Person:James Lamar (27)

James T. Lamar was a Roman Catholic. He was born in Hancock County and moved to London County, Virginia in August 1875. In September 1875, James and his wife, Mary started to Texas by way of Kentucky. They stayed in Kentucky until October 5, then they continued on their journey to TExas. They first boarded a small Ohio River boat and traveled to Evansville, Indiana, where they changed to a Cairo, Illinois vessel. At Cairo, they climbed aboard a train, which was a branch of the Iron Mountain Railroad, that carrie dthem to Dallas, Texas. They arrived in Dallas on October 11, 1875, which was six days after they had left Kentucky.

Their final destination was Graham, Texas. However, Dallas was the end of the railroad on which they were traveling. There were so many people moving into Texas in the autumn of 1875 that James was unable to find a team of horses or mules in Dallas to provide their transportation to Graham. Therefore, he was forced to purchase yoke of steers. In Dallas, they were told that their journey to Graham would be very dangerous, and they would be scalped by the Indians before they reached their destination. Nevertheless, they headed for Graham and at the end of a week's travel they drove their new team of oxen hitched to a wagon into the infant town of Graham.

James and Mary Lamar settled in Tonk Valley on the Brazos River in October 1875 and then made a crop the following spring with their team of oxen. In the fall and winter of 1876, James hauled buffalo hides from old Fort Griffin to the railroad in Abeline, TX. The following four years, he worked in Graham as a carpenter and painter.

In 1880, James and Mary Lamar sold their Tonk Valley property and moved to Seymour among the prairie dogs. JamesLamar and L. T.. Wilson build the first drug store in Seymour. James referred to Seymour as a typpical frontier town. They had to petition the Governor of Texas for a squad of rangers for protection. They were there when the county judge was killed during a session of commissioners court.

James Lamar helped a cabinet maker by the name of Montgomery, make all the coffins or caskets that were used in Seymour the first year and a half of its existence. Some years later, James and Mary Lamar left Seymour and settled on Salt Creek Prairie which was 15 miles north of Graham in Young County, Texas.

Benoni S. Lamar, father of James T. Lamar, traded his land in Kentucky for land on Salt Creek Prairie which was owned by Ed. N. Gibbs. James and his father built the first house on Salt Creek Prairie. They had to haul the lumber from Fort Worth, Texas. James and Mary Lamar lived there for more than 45 years.

About 1904, the Loving Cattle Company divided up the ranchlands in Young County and put them on the market. That part of the County was settled at once. About that time the town of Jean was laid out. The Lamars actively supported its development and James T. Lamar named it "Jean" after a former sweetheart. In 1906, a postoffice for Jean, Texas was granted and James T. Lamar became its first postmaster. He served in that capacity for 10 years.

After resigning as postmaster of Jean, Texas, James farmed until 1924 when he moved to Seymour, Wichita Falls in Wichita County, Texas where he helped build the first drugstore in the town. During the last seven years before he died, he was living with Tom Witherspoon (who he called cousin Jim) in Wichita Falls, Texas. James lamar was in very bad health about a year before he died. The doctors said his kidneys were worn out. His nephew John James Gallaher III moved him to Graham about four weeks before he died. He lived with his nephew in hisd hotel, "The Dolman House". His niece, Bessie Roach, waited on him during the time he was at the Dolman House. James T. Lamar died May 21, 1938 and was buried in Graham beside his wife, Mary E. (Price) Lamar, who died June 22, 1890.

James T. and Mary E. Lamar were the parents of 3 sons and two daughters: Carl S., Benjamin J, Samuel H.

James T. Lamar http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=3c4746d2-c0d9-4aff-9ed3-05fdc073269b&tid=7870267&pid=-1024172160