Because of an untimely death and the resulting broken family, our Wallar ancestry remained a mystery to me. Could Reverend James Lee Wallar, the well-respected Methodist minister and Freemason in Illinois, be the same man as Ohioan Captain James L. Wallar who was dishonorably discharged from the Union Army during the Civil War? Thus began a five-year journey to learn more about James Lee Wallar. James Lee Wallar was a complicated man. While keen to embellish or alter facts about his early life, he was an outstanding minister and productive member of his various communities-towns, churches, and social organizations. It's as though he lived two lives-one before April 26, 1864-the date of his dismissal from the United States Army, and one afterward. He was generally well-liked and highly regarded. Undeniably intelligent and well-read, James was a passionate life-long learner, willing to listen, contemplate, and reconsider. He was a helper-there for anyone in need. His was a life well lived.