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John Adam Lightner

Birth	:	7 Jan 1848 Bath County, Virginia, USA
Death	:	16 Jun 1925 Coldwater, Comanche County, Kansas, USA
Burial	:	Bethel Cemetery, Steptoe, Whitman County, USA
Coordinate	:	47.0052986, -117.3460999
Plot	:	Lot 14, Block 19E
Description	:	John Adam Lightner was the son of Jacob LIGHTNER and Nancy Jane WARWICK. He was born on January 7, 1848, in Bath County, Virginia. John married Mary Myrtle GUM, the daughter of Giles Harrison GUM and Hester E. Tomlinson, on January 23, 1892, presumably in McPherson County, Kansas. They made their way over to Comanche County, Kansas by 1900. John and Mary had one daughter, Virginia, in the 1890s before they eventually separated before 1910 and divorced before 1920. In John's obituary printed in The Western Star newspaper on June 19, 1925, it was written that: Read More	John Adam Lightner was the son of Jacob LIGHTNER and Nancy Jane WARWICK. He was born on January 7, 1848, in Bath County, Virginia. John married Mary Myrtle GUM, the daughter of Giles Harrison GUM and Hester E. Tomlinson, on January 23, 1892, presumably in McPherson County, Kansas. They made their way over to Comanche County, Kansas by 1900. John and Mary had one daughter, Virginia, in the 1890s before they eventually separated before 1910 and divorced before 1920. In John's obituary printed in The Western Star newspaper on June 19, 1925, it was written that: "It was his love for the open and his dying desire to find a place where he would have a better opportunity than was to be found in Virginia to engage in the livestock business that induced him in the year 1884 to come west." It was a romantic notion, however, the reason behind his migration west was anything but to get into the livestock business. On or about January 4, 1884, near Monterey, Highland County, Virginia, John Adam Lightner and 9 other men committed the lynching and murder of E. D. Atcheson. Included in the mob with John was his father-in-law, Giles Harrison Gum, his cousins, Luther S. Wade and Robert Warwick, and Giles own brother-in-law, Henry Morgan Tomlinson. E. D. Atcheson had gotten into a drunken argument with Sidney Ruckman, a neighbor and cousin to many of the men in the lynch mob, and had slightly cut Ruckman with a knife. Upon hearing news of what took place, the mob formed and headed to the Monterey jail on the evening of January 3. The 10 men took pistols and shot in to the jail cell holding Atcheson until they finally broke in and removed him forcefully. Shot at least 4 times, unable to walk and barely conscious, Atcheson was tied and taken by the men down the road. As they departed, one of the men told the jailer, J. Hiner, that he could find Atcheson in the morning from a particular tree. Hiner followed the trail around 4am the next morning and indeed found Atcheson swinging dead from the tree. In his testimony and in swearing out warrants for the men, Hiner positively identified John Adam Lightner as being one of the men. As a result of Hiner's identification of them, 9 of the 10 fled from Virginia in January 1884 never to return, including John Adam Lightner. Thus, Lightner's story that he left Virginia in 1884 to have a better opportunity of engaging in the livestock business was good cover for why he really left Virginia: to flee an arrest, trial, and possible hanging for the murder of E. D. Acheson in early January 1884.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is John Adam Lightner's memorial?
John Adam Lightner's memorial is located at: Bethel Cemetery, Steptoe, Whitman County, USA.
When did John Adam Lightner death?
John Adam Lightner death on 16 Jun 1925 in Coldwater, Comanche County, Kansas, USA
Where are the coordinates of the John Adam Lightner's memorial?
Latitude: 47.0052986
Longitude: -117.3460999

Family Members:

Parent

Spouse

Siblings

Robert Warwick “Bobbie” Lightner

(1850 - 1930)

Jacob Brown Lightner

(1859 - 1935)

Children

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Bethel Cemetery
Steptoe, Whitman County, USA
Coordinate: 47.0052986, -117.3460999

2. Elberton Cemetery
Elberton, Whitman County, USA
Coordinate: 46.9821100, -117.2108300

3. McConnell Cemetery
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4. Sheahan Cemetery
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Coordinate: 47.1091000, -117.3868000

5. Thornton Cemetery
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Coordinate: 47.1146355, -117.3807907

6. Lloyd Cemetery
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Coordinate: 46.8924700, -117.3726300

7. Colfax Cemetery
Colfax, Whitman County, USA
Coordinate: 46.8891983, -117.3494034

8. Garfield Cemetery
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Coordinate: 46.9999100, -117.1498600

9. Saint John Cemetery
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Coordinate: 47.0780983, -117.5350037

10. Oakesdale Cemetery
Oakesdale, Whitman County, USA
Coordinate: 47.1371994, -117.2407990

11. Eden Valley Cemetery
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Coordinate: 46.9407997, -117.1472015

12. Mount Olivet Cemetery
Colfax, Whitman County, USA
Coordinate: 46.8739014, -117.2275009

13. Silver Creek Cemetery
Farmington, Whitman County, USA
Coordinate: 47.0344009, -117.0535965

14. Zion Lutheren Cemetery
Endicott, Whitman County, USA
Coordinate: 46.9672700, -117.6388500

15. Holy Rosary Cemetery
Rosalia, Whitman County, USA
Coordinate: 47.2094600, -117.3499100

16. Pitt Cemetery
Fallon, Whitman County, USA
Coordinate: 46.8368988, -117.1588974

17. Greenwood Cemetery
Palouse, Whitman County, USA
Coordinate: 46.9043999, -117.0686035

18. Mountain View Cemetery
Farmington, Whitman County, USA
Coordinate: 47.0774500, -117.0409900

19. Pine City Cemetery
Pine City, Whitman County, USA
Coordinate: 47.1953011, -117.5147018

20. Albion Cemetery
Albion, Whitman County, USA
Coordinate: 46.7868996, -117.2518997

21. Coleman Cemetery
Fallon, Whitman County, USA
Coordinate: 46.8444310, -117.0963620

22. Endicott Cemetery
Endicott, Whitman County, USA
Coordinate: 46.9358300, -117.6852800

23. Riggs Cemetery
Rosalia, Whitman County, USA
Coordinate: 47.2479900, -117.3429100

24. Saints Home Cemetery
Union Center, Whitman County, USA
Coordinate: 46.7613983, -117.3478012