Maynard Williams -- World War I Veteran and Best Friend

 

 

Maynard Williams was born on May 20, 1895 in Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the second of seven children born to Robert Henry Williams and Lucy Agnes Adams Williams. Robert and Lucy were both natives of Trigg County, Kentucky where Robert was a farmer.  Lucy was a homemaker and was a descendant of Perry Thomas.  Maynard’s siblings were Johnnie Rhea Williams, born in 1893 and married Robert Rutherford Hinson; Beulah Pearl Williams, born in 1896 and married Thomas Dudley Ford; Clarence Leslie Williams, born in 1899 and married Lizzie Mae Mize; Maggie Grace Williams, born in 1901 and married Samuel David Downs; Mallie Helen Williams, a twin to Maggie born in 1901 and married William Terry Fowler; and Joe Bailey Williams, born in 1904 and married Nellie Pieper.

Maynard grew up in an area between Linton, Kentucky and the Boyd’s Hill Church community which was known as Williams Hollow, because so many Williams families resided there.  He attended the Graham School where he was an avid baseball player and was known for his softball pitching ability. .  But a baseball career was not to be in his future.

On February 25, 1918, Maynard entered the U.S. Army near the end of World War I and departed for Europe on July 9, 1918. He served in Germany in Company E, 1st Pioneer Infantry. Also serving in the same regiment was his friend and cousin, James Garnett Thomas, who had joined the Army the same time as Maynard. James was killed in action and buried in Germany. Maynard attended his funeral in Germany and also later when his body was returned to Trigg County. When Maynard was discharged from the Army on July 24, 1919, he had been promoted to the rank of Corporal.

Maynard married Kitty Dorothy Mize on November 10, 1919.  Kitty was born on July 31, 1900 in Trigg County and was the daughter of Robert Bailey Mize and Kennie Cunningham Mize, both natives of Trigg County where Robert was a farmer.

Maynard became a farmer and he and Dorothy resided in the Williams Hollow where Maynard lived for more than 50 years. He continued to farm until 1952 when he and Dorothy moved to the Pete Light Spring community. He then became a school bus driver for the Trigg County School system. After several years of driving the school bus, Maynard’s health began to fail and they moved to a home on the South Road of Trigg County where he lived at the time of his death.

Maynard and Dorothy were the parents of seven children, Geneva Wiliams, born in 1921 and died at the age of two; Garnett Wade Williams, born in 1923 and named after his WWI friend, and married Margaret Ann Thomas; Eulala Williams, born in 1925 and married Julian Clyde Sumner, Jr.; Irma Maxine Williams, born in 1927 and married Howard Blane Ford; Carl Bernard Williams, born in 1929; Norma Jean Williams, born in 1933 and died at the age of two; and Glenda Joyce Williams, born in 1936 and married Horace D. Grant and later married James Louis Hancock and Jerry Pepper.

Maynard died on May 11, 1975 at the age of 79 at the Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz.  He was buried in the Fuller Cemetery in Trigg County. Dorothy died just a little over two months later on July 23, 1975 at the age of 74 at her home on the South Road.  She was buried in the Fuller Cemetery next to her husband.

 

LINEAGE:  (Maynard Williams was the son of Robert Henry and Lucy Agnes Adams Williams, the grandson of John Wylie and Martha Jane Coleman Adams and the great-grandson of Alfred Boyd and Alpha Thomas Coleman.  Alpha was the second child of Perry and Elizabeth Bridges Thomas.  Perry was the third child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Loretta Jones Lay -- Professional Baker

 

 

 

Loretta J. Lay was born on July 20, 1931 in Weldon, Arkansas, the daughter of George William and Thelma Elizabeth Roberts Jones. She was raised on the family farm in Tupelo, Arkansas helping care for the farm animals and the flower and vegetable gardens.  After her parents divorced, she lived with her mother and stepfather, Jack Tarwater, in Augusta and then Newport, Arkansas.  She helped her family sharecrop on cotton farms in Arkansas. Loretta attended schools in Tupelo, Augusta and Newport, finishing the tenth grade at Newport High School in 1948. In 1967 and 1968 she attended the Norwalk - LaMirada Adult Education School and the Bellflower Evening High School, both in California, graduating on June 6, 1968.

As a teenager, Loretta was a bobby-soxer and loved to go to the roller rink and roller skate with family, co-workers and friends. She loved her cats and dogs. She always had one, two, four or six animals all together. Later in life, Loretta became an avid bowler, often bowling on three or four leagues a week. She traveled all over the United States, bowling in city, state and national tournaments. She bowled for over 30 years

In 1949 she began her professional career as a baker, first working for the Sunshine Biscuit Company which at the time was an independent baker of cookies, crackers and cereals in Illinois and was later purchased by the Keebler Company. She later worked for the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) and the Union Bakery in St. Louis, Missouri. After moving to California in 1955, she worked for several baking companies including Pacific Cracker, Hostess Cake, Peerless Baking, Rose Royal Cheese, and then worked for Oroweat Bakery Company through 1982. In 1982 she went to work for Winchell's Donut House in Escondido, California and after several years, helped open and then managed her own Winchell Donut House in Poway, California. She retired from Winchell's in 1996. But retirement from baking was not what she wanted so she returned to her baking career by working at two other independent donut stores, finally retiring from work in 2003. . Loretta was a proud member of the Bakery, Confectionery, and Tobacco Workers International Union.

Loretta married Leo Edward William Fogerty on August 22, 1949 in St. Louis, Missouri and they had two children, Charlotte Ann and Leo Edward Jr. The couple later divorced and on May 14, 1955, she married Lawrenzo Edward Lay in St. Louis, Missouri.  They also had two children, Gregory Allan and Charles Richard. In 1955, the family moved to Bell Gardens, California and finally settled in San Diego, California. After Lawrenzo’s death, she moved to Strawberry Point, Iowa to be near her son.

Loretta J. Lay died in Manchester, Iowa on Tuesday morning, Nov. 4, 2008 at the age of 77.   She was buried along with her second husband, Lawrenzo Lay, in the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery at Point Loma, San Diego, California.

 

Loretta J. Lay's monument in the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, California

LINEAGE:

(Loretta Jones Lay was the daughter of George William and Thelma Elizabeth Roberts Jones, the granddaughter of George and Jennie Aurora Bridges and the great-granddaughter of John William “Buck” and Nancy Adeline Pugh Bridges.  John William was the fourth child of Orren Dates and Mary Elizabeth Hixon Bridges.  Orren Dates was the first 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.)

Homer Clay Randolph -- World War I Veteran and "Mr. Music" of Trigg County

 

Homer Clay Randolph was born in Trigg County, Kentucky on July 31, 1895.  He was the son of Robert Alexander Randolph and Cornelia “Nellie” Johnson, residents of Trigg County, Kentucky.

On October 2, 1917, Homer was inducted into the U.S. Army to serve in World War I.  He was assigned to Camp Zachary Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, one of sixteen national army training camps created during World War I.  He was assigned to the 325the Field Artillery and because of his musical talent, his rank was that of Musician, third class and he was attached to the Headquarters Company.

Homer was shipped to France and was assigned to the Army Band where he played the second trumpet.  He became close friends with the soldier who was assigned as first trumpet, a man whose name was Maurice and was French.  Maurice was an accomplished musician and helped Homer who had no formal musical training, but had a special talent of hearing a tune one time and was able to play in straight through.  So with the help of Maurice and his natural talent, Homer was able to play all the army music and all the marches.  When Homer’s first son was born in 1923, he named him Earl Maurice in honor of his good friend.

After the war ended, Homer was shipped back to the United States on February 2, 1919 from Pauillac, France sailing on the ship, “Antigone” He was sent back to Camp Zachary Taylor where on March 3, 1919, he was discharged from the Army.  Homer returned to Trigg County and farmed. Later, he also worked in the oil fields of Louisiana and with the Illinois Central Railroad in Paducah, Kentucky and the shipyards in Evansville, Indiana.

During these years, he continued to play music, having his own band.  He had lots of community entertainment events winning many accolades for his performances.  He won many prizes at the old Fiddler’s contests.  At one time he was known as “Mr. Music” of Trigg County.  His musical talents were passed down to his children, as he was the father of well known and celebrated musician, “Boots” Randolph.

Prior to his induction into the military, Homer married Bessie Mae Skaggs from the Donaldson Creek community in Trigg County on April 1, 1916.  They were the parents of four children, Dorothy, Earl Maurice, Robert and Homer Louis “Boots”.

Homer died in Nashville, Tennessee on May 2, 1965 at the age of 69 and was buried in the Peyton Thomas Cemetery in Trigg County, Kentucky.  His wife, Bessie died at the age of 71 on August 25, 1968 and was also buried in the Peyton Thomas Cemetery.

Marriage Announcement for Homer Clay and Bessie May Skaggs

The Paducah Sun Democrat, April 3, 1916
 

LINEAGE:  (Home Clay Randolph was the husband of Bessie Mae Skaggs.  Bessie was the daughter of James Monroe and Enola Clemantine Thomas Skaggs, granddaughter of Albert Dillard and Mary Jonathan Vinson Thomas and the great-granddaughter of Peyton and Sarah Ethridge Thomas.  Peyton was the third child of Cullen and Elizabeth Futrell Thomas.  Cullen was the first child of James Thomas and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Delia Bridges Kilcrease -- Journalist

 

 

Delia Jean Bridges Kilcrease was born on January 4, 1930 in Coweta, Oklahoma, the daughter of Perry Granville and Alta Mae Claxton Bridges.  She was raised in La Mesa, New Mexico, where her parents operated a small business known as the Davis Grocery.  She graduated from Valley High School in Anthony, New Mexico. in 1947 and attended New Mexico State University College of Business in Las Cruces, New Mexico. 

 Della Kilcrease was a former newspaper lifestyles editor and New Mexico State University publications writer.  "As a journalist, she had way of getting wonderful, interesting features out of everyone", said Rita Popp, an NMSU publications writer and former Las Cruces Sun-News lifestyle reporter.  "She was always fascinated with her subjects and had the ability to get people to open up.  She seemed to know everybody in the Mesilla Valley."   Kilcrease worked a reporter and lifestyles editor at the Las Cruces Sun-News from 1972 to 1986.  She then began work as a writer at the NMSU Centennial office until the office closed in December, 1988. "She was really dedicated to the job, and always had a sunny disposition," said Louise Nusbaum, Kilcrease's lifestyles editor and longtime friend. 

Kilcrease won the New Mexico Press Women's Woman of Achievement Award in 1984.  She also won the national Vista award for food writing in 1982.  During her 14 years at the Sun-News, she won numerous other newspaper awards.  She was co-founder of the Las Cruces Head Injury Support Group.  Opal Lee Priestly, former owner of the Sun-News and writer-historian, said Kilcrease was well known in the area because of the many people she encountered as a reporter.  "Della was the kind of writer that wrote an obituary that people would clip out and keep in their wallets because it was written so well," Priestly said.  

On May 10, 1946, Delia married James Glenn Kilcrease, who was born in Nocona, Texas and grew up in El Paso, Texas.  The couple settled in Las Cruces, New Mexico and were the parents of three sons and two daughters, Harold, James, Robert, Karen and Sherri.

Delia died on Tuesday, November 28, 1989 of cancer at the age of 59 at Memorial General Hospital in Las Cruces.  She was buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Las Cruces.  Her husband, James died in 2019 and was also buried in the Masonic Cemetery.

 

Tombstone for Delia and James Kilcrease in the Masonic Cemetery in Las Cruces, NM

LINEAGE:

(Delia Jean Bridges Kilcrease was the daughter of Perry Granville and Alta May Claxton Bridges and the granddaughter of John William “Buck and Nancy Adeline Pugh Bridges.  John William was the fourth child of Orren Dates and Mary Elizabeth Hixon Bridges.  Orren Dates was the first 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.)

John Thomas -- (Not a Leaf, but a Root of the Family Tree) Early Virginia Settler and a survivor of the "Sea Venture"

 

The "Sea Venture"

John Thomas, who was born about 1585 in Carmarthenshire, Wales was the first of our Thomas family to land in America.  He arrived in Jamestown, Virginia on May 24, 1610. He later lived near Williamsburg, Virginia, on the north side of Queen's Creek in the County of Yorke, raising his sons with his wife Dorothy Cymru.  

John Thomas sailed from England in 1609 aboard the Sea Venture with Sir Thomas Gates, Sir George Somers, Admiral of the Fleet, and Samuel Jordan. His passage on the ship was paid by St. Samuel Sharpe, who was also aboard the ship.  No doubt John had to work off this passage obligation before acquiring land of his own.

The Sea Venture sailed from Plymouth, England, on June 2, 1909. It was the flagship of a fleet of seven vessels and two small ships, a fleet called the "Third Supply" by the Virginia Company. On July 24, about eight days from Virginia, the fleet encountered a hurricane.  In his book on the family Edison H. Thomas quotes an account of the journey written by William Strachey, secretary-elect of the new Virginia colony.

      "A dreadful storme and hideous began to blow from out of the north-east, which swelling, and roaring as it were by fits, some houres with more violence than others, at length did bete all light from heaven, which like an hell of darkenesse turned blacke upon us, so much the more fuller of horror ... Waters like whole rivers did flood in the ayre..."

 Strachey sent a copy of his journal back to England to his friend William Shakespeare, who wrote a play titled The Tempest, using much of the journal in the play's dialogue.

The Sea Venture floundered off the coast of the Isle of Bermuda, washing ashore there three days later.  One Hundred fifty people, and one dog, landed safely ashore. The survivors were stranded on Bermuda for approximately nine months. However, nothing daunted the victims of this disaster who rallied and built two small ships capable of withstanding the rough seas, which they named Deliverance and Patience, and on May 24, 1610 they came sailing up the James River to the headquarters of the new colony with all safe on board, save Lt. Edward Watters and one other, who had elected to remain in the Bermudas to which they had taken a fancy. Another member of this fateful journey was John Rolfe who later would marry the Indian princess Pocahontas.

On reaching Jamestown, the survivors of the Sea Venture discovered that there were only 60 survivors of the 500 or so who had preceded them. Many of these were dying, and Jamestown was quickly judged to be nonviable. Everyone then boarded the Deliverance and the Patience, and set sail for England. But the timely arrival of another relief fleet, granted Jamestown a reprieve. All the settlers were relanded at the colony, but there was still a critical shortage of food. 

Overall, the food and supplies brought by the Third Supply were not adequate. 80% of the colonists would die during the Starving Time of 1610. Afterwards, survivors at Jamestown again boarded the Deliverance and Patience and were sailing downstream to the ocean when they met yet another resupply fleet which was led by Lord Delaware.

This new governor brought additional colonists, a doctor, food, and much-needed supplies. He also was of a strong determination that Jamestown and the colony were not to be abandoned. He turned the departing ships around and brought the entire group back to Jamestown. This was certainly not a popular decision at the time with at least some of the group, but Lord Delaware was to prove a new kind of leader for Virginia. 

John Thomas was among these determined settlers and as an indentured servant he had to work to pay off his benefactor for the cost of his transportation to the new world.  He agreed to work without salary for the lender for a specific number of years.  Records indicate that John and eight others whose fares had been paid by Mr. Sharpe remained with for a time to help stake out his claim for land.  One land patent issued in 1637 mentions property "upon the Baye S. into the woods & W. upon land of John Thomas... “indicates that he was living on his own land at that time.

 An excellent book on  the last voyage of the Sea Ventures and what happened to its passengers.

LINEAGE:

(John Thomas (born abt 1585) was the father of John Thomas, Jr, (born abt 1611). John, Jr, was the father of Richard Thomas (born abt 1629).  Richard was the father of John Thomas (born abt 1648).  John was the father of Joseph Thomas (born abt 1680).  Joseph was the father of James Thomas (born 1714).  James was the father of James Thomas (born 1762) who settled in Trigg County, Kentucky.  In other words, the John Thomas in this article was the great-great-great-great-great-grandfather of James Thomas of Trigg County.)

William Bridges, Jr. -- Civil War Soldier

 

William Bridges, Jr. was born on October 3, 1834, in the Maple Grove Community of Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the seventh child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges and was their only child who grew to adulthood, but did not have a family.

William's grandfather was Drury Bridges, who with his wife, Charity had come to Kentucky from Edgecombe County, North Carolina in 1804. His life prior to the Civil War was spent in the Maple Grove community helping his father on his farm. He was single.

William enlisted in the Confederate Army on July 1, 1861 at the age of 24, at Canton, Kentucky, along with 73 other men from Trigg County. The group marched to Camp Burnett, near Clarksville, Tennessee, where, on Nov. 14, 1861 he was inducted into Confederate service for a period of three years. The group was transferred to Bowling Green, Kentucky in December 1861, and assigned to Company G., Fourth Regiment, Kentucky Infantry.  The Kentucky Infantry was later known as the “Orphan Brigade”.

The Confederate army abandoned Bowling Green in February 1862 and with the Kentucky Brigade, headed for Nashville. They encamped at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and in March were ordered to Corinth, Mississippi, via Huntsville and Decatur, Ala. On April 6-7, 1862, they participated in the Battle of Shiloh.

Thompson's 1868 history of the Kentucky Brigade states that William participated in the Battle of Shiloh, and Vicksburg, but it is assumed that shortly after Shiloh he was hospitalized with malaria. The Confederacy had taken over a resort hotel at Castillian Springs, near Durant, Miss., some 200 miles southwest of Corinth and after the Battle of Shiloh, the ailing and injured soldiers were shipped there by train. Some of the men died while still aboard the train and were buried at Durant. William and others in the Brigade died at the hotel that had been turned-into a hospital.

William's record, listed in the History of the Kentucky Brigade, says simply:
"Fought at Shiloh and Vicksburg, died of disease at Castillian Springs, Miss., Sept. 10, 1862."
Ordinarily, this death date would be accepted as accurate, especially since it is listed as such in Thompson's Brigade History. However, in Company G, along with William Bridges, was his cousin, Alfred C. Thomas, who in May 1862 wrote the following letter to Cullen T. Bridges, brother of William:

May 4, 1862
Corinth, Miss.
Mr. Cullen Bridges:

I take my pensil in hand to inform you that I am well at this time. I hope that when you get these few lines that they will fine you all in joying the same health. I received your letter. I find you all well.
I think that all is well that is alive. William Bridges is ded, he died in Castilian Springs & he was very sick the last time I sean him. I thought then he would die. And Bob Cohoon [another Trigg Countian in Co. G] he is ded. He died in town at Adlanter [Atlanta], Georgia. I and Bill Harrell was with him when he died. I have no more time to write.

Yours truly,
A. C. Thomas

The above letter, written by an eye-witness, so to speak, places William's death prior to May 4, 1862, the date he wrote it. April 22, 1862 has been accepted by the family as the date of death. Malaria is listed as the cause.

William is buried along with a number of his Orphan Brigade comrades, in an unmarked grave in Westley Church Cemetery in Castillian Springs, Mississippi. In 1989, a commemorative marker supplied by the Federal government, was placed there in his memory through efforts of members of the Thomas and Bridges families.

 

LINEAGE:

(William Bridges, Jr. was the son of William and Mary Thomas Bridges. William, Sr. was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges. Mary Thomas was the fifth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Howell Moore "Billy" Thomas -- Civil Engineer, Coal Mine Operator and Governmental Advisor

 

Howell Moore Thomas was born on February 10, 1906 on a farm operated by his parents in Trigg County, Kentucky.  His father was a successful farmer and his mother was a school teacher.  He acquired his nickname "Billy" when he was still a baby.  His older brother Howard liked to nickname all his brothers and sisters and gave his younger brother the nickname of "Hillbilly" but the name was later shortened to "Billy" by the time he attended grade school. He graduated from the old Cadiz High School in 1926,

Following graduation from high school, Billy became a civil engineer with the state of Kentucky engineering department.  His surveying and engineering skills were taught to him by his older brother.  Billy was an engineer with the Kentucky Highway Department for sixteen years.  The last four years was as a design engineer preparing plans and cost estimates for highway construction.  During World War II, he was an engineer with the United States Corps of Engineers where he was responsible for the design of new airports.  The Bowling Green Kentucky airport was one of him many projects.

On August 6, 1932, Billy married Opal Charles whom he had met while working in the Pikeville, Kentucky area with the Kentucky State Highway Department. Opal, a school teacher, was born on May 2, 1911.

Billy started a second career on August 15, 1945 when he moved to Grundy, Virginia and became an independent coal operator owner.  His civil engineering background and inquisitive nature was instrumental in finding coal deposits on properties.  His company, the Old Virginia Coal Corporation was very successful.  Billy bought a railroad loading dock in Grundy, Virginia for exporting coal.  This business was quite successful during the energy crisis of the 1970s.

Billy also had a third career in politics and served in several governmental capacities.  He served in Virginia's Buchanan County Democratic Party for over seven years and was elected as a National Democratic Delegate from the Ninth Congressional District in which he attended the Presidential Nominating Convention in New York City in July, 1976 and helped nominate Jimmy Carter for president.  Billy and his wife attended a reception for Pope John Paul in 1979 at the invitation of President Carter.  President Carter also asked Billy to serve on conferences to discuss foreign and domestic affairs with Carter's senior advisors.  In 1985, the Governor of Virginia appointed Billy to serve as a member of the Virginia College Building Authority.

Billy never forgot his Kentucky and Trigg County roots.  He was a great horse racing fan and would attend horse races during the racing season in Kentucky. He would always attend the Kentucky Derby in May of each year. He and his wife would travel to Trigg County each year to attend his high school reunions and the Thomas-Bridges Family reunions.

Billy died at the age of 89 on Sunday, April 16, 1995 in Grundy, Virginia, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.  He and his wife are buried in the Mountain Valley Memorial Park in Big Rock, Virginia.

Burial Site for Howell Moore "Billy" Thomas at the Bethel Cemetery

LINEAGE:

(Howell Moore “Billy” Thomas was the son of John Quincy and Catherine Bruff Thomas and the grandson of Allison W. and Catherine Elizabeth Carloss Thomas.  Allison was the third child 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.)