Kentucky: A History of the State, Perrin, Battle, Kniffin, 8th ed., 1888,
Jefferson Co.

JAMES S. RAGSDALE was born May 23, 1845 and is a son of William J. and
Emma (Tileson) Ragsdale, natives of North Carolina and Virginia.  He has
been in the tobacco business since he was fourteen years old.  He came to
Hopkinsville in 1885 and engaged in tobacco as a broker.  He was without
experience in that line of the trade, but had extraordinary good luck
last year.  He bought more tobacco during 1887 than any one buyer in
Hopkinsville market, handling over 4,000 hogsheads.  He came to Louisville
the 26th of December, 1887, and engaged in the broker's business here,
starting with flattering prospects.  He went into the late war in
Woodward's Independent Cavalry, but being only fifteen years old did not
remain long in the army.  He was married in 1865 to Frances M. Hester, of
Christian County.  They have five children, viz: Frank, Lottie, Allen,
Louise and Nellie.

Ragsdale Tileson Hester
=
Christian-KY NC VA

http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/jefferson/ragsdale.js.txt