He was a young man of 21 years, buried in Union Campground Cemetery.  Cause of his death is unknown.

The years have not been kind to his tombstone, one that originally stood upright with some type of design carved into the stone.  Now, the stone is broken into two sections, whether from vandalism, the elements or grazing cattle, and the inscriptions erased by forces of nature.

Records I the Greene County, Missouri Archives show his name on an 1860 census.  He was 12 years old at the time.  Below is a listing of the family:

Joseph (father), 38, TN engaged in farming

Elizabeth, 32 KY

James, 12 TN

Juanita?, 10 TN

Leonardo, (or Leonard) 6 MO

Josephine?, 1 MO

A certificate of death from the Missouri State Board of Health shows another son George W Lester born June? 29, 1861.

No marriage license was found for James P Lester and no ownership of land.  A discolored footstone was discovered in the same area as his tombstone and bears the initials J.P.L.