrated by flight attendants who hid the passports of the remaining American passengers. The hijackers also threatened to blow up the aircraft with all passengers on board. After a grueling 16-hour standoff, the plane’s onboard power supply was exhausted. Shortly thereafter, the plane went dark and the hijackers, thinking that the plane was being assaulted by security forces, fired on the hostages. Twenty-one hostages were killed, and scores were injured. The assault ended when the gunmen ran out of ammunition, and members of the flight crew reentered the aircraft to aid the wounded all four hijackers were eventually apprehended by Pakistani police and imprisoned.

Captain William Madison Thomas died in Hopkinsville, Kentucky on July 22, 1996 a little less than ten years after the Flight 73 hijacking incident.  He was buried in the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery West in Hopkinsville.

 The Boeing 747 that was hijacked on September 5, 1986

Tombstone of William Madison Thomas

LINEAGE:  (William Madison Thomas is the son of Clyde S. “Sonny” and Mary Lillian Ladd Thomas, grandson of Bluford Ira and Alice Lula Vinson Thomas and great-grandson of William Bridges and Nancy Jane Rogers Thomas.  William Bridges Thomas was the first child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas. Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.  Mary was the seventh child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

Stanley Thomas, Jr. -- Hopkins County Jailer

 

Stanley Thomas, Jr. was born on April 27, 1865 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the son of Stanley and Emily J. Light Thomas.  As a young man, he worked on his father’s farm.  He later moved to Graves County, Kentucky where in 1890 he married Callie Mae Bennett, the daughter of George and Missouri Bateman Bennett of Graves County.

Stanley and Callie’s first child was a daughter named Connie who was born on November 24, 1890 in Graves County.  Unfortunately, Connie died on July 19, 1892 at the age of one.  Later that year on September 29, 1892 their first son, Curtis Elbert Thomas was born in Mayfield, Kentucky. A second son, Richard Bennett Thomas was born on December 26, 1984 and a third son, Cyrus Bryan Thomas was born on August 16, 1896.  A fourth son, Dewey Rudolph Thomas was born on March 24, 1899 in Graves County.  Their fifth son, Orie Clifton Thomas was born on October 19, 1901.

In 1906, Stanley moved with his family to Madisonville, Kentucky. For fifteen years he was a traveling representative for the J. R. Watkins Drug Company of Winona, Wisconsin.  In 1921, Stanley ended his job with the J. R. Watkins Drug Company and became a candidate for Jailer for Hopkins County in the Democratic Primary Election that was held on August 6, 1921.  Stanley was successful in his run for Jailer and began his term in January 1922. He subsequently ran for reelection in the fall of 1925 but was unsuccessful and his term ended in early 1926.

One humorous incident that occurred while Stanley was jailer was his battle with the Fiscal Court over the payment of soap for prisoners.  The March 26, 1922 issue of the Louisville Courier Journal reported that when Jailer Stanley Thomas presented his bill for $8 to the Fiscal Court for soap used by the prisoners, it caused an uproar. The court wanted to investigate to ascertain if the county should pay for soap to wash clothes for prisoners. Jailer Thomas was quoted as saying “that if he had to pay for the soap to wash clothes of prisoners they would have to go dirty.”  It is assumed that Stanley received his $8 reimbursement as there were no further news reports on the incident.

Following his term as Hopkins County Jailer, , Stanley purchased the Blue Front Grocery Store on Hopewell Street in Madisonville in November of 1926 which he operated for a number of years.

Stanley suffered from a heart ailment for several years but on February 10, 1939, he was struck by an automobile while walking near Center and Franklin Streets in downtown Madisonville.  He sustained a brain concussion and several rib fractures and was admitted to the local hospital.  On February 24, he succumbed to a heart attack and died.  He was 73 years old at his death.

Stanley was buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Madisonville, Kentucky along with his wife, who had died on February 4, 1923 at the age of 51. 

 

LINEAGE: (Stanley Thomas, Jr. was the son of Stanley and Emily Ann Light Thomas and the grandson of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.  Mary was the seventh child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

Peyton Thomas – Early Trigg County Kentucky Pioneer

 

The following is the verbatim biographical sketch of Peyton Thomas as recorded in 1884 in the History of Trigg County, Kentucky by William Henry Perrin, published by F. A. Battey Publishing Co.  This detailed 1884 history has a large amount of historical and genealogical information about Trigg County, Kentucky from its earliest settlement up to 1884 and is an invaluable resource for those interested in the history of Trigg County, Kentucky. The volume includes are a total of 185 different Trigg County, Kentucky family biographies and family histories.

PEYTON THOMAS was born in this  [Canton] precinct April 6, 1820, and is a son of Cullen and Elizabeth (Feutrell) Thomas. The father was born in Bertie County, N. C., in 1790, and came to this county with his father, James Thomas, in 1805. The grandfather settled on the farm now occupied by Peyton Thomas, where he died in September, 1832. The father grew to manhood here, and settled on a farm to the south of his father. He first inherited seventy-five acres, and by his own exertions finally increased it to 1,000 acres; be was Magistrate of the county for a number of years under the old Constitution, and held the office of Sheriff for two years by seniority. His death occurred June 8, 1862, the mother's in 1844. Subject was the second of six children, and is the only one now living; he worked on the home farm until twenty-one and then came to his present farm; he now owns about 400 acres, of which 100 acres are in cultivation. At the age of eighteen he began blacksmithing, and worked at the trade himself for a number of years. Afterward hired hands and had the business carried on. In 1855 he sold goods for one year, and in 1858 he commenced merchandising again, engaging in it until 1862. In April, 1883, he opened his present store, and now carries a stock of about $1,500. In 1865 he began to keep the county poor, and with the exception of seven years he had charge of them up until December, 1883. Mr. Thomas was married December 2, 1841, to Miss Sallie Ethridge, a daughter of David T. Ethridge, of Davidson County, Tenn. Mrs. Thomas was born in the same county, and is the mother of ten children. Of this number nine are now living-four sons and five daughters. Subject and family are members of the Baptist Church, and he has held the office of Church Clerk for many years; he was Magistrate of the county for twelve years. From 1858 to 1860 he was Postmaster at Donelson Postoffice; he is a member of Canton Lodge, No. 242, A. F. .& A. M. Peyton Thomas had one married sister, who gave birth to two children and then died of consumption; his mother died in 1844, and about a year later his father married Drusilla Carter, who bore him two children, who died within four years. James Thomas, brother of our subject, served through the Mexican war. He was subsequently elected Major of the Kentucky State Militia, and then ranked as Colonel of Trigg County. He once ran for the Legislature on the Whig ticket, but was defeated through the machinations of the Sons of Temperance.  An incident rather unusual occurred in the deaths of James Thomas (brother of subject) and his father, Cullen Thomas, which occurred respectively at ten minutes past 12 o'clock P. M., June 8, 1881, and June 8, 1882.

History of Trigg County, by William Henry Perrin, 1884.

Peyton Thomas Tombstone in the Peyton Thomas Cemetery

Historical Marker for the Peyton Thomas Cemetery

LINEAGE: (Peyton Thomas was the third child of Cullen and Elizabeth Futrell Thomas and the grandson of James and Mary Standley Thomas)

George Silas Turner -- Victim of Steamer Ship Sinking in the Ohio River

 

George Silas Turner was born on May 2, 1866 in Trigg County, Kentucky, the son of William Franklin Turner and Elizabeth Carr Turner. On November 8, 1885, in Stewart County, Tennessee he married Louella E. Bridges, the daughter of Simco N. Bridges and Emeline Martin Bridges.

George was a farmer who lived with his family about eighteen miles south of Cadiz. On the evening of January 31, 1924, George was in Paducah, Kentucky.  He was planning to return to Trigg County by boarding the steamer ship, the “Tom C. Powell”.  The “Tom C. Powell” made regular trips cruising up the Ohio River to its junction with the Cumberland River and then following the Cumberland down to Nashville, Tennessee.  George planned to disembark the ship at Sugar Tree Landing, Kentucky, where he would return to his farm in southern Trigg County. 

When the ship was about eight miles above Paducah in the channel of the Ohio River, it struck an obstruction and within three minutes the ship sunk into the river.  George Silas Turner died in the sinking of the ship.

The body of George Turner was recovered about ten thirty the following day by three survivors of the disaster.  According to the Paducah News Democrat, Turner's body was found “on the deck, wedged behind a freight box, one hand was partially out of the water.”  Water was so deep in the cabin of the sunken steamer, that no attempt was made to find the body of Joe Creamer, .19, another Trigg County citizen, who was believed to have been caught in the cabin with Turner when the Powell sank. Turner was traveling with Creamer who lived with his father on a farm owned by Turner’s brother-in-law, J. B. Downs in Sugar Tree Landing, Kentucky.

In addition, three “roustabouts” were lost on the ship. All of them were seen on the hurricane deck of the boat a few moments before she struck and careened so rapidly that her smokestacks fell into the river.  The three young men probably jumped or were thrown into the river, surviving passengers said. They had been playing cards with Turner and Creamer when the crash came which sent the Powell to the bottom. The steamer’s Second Clerk Leo Blake said soon after the wreck that he heard someone struggling to get out of the freight while he and Mrs. Mary McReynolds, the only woman aboard were caught against the outer wall of the cabin.

The Captain of the ship, who survived, found that ice had formed around the steamer soon after it sank, but he stated that he didn’t think the vessel was wrecked by the light floe of ice but had struck a much heavier obstruction in the channel.  The water that swept through the Powell carried away a small fortune in money and valuables.  The steamer’s safe, containing money and jewelry, was lost and passengers were unable to save any of the belongings in the staterooms.  One passenger from Kuttawa, had $460 in his stateroom, the proceeds of the tobacco crop he had just sold in Paducah.

Turner’s body was sent back downstream to Paducah on another steamer where it was identified by John Sumner, of Paducah, a nephew of George Turner.  The coroner ruled that the cause of death was accidental drowning. Because of the lack of communication at that time, there was difficulty in notifying his family of his death.  On February 3, Sheriff W. C. Broadbent of Trigg County announced in the city court room that Turner had drowned on the Powell and that he had sent four messengers into the “rough country” south of Cadiz to notify his wife and two of his sons, who had nearby farms of their father’s death.

According to the news article at the time, Turner’s survivors included his wife and five daughters and four sons.  They were Mrs. May Morgan, of Trigg County, Mrs. Emma Thomas of Illinois, Ethel Turner, 20, Mahala Turner, 17, and Willie Turner, 14, all of Trigg County and Alvin Turner, of Gilbertsville, Sam Turner and Julius Turner who owned farms in Trigg County, and Jesse Turner, 15, who lived at his father’s home.

Photo of the steamer "Tom C. Powell" docked at one of its ports.

LINEAGE:  (George Silas Turner was the husband of Louella E, Bridges.  Louella was the daughter 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. Mary Thomas was the fifth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)