William F. Lancaster (1833-1899) married Eliza Jane Houston (1848-1933), daughter of Jefferson Perry Houston (b. 1822) and Mary Jane Lofton (1820-1878), William was the son of David L. Lancaster (1807-1891) and Permelia Davidson (1804-1849). David L. was the son of Benjamin Marion Lancaster, born about 1783 in Edgecombe County, NC. and Sarah Harriet Whitfield, born about 1785. Benjamin M.'s brothers and sisters are believed to be William; David who married Nancy Radford; and Polly, who married Owen Williams.
Benjamin M. Lancaster and wife Sarah came from North Carolina and settled in Hickman County in the Beaver Dam Creek area as early as 1811, where he received a land grant. Benjamin was a Primitive Baptist preacher, and according to Spence's History of Hickman County, he was probably the first preacher who held services in the Beaver Dam district. His sons, John and Gabriel were also preachers. Benjamin's wife Sarah and son Gabriel were listed in membership of Coon Creek Primitive Baptist Church in Perry County in 1849. Benjamin and Sarah are believed to be buried at the Dickson Cemetery on Lick Creek in Perry County where they lived.
- Excerpted from Decatur County, Tennessee History and Counties 1846- 1996, Submitted by Wilda Graves Patterson, Linden, TN.