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Note: NI3203 Patrick Moore Lancaster, the oldest child of Samuel T. Lancaster and Mary Moore, was born on January 5, 1831 in Smith County, Tennessee. He had 4 brothers and 2 sisters born after him. The 1850 US Census shows that at age 19 he was living in Yourees, Rutherford, Tennessee with his two aunts, Dabney Lancaster and Nancy Lancaster '96 sisters of his father Samuel. He was employed there as a schoolteacher. Three years later, on December 22, 1853, he married Sarah Ann Waters in Smith County, Tennessee. Patrick was described by a family member as being bright and having a better education than most. The 1860 US Census shows Patrick and Sarah living in New Middleton, Smith County, Tennessee with two children, William Samuel and Nancy Minerva. His occupation is listed as "farmer" and it appears he is working his father's land. Life in the 1860s for Patrick and his family is described in better detail in a letter he wrote to his sister, Isabelle, in 1866. At some point, he was ordained as a Baptist Minister. The 1870 US Census shows him and his wife still living in Smith County, Tennessee. By then, their family has grown to include Mary Catherine, Sarah, and James. His occupation lists him as a minister. In his 1866 letter to Isabelle, he refers to augmenting his income through writing. This may have involved court transcriptions. During this time, he was involved in settling his late father's estate, which apparently consumed much of his time and included interacting with the courts. By 1880, Patrick and his family had moved to Wilson County, Tennessee. Living with them were daughter Sarah (age 13), son James (age 11), and their youngest, and last, child, Louise Elizabeth (age 8). By this time, their three older children had married. Sometime between 1880 and 1890, Patrick and Sarah realized his 1866 vow to move to Texas. Sarah died in Bowie in 1893. The 1900 US Census shows him living alone, as a widowed minister, in his own home in Bowie. He died in Bowie in 1909 and is buried along with Sarah in the Elmwood Cemetery.
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