Week 24: Father’s Day – Abandonment & Divorce–Did George W Lancaster Ever See His Children Again?

For many years, I did not know what had become of my 2x-great-grandmother, Martha Jane Polly who married George W. Lancaster. She was with their family in the 1880 census and then gone. Also gone were their two children, Lonnie and Margaret. I assumed she had died and searched for clues to her death and burial, but never found any records. I couldn’t find any records of the two lost children either. Then I received an email from a descendant of one of George and Martha’s children. There had been a divorce and a remarriage, and Martha died in Tulare County, California in 1932.[1]

Life Before the Divorce
George W. Lancaster married Martha Jane Polly on 25 Oct 1871 in Kaufman County, Texas.[2] Twenty-two years and six children later, they were divorced on 23 December 1893 in Pima County, Arizona Territory.[3]

They had six children, all born in Texas, except Reginald, who was born in Phoenix, Arizona Territory:

• William Carlton, born 21 July 1873, Rockwall Co, Texas[4]
• Lonnie Osborn, born 21 May 1876, Rockwall Co, Texas
• Margaret Rose, born 27 April 1880, Rockwall Co, Texas
• George Eldon, born 20 Aug 1883, Rockwall Co, Texas
• Reginald F., born 22 July 1887, Maricopa Co, Arizona Territory
• Jesse Polly, born 14 July 1889, Texas.

George lived consistently in Kaufman County, Texas from his father’s move there in 1858 until about 1884 when he purchased land in Johnson County, Texas.[5] In 1873, the portion of Kaufman County where they lived was formed into Rockwall County.[6] In 1886, he sold his land in Johnson County and appeared to move to Maricopa County in Arizona Territory.[7]

In Maricopa County, he purchased forty acres of land from the federal government on Section fourteen in Township one north of Range three east of the Gila-Salt River Meridian. There is no patent image on the Bureau of Land Management site, so I viewed the tract book. There are multiple dates, beginning with 1 June 1886 and sale date of 19 February 1887. Later he and Mattie sold the land to Mary E Coulson on 9 January 1889. This date conflicts with the patent date of 15 July 1890.

The transactions support Reginald’s birth in Maricopa County in 1887. On 20 September 1888, George was listed on the Maricopa County voter register, living in Enterprise.[8]

In September of 1890, George bought land from I. Pipes and L.E. Pipes in Erath County, Texas. George was a resident of Erath when he made this transaction.[9] So, it is possible that the family moved back to Texas and Jesse was born in Texas on 14 July 1889. However, in 1892, George was listed on the Maricopa Voter Register.[10] He was listed as 53, living in Orme. This would be the correct age for him as he was born in 1839.

Divorce

Later in 1892, Mattie J. Lancaster filed a divorce suit against Geo. W. Lancaster. In her suit, she stated she

“has been a bonafide resident for more than six years past. That the defendant George W. Lancaster is a resident of Stevenville, Erath County, Texas.” She also added, “that ever since the first day of August 1889 said defendant has wilfully neglected to supply the plaintiff with the common necessaries of life although be her the ability so to do but has compelled plaintiff to support herself and family of five children by her own individual efforts and labor ever since the date last mentioned.”

She asked for a divorce and custody of the five children except Carlton.[11]

George was summoned to appear in court, but never appeared. A newspaper article was published in the Arizona Gazette for six consecutive weeks.[12] From the papers in the file, it doesn’t appear that they made any effort to contact George in Erath County. George did have a letter at the post office in Stephenville for the week ending January 28, 1893.[13] Perhaps that was from the sheriff of Maricopa County about the summons. She was awarded the divorce on 23 December 1893.[14]

Life After the Divorce
Mattie and the five younger children continued to live in Arizona. She married Noah Flood Parks, who had been a ranch hand, on 28 Dec 1893, days after her divorce was finalized.[15] Sometime between 1900 and 1910, they moved to Imperial County, California and then to Tulare County where they both died.

George lived in Erath County, Texas until his death in 1919. He farmed and then lived with his eldest son, Carlton, until his death.

My questions about George W. Lancaster are these. Did he ever see his five youngest children again? The oldest, William Carlton, lived in Erath County. He is my 2x-great-grandfather. But the other children lived and died in California. I have no record of George visiting California, nor of any of the children visiting him.

What caused him to return to Texas and abandon his wife and children? It was disturbing learning about the divorce and Martha’s claim of abandonment. There are always two sides to a story, but often divorce records only give one side, as is in this case. I may never know the reason, but I am glad to have found the other part of the family.

This is my fourth year working on this year-long 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow. I will write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or at My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

---

[1] California Department of Health Services, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Standard Certificate of Death, no. 32-024489 (1932), Mattie Jane Parks.

[2] Kaufman Co, Texas, Marriages, 2: 51, Geo W. Lancaster-Martha J. Polly, 1871; FHL microfilm 1302500.

[3] Pima County, Arizona, RG 110, Superior Court Records, SG 8 case 2250, Lancaster v. Lancaster, decree, 23 December 1893; Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, Phoenix.

[4] William Carlton is my ancestor, who lived and died in Texas.

[5] Johnson County, Texas, Deeds, bk 31, p. 70, ER Kelley to GW Lancaster, digital image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org); citing FHL film 1435027.

[6] “Rockwall County, Texas Genealogy,” https://wwwp.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Rockwall_County,_Texas_Genealogy.

[7] Johnson County, Texas, Deeds, v. 34, p. 80, GW & MJ Lancaster to JJ Stovall, digital image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org).

[8] Arizona, Maricopa County Voter Registers 1876-1932, 1888, #2510, George Wilson Lancaster, FHL film 1405007.

[9] Texas, Erath County, Deeds, v. 29, p. 606, I. & L.E. Pipes to G.W. Lancaster, 1890.

[10] Maricopa County, Arizona, Voter Registers 1876-1932, 1892-93, no. 1929, George W. Lancaster, FHL film 1405007.

[11] Pima County, Arizona, RG 110, Superior Court Records, SG 8 case 2250, Lancaster v. Lancaster, complaint, 27 December 1892; Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, Phoenix.

[12] Pima County, Arizona, RG 110, Superior Court Records, SG 8 case 2250, Lancaster v. Lancaster, summons, 27 December 1892; Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, Phoenix.

[13] “Letter List,” Stephenville Empire, 3 Feb 1893, p. 1.

[14] Pima County, Arizona, RG 110, Superior Court Records, SG 8 case 2250, Lancaster v. Lancaster, decree, 23 December 1893; Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, Phoenix.

[15] Maricopa County, Arizona, Marriage Licenses & Certificates, RG 107, SG 8 Superior Court Records, Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, Phoenix, 1893, Noah F Parks & Mattie J Lancaster, p 405.

Copyright © 2021 by Lisa S. Gorrell, Mam-ma's Southern Family, All rights reserved.