First Generation  

1. John LESTER Sr. ¹ was born on Jan 11, 1752, died on Jan 29, 1825 in Montgomery Co., Va., at age 73,² and was buried in Lester Cemetery #1, Rt. 602, Montgomery Co., Va..²

General Notes: Marguerite Tise writes,

"John Lester was the progenitor of the Lester family in Floyd and Montgomery counties, Virginia. John, Abner and Samuel Lester (believed to be brothers) settled in Botetourt County, Virginia, about l770.

John Lester was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, according to family tradition. Hulen Lester, youngest son of John Lester, stated in the 1880 census that his father was born in Pennsylvania.

Intensive efforts have been made by family members and researchers over the years to locate John Lester's father and ancestors in Pennsylvania, but with no success up to the present tine. Much attention has been given to the Peter Lester family whose genealogy has been compiled by Clarence V. Roberts in Early Friends Families of Upper Bucks (1925). So far a place has not been found where John Lester belongs in that family.

Roberts states: "He (Peter) was probably accompanied to this country by a brother or other relatives, as the will of George Lester, probated at Philadelphia, December 14, 1695, mentions him as a kinsman and makes him executor, and the will of William Lester of the Manor of Rockland County of New Castle, dated September 24, 1691, gives him a legacy as ‘cousin’ Peter Lester and also a legacy to
kinsman' George Lester.

This establishes the fact that George, William and Peter Lester, cousins, were living in Pennsylvania at the same time and in the sane vicinity and probably immigrated to this country together. It is possible that John Lester was descended from George Lester or William Lester. Their families have not been documented as was Peter's.

The question of John Lester's ancestors remains unsettled but I think it is safe to say that they were of the yeoman class who emigrated from England, probably Leicestershire, to Pennsylvania in the mid-l600s and that they probably belonged to the Society of Friends.

Several families by the name of Heulings (Hewlings, Hulings, Hulins) lived in Bucks County near the Lester family, ca. 1680 through the l700s. They also belonged to the Society of Friends but the record shows that some were dismissed. At least two marriages are recorded between the Lester and Heulings families.

John Lester named his youngest son Hulen, and William, son of John’s brother Abner, named his oldest son Abner Hulen. The name has been spelled in so many different ways that it is impossible to determine the original spelling but it appears to have been Heulings or Hulings. The name seems to have had a special significance for the Lesters and if we knew the connection we would probably know more about the history of the family.

Other data may furnish a link in the brothers' migration from Pennsylvania to Montgomery County. Records in Loudoun County, Virginia, show that in 1763, and for a few years following, John, Abner and Samuel Lester, as well as William, Thomas and Peter Lester, were residents of the county, tax payers and slave holders. The coincidence of the names "John, Abner, Samuel" is significant and unusual. John Lester who came to Montgomery County would have been 12 years old in 1763 and not listed as a taxpayer but he could have been living with his brothers. There was another older John Lester in the county who may have been the one listed with Abner and Samuel. He continued to live in Loudoun County. It is also significant that their names disappeared from that county about the same time that they appeared in Botetourt County.

John, Abner and Samuel Lester migrated to Botetourt County, Virginia, about 1770 and settled on the frontier in what is now Wythe County. John Lester's name appears in 1771 in a list of Botetourt County tithables taken by Walter Crockett in the area of present Wythe County ("New River Tithables, 1770-1773." Compiled by Mary B. Kegley, 1972). Samuel and Abner Lester are listed "in the Lower District of New River" (Ibid).

On March 13, 1771, John Lester was appointed Constable in :place of William Pruett (Botetourt County court minutes).

In February 1774, a survey was made for John Lester for 175 acres of land in Fincastle County at the blue spring, the head of Cripple Creek, a branch of New River, part of the Loyal Company grant (Platt Book A, p. 247, Montgomery County records).

In 1774, John Lester was a soldier of the Fincastle County Militia in Col. Campbell's Company, and was paid 15 shillings for 10 days service ("Soldiers of Fincastle County, Virginia. 1774," compiled by Mary B. Kegley, 1974). This part of Virginia, at that time was the Western Frontier and was under heavy attack by the Indians. It was a time of constant threat and stress for the settlers. Militia leaders in every community were called on by Governor Dunmore to enroll and equip their men preparatory to a march toward Point Pleasant. John Lester and his brother Samuel Lester fought in the Battle of Point Pleasant (Report of the Point Pleasant Battle Monument Commission to the West Virginia State Board of Control, 1927), called by historians the first battle of the Revolution. Their names are inscribed on bronze tablets at the base of the Point Pleasant Battle Monument. John Lester's service to his country began at this early date, October 10, 1774, and preceded his Revolutionary service by three years.

John Lester and Catharine Plick (Plickinstaiver, Blickensderfer) were married, probably in 1775 in Fincastle County. The marriage record has not been found. John was 24 years old and Catharine was 16. She was of German ancestry, the daughter of John Blickensderfer (the name of her mother is unknown), who lived on Meadow Creek in Montgomery County (see Blickensderfer).

It is not known when John Lester moved to Little River - perhaps about the time of his marriage.

John and Catharine built their log cabin home on a hill facing west (on present Rt. 602), overlooking Little River and the surrounding country. It was not far from the confluence of Brush Creek with Little River, and the Little River ford. A large bridge now spans the ford (present Rt. 617).

John's brothers, Abner and Samuel, left Montgomery County and moved west. John named his third and fourth sons for them.

John’s first acquisition of land on Little River is not recorded. He obtained three land grants: 100 acres on Little River, 1785; 100 acres on Brush Creek, 1786; 100 acres on Little River & Brush Creek, 1796 (Land Office records, Richmond). He made other acquisitions.

John died in 1825 at the age of 73. Catharine died eight years later, aged 74. The inscriptions on their tombstones are now almost illegible as the stones have deteriorated over the years.[The stones were legible in 1956 and were photographed by Jerry Curtis Lester, 4th great grandson. See Leonard Lester’s book, "My Ancestors" for photographs.] They were buried on top of the knoll above their home (Lester Cemetery #1 on present Route 602.), probably the first to be buried there.

All of their eleven children left Montgomery County except Hulen, the youngest son, who established his home on Little River, below their home. Samuel went west, nothing further known of him or his family. Mary married and moved to Tennessee. John II, James, Abner, William, Susannah, Rhoda, Pamelia, Catherine all moved to Floyd County. At one tine the Lesters in Floyd County numbered in the hundreds. The Lesters moved back and forth across Little River (Little River formed the boundary line between Floyd and Montgomery counties) and their influence was felt in both counties. They were public spirited men and conscientiously discharged their duties and responsibilities as good citizens. They farmed their land, raised large families and tried to ensure that their children would follow in their footsteps as honest and upright citizens.

John and Catharine Lester had 11 children, 83 (known) grandchildren, and 460 (known) great-grandchildren, Their descendants migrated to West Virginia, Indiana, Tennessee, Missouri, Iowa, Idaho and other states. If there had been a gathering of the first four generations, what a throng!"

Noted events in his life were:

• Military: Sep 15, 1777, Montgomery Co., Va.. ¹ He was a soldier in the War of the Revolution, serving as Private in Captain Daniel Trigg’s Company of Montgomery County Militia. John, Abner and Samuel Lester were sworn into service between September 5, 1777, and April 1, 1778 (original report of Stephen Trigg, Senior Captain of Montgomery County Militia). (Certificate of Military Service of John Lester was issued by A. B. Correll, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Montgomery County, Virginia, at Christiansburg, dated July 15, 1936.)

John married Catherine PLICKENSTALVER , daughter of John PLICKENSTALVER and Unknown , about 1775 in Fincastle Co., Va. ^3,4,5,6,7.^,8 Catherine was born in 1759 in Bedford Co., Va., died on Sep 15, 1833 in Montgomery Co., Va., at age 74 ⁹, and was buried in Lester Cemetery #1, Rt. 602, Montgomery Co., Va.

General Notes: Marguerite Tise writes:
"Catharine Plick, born 1759, married John Lester, date and place unknown, perhaps in 1775 in Fincastle County,- Virginia.

She was the daughter of John Blickensderfer, a German. The name of her mother is unknown.

The name in German was Blickensdörfer or Blickensderfer, and became Plickenstalver in English. It was shortened to Plick, and that is understandable when one sees the various ways the name was spelled - or ::misspelled - since it seems to have been a difficult name for the early settlers to pronounce and spell. A few of the spellings found in records:

Pleickensdoerffer Blickingstofer Plickenstarvor Pleckenstaker
Blickenstörffer Bliggensderfer Pleekenstopher Plickinstorffer
Blickersterffer Blickenstaffer Pleckenstepher Pleck and Stalver

The earliest known information on the Blickensderfer family in Germany begins on February 12, 1716, when the "Anabaptist" Blickensderfer purchased a Kohlacher estate in the Schifferstadt subdivision of the Electorate of Speyer of the Palatinate or Rheinish province of the kingdom of Bavaria. According to tradition, the Anabaptist was a disciple of Menno Simons in Switzerland and was expelled because of his religious beliefs. (An Anabaptist was one of a party which rejected infant baptism, held the church to be composed of true Christians baptized on confession of faith, and advocated separation of church and state.) A smell hamlet near the city of Zug, Switzerland, called Blickensdorf, and the fact that many Blickensderfers resided in that vicinity lends credence to the tradition.

The given name of the Anabaptist does not appear in the records, nor the date of his birth and death. It is estimated that he was born about 1690, and certain facts seem to show that he died in 1767. At his death he conveyed the Kohlacher estate to the widow of his son (George?) in trust for his grandson John George, the son apparently having died in 1761-62, before the death of his father.

The name of his wife is unknown. They had six sons, five of whom emigrated to America. The six sons were: Christian (1724-1800), John, George?, Jacob, Ulrich, Jost (1735-1826). The order of birth is not known other than that Jost was the youngest and Christian probably the oldest.

Jacob was the first to emigrate to America, landing at Philadelphia on September 16, 1748. Tradition says that soon after his arrival in America he went West and lived among the Indians, nothing being heard from him for some years, when he suddenly appeared among his brothers in eastern Pennsylvania, dressed in full Indian costume. He did not remain in eastern Pennsylvania very long and again went West among the Indians, and was never more heard from.

John Blickensderfer was born in Germany, no doubt on the Kohlhof, but the date of his birth is not known. He is supposed to have been one of the older brothers, and the date of his birth was probably somewhere between 1724 - 1730. John and his younger brother Ulrich emigrated to America, landing at Philadelphia September 9, 1749, ship St. Andrew, James Abercrombie, master, from Rotterdam via Plymouth. Ulrich eventually settled in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, where he married and raised a large family, and where he died.

They were followed by Christian and Jost in 1753. Christian lived and died in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Jost, or Yost in English, settled in Frederick County, Maryland, and died there.

Where John first settled is unknown, but he supposedly lived some time in eastern Pennsylvania or Maryland before moving south to Halifax County in the section that is now Henry County, Virginia. He perhaps married in Pennsylvania though the name of his wife is not known nor the date of his marriage.

The first date of record is July 19, 1762, when John Plickenstalver of Halifax County borrowed "two pounds nine shillings five and one-half pence current money" from William Satterwhite and Robert Hastie. John signed with his mark. The note was assigned to John Blevins; Blevins later settled in Montgomery County.

On May 15, 1767, there is the following entry in the Moravian records, Bethabara, North Carolina (near present Winston-Salem): "Johann Blickensdorffer came to bring a packet of letters. The man lives beyond Dan River on the so-called Horse Pasture." (Records of the Moravians in North Carolina, ed. by A. L. Fries, v .I, 1751-1771). The Horse Pasture is a creek in present Henry County.

Apparently he moved shortly after this date to Botetourt County (now Montgomery County), Virginia.

On April 26, 1769, John Plickenstalver acquired 50 acres of land by right of settlement below the mouth of little River, Botetourt County. He is listed as a tithable in Botetourt County in 1770' 1771, 1772, and in Fincastle County in 1773. His son, John Plickenstalver Junr, is listed in 1772. In 1773, he bought 82 acres on Meadow Creek, waters of little River in Fincastle County (now Montgomery County). This was surveyed in 1782 "on little River, ½ mile below Old Millstone Bottom." Meadow Creek rises near Riner and flows into Little River a short distance below Snowville. (These transactions are recorded in Kegley, Mary B., "Early Adventurers on Western Waters, v. I.)

In 1774, John Plick, or Plick Stalver, served a total of 148 days in Captain Joseph Cloyd's Company and Captain James Robertson's Company in the Fincastle County Militia in "Dunmore’s War." (Soldiers of Fincastle County, Virginia, 1774, comp. by Mary B. Kegley, 1974). It is not indicated if this is John Sr., or John Jr.

In 1774, John Blickensderfer wrote to his sister-in-law, Eva Blickensderfer,
at the Kohlhof in Germany. Translation:

Methe-Crik (Meadow Creek), Virginia 1774
Dear and Beloved sister-in-law:
Thanks to God I myself and my two children are still well. My dear
wife passed away three years ago. I had to lift and carry her for 3 years,
because of a limb disease. Due to the circumstances I have fallen behind
with my household, and also have fallen into debt. Therefore, because of
these circumstances I need very badly that which I still have coming to me
from you, so I would not lose my piece of land which would be very hard on
me. If you could send something at this time, it would just be a great help
in time of need. We shall acknowledge it with much thanks. The 90 fl.
from my brother Christian have arrived correctly.
Your brother-in-law,

Johannes Blickensdörfer

In 1776, Yost Blickensderfer, then residing in Frederick County, Maryland, visited his brother John in Virginia. On his return to Maryland, Yost is reported as saying John had one son (John Jr.) living with him. John's other child, Catharine, had married John Lester, supposedly in 1775.

On April 4, 1789, the tract on Meadow Creek was surveyed and sold to James Simpkins by "Jno. Pleckenstaker & wife Elizabeth." This was John Plickenstalver Jr., as the elder Plickenstalver's wife died in 1771, as stated in his letter, and it is probable that John Sr., had also passed away by this date.

Nothing further is known of John Plickenstalver. The date of his death may have been ca. 1788, as his tract of land was sold by his son in 1789. John Jr. left Montgomery County and moved to Kentucky. Catharine was the only member of the family to remain in Montgomery County.


Source: "History of the Blickensderfer Family in America, by Jacob Blickensderfer,
1897. Reprinted by Occidental Graphics, Michael A. Ellis, P.O. Box
17184, Phoenix, Arizona 85011.

Jacob Blickensderfer, born May 9, 1816, at New Philadelphia, Ohio, died February 26, 1899, Oakland, Missouri, was the great-grandson of Christian Blickensderfer, the oldest son of the Anabaptist. He had a distinguished career in railway service as a civil engineer. He was personally appointed by Abraham Lincoln to inspect the transcontinental railway lines. He was the father of 13 children. It is thanks to his knowledge and research of the family that we have this history of the Blickensderfer family."

Children from this marriage were:

+ 2 M    i. John LESTER II ¹⁰ was born on Mar 7, 1776 in Montgomery Co., Va.,¹¹ died on Sep 21, 1851 in Floyd Co., Va., at age 75,¹² and was buried in Lester Cemetery #5, Rt. 8, Floyd Co., Va. [No Longer In Existence].¹⁰

+ 3 M    ii. James LESTER Sr. was born in 1779 in Montgomery Co., Va. and died in 1860 in Floyd Co., Va., at age 81.¹⁴

+ 4 M    iii. Samuel LESTER was born about 1781 in Montgomery Co., Va. and died in 1847 in Alabama, about age 66.¹⁶

+ 5 M    iv. Abner A. LESTER Sr. was born about 1783 in Montgomery Co., Va.,¹⁸ died about 1871 in Floyd Co., Va. (Jackson Tnshp.), about age 88,^18,19 and was buried in Floyd Co., Va., Pine Creek Cem.

+ 6 M    v. William S. LESTER was born on Oct 7, 1785 in Montgomery Co., Va.,²⁰ died about 1866 in Floyd Co., Va., about age 81, and was buried in Alum Ridge, Floyd Co., Va.

   7 F    vi. Susan (Susannah) LESTER was born on Dec 24, 1788 in Montgomery Co., Va. and died on Nov 1, 1859 in Floyd Co., Va., at age 70.

Susan married William RICHARDS on Mar 4, 1806.

+ 8 F    vii. Mary LESTER was born on Apr 2, 1790 in Montgomery Co., Va., died on Aug 28, 1876 in Rhea Co., Tenn., at age 86, and was buried in Concord Cemetery, Rhea Co., Tenn..²¹

+ 9 F    viii. Rhoda LESTER was born in 1793 in Montgomery Co., Va. ²² and died in 1865 in Floyd Co., Va., at age 72.²²

+ 10 M    ix. Hulen LESTER ²³ was born on May 6, 1795 in Montgomery Co., Va.,²³ died on Jun 27, 1888 in Montgomery Co., Va., at age 93,²³ and was buried in Lester Cemetery #1, Rt. 602, Montgomery Co., Va..²³

   11 F    x. Permelia (Permely) LESTER was born about 1798 in Montgomery Co., Va. and died on Jan 29, 1835 in Floyd Co., Va., about age 37.

General Notes: James Lester's records show marriage date of 3 Dec 1816.

Permelia married Ira HOWARD on Mar 12, 1816 in Montgomery Co., Va.

   12 F    xi. Catherine LESTER was born about 1804 in Montgomery Co., Va. and died in Floyd Co., Va.

Catherine married John SOWERS on Apr 10, 1824.