William Thomas Lester (1802 - 1859)

Born 21 Oct 1802 in Kentucky, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 13 Mar 1859 at age 56 in Crawford, Delta, Colorado, United States

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Biography

Sarah "Sally" Acock Talkington

Birth: 1784 Warren County North Carolina, USA Death: unknown Crawford County Arkansas, USA

Sally Acock was born in Warren Co, NC in 1784, most likely the daughter of Robert Eaton Acock, Sr and Mary Blanchett (although there has been speculation that she was the daughter of Robert's brother John). In support of the former, I found a youg woman of about the right age in Robert Acock's household in the 1800 census for Halifax in Warren Co NC and she appears to have relocated to the frontier area of Logan County KY at about the same time he did. The specific area where they settled is now in Todd County, near the middle of the state on its southern border. On March 29, 1807, Sally, now 23 married Stephen Talkington in Christian Co, KY. He was 24, the youngest son of English immigrants Robert and Elizabeth (Heiwood) Talkington. They settled near Hopkinsville in Christian Co, KY on land Stephen had purchased in 1803 on the Elk Fork of the Red River and then on land they purchased from his mother's estate (i. e., the "Sapp" land that had been owned originally by the family of his brother John's wife). Sally and Stephen had 6 children in Kentucky between 1808 and 1822: Edward Pennington, Allen Acock, Margaret Elizabeth, Mary, Sarah Ann and Isaac Walton. In 1826 the entire family moved to Arkansas in the company of the Abel and Ann Bland family who had come from North Carolina as well. (Four years later, their son Edward would marry the Bland's daughter Elizabeth; they had been 18 and 14 during the journey to Arkansas). The family story is that Stephen, his eldest sons Edward and Allen, and daughter Margaret drove the stock overland while Sarah traveled by riverboat (down the Mississippi and then up the Arkansas?) with the three youngest children. They began purchasing land in Hempstead Co, AR and were counted in the 1st Census of Hempstead Co AR in 1830. A few years later, the family moved again, this time to the northwest corner of the state near Cane Hill in Washington Co. They were enumerated in the Mountain Twp in the 1840 census living with their youngest son, near the households of their older, married children. They moved a last time in the late 1840s, a little south to the rural town of Jasper in Crawford Co, AR. I think they were living on land owned by their son Isaac. Stephen died of typhoid fever in 1859. He was buried in the Fairview Cemetery in Van Buren, but there is no headstone marking his grave. Sally died not long afterward, although the exact date of her death is not known. (It is likely that she died before the 1860 census was taken, however, as I have been unable to find an entry for her). She too was supposed to have been buried in the Fairview Cemetery, but as is the case with Stephen there apprears to be no marker for her grave.

Spouse: Stephen Talkington (1783 - 1859)

Children: Margaret Elizabeth Talkington Lester (1812 - 1900)* Sarah Ann Dyer (1820 - 1881)*

Fairview Cemetery Van Buren Crawford County Arkansas, USA Plot: unknown, no headstone

William Thomas Lester

Birth: Oct. 21, 1802 Kentucky, USA Death: Mar. 13, 1859 Crawford County Arkansas, USA

William Thomas Lester was born the 27th of October, 1802 possibly in Kentucky.(1) His parents may be Daniel Lester and Millie Flowers. Family tradition says that he came to Arkansas at an early age. He may have come to Arkansas from the St. Joseph, Missouri area with two brothers. The 1840 Arkansas census lists two Lesters in Crawford County: Andrew Lester and Jacob Lester. John Lester was listed in Greene County, Arkansas, USA.

1815-1836 is known as the "Great Migration." Much of the southwest opened up for settlement after the defeat of the Creeks by Jackson in 1814, and the large land concession was extorted from them. The advance guard of this movement to the lands of the southwest was formed by pioneer farmers who built log cabins and cleared the land by the process of girdling, a cut completely through the bark of the tree and the growth layer around the entire tree trunk kills the tree. Most of this first group of settlers were semi-nomadic, restless, "movers" who later sold their pioneer clearing to more substantial farmers and moved westward once again. The migration of Southerners was directed as a rule along isothermal lines to regions where the climate, soil, and the type of crops grown were similar to those of their old home. Consequently, the westward movement advanced from Tennessee to Arkansas. The presence of river systems as means of transportation affected the westward flow of population as well. Present day Interstate 40 is very close to the route taken by many of the pioneer families.

William married Margaret Elizabeth Talkington about 1830 probably in Arkansas. She was born the 15th of June, 1812 in Kentucky, the third child of Stephen Talkington and Sarah "Sally" Acock. It is believed that Margaret came overland to Arkansas with her father, and two brothers, Edward P. and Allen A. in 1826. They drove the livestock while her mother, Sarah, came by riverboat with the other children: Mary Ann, Sarah Ann, and Isaac Walton.

William and Margaret emigrated to Hempstead County, Arkansas, USA, then to Washington County, and then to Crawford County, Arkansas, USA. Their twelve children were all born in Crawford County, Arkansas, USA, probably near Cedarville: Elizabeth Mildred was born in 1831, Martha Jane was born in 1833, Sarah K. was born in 1836, Thomas was born in 1838, Mary Sharp was born in 1840, Cynthia E. was born in 1843, Luvenia/Lavenia Buchanan was born in 1845, Nancy E. was born in 1847, Serena Thomas was born in 1849, William Stephen was born in 1851, Mark Bean was born in 1854, and Joseph Paschal was born in 1857.(2)

In 1850 the family was living on a farm in Jasper Township valued at $1000. The two oldest girls were out of school but the other children attended school. William was farming and Nathan Shipley was employed as a laborer. Margaret's parents, Stephen and Sarah, and her brothers, Allen, a farmer with seven children, and Isaac, a Presbyterian Clergyman with four children, were all living in the same township.

William died the 13th of March, 1859(3) in Crawford County, Arkansas, USA and is buried in Oliver Cemetery, Cedarville, Crawford County, Arkansas, USA. It is said he is buried next to his son who was the first to be buried in the cemetery in 1844. The graves are built-up of native rocks with a fence-like enclosure around both graves. Neither is listed on the published list of the cemetery. Margaret was left with eight children from two to sixteen years of age. Six months later, her father died of typhoid fever.(4)

One year later, the 1860 census shows Margaret and seven children living on her farm in Cedar Creek Township.(5) Her property is valued at $1000 and her personal property is valued at $600. The only males shown in the home were: William (8), Mark (5), and Joseph (3). How she was able to keep the farm going is unknown. She may have had help from men in the family nearby. She couldn't read or write but her girls were still in school. In 1870 she was living with her daughter Sarah and Sarah's husband, James C. Wright in Lees Creek Township in Crawford County, Arkansas, USA with her two youngest boys. During the 1880 census she was still living with them in Crawford County. In the late 1880's Margaret moved to the San Joaquin Valley in California with her brother, Allen A. Talkington, and other family members. Nettie Lynn Ross, daughter of Lavenia Lester Lynn, remembered the day the Lesters left Van Buren.

It was the 28th of November, 1888. Thirty members of the Lester family made the seven day journey by railroad. Others made the trip by wagon train. Margaret and seven of her children and their families traveled west. This included Joseph and Letetia Lester and children, Mark and Louisa Adeline (Kimes) Lester and children, Stephen and Malinda and children, Franklin and Luvenia (Lester) Coleman and children, and Cynthia Lester. Nettie went by train. Stephen and Malinda were with the wagon train.

Margaret died the 15th of May, 1900 at the home of her daughter, Nancy Coleman in Sanger, Fresno County, California, USA(6) and was buried in the Old Selma Cemetery, Selma, Fresno County, California, USA.(7) Her son-in-law, Benjamin Franklin Shipley, Jr. purchased the plot. William and Margaret had twelve children.

(1) Most of the biographical sketch is copied verbatim from Lester, Neal and Allied Families... by Shirley Wimpey Ward, March 1987, p.4-6. Some is paraphrased with additions of newer research. The Lester data came from the Ward manuscript unless noted otherwise. Major sources for the information on William and Margaret and their descendants are: 1. Lester, Neal and Allied Families…, by Shirley Wimpey Ward, March 1987. Ward's sources were A) a Family Bible in the possession of Edna Neal & Della Neal B) Genealogy of the Talkington's and Long's by Wayne L. Talkington, 1972 C) Cemetery Records, D) 1850, 1860, 1870, & 1880 Arkansas Census records, E) Goodspeed's History of Northwest Arkansas. 1894, and F) Lester History supplied by Ella Johnson Lester. 2. Della May Neal and Edna Lee Neal, Personal Memoirs and Genealogy. 3. Lynne Chandler . 4. Holly Breidenbach in corrections sent to Susan Burgess Feb. 17, 2000.

(2) The 1850 census of Jasper Township, Crawford County, Arkansas, USA shows their family as well as: 1) Margaret's brother, Allen Talkington and his wife Elizabeth in house number 40, 2) her brother, Isaac Talkington and his wife Mary living in house number 43, 3) her parents Stephen and Sarah Talkington in house number 44, 4) Jacob Laster, age 39 and his wife, Catharine in house number 11, 5) Andrew Lester, age 49 and his wife Patsy in house number 92, and 6) Loyd Lester, age 34 and his wife Sally in house number 93.

(3) Shirley Ward had the 13th of March, 1858 in one place in her book and 1859 in another. Cecil Shipley visited the gravesite and has the date 1859.

(4) Lauritta Her Parents and Grandparents, by Leslie Silverman, September 2001, p.47.

(5) 1860 Arkansas census: 1066 Margaret Lester 48 F. Value of real estate $1,000 born in Ky. Personal property $1,800 Can't read or write Cynthia 17F. Born in Ark. Attends school Lavenia 15F. Ark. Attends school Nancy 10F. (?) Ark. Attends school Serena 10 F. Ark. Attends school William Steven 8 M. Ark. Attends school Mark B. 5 M. Ark. Attends school (?) Joseph 3 M. Ark. Attends school (?)

(6) Lauritta Her Parents and Grandparents, by Leslie Silverman, September 2001, p50.

(7) Headstone Compiled and written by Susan Kimes Burgess

1850 Census: Jasper Township, Crawford County, Arkansas enumerated December 12, 1850 REEL NO: M432-25 PAGE NO: 335A LN HN FN LAST NAME FIRST NAME AGE SEX RACE OCCUP. VAL. BIRTHPLACE MRD. SCH. R/W DDB 9 48 48 Lester William 47 M Farmer 1,000 Ky 10 48 48 Lester Margaret 38 F Ky X 11 48 48 Lester Elizabeth 18 F Ark 12 48 48 Lester Martha J 16 F Ark 13 48 48 Lester Srah 13 F Ark X 14 48 48 Lester Mary 9 F Ark X 15 48 48 Lester Cynthia 7 F Ark X 16 48 48 Lester Lavonia 5 F Ark X 17 48 48 Lester Nancy 3 F Ark 18 48 48 Lester Serena 10/12 F Ark 19 48 48 Shipley Nathan 22 M Laborer Ten REMARKS: p669B (son of Benjamin Franklin Shipley, married Elizabeth Lester)

Family links: Spouse: Margaret Elizabeth Talkington Lester (1812 - 1900)

Children: Mildred Elizabeth Lester Shipley (1831 - 1882)* Martha Jane Lester Matlock (1834 - 1906)* Sarah C Lester Coleman (1836 - 1904)* Thomas Lester (1838 - ____)* Mary Sharp Lester Shipley (1840 - 1908)* Cynthia E Lester March (1843 - 1915)* Luvenia Buchanan Lester Lynn (1845 - 1935)* Nancy E. Lester Coleman (1847 - 1906)* Serena Thomas Lester Neal (1849 - 1937)* William Stephen Lester (1851 - 1929)* Mark Bean Lester (1854 - 1943)* Joseph Paschal Lester (1857 - 1931)*

Oliver Cemetery Chester Crawford County Arkansas, USA

Born KY

Died 14 MAR 1859. Crawford Co., AR.

Sources

• Familysearch.org
• 1850 Census: Jasper Township, Crawford County, Arkansas