John T. Lesley was a pioneer cattleman, an Indian fighter, and a Captain in the Confederate Army. He formed his own volunteer company, the "Sunny South Guards" in 1860. Later, he became a state senator. Son William T. Lesley was Sheriff and a member of the 1885 Constitutional Convention. The union of the Lesley and Brown families (John T. was married to William T. Brown's daughter, Margaret) produced one of the most powerful local dynasties in politics, business and agriculture. Theodore Lesley, John's other son, was County Historian and an ardent preservationist of local records.
