Chester Ellis Lighter
From Dodge City to World War II and Beyond
One of the things I enjoy about genealogy is discovering how the various records I've collected can be combined to tell the story of an ancestor or relative. Census records, military records, city directories, and newspaper articles may each provide only a small piece of information. However, when those pieces are brought together, they can reveal a much larger story.
Recently, while reviewing my research on the Lighter family, I decided to take a closer look at Chester Ellis Lighter (1908–1969). Chester was the son of Alvin Hamilton Lighter and Lida Crawford, making him a member of my Crawford family.
Using RootsMagic 12, I generated a narrative report that brought together the information I had collected about Chester. That report provides an interesting look at a man whose life took him from Kansas to Missouri, into military service during World War II, and eventually to Illinois.
Growing Up in Dodge City
Chester Ellis Lighter was born on June 28, 1908, in Dodge City, Ford County, Kansas. He was the son of Alvin Hamilton Lighter and Lida Crawford.
His mother, Lida, was a daughter of Washington Marion Crawford and Mary Foster. Through this connection, Chester was part of the extended Crawford family that lived in southwestern Kansas.
The first census record documenting Chester's life is the 1910 federal census. On April 28, 1910, he was enumerated in the household of his father, Alvin Hamilton Lighter, in Dodge City.
At just two years of age, Chester was one of the youngest members of the household.
Five years later, the 1915 Kansas state census again recorded Chester living with his father in Dodge City. This time, he was listed as a six-year-old boy.
These early census records establish Chester's childhood residence in Dodge City, a community closely associated with several branches of my Crawford family.
A Move to Missouri
Sometime between the 1915 Kansas census and the 1920 federal census, the Lighter family moved from Dodge City to Rolla, Missouri.
On January 7, 1920, Chester was enumerated in Rolla Township, Phelps County, Missouri. He was listed as the eleven-year-old son of Alvin Lighter.
Ten years later, Chester was still living in his father's household.
The 1930 census, recorded on May 5, identified him as the twenty-one-year-old son of A. H. Lighter in Rolla Township.
Thus, while Chester was born in Kansas, much of his childhood and early adulthood was spent in Missouri.
The census records document the family's relocation, although they do not explain why the Lighters moved to Missouri.
Returning to Kansas
By 1940, Chester had returned to Ford County, Kansas.
The 1940 federal census, taken on April 8, found him living in Enterprise Township, Ford County.
However, he was no longer living in his father's household.
Instead, Chester was listed as a thirty-one-year-old hired hand in the household of Ernest C. Martin.
This census provides an interesting glimpse into Chester's life just before the United States entered World War II. He was working in rural Ford County, not far from the community where he had been born.
Within a few months, his life would take a very different direction.
Military Service During World War II
Chester's military service is one of the most interesting parts of his story.
According to his enlistment record, Chester enlisted in the National Guard on December 23, 1940, at Dodge City Army Air Field in Kansas.
A military draft registration record dated January 3, 1941, also places him in Dodge City.
Chester served in the military during World War II, from 1941 to 1945.
His service was associated with Dodge City's Company D, a unit made up in part of members of the Dodge City National Guard.
This connection is particularly interesting because Chester had spent much of his youth in Missouri. Yet, when he entered military service, he was once again connected to his birthplace and the Dodge City community.
A Military Hospital Record
Another record provides a small glimpse into Chester's wartime experiences.
A World War II hospital admission record indicates that Chester received medical treatment in June 1944.
The record identifies his diagnosis as dermatophytosis, a fungal infection of the skin.
At the time, Chester had served approximately three years and six months in the infantry.
While this record does not provide a detailed account of his military experiences, it adds another piece to his story. It also demonstrates the value of examining military medical records, which may contain information not found in other military sources.
Returning Home After the War
A particularly valuable source for Chester's military service is the December 13, 1945, issue of the Dodge City Daily Globe.
The newspaper carried an obituary for Chester's mother, Lida Lighter.
In addition to documenting her death, the obituary provided information about her surviving family members.
It reported that Chester had recently returned to Dodge City after serving with Dodge City's Company D.
The article noted that the unit had been mobilized five years earlier.
This brief reference helps connect Chester's National Guard enlistment in December 1940 with his return to civilian life following World War II.
It is also an excellent example of why I find obituaries so valuable. Although the article was written about Chester's mother, it provides important information about Chester's life and military service.
A New Life in Illinois
Following his military service, Chester eventually moved to Illinois.
City directories provide evidence of his residence in Roscoe, Winnebago County, Illinois.
He appears in the 1948 directory and again in the 1952 directory.
These records help establish that Chester had settled in northern Illinois within a few years of the war's end.
By the time of his death, he was employed by a machinery company in Roscoe.
Although the records included in my RootsMagic report do not provide a detailed account of his employment, they show that Chester established a life in Illinois following his military service.
Chester's Death in 1969
Chester Ellis Lighter died on April 30, 1969, in Roscoe, Winnebago County, Illinois. He was sixty years old.
His obituary appeared in the May 1, 1969, issue of the Dodge City Daily Globe.
The newspaper reported that Chester died following his involvement in a highway accident in Roscoe.
The obituary described him as a former Dodge City resident and briefly summarized his life.
It noted his birth in Dodge City, his family's move to Rolla, Missouri, his World War II service, and his later residence in Illinois.
At the time of his death, Chester was employed by a machinery company in Roscoe.
The obituary also identified his membership in the Methodist Church and the American Legion post in Rockton, Illinois.
These memberships provide a glimpse into his community connections during his later years.
Family Members Remembered
Chester's obituary identified four surviving sisters:
Mrs. Walter Beggs of Ensign, Kansas
Mrs. Marie Knithe of St. Louis, Missouri
Mrs. Peter G. Cei of Clearwater, Florida
Mrs. Vera Brown of Roscoe, Illinois
The locations of his sisters illustrate how widely the Lighter family had become scattered by 1969.
While Chester had settled in Illinois, his sisters were living in Kansas, Missouri, Florida, and Illinois.
For genealogists, these survivor lists can be especially helpful when attempting to trace family members who moved away from their childhood homes.
A Final Return to Dodge City
Although Chester spent the final years of his life in Illinois, he was returned to Dodge City for burial.
His obituary indicated that a funeral service would be held in Illinois, followed by another service at the Hulpieu-Swaim Funeral Home in Dodge City.
Chester was buried on May 5, 1969, in Maple Grove Cemetery in Dodge City, Ford County, Kansas.
His burial is documented by cemetery records and a Find a Grave memorial.
Thus, Chester's life came full circle.
Born in Dodge City in 1908, he spent his childhood in Kansas and Missouri, served his country during World War II, and established his later home in Illinois.
Yet, after his death in 1969, he returned to the Kansas community where his life had begun.
What the Records Reveal
Chester's story illustrates how a variety of genealogical records can work together to document an individual's life.
The census records establish his childhood residences in Kansas and Missouri and his return to Ford County by 1940.
His National Guard enlistment and draft registration records document his connection to Dodge City immediately before World War II.
A military hospital record adds information about his service that might otherwise have remained unknown.
His mother's 1945 obituary confirms his association with Dodge City's Company D and his return following the war.
City directories place him in Illinois after the war, while his own obituary provides details about his employment, community memberships, surviving family, and death.
Finally, cemetery records document his burial in Dodge City.
No single record tells Chester's entire story. However, by combining these sources, we can follow his life across three states and through one of the most significant events of the twentieth century.
Another Benefit of RootsMagic 12
One of the reasons I appreciate using RootsMagic is the ability to bring information from many different sources into a single narrative report.
Over the years, I have collected census records, newspaper clippings, military records, and other documents about members of my extended family.
Sometimes those records have been sitting in my database for years without my taking the time to examine the complete picture.
Generating a narrative report for Chester Lighter allowed me to see how the various records fit together.
It also reminded me that an obituary for one family member may contain valuable information about another.
Chester's mother's obituary, for example, provided an important connection between his military enlistment and his return from World War II.
That is one of the joys of genealogy. A record collected years ago may suddenly become an important piece of another family member's story.
And sometimes, all it takes is generating a new report and looking at familiar information from a different perspective.
Sources
The information in this post comes from my RootsMagic 12 narrative report for Chester Ellis Lighter, generated October 31, 2026. The report includes citations to:
1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 United States federal census records.
1915 Kansas state census.
World War II Army enlistment records, draft registration records, and hospital admission records.
Dodge City Daily Globe, December 13, 1945, and May 1, 1969.
Rockford, Illinois, area city directories for 1948 and 1952.
Winnebago County, Illinois, death records.
Maple Grove Cemetery records and Chester Ellis Lighter's Find a Grave memorial.
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