Footprints of Fayette

James S. Lester’s grave in the Old La Grange City Cemetery – Photo Courtesy of Fayette Museum & Archives
James S. Lester’s grave in the Old La Grange City Cemetery – Photo Courtesy of Fayette Museum & Archives

A Historical Column From The Fayette County Historical Commission

James S. (Smith or Seaton) Lester was born in Virginia in 1799. He was welleducated, studied law, and became a Virginia lawyer in 1831. He came to Texas in 1834 and received a land grant of one-half league (about 2,214 acres) in what would become Fayette County. Soon after his arrival, he served with the area’s famed Indian fighter, …