My Direct Bridges Lineage

Mattie Belle Bridges (1878-1971)
        (mother of my grandfather, J.C. Jones)
            m. Martin Harmon Jones (1874-1850)

Mattie Belle's father:
William Lewis Bridges (1844-1911)
            m. Harriet Ann Springfield (1846-1911)

The following was written in 2016. Now in 2024, I feel 90% sure that William's middle name was LEWIS.

The Bridges line has been frustrating, as I know that the documents are there....if I could only understand the middle name.  See the note below that I created in 2016, when I decided to stop chasing this family connection. 

Bridges Family History

 

Unfortunately, I have never been able to "crack the code" on William L. Bridges.  Mattie Bell Bridges, his daughter,  is my link to this family and I knew her as a small child which gave me confidence as I began my research. Records and letters were sent to Lucy Jones Day by Dorothy Autry, Burwell Jones' daughter, and so much was known about all the Bridges' 12 children.  I felt confident that Mattie's father's name was William " L" as I found a hand written marriage document from 1870 and a newspaper article in the Abilene Reporter about a family reunion given by his daughter Lucy Ford dated October 1945, all of which reflects his name as William "L" Bridges.  However, Lucy Day states on Mattie Bell Bridges' death certificate that her father was William "E" Bridges, but I believe that is in error.  And still...others have followed him as William "M" Bridges.   By taking away a middle name, there are MANY William Bridges in documents in the same location during the same time period, including censuses and military listings.  During that period of time, documents do not state other family members which makes it difficult to establish a link.  William's history is given on the History Sheet of Harriet Ann Springfield.  It appears that they were well-to-do upstanding people.

 

Nancy Claire Quillin Long

5 March 2016