Winnie Davis Camp No. 108 UCV Records from Membership Register   B. C. Lancaster Ent Conf Serv Jan 1, 1863 Pvt Co F, 12 Tex Cav; disch end of War May 23, 1865 Benjamin Clayton Lancaster Contributed by Jean Caddel Ben Lancaster was born February 9, 1846, in Readyville, Rutherford County, Tennessee, the son of Dabney and Nancy Fry Lancaster. The Lancasters came to America from England prior to 1750 and John Lankester's son, Nathaniel, of Prince Edward County, Virginia, married Hope Walker in 1758. Their daughter, Judith, married her first cousin, William Allen Lancaster, in 1797. They lived in Smith County, Tennessee. Their oldest son was Dabney, father of B. C. Lancaster. Benjamin's mother, Nancy Fry, was the daughter of Henry Fry of North Carolina and Tennessee. The Lancaster family came to Texas in 1854 - Ben, his parents and eight of his brothers and sisters.  His father bought land in Ellis County at $4 per acre - a high price for those times, but a good purchase since it was near the church and school at Ovilla. In the fall of 1863, Ben Lancaster enlisted as a drummer boy in Company F, Twelfth Texas Cavalry, Parson's Brigade. W. J. Veal . Captain. The troops of Company F moved into Louisiana and in April of 1864 encountered fighting for six or seven days with the Genera; Banks' Union forces. In March 1870, Ben Lancaster married Erixene Mosanna McFarlin, daughter of Benjamin Porter McFarlin and Erixene Caroline McKnight  (who had moved to Ovilla from Rutherford County, Tennessee, in 1851). As a young man he was considered quite a craftsman, building beautiful chests, desks, and bureaus. Besides farming he is a dealer in livestock, especially mules. He is famous as a gardener and has followed the English custom of planting flowers all over his front yard for everyone to enjoy. The Lancasters built a large white clapboard home near Ovilla. They are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and are highly respected members of the community. Seven children were born to this union: Loretta, Anna, Myrtle, Kate, William George, Lura Mae, and a son who died in infancy. [Source: A Memorial and Biographical History of Ellis County, Texas, Goodspeed, Chicago, 1892.] B. C. LANCASTER Pension Application #46670 Contributed by Jean Caddel Approved June 28, 1930. B[enjamin] C([ayton] Lancaster was born in Rutherford County, Tennessee, ca 1845. He was 84 years of age when he applied for his pension on May 19, 1930, and had lived in Texas over 75 years. At the time he enlisted, he lived in Red Oak, Ellis County, Texas.  He served in Co. F, 12th Tex. Cav., Parsons Brig. for nearly two years from January, 1863 to May, 1865. He owned no property other than that assessed in his county. Signed May 19, 1930 by B. C. Lancaster Certificate of Tax Assessor stated that he owned a homestead of the value of $2,000; other property real and personal valued at $17,240. - Signed by J. M. Youngblood, Tax Assessor Ellis Co., May 19, 1930. Witnesses: J. M. Lancaster & C. T. Spalding that they knew this B. C. Lancaster to be the same person and he had been a citizen of Texas prior to Jan. 1, 1920. J. M. Lancaster stated upon oath: "I am 86 years of age. B. C. Lancaster is my brother. I enlisted in the Confederacy on August 22nd, 1851 in J. C. Brown's Company, which was first in the State Service. My company was Company F, 12th Texas Cavalry, Parson's Brigade. "My Brother, B. C. Lancaster, afterwards joined the Confederacy and enlisted in the same Company that I was in. This was in about January of 1863 and he was in the service for over two years. "I personally know that he remained in the service from the time of his enlistment to the close of the war and that he remained a loyal, steadfast soldier until the end. "Captain B. F. Marchbanks of Waxahachie was in a different Company, but in Parsons' Brigade and he is cognizant of the above stated facts and knows of my Brother's service." Signed the 19th day of May, 1930 by J. M. Lancaster B. F. Marchbanks states upon oath: "I am well acquainted with B. C. Lancaster and have known him ever since the Civil War and knew him during the War. I met him when he was in the Confederate Army, after he came into the Confederate service. I was with him in the battle of Crutcherville, on the Red River in Louisiana. I knew that he remained a loyal Confederate Soldier until the end of the Civil War. We have been neighbors and friends in Ellis County since the close of the Civil War." Signed the 19th day of May, 1930 by B. F. Marchbanks, Co. E, 12 Texas Cavalry. WAR DEPARTMENT The Adjutant General's Office Washington, May 27, 1930. "The name B. C. Lancaster has not been found on the muster rolls of Co. F, 12th Texas Cav., C.S.A., which rolls cover in part the period from Oct, 25, 1861 to Dec. 31, 1863, dated Dec. 19, 1864, nor has any record been found of his service, capture or parole as of that organization." APPLICATION FOR MORTUARY WARRANT O. H. Chapman stated that Benjamin Clayton Lancaster died on the 19th day of September, 1940, in the town of Waxahachie, Texas, Ellis County, Texas. He was related as son in Law and his office was on the West Side of Square. Signed O. H. Chapman on 24th day of September, 1940. Lois Chapman, Notary Public Certificate of Undertaker: W. H. Rudolph, Rudolph Brothers, Waxahachie, Texas had charge of body and warrant herein applied for $525.50 (signed by S. M. Rudolph Sept 28, 1940) should be issued to O. H. Chapman. Certificate of Physician: Dr. M. C. Atkins attended Benjamin Clayton Lancaster in his last illness, and was of the opinion that his ailments were Acute Plurisy and Cardiac (??).   Copyright © 2003-2016, Ellis County TXGenWeb. All Rights Reserved. This page was last modified: Thursday, 01-Jul-2021 13:19:02 MDT