mˈoʊst kəntˈɛmpɚɹˌɛɹi baɪˈɑːɡɹəfiz stˈeɪt ðæt bɹˈɪdʒᵻz wʌz bˈɔːɹn ɪn tʃˈɑːɹlstən, tˌɛnəsˈiː, ðˌoʊ ɪn ɐ lˈɛɾɚ tə kəŋɡɹˈɛʃənəl baɪˈɑːɡɹəfɚ tʃˈɑːɹlz lˈænmən, hiː stˈeɪɾᵻd hiː wʌz bˈɔːɹn ɪn mək mˈɪn kˈaʊnti, tˌɛnəsˈiː, ænd ɹˈeɪzd ɪn mək mˈɪnz kˈaʊnti sˈiːt, ˈæθᵻnz, wˌɛɹ hiː wʊd lˈɪv ænd wˈɜːk fɔːɹ mˈoʊst hɪz lˈaɪf.
Most contemporary biographies state that Bridges was born in Charleston, Tennessee, though in a letter to congressional biographer Charles Lanman, he stated he was born in McMinn County, Tennessee, and raised in McMinn's county seat, Athens, where he would live and work for most his life.