Nolan Earl Bruntzel -- Chiropractor

 

Nolan Earl Bruntzel

Nolan Earl Bruntzel was born on January 3, 1921 in Rozel, Kansas.  He was the third of four children of Harry August Bruntzel and Willa Jane Ricks Bruntzel. Harry was a farmer and was a native of Kansas.  His father was from Germany and his mother was from Russia. Willa Jane was a native of Missouri and her parents were both natives of Trigg County, Kentucky where she was a great grandchild of Perry Thomas.

Nolan’s siblings were Beulah Ferne Bruntzel, who was born in 1916 and married August Fromong; Lola Dorene Bruntzel who was born in 1917 and died in 1928 at the age of 10; and Harry Eldon Bruntzel, who was born in 1925 and married Wilma Jean Vratil.

Nolan grew up on the farm in Grant, Kansas and attended schools in Pawnee County, graduating from Larned High School.

On June 25, 1943, when Nolan was 22 years old the country was in the middle of World War II and he was inducted into the U. S. Army. After completion of his basic training, Nolan was assigned to the 87th Infantry Division, which was known as the “Golden Acorn”.  His unit sailed to Europe in October 1944, arriving in England on November 12, 1944. He landed in France at the end of November and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Nolan was discharged on March 30, 1946 and he returned to his home in Grant, Kansas.

Nolan then pursued a career as a chiropractor.  Upon completion of his education he moved to Pratt, Kansas where he served as a chiropractor for 50 years.

On February 6, 1974, Nolan married Lestal Mae Pulley Taylor.  Lestal was born on July 10, 1934 in Lake City, Arkansas, the daughter of Roy Glee and Della Henrietta Powers Pulley. Her father had been a farmer in Arkansas. Lestal owned and operated a ladies clothing store in Jonesboro, Arkansas when she married Nolan.   She left the clothing store to live in Pratt where she took over the daily operations of Doc Bruntzel’s chiropractic office. After his retirement, Nolan and Lestal returned to Jonesboro, Arkansas to live.  After Nolan’s death, Lestal returned to work in retail in the ladies clothing store industry.

Noland and Lestal were the parents of two daughters, Debbie Bruntzel who married Doug Cousins and Pamela Bruntzel who married Danny Goad.

Nolan died on October 25, 2000 at his home in Jonesboro at the age of 79.  He was buried in the Jonesboro Memorial Park Cemetery.  Lestal died on August 14, 2015 at her home in Jonesboro and she was also buried in the Jonesboro Memorial Park Cemetery.

 Lestal Bruntzel

Nolan and Lestal Bruntzel tombstone

Nolan's military tombstone

LINEAGE:  (Nolan Earl Bruntzel was the son of Harry August and Willa Jane Ricks Bruntzel and the grandson of Joel Columbus and Elizabeth Jane Futrell Ricks.  Elizabeth was the first child of William R. and Eliza Jane Thomas Futrell.  Eliza Jane was the ninth child of Perry and Elizabeth Josephine Bridges Thomas.  Perry was the third child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Frieda Bridges Sumner -- Homemaker and Family HIstorian

 

Frieda Nell Bridges Sumner

Frieda Nell Bridges was born on May 25, 1933 on Beechy Fork Creek in the Maple Grove community of Trigg County, Kentucky.  She was the youngest of four children born to Ira Clifton Bridges and Flo Templeton Bridges Bridges.  Ira was a farmer and a carpenter who had worked on the construction of several dams and bridges on the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers. He and Flo were both natives of Trigg County and were distant cousins.  Ira and Flo were both descendants of Drewry Bridges.

Frieda’s siblings were Morris Dale “M.D.” Bridges, born in 1918 and married Lora Dean Cunningham; Barbara Mae Bridges, born in 1920 and married William Eugene McBride; and Ira Clifton Bridges, Jr., born in 1923 and married Margaret Frances Church. 

Because her father worked in construction and traveled widely, Frieda lived in numerous locations during her early life.  She lived in Hamburg, Tennessee when very young but the family was back in Kentucky when she started school in the one-room Maple Grove School with her cousin, Hilda A. Bridges, being her first teacher. She then moved to Calvert City, Kentucky where she attended school for four years and then to Jefferson City, Tennessee for several years.  Finally, she was back in Trigg County where she graduated from Trigg County High School in 1951.

On May 25, 1951, on her 18th birthday, Frieda married Eugene Lewis Sumner in Corinth. Mississippi by a Baptist minister after obtaining their marriage license at the local courthouse.  Gene was born on November 10, 1927 in Trigg County, the son of Durwood Floyd Sumner and Lillie Jane Thomas Sumner.  Floyd was a farmer and Lillie Jane a homemaker.  Both were natives of Trigg County.  Floyd was a descendant of Drewry Bridges and Lillie Jane was a descendant of Starkie Thomas.

After they were married, Gene engaged in farming 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.  Frieda and Gene later became the owners of the Twin Lakes Electric Company in Lake City, Kentucky.  Frieda was a homemaker who was active in the Trigg County Homemakers Association.  She liked to sing at their state conventions and was a member for over 50 years. She was very interested in the family history and collected numerous photos and news articles about her family members.  She was also an active member of the Thomas-Bridges Association.

Frieda and Gene 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 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.

Frieda Bridges Sumner

 

Eugene Lewis Sumner

 

Frieda and Gene tombstone

LINEAGE: (Frieda Nell Bridges was the daughter of Ira Clifton and Flo Templeton Bridges Bridges, the granddaughter of Durwood Stanley and Jane “Jennie” Thomas Bridges and Mark Dale and Mallie Mae Lancaster Bridges and the great-granddaughter of Drewry and Peachie Ann Tart Bridges and Cullen Thomas and Virginia Thomas Bridges.  Drewry was the fourth child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  Cullen was the twelfth child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

Christopher Lake Stallons -- Victim of an Automobile Accident

 

Christopher Lake Stallons

Christopher Lake Stallons was born on February 23, 1972 in Murray, Kentucky. He was the second of two children born to Jerry Edward Stallons and Jane Carol Hendricks Stallons.  Jerry was a native of Trigg County, Kentucky and worked as an educator, a car salesman and a dealer of rare coins. Jane was a native of Trigg County, Kentucky and was a descendant of Drewry Bridges. Chris’ only sibling was a sister, Jerri Dawn Stallons, born in 1967 and married Scott Michael Turner.

Chris grew up in Trigg County and attended the Trigg County schools.  In the spring of 1989, Chris was a junior at Trigg County High School and he worked as a part-time employee at the Economy Cee Bee grocery store in Cadiz.

On the evening of Tuesday, April 4, 1989 at around 10:30 p.m., Chris was driving westbound on US 68 about a mile east of Gracey, Kentucky.  In the car with him was his friend, Jason Rogers, age 17, who lived in Cadiz.  Chris’ car entered a curve on the highway at a high rate of speed and went out of control.  The car veered onto the opposite shoulder of the road and then came back across the road and hit a concrete culvert.  Unfortunately, the teens were not wearing seat belts. Chris sustained multiple injuries from the accident and was pronounced dead at the scene, by the Christian County Coroner.  His passenger was only slightly injured and was treated at the Jennie Stuart Hospital in Hopkinsville.

Chris was 17 years old at the time of his death.  He was buried in the Little River Cemetery in Trigg County, Kentucky.

Chris Stallons tombstone

LINEAGE: (Christopher Lake Stallons was the son of Jerry Edward and Jane Carol Hendricks Stallons and the grandson of Elmo Ryner and Myrtle Rhea Bridges Hendricks.  Myrtle was the second child of Mount Vernon and Dannie Agnes Noel Bridges.  Mount was the fourth child of William Henry and Sarah Elizabeth Lancaster Bridges.  William Henry was the fourth 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.)

John Riley Fourshee -- HVAC Contractor who died a tragic death

 

John and Vicki Fourshee

John Riley Fourshee was born on April 23, 1951 in Trigg County, Kentucky, the second of three children born to Thomas Clay Fourshee and Geneva Nell Mize Fourshee.  His father was the owner of a building contractor and building supply store in Cadiz, Kentucky and was a native of Trigg County.  John’s siblings were Anthony Darrell Fourshee, born in 1948 and Paul Evans Fourshee, born in 1959.

John grew up in Trigg County and attended the local county schools, graduating from Trigg County High School in 1969, John was an electrician and managed the heating, ventilation and air conditioning installation and service division of Fourshee Building Supply, the family business owned and operated by John and his brothers.  In addition, John also raised cattle on a farm that he owned.

On June 18, 1971, John married Vicki Louise Mitchell.  Vickie was born on September 22, 1951 in Caldwell County, Kentucky, the daughter of Millard D. Mitchell and Nettie Mae Giannini Mitchell. Vicki graduated from Caldwell County High School in 1969 and worked as an instructional aide in the Trigg County School system. She also worked on the family farm, working the field as well as with record keeping. In 2014 she retired from her job as a kindergarten teacher’s assistant.  John and Vicki had three children, Edye Michelle Fourshee, born in 1974; Amy Jo Fourshee, born in 1979 and John Matt Fourshee, born in 1981.

John and Vicki liked to travel around the country together and especially liked to visit the national parks.  They enjoyed doing outdoor adventures such as hiking, canoeing and fishing and they were always in search of new adventures. In July of 2021, John and Vicki decided to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with a fishing trip to Idaho. 

On Saturday morning around 9 a.m. on July 10, 2021, John and Vicki were fly fishing on the Moyie River near the Twin Rivers Campground in Boundary County, Idaho. Both of them were wearing fishing waders.  They were attempting to cross the river when John slipped in the rapid currents and lost his balance. Vicki attempted to help him but both of them fell into the water.  According to the investigation, friends pulled them from the water and began performing lifesaving measures, but the couple did not respond.  A Boundary County Sheriff's deputy arrived on the scene and a Boundary Ambulance crew continued life-saving efforts when they arrived shortly after the deputy, but they were unable to save the couple.

John was 70 years old and Vicki was 69 years old at the time of their deaths. Their bodies were returned to Cadiz where they were both buried in the East End Cemetery.

John and Vicki

LINEAGE: (John Riley Fourshee was the son of Thomas Clay and Geneva Nell Mize Fourshee and the grandson of Riley Isaac and Edna Earl Carr Fourshee. Edna Earl was the second child of Meredith Clay and Eddie Adeline Bridges Carr. Eddie Adeline was the eleventh 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.)

Anthony John Peterle -- Zoology Professor

 

Anthony “Tony” John Peterle was born on July 25, 1925, in Cleveland, Ohio, the youngest child of Anton Peterle and Anna Kothic Peterle.  Anton and Anna were both natives of Yugoslavia. Tony’s siblings consisted of four older sisters. He and his sisters grew up in Cleveland and went to the local schools.

Following graduation from high school he joined the U.S. Army in 1943. It was the height of World War II and he saw action as a member of the 10th Mountain Division in Italy and Germany.  In 1944, he was wounded and captured by the Germans and became a prisoner of war.  His liberation came after the attacks by General Patton’s army in 1945.  He was awarded the Purple Heart as a result of his wounds.

After the war, Tony, who had an interest in zoology, enrolled at the Utah State University where he earned his B.S. degree in 1949.  He then went on to attend the University of Michigan for his graduate studies where he earned his M.S. degree in 1950 and his PhD in 1954.  Tony then received a Fulbright Scholarship for studies in Scotland.

Tony returned to the University of Michigan where he worked with the Game Division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.  He left that position to work at the Ohio State University with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  While at OSU, Tony was offered a job as a professor.  He taught wildlife toxicology to graduate student and went on to become chairman of the university’s zoology department.

Tony was the author of a book, Wildlife Toxicology, about the effects of toxic substances on ecological systems.  His research on pesticides and testimony before the U. S. Congress helped in the efforts to ban the use of DDT in the United States. His most cherished honor during his career was receiving the Aldo Leopold Memorial Medal, given to him by the Wildlife Society in 1990 for distinguished service to wildlife conservation. He retired from Ohio State University in 1989.  After retirement from the university, metal sculpting became Tony’s favorite pastime. His works were featured at area arts festivals and events.

While in the second grade Tony met Thelma Josephine Coleman whom he courted for the rest of his life. They were married in 1949. Together they would raise a family and travel the world, sharing a life of love and learning.  Thelma was born on May 28, 1926 in Cleveland, Ohio and was the daughter of Albert Milton Coleman and Ethel Garlock Hodson Coleman.  Albert was a native of Graves County, Kentucky and a descendant of Perry Thomas.  Ethel was a native of England.

Tony and Thelma were the parents of two children, one daughter and one son.  Ann Peterle was born in 1956 and married James Leslie Brooks.  Tony Scott Peterle was born in 1959 and married Kelly Colleen Sutton.

Tony died on November 15, 2011 at the age of 86 in the Grady Memorial Hospital in Delaware, Ohio.  He was buried in the Oak Grove Cemetery in Delaware, Ohio.  His wife, Thelma, died on November 18, 2007 at the age of 81 in the Riverside Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.  She was also buried in the Oak Grove Cemetery.

LINEAGE: (Anthony John Peterle was the husband of Thelma Josephine Coleman.  Thelma was the daughter of Albert Milton and Ethel Garlock Hodson Coleman and the granddaughter of Bluford Boyd and Frances Carman Coleman.  Bluford was the son of Albert Thomas and Rhoda Josephine Lancaster Coleman.  Albert was the third child of Alfred Boyd and Alpha Thomas Coleman.  Alpha was the second child of Perry and Elizabeth Josephine Bridges Thomas.  Perry was the third child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

James Madison Coleman -- Victim of Typhoid Fever

 

 

 

James Madison Coleman was born on April 30, 1858 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was one of seven children born to Alfred Boyd Coleman and Alpha Thomas Coleman.  Both Alfred Boyd and Alpha were natives of Trigg County and Alfred Boyd was a farmer.  Alpha was a daughter of Perry Thomas and was the oldest woman in Trigg County when she died in 1917.

James’ siblings were Mary Alpha Coleman, born in 1845 and married William F. Kennedy; Martha Jane Coleman, born in 1847 and married John Wylie Adams; Albert Thomas Coleman, born in 1850 and married Rhoda Josephine Lancaster; Peachie Ann Coleman, born in 1853 and married James Edwin Lancaster; Felix Grundy Coleman, born in 1855 and married Martha Jane Noel and William Stanley Coleman, born in 1861 and married Eliza Helen Davis and Martha Jane Edwards.

James’ parents owned a farm in the Canton community of Trigg County and James grew up working as a farm laborer on his father’s farm.

On November 10, 1881, at the age of 23, James married Susan Fannie Harris.  Fannie was born on April 27, 1861 and was a native of Trigg County.  Her parents were James Harris from Tennessee and Lurana Ariel Cromwell Harris from Christian County, Kentucky. James and Fannie had seven children:  Cora Agnes Coleman, born in 1882 and married Otis Lee Edwards; Ira M. Coleman, born in 1883 and died at the age of 10; Myrtes Coleman, born in 1885; Lois Alma Coleman, born in 1886 and died at the age of nine months; Forrest Coleman, born in 1888 and married Elaine Cunningham; Beulah Coleman, born in 1890 and Elmer Homer Coleman, born in 1892 and married Marguerite Atwood.

James and Fannie lived with their family in the Canton community until 1891 when he moved his family to a farm in Graves County, Kentucky.  

In Early September of 1893, the Coleman household in Graves County was invaded by the dreaded scourge of the time, typhoid fever.  The disease attacked one after another of the family. Fannie and four out of six children were stricken down with the disease.  For two months, James attended his wife and children as they suffered from the disease. On November 5, Fannie died.  Just before Fannie died, James also came down with the fever.  Ten days after her death, James started back on a journey to his father's home in Canton.  The journey was a terrible ordeal for one in his condition, and after he reached his old home, he grew rapidly worse and after great suffering, he died on November 26, 1893 at the home of his father. James' parents had raised a large family of children to adulthood and James was the first one of them to die.  On November 28, James and Fannie's ten-year-old son, Ira, also died from the fever.

James had died at the age of 35 and was buried in the Coleman-Allen Cemetery in Trigg County, Kentucky.  Fannie had died at the age of 32 and was buried in the Dale Cemetery in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Fannie Harris Coleman tombstone

 Front row, third person from left is Alpha Thomas Coleman, mother of James Madison Coleman

LINEAGE: (James Madison Coleman was the son of Alfred Boyd and Alpha Thomas Coleman.  Alpha was the second child of Perry and Elizabeth Josephine Bridges Thomas.  Perry was the third child of James and Mary Standley Thomas)

John Lawrence Sumner -- Farmer and Carpenter

 

John Lawrence Sumner was born on September 28, 1921 in Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the seventh of nine children born to John Calvin Sumner and Lucy Ethel Lawrence Sumner.  John Calvin was a native of Trigg County, Kentucky and worked as a farmer. Lucy was also a native of Trigg County and worked as a homemaker.  John Calvin was a descendant of both Drewry Bridges and Starkie Thomas. 

Lawrence’s siblings were William Odell Sumner, born in 1907 and married Julia Ruby Cameron; Lacy Calvin Sumner, born in 1909 and married Lorena Farmer and second wife, Mary Bryant; James Woodson Sumner, born in 1911 and married Myra Lorraine Thomas; Martha Alberta Sumner, born in 1915 and married George Lewis Gothard; George Robert Sumner, born in 1917 and married Dorothy Mae White; Mary Henrietta Sumner, born in 1919 and married John Thomas Bridges; Myra Dean Sumner, born in 1924 and married Mosco Doris Bridges; Sarah Frances Sumner, born in 1926 and married Forrest Lanston Matthews, then second husband, John Franklin Phillips and third husband, Clarence Noble P’Pool,  and Perry Cullen Sumner, born in 1927 and married Lorena Farmer.

Lawrence grew up in rural Trigg County in the Donaldson Creek community and attended the one-room Oak Grove and Donaldson Creek schools. He was raised on his father’s farm and thus worked as a farmer himself for many years.  In the late 1940s, Lawrence began his main career when he worked as a carpenter.  He became well-known as a construction carpenter in the Trigg County area.

Lawrence was a member of the Cadiz Masonic Lodge and the Thomas-Bridges Association where he had served as President and on the Board of Directors.

On December 20, 1941, Lawrence married Belva Marie Compton in Charleston, Missouri.  Marie was born May 20, 1925 in Trigg County and was the daughter of John William Compton and Ollie Dixon Compton, both natives of Trigg County.  Marie, like her husband, grew up in the Donaldson Creek community and attended the same one-room schools that he did. Marie worked as a homemaker until her son graduated from high school and she then worked as a seamstress at the Elk Brand Manufacturing Company in Cadiz.

Lawrence and Marie were the parents of one son, Lawrence Gaylon Sumner, who was born in 1947 and married Donna Jean P’Pool.

Lawrence died on September 23, 2001 at the St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. He was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz, Kentucky.  Marie died on October 13, 2007 at the Hilltop Nursing Home in Kuttawa, Kentucky.  She was buried in the East End Cemetery next to her husband.

Lawrence and Marie Sumner

Lawrence Sumner tombstone

LINEAGE: (John Lawrence Sumner was the son of John Calvin and Lucy Ethel Lawrence Sumner and the grandson of Benjamin Miles and Henrietta Gabrella Bridges Sumner and James H. and Lucy Thomas Lawrence.  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.  Lucy Thomas Lawrence was the eighth 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.)