Charles E. Moore -- Classical Pianist

 

Charles E. Moore

Charles Ethelbert Moore was born on June 30, 1930 in Brownwood, Texas to Charles Austin Moore and Ruby Brown Weatherby Moore.   Charles Austin had worked for 22 years as the purchasing agent for the Plymouth Oil Company, one of the largest and most successful independent oil producers in west Texas and later became a part of Marathon Oil Company.  Charles’ mother, Ruby, taught in the public schools of Texas for 27 years. He was their oldest child with two siblings, Marilyn Brown Moore, born in 1935 and Michael Rusk Moore born in 1936.

Charles was educated in the Texas schools and attended Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. He went on to become a graduate of the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago where he studied Orchestra Conducting under Alexander Aster.

During the Korean War, Charles served in the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Corps.

After his military service, Charles returned to Chicago and became an accomplished music teacher, composer and noted classical pianist.  In 1961 Charles accepted a position at his alma mater, the American Conservatory of Music where he was appointed as Registrar of the school.  In 1971 he was appointed Dean of the Conservatory.  He taught aesthetics and opera criticism at the conservatory.  During his tenure he also presented master classes at music conservatories in Peking, Nanking and Shanghai, China.

The American Conservatory of Music was the oldest private degree-granting music school in the midwestern United States and was recognized for developing the Conservatory Symphony Orchestra and producing numerous student recitals.  Charles’ greatest achievement occurred in 1980 when he became the school’s President.   Unfortunately during his tenure as President, the school began to suffer financial difficulties.  In January 1987, the conservatory filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection; and shortly thereafter, Charles Moore resigned as the school’s president.

After leaving the American Conservatory of Music, Charles became a member the faculty of the School of Music at DePaul University. He also taught languages and music for the Discovery Center in Chicago In 1988 DePaul University presented his one act opera "I Can Sing Better".  He conducted and played for numerous productions of standard and modern operas in Chicago and presented recitals in Chicago clubs and organizations.

Charles died on January 26, 1995 in Chicago at the age of 64.  A service of memory and celebration for Charles was held at the DePaul University Concert Hall.

Charles E. Moore

Tombstone of Charles Moore

LINEAGE:   (Charles Ethelbert Moore was the son of Charles Austin and Ruby Brown Weatherby Moore and the grandson of Charles Maxon and Ethel Hill Moore.  Charles Maxon was the son 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.)

Billy Ray Futrell -- Accomplished Farmer

 

Billy Ray Futrell

Billy Ray Futrell was born on August 29, 1931 in the Donaldson Creek community of Trigg County, Kentucky, the son of Dewey Webster Futrell and Daisy Alberta Rogers Futrell. He grew up on the Futrell Farm located at the crossroad of Old Dover Road and Donaldson Creek Road and just a few hundred yards from the old Upper Donaldson School where Billy Ray attended as a youngster. He later attended Trigg County High School where he graduated in 1951.

Billy Ray Futrell was a lifelong farmer.  His father, Dewey, owned the Futrell home place which was once owned by his father, Daniel Worth Futrell, which he had purchased in 1895.   Billy Ray began helping on the family farm at a young age and later sharecropped with neighbors in and around Trigg County.  

Billy Ray was drafted into the U.S. Army on March 15, 1954.   He was in basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and later trained at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Fort Polk, Louisiana.  He served two years stateside in the Korean Conflict, from 1954 until 1956.  Years later on May 13, 2017, when Billy Ray was 85 years old, he made a trip to Washington, D.C., with the Screaming Eagle Honor Flight Mission 7 and other veterans and saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and visited other war memorials. The flight was a great honor for him especially since it was his first airplane trip. 

On August 15, 1953, Billy Ray married Martha Jo Futrell. Martha Jo was born April 23, 1934, in Stewart County, Tennessee, the daughter of Joe Miller and Ophelia Opal Frith Futrell. Joe was a great-grandson of Perry Thomas. Martha Jo grew up in the Linton Community of Trigg County and attended the Linton-Rogers School, where she was a cheerleader.  Martha Jo supported her husband in the farming operation.  She was well known in Trigg County for her cooking abilities and was featured in the January 13, 1993, edition of The Cadiz Record with some of her favorite recipes She was also featured in The Cadiz Record as a “Good Neighbor” in 1995.  Martha Jo was employed in the kitchen and housekeeping departments at Lake Barkley State Resort Park.  She served as a private caregiver for many years throughout Trigg County. Billy Ray and Martha Jo were the parents of four children, David Ray, born in 1954; Patricia Jo, born in 1959; Connie Jean, born in 1960 and Deborah Ann, born in 1969.

After his military service, Billy Ray returned to Trigg County where he spent his entire life actively engaged in farming.  Following his father, Dewey’s death, he and his son purchased the Futrell farmland.  Billy Ray and his son later also purchased the John Scott Thomas, Garland Derwood Sumner, and Boots Randolph farms and worked alongside each other for many years as partners.  The farming operation revolved around tobacco, corn, and soybeans, as well as hogs and cattle.  Their farm was featured in The Cadiz Record on March 23, 1994, in an article titled “Four Generations in Futrell Family Run Farm.”   David Ray was named an outstanding tobacco producer in August 1981.  The Futrells purchased the farm and cabin previously owned by the Homer Randolph family, which was the boyhood home of “Boots" Randolph, the noted saxophone player.  The Randolph family sold the cabin to Billy Ray, who then donated it to the Trigg County Historical Society.

Billy Ray was the consummate farmer. Each year, he slaughtered eight or more hogs during the winter to provide an economical way to feed his family.  He had a smokehouse in the backyard that he used for curing his meat for this major annual event.  He looked forward to cooler weather, which allowed for coon hunting and hog-killing time on the farm.  In his later years, this farming tradition of curing and smoking meat became a hobby and money-making project that he took great pride. Billy Ray sold hundreds of hams and thousands of bags of sausage and bacon all over the United States.  Martha Jo enjoyed raising chickens and providing her family and neighbors with country eggs. 

In May 1992, Billy Ray, in his desire to keep alive the common interest and concern among the members of the descendants of James Thomas, and to provide a burial place for the family members, granted and conveyed additional property to the Peyton Thomas Cemetery Corporation.  The Peyton Thomas Cemetery is located beside the family home on Donaldson Creek.

Billy Ray died on October 24, 2020 at his home at the age of 89.  He was buried in the Peyton Thomas Cemetery.  Martha Jo died on October 17, 2009 in Cadiz at the age of 75 and was also buried in the Peyton Thomas Cemetery. Following Billy Ray’s death, the Futrell Farm is now owned by the fifth-generation of the Futrell family, David Shadrick Futrell, the grandson of Billy Ray Futrell.

 

Billy Ray and Martha Jo Futrell 

 

Tombstone of Billy Ray and Martha Jo

 

Billy Ray's Military Tombstone

LINEAGE:  Billy Ray Futrell was the husband of Martha Jo Futrell. Martha Jo was the daughter of Joe Miller and Ophelia Opal Frith Futrell.  Joe was the son of David Bristo and Laura Bell Tucker Futrell.  David was the seventh child of William and Eliza Jane Thomas Futrell.  Eliza was the ninth child of Perry and Elizabeth Bridges Thomas.  Perry was the third child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

(Thanks to Connie F. Kennedy who helped to contribute to this “leaf”.)

Douglas Clark Thomas -- Tragically Died as an Infant

 

Douglas Clark Thomas

Douglas Clark Thomas was the infant child of Bill Clark and Ruth Aralee Douglas Thomas.  Douglas died at the age of 13 months, the victim of a tragic drowning accident.  Bill Clark Thomas grew up in Trigg County, Kentucky and was a graduate of Trigg County High School, Murray State University and had received his Doctorate of Theology from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky in 1963. He and his wife Ruth were appointed as missionaries of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.  They served as missionaries during the following 34 years in Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, West Germany, Thailand and France.

Douglas Clark was born on January 14, 1964 in Singapore, Malaysia. He had an older sister at the time of his birth.  Dorothy Lorene had been born in 1961 in Louisville, Kentucky before the family had moved to Malaysia.

The Thomases had been in Singapore only one and one half years on February 17, 1965 when Douglas drowned in a bathtub.  Water had been left in the tub after his sister’s bath and the Thomases' amah (the Malaysian term for a nanny) was busy in an adjoining room.  Douglas crawled into the tub and when the amah returned she discovered him dead in the tub.  The amah rushed next door where the Thomases were in a class learning the Chinese language, but it was too late to save the young infant.

The Thomases had to appear in court and ask that charges not be brought against the amah.  "We never once blamed her," Dr. Thomas said. "Douglas was a very active child, the most active one we had. It was an accident, something that should never have happened, but it did. There was no reason to blame anyone.”

Funeral services were held on February 18 in Singapore where Douglas was buried.  The Chinese congregation handled Douglas' funeral arrangements, an act "that set a pattern for the rest of our missionary career," Dr. Thomas later said.

A few months later, while still grieving Douglas’ death, Ruth learned she was pregnant. Fraternal twins, Cecilia Ruth and Charles William were born on May 22, 1966, 16 months after Douglas' death. "(Douglas') death and the coming of the twins always are linked in our minds, and are the most definite miracle we have experienced," Dr. Thomas said. "Their birth 16 months after Douglas' death was the most dramatic sign for our faith that we've ever had," Ruth Thomas said. A fifth child, Deborah Elizabeth was born in 1968.

On December 29, 2001, Douglas was reburied in the Starkie Thomas Cemetery in Trigg County, Kentucky. The cemetery in Malaysia was being reclaimed by the government and designated to be the site of high-rise apartments. Bill Clark and Ruth saw this as the opportunity to bring their son "home" to be placed in the cemetery with six generations of his father's family.

 

Tombstone of Douglas Clark Thomas

LINEAGE:  (Douglas Clark Thomas was the second child of Bill Clark and Ruth Aralee Douglas Thomas.  Bill Clark was the first child of Cecil Seldon and Dorothy Arlene Clark Thomas.  Cecil was the seventh child of Seldon Trimble and Martha Elizabeth Bridges Thomas.  Seldon was the first child of James Jasper and Mary Magdalene Cunningham Thomas.  James Jasper was the fourth child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas. Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)  

Herman J. Boyd -- U. S. Postmaster

 

Herman and Louise Thomas Boyd

Herman Jefferson Boyd was born on July 22, 1911 near Mershon’s Bridge in Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the son of Sam Sumner Boyd and Mary Louise Jefferson Boyd.  He attended schools in the Mershon’s Bridge Community until January 1, 1934 when his family moved to Cadiz and his father began serving the first of four terms in the office of Trigg County Jailer. Sam served for 14 years as jailer and then became an investigator for the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board for the State of Kentucky.

Herman’s first job was a clerk’s position with the Cadiz Grocery Company in Cadiz, which was owned by Van B. Alexander.  After Herman had worked four years at this grocery store, Mr. Alexander sold it to the Red Front Grocery chain.  Herman then went to work for the J. W. Cowherd grocery store where he worked for three years before beginning his military career.

On May 29, 1942, Herman enlisted in the U. S. Army Air Corps and was stationed at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana and later at Keeler Field, Mississippi and Kingman, Arizona. He was assigned to the 431st Bomb Squadron and participated in battles and campaigns over Japan, the Marshall Islands and in the western Pacific.  He flew over 40 combat missions as a flight engineer and a machine gunner in the crew on a B-24 bomber.  Herman was discharged from the military on November 7, 1945 with the rank of Tech Sergeant.  He received several medals including the Bronze Star and the Air Medal with silver stars.

Herman returned to Cadiz after his service career and began a new career at the U. S. Post Office where he was appointed as a temporary clerk in 1946.  He received a permanent appointment as a regular clerk at the post office in 1948.  In 1968, he was advanced to the position of supervisor and assistant to the Postmaster.

On June 11, 1946, Herman married Louise Thomas.  Louise was born on October 19, 1913 in Trigg County, Kentucky, the daughter of John Vernon and Clementine Wilson Thomas. Louise had one sister, Isabelle Thomas, born in 1904.  Louise worked for 38 years at the Trigg County Farmers Bank in Cadiz. Herman and Louise made their home on Main Street in Cadiz.  They had no children.

On December 23, 1972 Herman received an appointment to the position of Cadiz Postmaster.  He had been serving for the prior six months as the officer-in-charge of the post office since the retirement of the previous postmaster, Terry Watkins on June 23, 1972.  Herman was a perfect example of an individual who had begun his career as a temporary clerk and progressed through the ranks advancing up to the position of postmaster. At the time of his appointment, the Cadiz Post Office had two fulltime carriers, one fulltime clerk, and a custodian. They also had three temporary clerks and three rural carriers.  Herman served as the Cadiz Postmaster for five years until his retirement in 1977 at the age of 66.

Herman died at the age of 86 on December 16, 1997 at the Jennie Stuart Medical Center in Hopkinsville, Kentucky and was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz.  Louise died on July 9, 2010 at the age of 96 in the Doctor’s Hospital in Augusta, Georgia.  She was buried in the East End Cemetery next to her husband.

 Herman and Louise

Tombstone of Herman and Louise Boyd

Herman's military tombstone

LINEAGE: (Herman Jefferson Boyd was the husband of Louise Thomas.  Louise was the daughter of John Vernon and Clementine Wilson Thomas, John Vernon was the fifth child of Jonathan Starkie and Julia Dyer Thomas.  Jonathan was the third child of William Bridges and Nancy Jane Rogers Thomas.  William Bridges was the first child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Mildred Blanche Thomas Carney -- Noted Trigg Countian

 

 

 

Mildred Blanche Thomas was born on December 25, 1925 in Trigg County, Kentucky.   She was the third of four children born to Ted D. Thomas and Beulah Sumner Thomas.  Ted was a Trigg County farmer and merchant and served as a county magistrate for over 20 years.  Blanche’s brother Wilford Allen was born in 1921.  Another brother, Wallace Hugh, born in 1923 died at the age of 2.  Her only sister, Geneva Gray, was born in 1927.

Blanche grew up on Donaldson Creek and went to school at the Upper Donaldson School for her first seven years and then went to Oakland School for one year.  She went on to graduate from Trigg County High School in 1945.

After her graduation from high school, Blanche married Thomas Catlett Carney, Jr.  on May 26, 1945.  They said their vows in front of Judge Higgins in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

Thomas was born on February 15, 1924 in Trigg County, and was the son of Catlett Carney and Annie McAtee Carney.  He grew up on the Tanyard Road and went to school at the Bethel School.  For the first few years, he rode to school in a buggy with the neighborhood children and afterwards rode a horse to school before later attending Trigg County High School.

After their marriage, Thomas and Blanche moved to Evansville, Indiana where he worked in a defense plant until World War II was over and then they moved to Hopkinsville, where Thomas worked for the Henderson-Moorefield Company.  He worked as a shop foreman and truck driver for the company for thirty-three years.  Blanche worked for the International Shoe Company and the Moe Light Company in Hopkinsville for a number of years.

In 1957, Thomas and Blanche moved to Trigg County and bought a small farm located south of Cadiz and lived there until 1963.  They later sold this farm and bought another one.  There Blanche worked on the farm and Thomas continued to drive to his work in Hopkinsville.

In 1970, they built a new store building on the site where Blanche’s father had operated a grocery store for many years.  Blanche operated the grocery store until Thomas’ death.  She then left the business and sold the grocery store.  Blanche later worked as a cafeteria worker in the Trigg County Schools.  She also served as president of the Thomas-Bridges Association.

Thomas and Blanche were the parents of two daughters, Mildred Louise, born in 1948 and Connie Sue born, born in 1951.

Thomas died on May 6, 1979 at his home at the age of 55.  He was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz, Kentucky.  Blanche died on December 7, 2004 at the Trigg County Hospital at the age of 78. She was buried in the East End Cemetery next to her husband.

Thomas and Blanche Carney Tombstone

LINEAGE: (Mildred Blanche Thomas Carney was the daughter of Ted D. and Beulah Sumner Thomas.  Ted was the son of Dallie Brown and Willie Mae Thomas Thomas.  Dallie was the eighth child of Rufus King and Alvie Adeline Dunn Thomas.  Rufus was the fifth child of Perry and Elizabeth Bridges Thomas.  Perry was the third child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.  Beulah Sumner was the first child of Thomas Darnell and Lula Bell Thomas Sumner.  Thomas Darnell was the third child of James Edmond and Mary Louisa Bridges Sumner.  Mary Louisa was the second 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.)

Aaron C. Sumner -- Migrant Farmer

 

Aaron and Martha "Mattie" Bridges Sumner

Aaron C. Sumner was born on December 20, 1855 in Trigg County, Kentucky, the son of Joseph Greenberg Sumner and Margaret Ann Colson Sumner. Although his death certificate states his middle name was Columbus, his great grandchildren believe that his middle name was Cornelius. His tombstone lists his first name as Aron, but all other records indicate the spelling is Aaron. Here again, his great grandchildren state the tombstone is in error and his name was Aaron.

Aaron grew to manhood on a farm in Trigg County and on December 21, 1875, at the age of 20, he married Martha Caroline Bridges in Cadiz, Kentucky. Martha or “Mattie” as she was called was the second of twelve children born to Orren Dates Bridges and Mary Elizabeth Hixon Bridges. She was born on October 20, 1850 Aaron and Mattie were the parents of five children.  Their first three children were born in Trigg County--Weston Columbus, born in 1876; Minnie Lee, born in 1880; and Lula Mae, born in 1882.  Their other three children were born in Howell County, Missouri—Hervie Otto, born in 1885; Lottie Belle, born 81 1886 and William Stanley, born in 1889.

Aaron became discouraged with living in Kentucky as the only job he could find was picking tobacco.  So in 1882 he packed up his small family in a covered wagon and headed west to Howell County, Missouri where he found a piece of land that he could homestead on. He settled on a small farm west of Cureall, Missouri and began planting oats, producing hay and raising sheep. He lived on that farm until his family was all grown.  After the children were gone, he sold the farm and he and Mattie moved to the state of Washington and then to Texas, but after a year they were not happy in these locations and they returned to Missouri where they purchased a farm six miles west of West Plains.

Eight years after they bought the new farm, Mattie died at their home on January 13, 1928 at the age of 75. Because she had taught at the Homeland School, her funeral was held in the Oak Grove School and she was buried in the Fowler Cemetery in Howell County.

After Mattie’s death, Aaron went to live with his oldest son, Weston Columbus Sumner, in Ganado, Texas.  A few years later he moved to Bristow, Oklahoma where he lived with his youngest son, William Stanley Sumner.  Missing his beloved Missouri, Aaron moved back to Caulfield, Missouri to live with his youngest daughter, Lottie Belle Sumner Story.

Aaron died at his daughter’s home in Caulfield on December 6, 1941 at the age of 82. His death certificate listed his cause of death as “senility”.  He was buried in the Fowler Cemetery next to his wife, Martha.

Tombstone of Aaron and Martha Sumner

LINEAGE:   (Aaron C. Sumner was the husband of Martha Caroline Bridges.  Martha was the second child 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.)

Edward Walter Battoe -- Career Air Force Member

 

 

 

Edward W. Battoe

Edward Walter Battoe was born on October 10, 1928 in Princeton, Kentucky.  He was the second child of Trevor Everett Battoe and his second wife, Myrtle Eliza Meador.   Edward’s older brother, Robert Trevor, died at the age of three months and his younger brother, Clifton Ray, died in infancy.  His two younger siblings, Lora Dean, born in 1932 and Leroy Delano, born in 1933 lived to adulthood, Edward also had four half-siblings from his father’s first marriage, Faye Lena, born in 1911; Nancy Lucille, born in 1914; Helen Hazel, born in 1916 and James Franklin, born in 1919. 

When he was very young his family moved to the Donaldson Creek community in Trigg County where he spent his early childhood years.   His family later moved to Paducah, Kentucky.

It was while his family lived in Paducah, that Edward enlisted in the Army Air Corps on October 24, 1945 after he had only completed one year of high school.  Edward went on to serve 26½ years in service to his country, retiring from the United States Air Force on February 29, 1972.  He saw military service worldwide as well as combat duty in Vietnam.  In Vietnam, he served with the 377th Security Police Squadron at TonSonNhut Air Force Base in 1966 and 1967. He was decorated with the Bronze Star Medal with the “V” Device for heroism, a Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service and various other medals.  He was assigned to the 3700th Security Police Squadron at the Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas in 1967 where he served until his retirement in 1972.  He was an Air Force Senior Master Sergeant at the time of his discharge.

After retiring from the military, Edward started a second career when he founded the Battoe Industries, Inc. in San Antonio, Texas and served as General Manager until his retirement in 1999. The company specialized in greeting cards. 

On April 20, 1950, Edward married his first wife, Geraldine Somers Wickliffe, in Coeur  d ‘Alene, Idaho.  This marriage subsequently ended in divorce.  On October 9, 1955, Edward married his second wife, Dixie Lee Beesley.  Dixie was born on July 15, 1938 in Kansas, the daughter of Albert and Stella Beesley.   Her family moved to Colorado where she resided in Pueblo, Colorado at the time of their marriage.  Edward and Dixie were the parents of two children, Elizabeth Lee Battoe, born on May 4, 1956 and Edward Walter Battoe II, born on July 20, 1957.

Edward died on June 24, 2009 in San Antonio, Texas.  He was buried in the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio.

Dixie and Edward Battoe

Tombstone of Edward W, Battoe

LINEAGE: (Edward Walter Battoe was the son of Trevor Everett and Myrtle Eliza Meador Battoe, the grandson of John Edwin and Malinda Hawkins Battoe and the great-grandson of James J. and Charity S. Bridges Battoe.  Charity was the tenth child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)