On This Day - Birth of George Warren Lancaster - January 19, 1893

One hundred and twenty-three years ago, my maternal great-grandfather, George Warren Lancaster was born, 19 January 1893.[1] His parents were William Carlton Lancaster and Martha Jane Coor. George was the eldest of six children.

His delayed birth certificate, dated  6 July 1942 and signed by his father, William C Lancaster, stated he was born in Victor, Erath County, Texas. According to The Handbook of Texas, Victor was settled shortly after the Civil War and was located in western Erath County on Farm Road 2156 a mile south of Desdemona. During the 1890s there were general stores and a post office that was later discontinued in 1907.[2]

Here is a satellite map of the area today. All that is left is the Victor Cemetery which is located at the corner of roads 2156 and 357. As you can see, it is clearly farming country and George’s father, William was a farmer.

Victor was in the area of Roads 2156 & 357.


According to his World War I Draft card, he stated he was tall of medium build and had dark brown hair and eyes.[3] In fact, he still had dark brown hair when he died at the age of 71.[4]

He worked as a farmer in the early part of his life and later worked as an auto mechanic. My grandmother stated, “he was good with cars and would work on them on Sundays after church when big groups of people would come with food and their cars to be worked on.  He later worked with Ford Motor Co in Stephenville.”[5] His obituary stated he had been the shop foreman for the old Reid Sales Company.[6]

[1] Erath County, Texas, Births, Volume 11, p 250, delayed birth record for George Warren Lancaster, 1893; FHL film 1428139.
[2] “Victor, Texas,” The Handbook of Texas, Texas State Historical Association, https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/htv05.
[3] "WW I Draft Registration," database and images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 Jul 2008), George Warren Lancaster.
[4] Letter from Pearl Weatherly to Pansy L. Johnston, 15 Nov 1964, describing how he looked at the viewing.
[5] Interview of Pansy L. Johnston, daughter of George Warren Lancaster, by Lisa S. Gorrell, 3 June 1995.
[6] “Warren Lancaster,” obituary, Stephenville Empire-Tribune, 13 Nov 1964, p 4.

Copyright © 2017 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, Mam-ma's Southern Family

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