Cynthia,
I read the 1790 index for South Carolina today and you are right that
William Cato 235, lived in Orangeburg Dist, not Lancaster Co. So this
removes my theory that Henry was in his household. However we do know
that Henry had a son 10-16 years in 1800 as well as 2 daughters 16-26
years, 1 daughter 10-16 years and 1 daughter under 10 years. From
deeds we know that Tabitha was still alive in 1797 so she seems to
have producing children up to about 1790/1. This leads me to believe
that she was very young when she married, probably no older than 14
or 15 years if she had Sterling about 1756 and her last child about
1790/1.
I did a quick look for Hester Deason in the 1850 census index and did
not find her There was a Mrs. E. Deason (Sounded like a widow of
Edmund) but she was only 75 years old, born in SC. Do you suppose the
obituary exaggerated her age somewhat. She would have been about 82
years in 1858. Living with her was a M. Cato, a female, age 53 years.
I guess we will have look for all Deason's in the census and then she
might be in the home of some daughter carrying a different name if
the Mrs. E. Deason is not her. If she was born in 1775, she may have
been Henry's daughter or Sterling's daughter.
Henry