Benjamin Lancaster, paternal great, great grandfather of the late Thomas Talmage (Tom) Lancaster of Bruceton came to America from England during the latter part of the 18th Century. The Lancaster family of England (House of Roses) dates back to at least the 15th Century. Benjamin settled first in NC and then moved to Williamson Co., TN in the late 1700's. Judge W. H. Lancaster, Benjamin's great grandson, settled in Henderson Co. in 1897 and entered the general mercantile business before studying law and becoming a criminal lawyer in a partnership with his brother, Judge T. A. Lancaster. Judge Lancaster had nine children including the late T. T. (Tom) of Bruceton.
Tom or "Chalk" as close friends called him, came to Bruceton in 1922 when the railroad moved from Lexington. He was an avid sportsman, enjoying duck hunting, training Labrador Retrievers, and training and showing TN walking horses for which he won several blue ribbons. His wife, Jacha Lancaster, whose death preceded his, was known for her great piano playing even though she rarely played from written music. She played for silent movies at the theater and at the Baptist Church.
Tom had four children: Kirk, Freda, Billy, and Harry. Kirk, a retired military man, and Freda, an executive secretary, are deceased, but Billy, Harry, and their wives Margaret and Argie along with Miriam, Kirk's widow, reside in Bruceton and are all, with the exception of Argie who teaches piano, retired. The Lancaster's are active in the Methodist and Baptist churches in Bruceton.
In addition to his two surviving children, Billy and Harry, Tom has five living grandchildren: Tony, Bruceton; Barbara, Nashville; Tommy, Hendersonville; Leigh, Arlington, TX; James, Atlanta; and eleven great grandchildren.
The Lancaster family of Carroll Co. is one of the State's native families and has resided in the State for over 185 years, in West TN for over 100 years, and in Carroll Co. for almost 65 years.
- Submitted by Tommy Lancaster
- Carroll County, Tennessee, 1821-1886, volume 1