Starkie Armstead Thomas -- Founder of the Starkie Thomas Cemetery

 

 Starkie Armstead Thomas

Starkie Armstead Thomas was the tenth child and youngest son of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  He was born on November 20, 1844 in the Oak Grove community of Trigg County, Kentucky.  His father was a farmer and one of the seven children of James and Mary Standley Thomas.

Starkie Armstead married Inez “Mitt” Miller in Trigg County, Kentucky on February 23, 1881. At the time of their marriage Starkie A. was 36 years old and Inez was 25 years old.  Inez was of Spanish descend and was the sixth child and youngest daughter of John Lewis and Mary Ann Carloss Miller.  John Lewis had been born in Richmond, Kentucky and Mary Ann was a native of Dinwiddie County, Virginia.

Seven months after his marriage, Starkie Armstead’s father, Starkie died and he and his bride settled on his father’s farm where as the youngest son was responsible for the care of his widowed mother. Starkie Armstead lived his entire life on the farm where he was born and his parents lived.  He and Mitt had five daughters, Eunice Mae (1883- 1883), Lillie Jane (1884-1968), Martha Miller (1886-1981), Mary Ann (1890-1940), and Lena Armstead (1893-1981).

 In the division of the vast land holdings of his father,  Starkie Thomas’ estate, Starkie Armstead inherited the family’s home place and a large parcel of the surrounding land, much of which remains in the family today. Included in this inheritance was the family burying grounds which would in time be called the Starkie Thomas Cemetery. Starkie A. drafted a deed dated February 21, 1907, wherein he granted the cemetery to his brother “F. M. Thomas and all the heirs of the said Starkie Thomas for the purpose of securing it as a permanent family burying ground.” The only stipulation Starkie A. made in the deed was that an equal portion of the cemetery be reserved to him as grantor for his family. As dictated by the laws of the time, the deed includes language stating that Inez relinquished “her right of dowery” as part of the transfer of title. 

Records of the day and many personal accounts indicate that Starkie A. was an astute businessman and an upstanding citizen and neighbor. One must assume based on the date of the aforementioned deed and its filing date of September 6, 1907, that the gentleman knew he was in the final days of his life; he died at home just a few days after the filing on September 23, 1907 at the age of 62. Although her dowery rights granted Inez the right to remain in her marital home for the duration of her life, she would eventually move to Cadiz with her daughter Lena. Inez died at the age of 75 at Lena’s Main Street home on May 14, 1931.

Starkie Armstead and Inez were buried in the Starkie Thomas Cemetery; the cemetery he had ensured would be the permanent resting place for his beloved family.

 Starkie and Inez Thomas

LINEAGE:  (Starkie Armstead Thomas was the tenth 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.)

This leaf is based on an article appearing in the June 2022 issue of The Thomas-Bridges Newsletter, written by Thomas Harper, TBA Newsletter Editor.

Jemima Bridges Sholar -- Pioneer Matriarch of the Sholar Family

 

Jemima Bridges was the oldest child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.  She was born on October 12, 1795 on the plantation owned by Drury in the Tyancoca Swamp community in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. In 1804 when Jemima was nine years old, she along with her younger siblings, six-year old twins Selethia and Piety and younger brother, three-year old William migrated from North Carolina to Kentucky. The family settled down on a tract of land on Beechy Fork Creek in what is now Trigg County, Kentucky.  The family built a log cabin on the north side of the creek and two more children, Elizabeth and Mary, were born there.

On October 20, 1812, at the age of 17, Jemima married Allen Thomas Sholar; Allen was born in Bertie County, North Carolina on May 26, 1793.  Allen had also migrated to Kentucky in 1806 along with his cousin, Joshua Sholar and had settled in the eastern end of the Donaldson Creek valley. Allen was the son of Benjamin Sholar and Laodicea “Dicey” Thomas Sholar. Laodicea was the sister of James Thomas who migrated to Kentucky in 1806.  Benjamin and Laodicea were the parents of two other children in addition to Allen--Benjamin, Jr. and Sallie. Laodicea was also called Uredica in several recordings of the Sholar family history.

Jemima and Allen were the parents of eleven children who were the ancestors of the rather large Sholar family.  The children were: David or Davie Sholar, born in 1813; Polly Sholar, born in 1815; Sarah or Sallie Sholar, born in 1817; William Bridges Sholar, born in 1819; Elizabeth Sholar, born in 1821; Allen Thomas Sholar, Jr., born in 1823; Thomas J. Sholar, born in 1825; Emily Sholar, born in 1827; Alpha Gemima Sholar, born in 1829; Drewry Bridges Sholar, born in 1831 and Peyton Sholar, born in 1834.

All eleven children grew to adulthood and all but three of them married and had numerous descendants. Three of the siblings married into the Lawrence family.  No record has been found that Sarah, Allen, Jr., and Emily were ever married.

Jemima died on July 22, 1877 in Trigg County, Kentucky. She was buried in the James Thomas Cemetery located about 50 yards west of the original site of the Cullen Thomas home site on the south side of Donaldson Creek.  Her husband, Allen had died on January 29, 1853 in Trigg County and was also buried in the James Thomas Cemetery.

Tombstone of Jemima Bridges Sholar

LINEAGE: (Jemima Bridges was the first child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

Velma Fay Bridges Hinson Green -- Arkansas to California Migrant Worker

 

Velma Fay Bridges Hinson Green

Velma Fay Bridges was born on August 11, 1914 in Viola, Fulton County, Arkansas.  She was the third child of William Stanley and Eva Rowena Haywood Bridges. William Stanley was a native of West Plains, Missouri and the grandson of Orren Dates Bridges who had migrated with his family from Trigg County, Kentucky to Missouri in the 1890s.  In 1905, William Stanley married Eva Rowena Haywood. Eva was a Cherokee Indian who was born in the Indian Territory in Oklahoma in 1885.  She was a small woman with long straight black hair that hung all the way down her back.

Velma had six siblings, a brother, Virgil Ray, born in 1907; a sister, Dahlia, born in 1911; a brother, Herman Freeman, born in 1915; a sister, Virna Marie, born in 1919; a brother, Eugene Paul, born in 1922 and a sister, Dorothy Agnes, born in 1924.

She grew up in Arkansas and only obtained a third grade education. On November 26, 1932, at the age of 18, she married Roaten Eugene Hinson, the son of a cotton farmer and a native of Logan County, Arkansas.  Velma and Roat, as he was known, both worked as sharecroppers working in the fields of Arkansas in the 1930.  Velma and Roat had four children, Sadie, Roaten, Jr., Kathron and Gwinn.

Life was very difficult for the Hinson family.  In was the middle of the depression, and they became what was known as “Oakies” or “Arkies. They worked their way across the country to California harvesting crops and working in the fields and living in migration camps. They drove a Model A Ford on their journey to California.

After arriving in California, they moved around the state working in the fields picking fruit, cotton, prunes and whatever they could to survive and feed their kids.  They finally got permanent jobs after the start of World War II working in defense plants.  They settled in Campbell, California and bought a small piece of land where they built a general store with a meat market and attached gas pumps.  The family lived upstairs over the store.

In the late 1940s, the Velma and Roat decided to sell their store and move back to Arkansas. They purchased a farm and began growing cotton.  Their children were especially happy living on the farm, but unfortunately the farm idea did not work out for the family.  So they sold the farm and returned to California.

Times were rough again for Velma and her family after they returned to California.  She and Roat were divorced and she had to work at several jobs to raise her four children. She finally got a job as a grocery checker and things improved for the family.  Velma then married her second husband, John Wesley Green. The family bought a home and settled in Campbell, California. Velma and John had one son, Jess Green, born in 1953.  A few years later, Velma and John were divorced.

Velma died on October 8, 1984 in Campbell, California at the age of 70.  She was buried in the Mission City Memorial Park in Santa Clara, California.

Velma Fay Bridges Hinson Green

 

Tombstone of Velma Fay Bridges Hinson Green

LINEAGE:  (Velma May Bridges was the daughter of William Stanley and Eva Rowena Haywood Bridges, granddaughter of John William “Buck” and Nancy Adeline Pugh Bridges, and great-granddaughter of Orren Dates and Mary Elizabeth Hixon Bridges.  Orren was the first 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 Andrew Humphries -- Operations Director

 

William Andrew Humphries

William Andrew "Andy" Humphries was born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky on August 15, 1958, the son of Marion Wilford and Corinne Stokes Humphries.  Marion Wilford was a descendant of both Starkie Thomas and William Bridges.  Andy was the third of four children in his family.  His brother, David was born in 1955, his brother, Robert Glenn was born in 1957 and a sister, Nancy Kay, born in 1959. In 1960, Andy’s family moved from Hopkinsville to nearby Russellville, where his father was the owner and operator of a successful jewelry store.

Andy graduated from Russellville High School in 1976 and went on to attend Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a minor in accounting from Western Kentucky in 1980.

While at Western, Andy met Rhonda Ann Cahill, who was a 1979 graduate of Warren Central High School and worked at the Greenview Hospital.  Following his graduation, they were married on August 9, 1980 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Bowling Green.  Andy and Rhonda left Kentucky and moved out west to the Bay Area of California where Andy accepted a position in the payroll department of the Lockheed Missiles and Space Company.  In 1985, Lockheed transferred Andy to their Texas location near Austin.

Andy and Rhonda settled in the small community of Buda, Texas, just south of Austin.  While in California, they had their first child, Krista Ann, who was born in1984 in Santa Clara, California.  After settling in Texas, they had two more children, Christopher Andrew who was born in 1995 in Austin.  He was followed by another daughter, Kayla Allison, who was born in 1997 in Austin.

In 1995 Lockheed shut down its Austin facility and Andy went on to work for several other companies in the Austin area.  He worked in various roles in sales, engineering and operations.  Sometimes he worked in all three positions at the same time.  Andy ended up working for the Siemens Industry Company where he served as Director of Operations.  He retired from Siemens in 2018.

On November 22, 2021, Andy died in his home in Buda, Texas at the age of 63.  He was buried in the Live Oak Cemetery in Manchaca, Texas.

LINEAGE:  (William Andrew Humphries was the son of Marion Wilford and Corinne Stoke Humphries, grandson of Elbridge Wilford Willie Eldo Armstrong Humphries and great-grandson of John Starkie and Nora Peal Sumner Armstrong.  John Starkie was the third child of William Thomas and Mary Jane Thomas Armstrong.  Mary Jane was the eleventh child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas. Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.  Nora Pearl Sumner was the seventh child of Benjamin Miles and Henrietta Gabrella Bridges Sumner.  Henrietta was the first 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.)

Perry Elmo Thomas -- Oil Geologist

 

Perry Elmo Thomas was born on August 19, 1891 in Calloway County, Kentucky, the son of Monroe A. Thomas and Mary Susan Graham Thomas.  He was named after his great-grandfather, Perry Thomas, one of the patriarchs of the Thomas family in Trigg County, Kentucky.  His father was a farmer and later became a prominent businessman and real estate dealer in Murray, Kentucky.

Perry or Elmo as he was called attended schools in Calloway County and went on to attend the University of Kentucky in Lexington.  He graduated from the University on June 18, 1919, one of twelve students who were designated as graduating with “high distinction.”

After graduation, Elmo returned to Murray and assisted his father in the family businesses. Records indicate that his father owned several valuable oil buildings in the Dallas, Texas area and Elmo in the early 1920s moved to Texas to take care of his father’s business operations in that area.  Elmo was known as an oil operator and oil geologist.

On the afternoon of May 2, 1924, Perry was in Corsicana, Texas, about fifty miles southeast of Dallas.  Around 4:30 p.m. that afternoon Perry had picked up two friends, Kathleen McKnight from Temple, Texas and Geddes Manning, from Waco, Texas for a trip to Dallas. Both young ladies were teachers in the Corsicana school system.  Around 6 p.m. the Ford coupe in which they were traveling was hit by an interurban car about a half mile south of Palmer, Texas at an over grade crossing.  An interurban car was a streetcar-like self propelled rail car which ran between cities and towns. All three passengers in the car were killed almost instantly. The car was demolished as it was knocked over and over and dragged a distance of 175 yards.  All the bodies were mangled within the vehicle.

News of the tragic accident reached the residents of, Kentucky and news articles at the time in Cadiz mentioned that the deceased’s father was a first cousin of the Honorable G. P. Thomas of the city and that his grandfather was Starkie Thomas, who for many years was a leading citizen of Calloway County. The local newspaper stated that “…all the Trigg county Thomas’s are his near relatives, and “Old Uncle” Perry Thomas, many years a leading citizen of Donaldson, was the great grandfather.”

Elmo’s body was shipped back to Murray where he was buried in the Murray City Cemetery. Elmo was 32 years old at the time of his death. He was the only son of Monroe and Mary.  They had one other child, a daughter, Gladys Matia Thomas, who was born in 1898. The loss of his son was a great burden on Monroe and was believed to be one of the reasons that he took his own life a few years later in 1930.

Tombstone of Perry Elmo Thomas

LINEAGE: (Perry Elmo Thomas was the son of Monroe A, and Mary Susan Graham Thomas, the grandson of Starkie Duprey and Sarah Frances Pugh Thomas and the great-grandson of Perry and Elizabeth Josephine Bridges Thomas.  Perry was the third child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.  Elizabeth was the sixth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges)

A Tale of Two Marys

 

Mary Thomas Bridges

(No photos are available for Mary Bridges Thomas)

The name Mary is a very popular name in the Thomas-Bridges family.  The name was especially popular in the pioneer days as it was the given name of many young ladies in several branches of the family that had settled in North Carolina and Virginia in the 1700s.  Looking at the family trees of the many cousins of Drury Bridges and James Thomas reveal several young ladies named Mary.

However, for this story, we are going to look at two specific Marys:  Mary the daughter of James Thomas and Mary the daughter of Drury Bridges What makes these two Marys somewhat unique and often confusing to family researchers is that these two Marys married siblings and actually “switched” their last names.  James’ daughter Mary Thomas married William Bridges, son of Drury Bridges and became Mary Bridges.  Drury’s daughter Mary Bridges married Starkie Thomas, son of James Thomas and became Mary Thomas.  These young ladies were sisters-in-law—Mary Thomas Bridges and Mary Bridges Thomas.

Mary Thomas was born on July 1, 1802 in Bertie County, North Carolina. She was the fifth of seven children of James Thomas and Mary Standley Thomas. Mary was named after her mother who was called Mollie by her father.  Mary was just four years old in 1806 when her family left their plantation on the Cashie River in North Carolina and headed west to Kentucky.  After a very long trek, the family settled in an area of western Kentucky about eight miles north of the Kentucky-Tennessee state line and about seven miles east of the Cumberland River.  James and his family constructed a one-room log cabin in the Donaldson Creek valley near what is now the Donaldson and Cadiz roads.

On July 6, 1820, five days after Mary Thomas had turned 18, she married William Bridges, the only surviving son of Drury Bridges and Charity Cohoon Bridges. Mary Thomas Bridges and William Bridges had twelve children, nine boys and three girls. The twelve children were Orren, born in 1821; Starkie, born in 1823; Simco, born in 1825; Drewry, born in 1827; Burnetta, born in 1830; James, born in 1832; William, Jr., born in 1834; Stanley, born in 1837; Mary Adeline, born in 1839; Charity, born in 1842; John (twin of Charity who died at birth, born in 1842; and Cullen, born in 1844.

Mary Thomas Bridges died on July 28, 1876 at the age of 74. She was buried in the William Bridges Cemetery in the Maple Grove Community of Trigg County, Kentucky.

Mary Bridges was born on July 25, 1807 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  Mary was the seventh and youngest child of Drury Bridges and Charity Cohoon Bridges. She was born in the original log cabin built by Drury on the north side of Beechy Fork Creek in the Maple Grove Community of Trigg (then Christian) County, Kentucky. Drury and his family had traveled from Edgecombe County, North Carolina in 1804 and Drury had acquired an 85 acre tract of land on Beechy Fork Creek where he built a log cabin. Eventually he acquired almost 700 acres on both side of Beechy fork Creek surrounding his original homestead.

On March 24, 1825, when Mary Bridges was 17, she married Starkie Thomas, the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.  Mary Bridges Thomas and Starkie Thomas had eleven children, eight boys and three girls.  The eleven children were William, born in 1825; Stanley, born in 1828; Adeline, born in 1830; James Jasper, born in 1833; Peachie, born in 1834 Francis Marion, born in 1839; Bluford, born in 1841; Perry Curlin, born in 1843; Starkie Armstead, born in 1844 and Mary Jane, born in 1847.

Mary Bridges Thomas died at the age of 83 on October 7, 1890 in the Oak Grove Community. She was buried in the Starkie Thomas Cemetery in the Oak Grove Community of Trigg County, Kentucky.

Although these two Marys were sister-in-laws, very little is known about their relationship. Since they were both born in July, did they celebrate their birthdays together? Or were birthdays not celebrated much in those days?  Since they both had large families, there is no doubt they had many family social occasions.   We do know that the inter-marriages of these two Thomas and Bridges families began a relationship that continues even today. And since both families had daughters named Mary, it is hoped that there was no confusion among the Marys at their family socials.

Tombstone of Mary Bridges Thomas

 Tombstone of Mary Thomas Bridges

LINEAGE:  (Mary Thomas was the daughter of James Thomas and Mary Standley Thomas.  Mary Bridges was the daughter of Drury Bridges and Charity Cohoon Bridges.

William Daniel Lavery, Jr. -- Distinguished Attorney

 

William Daniel Lavery, Jr.

William Daniel Lavery, Jr. was born on January 6, 1942 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents were William Daniel Lavery, Sr. and Jeanne E. Barnes Lavery. Bill had two brothers, John Lavery and Robert Lavery.

When Bill was young, his family moved across the Delaware River from Philadelphia and settled in Haddonfield, New Jersey.  Bob graduated from Haddonfield High School in 1959.  He went on the attend Rutgers University where he majored in economics.  He was a member of the varsity swim team while at Rutgers.  During the summers he worked as a lifeguard for the Ventnor City Beach Patrol on the Atlantic coast in Ventnor City, New Jersey.

On June 5, 1963, after his graduation from Rutgers, Bill entered the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant where he served for five and one half years. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam. He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam and later at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.  He was discharged from the service on December 16, 1968 with the rank of Captain.

During his military service while serving at Fort Campbell, he met Mary Louise Jones of Trigg County, Kentucky. Mary Louise was the daughter of Thomas Lacy Jones and Mary Agnes Thomas Jones, natives of Trigg County.  Mary Louise was a descendant of Starkie Thomas.  On August 13, 1967, Bill and Mary Louise were married at the Cadiz Baptist Church in Cadiz, Kentucky. Following their wedding, they lived at Fort Campbell, Kentucky until Bill completed his military service.

After his military service, Bill and Mary Louise moved to his home town, Haddonfield, New Jersey. Bill enrolled in Rutgers University Law School.  After his graduation with his law degree in 1972, Bill obtained a federal clerkship with Judge John J. Kitchen. His next position was that of Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Camden, New Jersey office.  He was subsequently appointed as the head of the U.S. Attorney's office in Trenton, New Jersey. In December of 1975 he was honored in Washington, DC with a Special Commendation for Outstanding Service by the Department of Justice.

In 1977 Bill entered private practice with the firm of Hyland, Davis and Reberkenny.  His specialty was public utility law, and over the years he was recognized for his skills.  In 2000 his firm merged with Cozen O'Connor where he practiced until his death. He received many accolades from his peers in New Jersey and the American Bar Association for his work. 

Bill and Mary Louise were the parents of two children, a son, William Daniel Lavery, III, born in 1972 and Susannah Thomas Lavery, born in 1976.  Bill died on February 19, 2007 at the age of 65 and was buried in the Haddonfield Methodist Cemetery in Haddonfield.

 William in the Military

Tombstone of William D. Lavery, Jr.

LINEAGE:  (William Daniel Lavery, Jr. was the husband of Mary Louise Jones Lavery.  Mary Louise is the daughter of Thomas Lacy and Mary Agnes Thomas Jones, granddaughter of William Robert and Emma Rogers Thomas and great-granddaughter of Robert Allison and Emma Nora Cunningham Thomas. Robert was the fifth 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.   Mary Bridges was the seventh child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)