Elizabeth Hughes Stalons -- Trigg County Farmer's Wife

 

Clinton and Elizabeth Stalons

Clinton Harrell Stalons was born on September 15, 1904 in Trigg County, Kentucky, the second child of William Barnes Stalons and Pinkie Elizabeth Harrell Stalons.  William and Pinkie were both natives of Trigg County where William worked as a farmer.

On February 28, 1926, Clinton married Verna Elizabeth Hughes.  Elizabeth was born on November 7, 1904 in Trigg County, the second of ten children born to Luther Lee Hughes and Mattie Patterson Light Hughes. Luther or Luke, as he was known was a well-respected farmer of the community.  Both Luke and Mattie were natives of Trigg County.  Mattie was a descendant of Starkie Thomas.

Elizabeth’s siblings were Harmon Marcellious Hughes, born in 1903 and married Georgia Lyle New and then married Mary Dixon Townsend Clayton; Mary Catherine Hughes, born in 1906 and married Thomas Edward Mize; Lula Gertrude Hughes, born in 1908 and married John Robert Flood; Luther Bertram Hughes, born in 1909 and married Edna Earl Thomas; Edna Lorene Hughes, born in 1912 and married Charles Calvert Flood; Richard Stanley Hughes, born in 1914 and married Avernell Boyd; James Raymond Hughes, born in 1916 and married Susie Gertrude Hammonds; Sarah Loutisha Hughes, born in 1919; and Thomas Alton Hughes, born in 1921 and married Hazel Douglas Lancaster.

Clinton was a farmer and was raised and lived on the same farm in the Mt. Pleasant community for 61 years. Elizabeth attended school at the Warrenton School and after her marriage, she joined her husband on the family farm in the Mt. Pleasant community.  In the mid-1960s their farm was purchased by the U.S Corps of Engineers for the creation of Lake Barkley as a result of Barkley Dam. They moved to a Cadiz subdivision which was near the homeplace of Elizabeth’s father, L. L. Hughes.  In addition to his farming, Clinton worked as a carpenter assistant.

Clinton and Elizabeth were the parents of two children.  Their first child was an unnamed son that was born in 1927 and lived for only two days.  Their second child was Martha Harrell Stalons, born in 1941 and married William Marshall Fortner.

Elizabeth died on Tuesday, December 14, 1982 at the age of 78 at the Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz, Kentucky.  She was buried in the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in the Blue Spring community of Trigg County.  Clinton died on Monday April 11, 1988 at the age of 83 at the Trigg County Hospital.  He was buried in the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery next to his wife.

Clinton and Elizabeth with a young Martha

 

Clinton and Elizabeth tombstone

    

LINEAGE: (Verna Elizabeth Hughes was the daughter of Luther Lee and Mattie Patterson Light Hughes and the granddaughter of John J. and Emeline Catherine Thomas.  Emeline was the seventh child of Stanley and Emily Ann Light.  Stanley was the second child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas. Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Samuel Leon Garrett -- Outstanding Teen Athlete and Rifleman

 

Samuel Leon Garrett

Samuel Leon Garrett was born on October 22, 1998 in Clarksville, Tennessee, the youngest of two children born to Kenneth Michael Garrett and Amy Denise Sumner Garrett.  Amy was a native of Christian County, Kentucky and a descendant of James Thomas, Jr.  Kenneth was a resident of Clarksville and was a 1978 graduate of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine with a DDS degree and practiced general dentistry in Clarksville.  Sam’s only sibling was a sister, Hannah Elizabeth Garrett, born in 1991 and married Brian Menhennet.

Sam spent his elementary school years as a student at Clarksville Academy in Clarksville and went on to graduate in 2019 from Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) in Nashville, Tennessee. He attended Belmont College in Nashville and then went on to attend Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Tennessee.

While at MBA, Sam was on the Shotgun Team, where he was also the captain and assistant coach, for the MBA Skeet Shooting Team and Junior Olympics Team. In 2017, he was the “Top Gun” for the highest average scorer. He won the Alabama and South Carolina Junior Sporting Clay Championship, as well as the 2019 Junior World Championship. Sporting clays is a form of clay pigeon shooting often described as “golf with a shotgun.” Sam also received the Francis E Carter Jr. Award for Service and Achievement at Honors Night, MBA Shotgun Team Captain, and Top Gun Award in 2017.   In addition, in 2015 Sam was on the Division 2-A State Champion football team.

Sam was married to Jenna Smith and they had no children.

A young victim of cancer, Sam died at the age of 22 on Wednesday, May 19, 2021 in Cookeville, Tennessee, where he had made his home.  He was buried in the Resthaven Memorial Gardens in Clarksville.

MBA established the Sam Garrett Award. This award is presented to a shooter who, like Sam Garrett, is a leader that hones the direction of the team and helps everyone around him improve. Displaying great sportsmanship, enthusiasm, and perseverance, this shooter pushes everyone to be the best they can be, setting a great example, raising the bar and elevating the game.  The award is given annually in Sam’s memory and to further develop the Montgomery Bell Academy Shotgun Team, a team that meant a great deal to Sam.

Sam Garrett tombstone

LINEAGE: (Samuel Leon Garrett was the son of Kenneth Michael and Amy Denise Sumner Garrett and the grandson of Billy Wayne and Judy Ezell Sumner.  Billy was the second child of Jessie James and Eunice Thomas Sumner.  Eunice was the third child of John Cullen “Taylor” and Myrtle Green Chewning Thomas.  Taylor was the ninth child of Carroll and Frances Wills Vinson Thomas.  Carroll was the second child of James Jr. and Margaret Ethridge Thomas.  James, Jr. was the sixth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Herbert Clifton Hargrove -- Victim of a Dump Truck Accident

 

Herbert Clifton Hargrove was born on April 19, 1913 in Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the oldest of eight children born to John Henry Hargrove  and Dora Ellen Battoe Hargrove.  John Henry was a farmer and a state highway department worker and both he and Dora were natives of Trigg County.  Herbert was a descendant of Charity S. Bridges.

Herbert’s siblings were Jesse Woodrow Hargrove, born in 1915 and married Eva Lorene Atwood; Hershel Linsley Hargrove, born in 1918 and married Mary Elizabeth Baker; Mabel Lucille Hargrove, born in 1920 and married Roscoe Bradley Sutton; Martha Louise Hargrove, born in 1921 and married William Lynn Maddox; Katie Marie Hargrove, born in 1924 and married Rudolph Ray McDowell; Dora Ernestine Hargrove, born in 1929 and married Herbert Amos P’Pool; and Robert Hunt Hargrove, born in 1926 and married Ruby C. Gibson and later married Constance M. Wyperd.

Herbert grew up in Trigg County on the Dover Road where his father worked on a farm and later went to work for the state highway department.   He received a basic elementary level of education.

On December 31, 1939, Herbert married Virginia Mae Daniel.  Virginia was born on February 14, 1912 in Trigg County and was the daughter of John G. Daniel and Dana Puckett Daniel.

After their marriage, Herbert and Virginia lived in Crittenden County, Kentucky with his parents  and Herbert worked as a mechanic on large dump trucks used to carry huge loads of crushed rocks from rock quarries.

On the late afternoon of Friday, November 22, 1940, Herbert was working with the quarry dump truck as usual.  He was at the J. B. Alexander Rock Quarry in Marion, Kentucky.  Herbert and two other men, L. D. Marshall and Guy Guess, both of Marion were working under the raised dump truck bed oiling the hoisting apparatus.  The loaded dump truck suddenly tripped itself and poured more than a ton of crushed rock on the three men.  All three were severely injured. Herbert, however, suffered the worst injury as the truck bed had struck his head, trapping him underneath the bed.  The bed which weighed about 2000 pounds caused a fractured skull. An ambulance was called for Herbert and he was being transported to a hospital in Evansville, Indiana when he was pronounced dead in the ambulance when it was in Sturgis, Kentucky.  Marshall was admitted to the Evansville hospital in serious condition with a crushed chest and a broken right arm.  Guess only suffered slight injuries.

Herbert and Virginia were the parents of one child, Lynda Jane Hargrove, who was born in January 1941 approximately two months after her father’s death.  She married Kenneth Deryl Locke and later married Herbert Showalter.

Herbert was 27 years old at the time of his death.  He is buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz.  Virginia died at the age of 80 on July 2, 1993 in Dearborn Heights, Michigan.  She was buried in the East End Cemetery next to Herbert.

Herbert and Virginia tombstone

LINEAGE:  (Herbert Clifton Hargrove was the son of John Henry and Dora Ellen Battoe Hargrove.  Dora was the third child of John Edwin and Malinda Hawkins Battoe.  John was the first child 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.)

James Jasper Thomas -- Teacher, Farmer and Civil War Soldier

 

James Jasper Thomas

James Jasper Thomas, Sr. was born on March 19, 1833 in Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the fourth of eleven children born to Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Starkie was born in Bertie County, North Carolina and had migrated to Trigg County in 1806 with James and Mary Standley Thomas.  Mary was born in Trigg County and was the youngest child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.

James’ siblings were William Bridges Thomas, born in 1825 and married Nancy Jane Rogers and later married Sarah Elizabeth Light; Stanley Thomas, born in 1828 and married Emily Ann Light; Adeline Thomas, born in 1830 and died at the age of seven; Peachie A. Thomas, born in 1834 and died at the age of four; Alfred Marshall Thomas, born in 1835 and married Eliza Anne Martin; Francis Marion “Fant” Thomas, born in 1839 and married Mary Forrest Rogers; Bluford Mills Thomas, born in 1841 and married Peachie Ann Martin; Perry Curlin Thomas, born in 1843 and married Mary E. Carter; Starkie Armstead Thomas, born in 1844 and married Inez Miller; and Mary Jane Thomas, born in 1847 and married William Thomas Armstrong.

James married Mary Magdaline Cunningham on July 14, 1856.  Mary was born on December 4, 1838 in Trigg County and was the daughter of John “Duck” Cunningham and Mary “Polly” Gresham Cunningham. John was a native of Charlottesville, Virginia and Mary was a native of Halifax, Virginia. Both had settled in Trigg County with the large Cunningham family.

James and Mary settled into their home which was located on the Old Dover Road south of Cadiz.  While growing up, James had received a generous education for his day and as a result for a few years, he taught school.  He later became a farmer and continued to reside in the family farm house for his entire life.

On July 6, 1861, James was mustered into the militia of the Confederate Army.  He was stationed at Fort Donelson, Tennessee which was located only a short distance from his home.  He was granted a leave to return home to visit his family and while he rode home, he was trailed by a group of Union soldiers.  To keep from being captured after he arrived at his home, his wife, Mary hid him in a cellar which had an opening in the floor inside the house. Mary placed a bed over the cellar door opening, laid in the bed and pretended to be sick.  Not wanting to disturb her, the Union soldiers did not locate the hidden door, nor find the hidden James. However, they did steal horses and meat from the nearby smoke house.

Mary raised a slave baby whose mother had died.  She had named the child Lewis.  Following the Emancipation Proclamation, Lewis was given the option to leave the family.  However, he chose to continue to reside on the James J. Thomas farm, where he lived his entire life.

James and Mary were the parents of nine children,  Seldon Trimble Thomas, born in 1857 and married Martha Elizabeth Bridges; Joseph Cullen Thomas, born in 1860 and married Onie F. Thomas; James Jasper Thomas, Jr. born in 1863 and married Lula Maye Crews; Ophelia Thomas, born in 1867 and married Charles H. Pursley; Starkie William Thomas, born in 1869 and married Julia Louise Sumner; Ella May Thomas, born in 1871 and married Clarence Winston Wilson; John Spurlin Thomas, born in 1874 and married Hattie Lee Ricks; Cicero Berter Thomas, born in 1880 and married Edward Seymore Spurlock; and Edgar Clyde Thomas, born in 1881. 

James died on January 23, 1903 at the age of 69 at his home on the family farm.  He was buried in the Starkie Thomas cemetery in the Oak Grove community.  Mary died on November 19, 1911 at the age of 71 and was buried in the Starkie Thomas cemetery.

Mary Cunningham Thomas

 

James J. Thomas Homeplace

 

James tombstone

 

James tombstone close up

 

Mary tombstone

 

Mary tombstone close up

LINEAGE: (James Jasper Thomas was the son of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Bill H. Sumner -- Grocery Store Owner and Farmer

 

Bill H. Sumner

Bill H. Sumner was born on February 10, 1940 in Trigg County, Kentucky, the oldest of two children born to Bayliss Hugh Sumner and Ruby Helen Calhoun Sumner.  Bayliss and Ruby were both natives of Trigg County. Bayliss grew up in the Donaldson Creek community and was a farmer.  He was a descendant of both Drewry Bridges and Perry Thomas. Bill’s only sibling was Bobbie Nell Sumner, born in 1942 and married Harlan Calhoun.

Bill grew up on his father’s farm on Donaldson Creek and attended the Upper Donaldson Grade School.  He went on to attend Trigg County High School in Cadiz where he graduated in 1958.

On October 6, 1959, Bill was drafted into the U.S. Army.  He was sent to Fort Jackson, South Carolina where he received two months of basic training.  He was then transferred to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas where he received two months of medical training.  On February 20, 1960 he was sent to Fort Campbell, Kentucky where he worked at the U.S. Army Hospital in medical supply for two years. Bill was scheduled to be discharged on October 7, 1961 but because of the Berlin Crisis his term of duty was extended for 120 days.  He was honorably discharged on February 5, 1962 with the rank of a Private First Class.

Bill married Brenda Shemwell on December 7, 1963 at the Julien Baptist Church in Julien, Kentucky.  Brenda was born on March 13, 1945, the daughter of Delmar Lloyd Shemwell and Iva Beatrice Sumner Shemwell, both natives of Trigg County, Kentucky. Delmar was a farmer.  Brenda grew up on her father’s farm near the Caledonia community of Trigg County.  She graduated from Trigg County High School in 1963.

After the completion of his military service, Bill returned to Trigg County where he was employed with the Christian County Soil Conservation Service in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. After two years, he went to work for Thomas Industries in Hopkinsville where he was employed for sixteen years.  In 1980, Bill became the owner and operator of Sumner’s South Road Market.  The market was on the same site on the South Road in Trigg County of an earlier grocery owned by Bill’s uncle which was well remembered as the “Ted Thomas Grocery.” In addition to operating the market, Bill returned to farming which included raising cattle.  Brenda worked in several positions over the years including the medical records section of Jennie Stuart Memorial Hospital and bookkeeper for W. Jeff Hammond Moving and Storage, both in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.  She worked in the Trigg County Government with the County Judge, Trigg County Sheriff as Deputy Sheriff and bookkeeper for the sheriff’s office.

Bill and Brenda were the parents of two children, Tamara Lynn Sumner, born in 1966 and married John Perry Fourqurean, Jr.; and John Kevin Sumner, born in 1967 and married Amy Elizabeth Stagner.

Bill died on December 18, 2015 at the age of 75 in the Jennie Stuart Medical Center in Hopkinsville, Kentucky as a result of a farm accident.  He was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz.

 Bill's tombstone

 

Bill's military tombstone

LINEAGE: (Bill H. Sumner was the son of Bayliss Hugh and Ruby Helen Calhoun Sumner and the grandson of Thomas “Tommie” Darnell and Lula Bell Thomas Sumner.  Tommie 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.  Lula Bell Thomas was the fifth child of Chilton Allen and Martha Ann Duncan Thomas.  Chilton was the tenth child of Perry and Elizabeth Josephine Bridges Thomas.  Perry was the third child of James and Mary Standley

Bessie Sumner Redd -- Housewife

 

D.B. and Bessie Sumner Redd

 

D.B. Redd was born on June 22, 1902 in Trigg County, Kentucky, the fourth of nine children born to Walker Redd and Amelia Eudora Williams Redd.  Walker was a native of Trigg County and a prominent farmer and carpenter in the Donaldson Creek community.  Amelia was also born in Trigg County and died at the early age of 36. Following Amelia’s death, Walker married Etna Thomas, who was born on November 3, 1897 in Trigg County and was the daughter of Chilton Allen Thomas and Amanda Ellen Chewning Thomas. Walker and Etna had two daughters, who were half-sisters to D.B. They were Rebecca Ellen Redd, born in 1925 and married John Primm Adams and Geneva Ann “Jan” Redd, born in 1928 and married Charles Edison Ahart and then married Jockney Gerald Eichelberger.

D. B. grew up in the Donaldson Creek community and when entering young adulthood, he became a farmer. He also learned to be a carpenter from his father.  His father was known throughout Trigg and the nearby counties as excellent builder of barns.  The carpentry trade became D. B.’s main career.

On Sunday, May 6, 1923 D.B. married Bessie Marie Sumner in Stewart County, Tennessee.  Bessie was born on February 1, 1903 in Trigg County, the second of five children of Thomas “Tommie” Darnell Sumner and Lula Bell Thomas Sumner.  Tommie was a farmer in the Donaldson Creek community.  He was a native of Trigg County and a grandson of Drewry Bridges.  Lula was also a native of Trigg County and was a granddaughter of Perry Thomas. Bessie’s siblings were Beulah Sumner, born in 1900 and married Ted Thomas; James Preston Sumner, born in 1906 and married Lula Maude Thomas and then married Marie Eakers; Thomas Herbert Sumner, born in 1909 and married Edna Lucille Thomas; and Bayliss Hugh Sumner, born in 1914 and married Ruby Helen Calhoun.

After their marriage, D.B. and Bessie lived on his father’s farm in Trigg County except for two short periods when they moved to Akron, Ohio and to Benton, Kentucky.  In 1945, they moved to Canton, Kentucky which became their permanent home.  D.B. accepted a position with the Trigg County Board of Education where he worked for 28 years until his retirement.

D.B. and Bessie were the parents of five children.  They were Chappell Blane Redd, born in 1924 and married Anna Vernell Johnson; Jewell Grace Redd, born in 1928 and married John J. Bentley and then married Richard Haydon Miller; Freda Merle Redd, born in 1930 and married Frank Thomas McAtee; James Bernard Redd, born in 1935 and married Mary Lou Stillmaker; and Billy Randall Redd, born in 1937 and married Catherine Frances Rives.

Bessie died on January 14, 1997 at the age of 93 in the Jennie Stuart Medical Center in Hopkinsville, Kentucky and was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz.  D.B. died exactly one year later on January 14, 1998 at the age of 95 in the Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz.  He was buried in the East End Cemetery next to his wife.

D.B. tombstone

 Bessie tombstone

 

LINEAGE: (D.B. Redd was the husband of Bessie Marie Sumner.  Bessie was the daughter of Thomas “Tommie” Darnell and Lula Bell Thomas Sumner.  Tommie was the third child of James Edmond and Mary Louisa Bridges Sumer.  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. Lula Bell Thomas was the fifth child of Chilton Allen and Martha Ann Duncan Thomas.  Chilton was the tenth child of Perry and Elizabeth Josepine Bridges Thomas.  Perry was the third child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Eugene Lewis Sumner -- Farmer, Carpenter and Electrician

 

Eugene Lewis Sumner

Eugene Lewis Sumner was born on November 10, 1927 in the Oak Grove community of Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the youngest of five children born to Durwood Floyd Sumner and Lillie Jane Thomas Sumner.  Floyd was a farmer and Lillie was noted as an excellent seamstress. Both were natives of Trigg County.  Floyd was a descendant of Drewry Bridges and Lillie was a descendant of Starkie Thomas.

Gene’s siblings were Ernest Raymond Sumner, born in 1908 and married Mayme Piercy; Mary Louise Sumner, born in 1911 and married John Alex Thomas; Thomas Howell Sumner, born in 1917; and Nella Agnes Sumner, born in 1920, and married Louis P. Conner and later married Roy Edward Wilburn. 

Gene was born in the same house built in 1899 by his grandfather on the same site that his great-grandfather Starkie Thomas had built the original family home. He lived nearly his entire life, except for a five-year period, on the family farm. He was the fourth generation to live there and his children and grandchildren were the fifth and sixth generation to live on the same farm.  Gene spent his elementary school years at the one-room Oak Grove School and graduated from Trigg County High School in Cadiz in 1946.

Gene was inducted into the U.S. Army on November 2, 1950 and was sent to Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky where he was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division.  He was discharged from the army on March 5, 1951 after he was injured in an accident when jumping from an airplane during a parachute jump training exercise.

On May 25, 1951, Gene married Frieda Nell Bridges in Corinth. Mississippi.  They had traveled to Mississippi to get married as Mississippi had no waiting period and was a popular place for couples to get married.  Frieda was born on May 25, 1933 in Trigg County, the daughter of  Ira Clifton Bridges and Flo Templeton Bridges Bridges.  Ira worked primarily in construction of large river projects and Flo was a homemaker.  Both were natives of Trigg County.  Ira was a descendant of Drewry Bridges and Flo was a descendant of Cullen Bridges.

After they were married Gene worked on the farm and he and Frieda lived in a small house on his mother’s farm which had been built for his grandparents in the early 1920s.  Just after five years later they moved into the family house where Gene had been born.  Gene worked as a farmer, carpenter, plumber and was a self-taught electrician.  In 1952 he left the farm to work at Fort Campbell, Kentucky as a carpenter. He later returned to farming and then worked at Central Tool and Die and Phelps-Dodge Company in Hopkinsville. He subsequently worked in electrical maintenance at Reed Crushed Stone in Lake City, Kentucky.  Around 1974, he opened his own electrical business, Sumner’s Electric and in 1978 moved the business to Lake City and established it as Twin Lake Electric, Inc.

Gene and Frieda were the parents of three children, Elizabeth Janie Sumner, born in 1953 and married Dale Woodson Harper and later married Robert Lacy Wall; Ernest Lewis Sumner, born in 1956 and married Suzanne Rachael Kovary and later married Kathleen Futrell Haney; and Eugene Christopher Sumner, born in 1959 and married Danita Dawn Williams.

Gene died on January 8, 1985 at the age of 57 of cancer at the Jennie Stuart Medical Center in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.  He was buried in the Starkie Thomas Cemetery in Trigg County.  Frieda died on September 18, 2017 at the age of 84 at the Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, Kentucky.  She was buried in the Starkie Thomas Cemetery next to her husband.

 Gene Sumner

 

 

Frieda and Gene Sumner

 

Gene and Frieda tombstone

LINEAGE: (Eugene Lewis Sumner was the son of Durwood Floyd and Lille Jane Thomas Sumner and the grandson of Benjamin Miles and Henrietta Gabrella Bridges Sumner and Starkie Armstead and Inez Miller Thomas.  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.  Starkie Armstead was the tenth child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)