Timothy Dexter believed he was descended from some African prince. He lived such a indulgent life that he should have died earlier, but he actually lived for quite a while. Part of this can be attributed to the work of a nurse who kept his daughter out of the public's eye so she didn't make a fool of herself too. Lancaster would even give Dexter's mind more credit than anyone else because she saw Dexter as a pretty honest man and took care of his people.