J.C. Sloan (1913-1997)

Jay C. Sloan, grandson of Fernly Alexander and Mary Thornton Sloan, was born on January 17, 1913 in Simpson County, Kentucky, to Ben and Nannie Meador Sloan.  He married twice: first, to Eva Lois Roberts, daughter of John and Ella Stewart Roberts, and, secondly, to Eloise Shepherd.  J.C. died on October 24, 1997, in Avon Park, Florida.

Eva was born in 1914 in Simpson County, KY, and died in 1976.  J.C. and Eva had four children: Lloyd Dean (b. 1935), Barbara Elaine (b. 1937), Juandeline (b. 1939), and Eva Jean (b. 1940).

J.C. owned the Gulf Gas Station, Main Street, Franklin, Kentucky.

Frances Calvert Cline Thornton (1879 - 1950)

Frances Calvert, daughter of Samuel Burge and Martha Dowell Calvert, was born July 15, 1879.  She married James K. Cline in 1901.  After James's death in 1926, in the early 1930s, she married Thomas Benton Thornton, son of Robert Benton and Elizabeth Smith Thornton.  He had returned to Kentucky from Indiana, after the death of his wife Jeannette.  Thomas was born on December 15, 1862, and died on April 8, 1943.  Frances died on November 1, 1950.  Thomas and Fannie lived in New Roe, Allen County, Kentucky.

Fannie is pictured above with her first husband, James.

2014 Thornton Family Reunion

From as far away as Oregon and Florida, family members gathered at White's Chapel, just south of Plano, Kentucky, to interact with Jesse Benton and Susie Cooper Thornton descendants and their families. This Labor Day weekend tradition has persisted for four decades.  The last member of the first generation of Thornton children, Winnie Carene Thornton Copas, passed away on January 2, 2014.

Danijela Lewis and daughter Evelina are entertained by grandfather, Bill Lewis, husband of Diane Thornton Lewis.

Danny White, son of Evelyn Daniel White and grandson of Eva Thornton, with sons.

Bill, Damon, Carter, and Jansen Lewis (husband, son, and grandchildren of Diane Thornton Lewis)

White's Chapel, which has frequently hosted Thornton Family Reunions over the last 40 years.

Bill Lewis and Kitty Baker Sparks, widow of Jesse Willard Thornton.

Tom Reagan, son of Pauline Thornton, chatting with Kitty Baker Sparks.

Obituary: Carene Thornton Copas

Last child of Jesse Benton and Susie Cooper Thornton passes away:

Carene Copas, 84, of Bowling Green, died Jan. 2, 2014, at her residence. 

She was a member of Old Union Missionary Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her husband of 66 years, Cloyd Copas, as well as four brothers and five sisters. She is survived by two sons, Allan Copas and Rodney (Debbie) Copas; two sisters-in-law, Helen Thornton and Elizabeth Moore of Burbank, Calif.; five grandchildren, Bryant (Kim), Chad, Lorri (Duke), Cori (Chris) and Jessica (Patrick); six great-grandchildren, Lauren (Anthony),  Michael, Wyatt, Dalton, Logan and Abigail; a great-great-granddaughter, Addyson; four stepgrandchildren; several nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews and a host of friends.

Funeral services will be conducted Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the J.C. Kirby & Son Broadway Chapel, with burial in the Old Union Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery. Visitation will be from noon until 8 p.m. Saturday, and from noon until service time Sunday at the funeral home.

John Wilson Thornton Passes Away

Last surviving son of William Virgil Thornton:

Mr. John Wilson Thornton, age 84 of Franklin, died Thursday, October 20^th, at his residence. Crafton Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. A graveside service will be held Sunday at 2pm at the Woodburn Cemetery where military honors will be conducted by the Simpson County Honor Guard. A native of Simpson County, he was the son of the late William Virgil Thornton and Bertha Dobbs Thornton. He retired after 37 years working for the Lenk Company. He served in the Army in the chemical warfare division during the Korean War and was a lifetime member of the American Legion Post 62. He was preceded in death by his wife – Margaret Dallas Thornton. Survivors include 3 sons – John Anthony Thornton, Thomas Wilson Thornton and Bobby Joe Thornton all of Franklin; a daughter – Marsha Thornton of Bowling Green; 5 grandchildren – Amanda Gomez of Nashville, TN, Samantha Rachel Thornton of Portland, TN, Dustin Hunter Thornton of Morgantown, KY, John Michael Thornton and Katherine Haley Thornton both of Franklin and 3 great grandchildren – Tyler Wade Perry and Jacob David Gomez both of Nashville and Emma Jo Thornton of Portland. There will be no visitation.

Thornton Careers: Singer based in Hong Kong

In this advertisement for a performance at the Skylark Lounge, Hong Kong, we have four Americans who have performed throughout Asia as members of Metro.  One of the members is Kevin Lyle Thornton (far left), son of Jimmy L. and Rebecca  Thornton of Franklin, KY.  Jimmy is the son of John W. Thornton, a brother of Jesse Benton.  Kevin earned a music education degree from Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY.

Metro recently performed at the Miss Hong Kong Pageant and have been signed by Sony Music.  Aside from Kevin, the other members are Sean Oliver, Eric Monson, and Michael Lance.

Roy Neal Thornton

Roy Neal Thornton was born February 25, 1919, in Warren County, KY, to Jesse Benton and Susie Cooper Thornton. In 1939 he married Helen Louise Freas; they had four children: Sandra Neal (1941), Anthony Wilson (1945), Donna Louise (1948), and Terry Leslie (1950). Roy died November 2, 1994, in Warren County, KY.























Roy on the farm, which was located in the southeastern section of Warren County, near Boyce, KY.






















Donna and Tony proudly display their catch...























Aunt Helen, her sister-in-law, Aunt Juanita, and Sandra.

Woodburn High School

The Woodburn area of southern Warren County and northern Simpson County, KY, was home to four generations of Thorntons, several of whom attended the local high school...

In this 1934 freshman class photo, we see my great-uncle, Roy Neal Thornton, and his future bride, Helen Freas. Can you spot Uncle Roy and Aunt Helen?

























Woodburn had a solid reputation in sports, sending several scholarship players to various state colleges. Both my grandfather, Jesse Willard (2nd from left, bottom row), and my great-uncle, Roy Neal (2nd from right, bottom row), received such recognition, before war and marriage intervened...

Thornton Businesses: Southern Kentucky

Even though the list of family owned or managed businesses would be overly lengthy( if I were to include distant cousins) I want to highlight a few in the southern Kentucky area and recommend that readers consider them for furniture, plant, and other needs.

Thornton Furniture: 1895 Cave Mill Rd., Bowling Green, KY 42104 (270) 842-0379; http://www.thorntonfurniture.com/ Owners: Terry and Judy Thornton; Manager, Ben Thornton



Bowling Green Freight, Inc., 581 Hardison Road, Woodburn, KY 42170 (270) 781-0197; http://www.bgfreight.com/; http://center.spoke.com/info/cQL4iB/BowlingGreenFreightInc
Owners/ Managers: Tony and Liz Thornton

Country Club Quickstop & Subway, 2600 Bowling Green Rd., Franklin, KY 42134 Owners/ Managers: Tony and Liz Thornton




















Tanglewood Farms Garden Shop, 106 Barrett Lane, Franklin, KY 42134 (270) 598-0169; http://www.tanglewoodfarmsgardenshop.com/ Owner: Tom Thornton

Trent Bedding Company, LLC; 1751 Scottsville Rd., Bowling Green, KY 42104 (270) 393-2229. Owner: Janice and Trent Ranburger, 3rd great-grandson of Cassandra Thornton.

The Wrights

In approximately 1881, Cassandra Thornton married King J. Wright. Cassandra was the daughter of Allen Ellis Thornton, brother to Robert Benton and James, and Polly Ray, daughter of George Raulston Ray and Elizabeth Dycus. The Rays and Thorntons were old Scots-Irish families who had both arrived in Pennsylvania in the mid-1700s. Together, they took land grants in North Carolina, before moving to Jackson County, Tennessee, and then to southern Kentucky. Elizabeth Dycus had been an indentured servant from England before George R. Ray bought off the remaining years of her servitude.

Cassandra (March 27, 1861-Oct. 26, 1929) and King Wright (Sept. 23, 1858-Oct 28, 1922) had five children: Lassie G., Edna, Clarence, Finis Ewing, and Ruby Viola. Their descendants can be found throughout southern Kentucky and in central Indiana.
Finis Ewing Wright (1891-1949) married Mayme Willis Taylor and had several children: Avis, Finis, John, Shirley, and Alma Frances. He also had a daughter, Laura B. Wright, from a previous relationship.







Avis Wright.









Alma Frances Wright (1914-1987) married Max Franklin Glaze.






The Glazes and grandchildren. Pictured are Mike, Sherry, and Vicki Smith; Roxie Glaze; Frances and Max Glaze; Joe, Brett, and Laurie Keith.











(From the Glaze family on Ancestry.com)

Thornton Family Reunion 2005

Bonita Moore Cooper, granddaughter of Lillie Pauline Thornton Reagan, chats with Jean Overstreet Daniel, daughter-in-law of Evaline Thornton Daniel.





Juanita Meredith Thornton, wife of Robert D., Debbie, and Bryan, after being plastered with name tags...






Tony and Liz Cox Thornton; Louie Daniel White, grandson of Evaline Thornton Daniel; and Gary David Daniel, son of Evaline Thornton Daniel.








Debbie White Winebarger, granddaughter of Evaline Thornton.









The Daniels: Jeannie posing with Kim Daniel Bouchey, granddaughter of Evaline Thornton Daniel.














Lewises and Thorntons: (LtoR) Damon and Sue Franklin Lewis; Bill and Diane Thornton Lewis, with Carter; Patrick and Candis Thornton.









Tana Watts Hancock and Sharon Watts Windham, daughters of Patti Joe Thornton, add to the family potluck with a casserole.







Stephen and Denise Clements Thornton.









The spouses: Cloyd Copas, husband of Carene Thornton, discusses Thornton shenanigans with Charles Lewis, husband of Diane Thornton.

Tombstones: Stevenson Cemetery, Simpson County, KY

Robert F Thornton, younger brother to my gg grandfather, John H, and family were buried in the Stevenson Cemetery, just north of Franklin, KY.





Eli Thornton died in an automobile accident, leaving his wife to manage an estate that was sued by the three injured occupants of his car. Most of his possessions had to be sold at auction to cover debt.















Lillie Frances Thornton had five children, many of whom were raised in Alabama. They were Robert, Waymon (named after Jane Kirby's father), and Bettie Qualls, as well as Willie and Nettie Goad. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren still reside primarily in Alabama.







Charles and Sadie Thornton raised six boys: Raleigh Franklin, Michael Frederick, Hank Carson, Marvin Davis, Charles Eddie, and Bobby Morris.

John H. Thornton's Siblings: Robert F. Thornton

Robert F. Thornton (b. 1865 apr, d. 1950) was the youngest brother of John H. Thornton and, therefore, my great-great-granduncle. He married, Elizabeth Woolbright, who died less than a decade later: he then married Eliza Jane Kirby.















In this photo, we have Laura Ethel Thornton (b. 1889, d. 1976), daughter of Robert F and Elizabeth Woolbright Thornton; her husband, Cecil Law; and daughter. The Laws lived in Simpson County, KY. Children: Mary Elizabeth Law, Ellen Law, Vesta Mae Law, and Ernest Law.

(Photos obtained from family file, Simpson County Archives; donated by Joe Green)

Family Biography: Jesse Willard Thornton (Part II)

After the death of Patricia Mary Thornton, Jess married Kitty Booth Baker. They lived in Bowling Green, KY, and Lantana, FL, where Jess died on Feb. 18, 1982. Kitty later married George Cummins and then, even later, Ermil Sparks. Jess was buried at Pine Crest Cemetery, Lake Worth, FL.



















Jess's stepchildren: Vicki, Butch, and Carolyn Baker.
















Cynthia Diane Lewis Romero, daughter of Carolyn Baker and David Lewis, with daughters: Ashley and Katie.

















Vince and Carolyn Baker Lewis Ruffalo enjoying a night on the town in western North Carolina.


















Vicki Baker Thornton Hutto Hall and husband, Mike Hall, posing for Christmas.

Family Biography: Diane Lynn Thornton Lewis

Pictured: Diane Lynn Thornton Lewis, daughter of Jesse Willard Thornton and granddaughter of Jesse Benton Thornton, with husband, Charles William Lewis, and grandchildren: Carter Jacob and Jansen Claire, children of Duh Lewis and Sue Franklin. Diane taught French and German at Bowling Green High School for 27 years; Charles was a local businessman and golfer.



Charles W. Lewis II (b: 1974) is a Thornton family genealogist and sociologist. He has lived in Ecuador, Ireland, The Netherlands, New York City, Portland (Oregon), Orlando, Lexington (KY), Johnson City, TN, and Bowling Green, KY. He is a Foreign Service Officer at the US Agency for International Development and resides in Arlington, VA.

John H. Thornton's Siblings: William Frank Thornton

As the oldest son of Robert Benton Thornton, and older brother to my great-great-grandfather, William F Thornton came of age during the Civil War, possibly fighting on both sides in true border state fashion. He was the only Thornton to reside permanently in Jackson County, TN: the rest of the family migrated to Kentucky in 1848-49. Both his sons, James P. and Claud, were born in Simpson County, KY, and James P. Thornton's first wife, Sarah Pirtle, came from Simpson.

This is the family of James P.'s son, Cordell Hull and Hattie Medlin Thornton, with three of their five children: Charles Franklin, Burnetta Elizabeth, and Phillip Ann. Not pictured: Clella Bueanna and Linda Fay.

Can you spot Charles and Burnetta in this old class picture from Shady Grove Elementary, Jackson County, TN?

Burnetta is third from left on bottom row; Charles is second from right on second row...Look for the bright blond hair!

Clella Bueanna Thornton Martin and partner, Kenneth Heady.