THE SONS OF SAMUEL-II GENTRY

Part 3. Allen Gentry and Family

by
Willard Gentry
With Revisions May 2014

Abstract
Allen Gentry is discussed, along with a summary of Allen's children, in continuation of a series providing comprehensive descriptions of the sons of Samuel-II Gentry.

Introduction
The Gentry Journal continues the series of articles on the children of Samuel-II Gentry with a description of the information available on his son, Allen. The descriptions of and references for Allen's sons are very much abbreviated.

Allen-III Gentry

– Born approximately 1723 in Hanover County, Virginia;
– Died in 1802 in Halifax County, Virginia, according to probate records (but see discussion below).
	– Married Mary (Unknown) abt 1745 in Louisa County, Virginia. She probably died between 1805 and 1807 in Person County, North Carolina.
		Sons of Allen and Mary Gentry
	i	Shadrack Gentry, born abt 1746 in Louisa County Virginia, died 1842 in Person County, North Carolina; mother of his older children (1) (Unknown) Davis (unmarried); married next (2) Susannah Davis, 23 Aug 1792 in Halifax County, Virginia<7c> (see discussion below).
	ii	Meshack Gentry, born abt 1748 in Louisa County, Virginia, died 4 Jul 1846<2> in Monroe County, Tennessee; married (1) Ann (Unknown)<4b> abt.1781; married (2) (Unknown)<13a>, abt 1840, Monroe County, Tennessee.
	iii	Abednego Gentry (also Obednigo); born abt 1758 in Lunenburg County, Virginia, died probably 1844 in Surry County, North Carolina; married Elizabeth Brooks abt 1779 in Caswell County, North Carolina, and perhaps second wife.
		Daughters of Allen and Mary Gentry (order unknown)
	iv	Mary Gentry, born probably in Lunenburg County, Virginia; married Andrew Buchanan [Buckhannon] [the name was used interchangeably even in the same document, but Buchanan appears to have been the preferred spelling].
	v	Agnes Gentry, born probably in Lunenburg County, Virginia; married (Unknown) Whittemore [Whitmore].
(The names of Allen's wife and children and the date of Allen's death are taken from his will<7b>. All other dates, unless referenced above, are "best-guess" estimates.)

Many fewer references have been found for Allen Gentry than for his brothers Nicholas, Joseph. The question of whether Allen or Joseph was the older of the two brothers is uncertain. The following points bear on this question.

• Allen's appears to have married before Joseph, based on the probable dates of birth of their oldest children.
• Allen's earliest known purchase of property was in 1755, whereas Joseph bought his first land in 1752, and it appears probable that Allen lived with Joseph on that property at least until Allen bought his own land and perhaps long after that.

These two observations tend to conflict with each other in judging which brother was older. In this article and in the previous articles about Joseph Gentry, we rather arbitrarily assign to Joseph the position of older brother. However, we would not in any way dispute any assertion that Allen was older.

The early movements of Allen's family are given in the testimony of Allen's son, Meshack, when he applied for a Revolutionary War pension<2>. Meshack related that he was born in Louisa County, Virginia, in about 1748, and recalled that his family moved to Lunenburg County when he was 4 years old [about 1752]. He lived there until he was 25 [about 1773] when he moved to Caswell County, North Carolina. (Person County was formed from Caswell County in 1791, so Gentry references after that date reflect a change in county name.) This description matches quite well with what we know of the movement of the entire Samuel-II clan from Louisa County to Lunenburg County. However, Allen and Meshack's move to Caswell County was preceded by a brief visit to Surry County, North Carolina, for both names are found in the 1772 tax lists of Surry County<12a> (but not the names of Allen's other sons, Shadrack and Abednego). It is interesting to note that Shadrack may have separately visited Surry County briefly in 1774, perhaps in the company of Allen's father, Samuel<12b>. These visits are assumed to have been exploratory in nature, for none of Allen's family appeared again in Surry County records until some twenty years later. The visits occurred at the time in North Carolina history that over a thousand residents left their homes after the "War of the Regulators" and moved west to Tennessee and other places, thereby leaving behind many homes the refugees were desperate to sell.

Allen Gentry in Louisa and Lunenburg Counties, Virginia
Allen's name appears in only a single record in Louisa County, Virginia when he witnessed (along with his uncle David-II) a deed for the sale of part of his father's land in Louisa County in 1751<3a>. After his move to Lunenburg County, there is little that has been recorded aside from a handful of land and court records. The land (and court) records of Lunenburg County, Virginia, can be summarized as follows<3b>.

1755	Allen bought 100 acres on Crooked Creek from David Allen (see Fig 1). This land was sold jointly by Allen Gentry and David Allen in 1759 to Richard Haggard, the father-in-law of Allen's sister Ann Haggard. There is no assurance that our Allen lived on this land. Apparently involving some joint ownership, it may have been for investment or speculative purposes only. There have been suggestions that David Allen was a first cousin of Allen Gentry, a nephew of Allen's mother Ann (Allen?) Gentry.
1761	Allen, for 20 pounds, bought 73 acres from his cousin Hezekiah Gentry (son of David-II) that had been part of the Richard Taliaferro grant on Flat Rock Creek. This was one-half of a piece of property that Hezekiah had purchased from William Embry in 1757. Allen sold this land in 1764 for 50 pounds to Roger Atkinson, a land-speculator from Dinwiddie County, Virginia.
1763	Allen bought 50 acres on the north side of the Meherrin River (actually probably the North Meherrin) from his brother William. William had purchased this land in 1760 from a Francis Ray who had apparently left Lunenburg County to move to Johnston County, North Carolina. [Compare the trip (or move?) to Johnston County at about the same time, of David Gentry (who witnessed William's purchase as an apparent neighbor).] There is no specific record of the sale of this land.
1768	Allen bought from Thomas Maury, 80 acres that had been part of the Robert Brooks grant on North Meherrin River. It is probable that this was the same land that Maury had purchased in 1767 from Nicholas Gentry (a deed which Allen witnessed). This land was probably not far from the land Allen bought from his brother William in 1763.
1769	Allen sold 100 acres in the vicinity of the Meherrin River. The acreage does not balance with the land he bought in 1768 (80 acres), so it may have also involved part of the property he had bought in 1763 (50 acres).
1770	Allen was involved in a joint sale, with his brother Joseph (who had left Lunenburg County several years earlier), in selling the last of the property that Joseph had first bought on coming to Lunenburg County in 1752. This suggests the possibility that Allen may have had an informal part ownership with Joseph of this land, in return for which Allen lived on the property until he bought land of his own.

Figure 1. Lunenburg County, Virginia

Besides the transactions involving Allen as buying or selling land, he is listed in a half-dozen deeds as a witness or an adjoining land owner<3c,d>. The transactions above suggest a mixture of land speculation and actual use by Allen of his land. His purchase in 1755 may have been speculative, and that in 1761 certainly appears to be so. His purchase in 1763, on the other hand, seems to have been longer lasting and it is probable that he moved to and lived there for a number of years.

It is perhaps appropriate at this point to make some remarks concerning the responsibilities for recording deeds of land. This was a three-way responsibility, shared by the seller, the buyer and the clerk of court. A deed was required to be signed by the grantor, usually in the presence of witnesses, then attested by the grantor or a witness to a register of deeds appointed by the county court (usually the clerk of court). The clerk than had the responsibility of making a hand-written copy of the deed in his books, for the care of which he was then responsible. The buyer had the most at stake in ensuring that his claim to property would not be contested in the future and would be expected to be sure that his purchase was properly recorded.

The vestry book of Cumberland Parish, which included all of greater Lunenburg County, does not include extensive records, however, Allen's name appears briefly in its records<5>. In 1760 he was listed as a processioner in precinct #14 along with William Gentry and David Gentry; and in 1761 and 1763 he was reimbursed for keeping an Ann Nobles [undoubtedly fulfilling the parish's need to care for needy widows--the Social Security and Aid To Dependent Children programs of the time]. The very limited list of tithables published for Lunenburg County list Allen as liable for 1 tithe and 50 acres in 1764 in the same district as Nicholas and Joseph Gentry<6>. The acreage reflects his purchase from William in 1763. In 1769 an "Allin Pattersfill" Gentry was listed as liable for 3 tithes and 118 acres. In this case, the acreage corresponds to the land which Allen and Joseph jointly sold in 1770. The two additional tithables undoubtedly represent Allen's sons Shadrack and Meshack, although why Shadrack was not included in 1764 as a tithable (age 16 and over) is not known.

As to court records for Allen in Lunenburg County, he appears in scattered references that for the most part involve suits where he was a defendant in cases involving debts<7a>. The fact that the suits were rather widely-spaced in years and in some cases were dismissed suggest that Allen's court appearances were very normal and did not involve any of the money problems that plagued his uncle David. In one different court record, Allen was appointed, along with his brother-in-law French Haggard and nine other men, to assess a damage claim for water overflowing onto neighboring land during the construction of a grist mill on the Meherrin River.

Allen Gentry's Family after leaving Lunenburg County
Allen next appeared in a 1772 tax list in Surry County, North Carolina, along with Nicholas, Richard, Samuel, his son Meshack, and two other Allen Gentrys. We have mentioned this visit briefly above. One of the 1772 Allens, presumably this one, was taxed for 2 white polls, the second taxable person in his household may have been either his son Shadrack or his father Samuel--his son Abednego would have been too young to be taxed. We have also mentioned that two years later, in 1774, Shadrack apparently also visited Surry County briefly, again possibly accompanied by Allen's father Samuel. In both of these cases, there is only a single reference in the Surry County tax records, so in neither case did Allen or any of his family remain in that county. Instead, they moved to Caswell County, North Carolina, as Meshack's Revolutionary War pension testimony indicates.

During the next twenty-five or so years until Allen's death, a variety of references can be found to his family along the Virginia - North Carolina border, either in Halifax County, Virginia, or in Caswell County, North Carolina. (Caswell County was created from Orange County in 1777 and then divided in 1791 to form Person County which became the home for the Gentrys from that time on.) The references indicate movements back and forth from one side of the border to the other. Rather than becoming entangled in successive references, a timeline of dates for Allen's family prior to his death is given below:

Date	County	Reference
1777	Caswell	Meshack entered military service as a Captain of North Carolina mounted rifleman; served in militia until 1781.
1777	Caswell	Census of taxable residents in Caswell County taken soon after county was created, listed Allen and Shadrack Gentry with taxable property; Samuel Gentry was listed as liable for one tithe<8a>. [John Brooks, father of Elizabeth Brooks, later wife of Abednego, in same list.]
1779	Caswell	Samuel signed a petition along with his grandson, "Obednego". This and the previous reference suggest that this Samuel was Allen's father and he must have been living with Allen during the last years of his life. In 1779 he would have been about eight-seven years old and probably died not long afterward.
1782	Halifax	Meshack in personal property tax list with one tithable white male; also in head of household enumeration with five members in his household.
1784	Caswell	Meshack ("of Halifax County") bought 240 acres of land on Bold Creek [This creek no longer is shown on area maps but was probably a tributary of the Hyco River that flowed through Caswell, then Halifax County (perhaps the creek east of Castle Creek, see Map 2). Contemporary land deeds identify land being bought and sold both on Bold Creek in Virginia, and on Bold Creek in Caswell County]
1784	Caswell	Allen and Shadrack listed for 1 white poll each, but no land
1785	Halifax	Meshack in personal property tax list.
1787	Caswell	Meshack sold his 240 acres of land on Bold Creek.
1787	Halifax	Meshack and wife, Ann, sold 100 acres of land on Coleman Creek.
1789	Halifax	Meshack in personal property tax list.
1789	Halifax	Allen, Shadrack, and Abednego in personal property tax list, assessed for 1 white poll each, Allen with 3 slaves.
1791	Halifax	Meshack, with Joseph Huell, sold 73 acres of land.
1793	Halifax	Meshack sold 169 acres of land on Coleman Creek. (There is no record of the purchase of Meshack's land on Coleman Creek. Meshack next appeared in 1796 in Surry County, North Carolina, so presumably this was the last of his Virginia property.)
1794	Person	Shadrack ("of Halifax County") bought 200 acres of land on Castle Creek from his brother-in-law, Andrew Buckhannon.
1794	Person	"Absolum" [Allen?] Gentry taxed for 250 acres of land and 1 white poll.
1798	Halifax	Allen and "Ebednego" in personal property tax list, Allen with 5 slaves.
1799	Person	Shadrack bought 105 acres of land on Castle Creek.

To summarize, it appears that after their brief excursion to Surry County, North Carolina, Allen's family settled before 1777 in an area that started as Orange County, then became Caswell County, then finally became Person County. [Deed records for Orange County, from which Caswell County was created in 1777, are missing for the period 1756 to 1778 as a result of a courthouse fire. There is no way we can know where, when, or how Allen and Shadrack obtained the land in Caswell County for which they were assessed.] Allen, Shadrack and Abednego moved across the state line into Halifax County between 1784 and 1789. Allen and Abednego apparently remained in Halifax County until Allen's death in 1802, but Allen owned land in Person County for which he was taxed in 1794. This land possibly was the same as that for which he was assessed tax in 1777, but there is no record of his acquisition or disposal of the property. Shadrack moved back permanently to North Carolina, now Person County, about 1794 (and was joined by Abednego after Allen's death). Meanwhile, Meshack had entered military service from Caswell County, but after the completion of that service, he settled in Halifax County. A brief excursion to Caswell County in 1784 to 1787 appears to have been only a matter of buying and selling property there, not a change in residence but must have been enough for him to be skipped in the 1784 Halifax County head-of-household enumeration. Meshack left Halifax County permanently between 1793 and 1796 and moved to Surry County. All of the moves between Virginia and North Carolina appear to have been within a relatively few miles either way from the state border.

Figure 2. Halifax County, Virginia, and Person County, North Carolina

 
Allen's Last Days
The final reference to Allen Gentry is found in the court records of Halifax County, Virginia. Allen's will, written 21 Dec 1801, was received for probate at the July 1802 County Court. The will reads in part:

	"In name of God amen. I, Allen Gentry of Halifax County, and State of Virginia, and in perfect health, and in good memory, thanks be to God. Knowing that it is appointed for all men to die, do make this my last will and testament ...
	I give to my wife, Mary Gentry, during her natural life or widowhood, all and singular my estate, real and personal, with all my household goods, and moveable effects, and after her decease or marriage in the manner following:
	Item:	I give to my eldest son, Shadrack Gentry, of my estate one negro man named Jack to him and his heirs forever.
	Item:	I give and bequeath to my son, Meshack Gentry, one negro man named Toney, to him and his heirs forever.
	Item:	I give and bequeath to my daughter Mary Buchanan one negro woman, Lucky, to her and her heirs forever.
	Item:	Item: I give to my grandson, Shadrack Gentry, Obednigo's son, one negro man, named Toby, and two negro women named Hanna and Amy, and two negro children, named Hanna and Enos, to him and his heirs forever, and it is my will and desire that Andrew Buchanan, should keep these five negroes with him at his own house, and that he will pay the earnings that they earn to Shadrack, my grandson, and keep them together, after my decease, and my wife Mary's decease, until the heir comes of age and then deliver them and the earnings or the hire they have earned to the said heir.
	Item:	I give to my daughter Agnes Whittemore, ten pounds of current money to be raised out of my estate.
	Item:	I give and bequeath to my son Obednigo Gentry, ten pounds current money to be raised out of my estate.
	Item:	It is my will and desire, and I do leave the rest of my moveable property to be equally divided amongst my children--namely Shadrack Gentry, Meshack Gentry, Obednigo Gentry, Agnes Whittemore and Mary Buchanan.
	Item:	Andrew Buchanan and Shadrack Gentry executors."

[The copy of this will in Richard Gentry's book, "The Gentry Family in America"<1> shows the will as being signed by "Allen A. Gentry". In fact, the document ends with "Allen [his mark] Gentry", and Allen did indeed make his mark with the letter "A". The common mistake of referring to Allen as "Allen A. Gentry" is repeated in the title of Richard's description of Allen [#205, p.255], and has been perpetuated in other documents that have drawn on this book as their source of information. This use of a mark for his signature is found in other documents involving Allen, for example, in Lunenburg County deeds.]

Allen's will seems to establish that Allen's residence at the time of his death was in Virginia. Even so, questions linger concerning the circumstances as to this apparent residence. We can briefly summarize some of the facts concerning Allen's family in the years just before and just after his death.

• Allen was taxed for land in Person County in 1794 but taxed for personal property in Halifax County in 1798.
• It is probable that Abednego was living with his parents at the time of Allen's death. [This is particularly suggested by the provision in Allen's will making a special bequest to a favorite grandson, Shadrack, Abednego's son.]
• We know from the Person County census that neither Allen nor Abednego was living with Shadrack or with Andrew Buchanan in 1800.
• From the terms of his will, we know that Allen owned eight slaves, so was apparently operating a plantation, but can infer that at the time of his death, he no longer owned any land that he wished to or was able to divide among his heirs. (His will mentions "moveable property" and no "real property"). Abednego bought property from his brother-in-law, Andrew Buchanan, in 1805, that adjoined land occupied by Shadrack<9b,9c>. It is possible that Allen and Abednego were living on this land at the time of Allen's death. The land was in Person County, at the intersection of Castle Creek and the main east-west road and was approximately four miles south of the state boundary.

This is an appropriate point at which to mention the status of Federal census records. Along with the loss of all of Virginia's census records for 1790, including Halifax County, those for Caswell County were also lost. Not only Federal records for Caswell County are missing but also those for Nash District (later Person County) from the 1786 North Carolina state census. In addition, the 1800 census for Halifax County was lost, along with many of the records for Person County. A 1782 head-of-household enumeration for Halifax County, shows Meshack with 5 individuals in his family, but with no breakdown as to male and female members, or ages of family members. He is the only Gentry shown in that or the succeeding 1784 enumeration. Shadrack is listed in the 1800 Person County census, but neither Allen nor Abednego Gentry are included. Unfortunately, given the uncertain nature of the Person County census, their absence from that census and the complete lack of a Halifax County census leave us without any direct knowledge as to their residence in 1800<14>.

Children of Allen

A. Shadrack Gentry

Less is known about Allen's son Shadrack than either of the other two. With the exception of the brief reference to Shadrack in Surry County, North Carolina (in 1774), that has been mentioned above, a tax list reference in 1789 and the record of his marriage in Halifax County, Virginia (in 1792), all other references are found in Caswell County and its successor, Person County, North Carolina. He was named with his father in the Caswell County tax lists of 1777 and 1784 and with his brother Meshack in a Person County list of 1795. Shadrack apparently moved from Halifax County to Person County in 1794 when he was identified as "of Halifax County" in buying 200 acres of land on Castle Creek from his brother-in-law, Andrew Buchanan. Five years later he bought 105 acres more<9a>. In 1805, Shadrack was taxed for 308 acres of land (probably no additional 3 acres of land involved, only a revised estimate of his total holding). In 1820, Shadrack gave 105 acres to his son, Abednego, which agrees with being taxed in 1823, for the remaining 200 acres<8b>. In the latter year, Shadrack was apparently no longer required to pay a poll tax (he was approximately 77 years old at the time). Shadrack's name is found in each Person County census from 1800 to 1840.

Shadrack died in 1842 as indicated by documents in the probate records for Shadrack. These documents also relate the circumstances of the last years of his life<10a>:

It may seem to be misplaced order to discuss Shadrack's marriage after discussing his death, but we have a good reason for this which will be apparent below. The only marriage recorded for Shadrack was in 1792 in Halifax County<7c>. A marriage bond was executed on 21 August and his marriage to Susanna Davis took place on August 23rd. Susanna's parents, Jonathan and Bathsheba Davis gave their consent which would normally indicate she was underage. In contrast to this, the 1810 Person County census reports Susanna as being born in 1765 or before, which would have meant that she was indeed of age in 1792. There is no further evidence to indicate which was right.

Shadrack had three children at the time of this marriage, namely Sally, Simon, and probably Mary. The same probate records mentioned above contain the records of a suit brought by the younger children of Shadrack against Simon as the administrator of the estate<10a>. The plaintiffs state:

From this we can conclude:

• The mother of Simon and Sally Gentry was a woman by the name of Davis, who was not married to Shadrack at the time of their birth. We have no clue as to why this was so. Based on an estimate of Sally's birth, their first liaison would have been in the vicinity of 1782, a date which suggests a possible effect by the Revolutionary War. The established church in Virginia and North Carolina was in disarray during this time and many churches were without a minister. The local civil infrastructure may also have been in disarray. These circumstances may have led Shadrack and his "wife" to adopt a "common law" relationship and to forego any technicalities connected with marriage.
• Despite the fact that Shadrack's legitimate wife Susanna's name was Davis, it is very unlikely that she was the mother of the older children. Rather it is probable that she was a younger sister of the first "wife".
• Simon was born about 1792 according to the 1850 census records. It is probable that Simon's mother died in childbirth or shortly afterwards, leading to the decision by Shadrack to promptly marry again.
• It is of interest that despite any action taken by the North Carolina legislature to change Simon's name from Simon Davis to Simon Gentry at a relatively late stage of his life<10a>, Simon was always known as Simon Gentry and Sally as Sally Gentry, witness Simon's purchase of land from Abednego in 1808<9c>, and his marriage bond of 1809 and Sally's marriage bond of 1803<10b>.

Besides Sally (married Thomas Allen, 1803) and Simon (married Martha or Patsy Buckhannon [or Buchanan], 1809), Shadrack's children by his first wife probably included another daughter, Mary (who married John Trew or True, 1809<10b>,). Shadrack's children by his second wife included Polly [a second Mary?] (married Jackson Dunn, 1821), Abednego (married Francis Ramsey, 1816, and died early at age 44), Elizabeth (married Jesse Chambers, 1822) and Allen (married Harriet Jones, 1822)<10a>. Census records suggest there was another son (following Abednego) who died as a child. All of Shadrack's sons remained in Person County and were the source of many Gentrys living there today.

B. Meshack Gentry

Allen Gentry's second son was far more active and independent than his older brother. Meshack served in the Revolutionary War as a captain of North Carolina mounted riflemen, indicating a prominent place in the community. He entered service in 1779 in Caswell County (but was never able to obtain a pension for lack of documentary evidence). We have referred earlier to his application for a pension. A chronology of Meshack's activities after being discharged from military service at Hillsborough, North Carolina in 1781, is summarized below. We have already listed the references in Halifax and Caswell County above, but will repeat them for convenience.

1782	Meshack taxed in Halifax County, Virginia. Included also in the 1782 Halifax County head-of-household enumeration published by the Federal Bureau of Census in lieu of the 1790 Federal census<14>.
1784	Meshack (identified as "of Halifax County") bought 240 acres in Caswell County on Bold Creek. He sold this land in 1787<9b>.
1787	Meshack and his wife Ann sold to Joseph Huell an estimated 100 acres on Coleman Creek, the first of three plots of land in Halifax County. This was followed in 1791 by the sale of 73 acres jointly by Meshack and Huell (which probably included part of the land Meshack sold in 1784). In 1793, Meshack sold 169 acres, also on Coleman Creek, presumably the last of his Halifax land. There is no record of his purchase of any of this land<4b>.
1796	Meshack made the first of a series of purchases of land in Surry County, North Carolina. Most of his land was along both banks of Deep Creek. Beginning probably in 1801, his properties included one or more mills. In addition to the Deep Creek property, he purchased 260 acres of land on Hunting Creek in 1797, part of which he sold in 1800.
1817	Meshack sold the first of his holdings on Deep Creek, including his mills. The last of his Surry County property was sold in 1819<11a>. There is no record of Meshack selling any land on Hunting Creek, but his son Allen D. Gentry sold land there, presumably part of which had been bought by his father. [His land holdings as shown by tax records, varied from 150 to 410 acres, mostly in the neighborhood of 300 acres<12c>. Obviously some of his purchases were not properly recorded with the clerk of court. Interestingly, one of Meshack's purchases of land in 1805 was not recorded with the court until fourteen years later in 1819. Presumably the buyer wanted to provide proof of ownership and arranged for the late recording of the ownership of land which he had just purchased. We have remarked earlier about the fact that Meshack appeared to be careless about ensuring that his purchases of land were properly recorded.]
1818	Meshack left Surry County and moved to Green County, Tennessee (as reported in his military bounty application<2>). After two years there, Meshack moved on to Bledsoe County, Tennessee where he spent another two years. He finally moved to Monroe County, Tennessee where he lived with his son Allen D. Gentry until Meshack's death.
1840	Meshack reported to have a newly married wife [name unknown]<13a>.
1846	Allen D. Gentry reported to the U.S. Bureau of Pensions that Meshack had died.

Meshack had three children that we know of, namely: Pleasant Gentry (married Lucy Alnut in Surry County in 1804, and moved to Madison County, Kentucky); Jordan Gentry (married Elizabeth Holcomb (?) in Surry County and moved eventually to Itawamba County, Mississippi); and Allen D. Gentry (married his cousin Nancy Gentry, daughter of Abednego Gentry in Surry County in 1810, and moved to Monroe County, Tennessee with Meshack). Marriage bonds are recorded in Surry County for Pleasant and for Allen D. but not for Jordan.

The Halifax County head-of-household citation for 1782 that we have cited above shows 5 people in his family at that time, so it is unlikely that there were other unidentified members. [The printed transcription of this list gives the name "Michael Gentry" which was undoubtedly a mis-reading of "Meshack Gentry"]. Meshack is listed (with 3 sons) in the 1800 Surry County census. He was also listed in the 1810 Surry County census and in the 1830 Monroe County, Tennessee census. Despite the fact that he was living in Monroe County in 1840, he was not listed under any Gentry name in that year [could he have been living with the family of his new wife?].

C. Abednego Gentry

[The author's line of descent]
The first reference to Allen's third son, Abednego (or Obednigo) was in 1779 in Caswell County when he signed a petition with his grandfather. The next references were in personal property tax lists with his father in Halifax County in 1789 and 1798. Of significance in the reciting of rererences was one in 1799, in Newberry District, South Carolina, which establishes the identity of Abednego's wife, Elizabeth Brooks. Elizabeth's brother, David, left a will naming two siblings, Richard Brooks and Elizabeth Gentry "now living in North Carolina", as beneficiaries<16>. [David and his father, John Brooks, coincidentally were in the same Caswell County tax list in 1777 as Allen Gentry, Shadrack, and Samuel. This was just about the time that Abednego and Elizabeth were probably married.].

The next reference to Abednego was when his name was included in Allen's will. The special bequest of five slaves to Abednego's son, Shadrack, suggest that Allen and Abednego were living together in one household or neighboring households, and that the young boy (who was about nine years old) was a favorite of his grandfather. In 1805, three years after Allen's death, Mary Gentry (presumably Allen's widow) was listed in Person County tax records as owning 5 slaves but no land<8b>. We can assume Mary was still living with her son, Abednego. In the same year, Abednego bought 168 acres of land from his brother-in-law Andrew Buchanan that Andrew had purchased almost twenty years earlier. This land included a part of a parcel of land on which Abednego's brother Shadrack was living<9c>. In 1807 Abednego moved to Surry County, North Carolina. While there, he sold his Person County land in 1808. This move probably was after the death of his mother and final settlement of Allen's estate.

References to Abednego in Surry County, other than being listed regularly in the tax records, are few in number. In 1807 he bought 100 acres from Thomas Day and an adjoining 52 ½ acres from Henry Day on the south side of the south fork of Deep Creek<11b>. Although there are no more deeds in his name for the purchase of land, the tax records show a jump from 152 acres in 1808 to 292 acres in 1809 and another jump to 392 acres in 1813. These presumably reflect his purchase of 100 acres, then another 140 acres<12c>. The latter property apparently was sold or given to his son Allen between 1827 and 1830 judging from tax records. Aside from one citation where he witnessed a deed for his brother, Meshack, Abednego's name does not occur in any more deeds until 1836 when he divided his remaining land between his two younger sons, William and Abednego Jr<11b>. William was given the 100 acres which his father had bought in 1808 or 1809, while Abednego Jr. was given the original two plots of 152 ½ acres. Abednego's older sons, Shadrack and Allen, were not included in any of these transfers of land because they already had land of their own.

The determination of the date of Abednego's death is an intriguing one. We get no help from tax records, for there is a gap in these records between 1842 and 1847. However, we can get important information from court records filed in Monroe County, Tennessee<13b>. In 1854, Abednego's daughter, Nancy, filed suit against the estate of her husband, Allen D. Gentry, to overturn an earlier divorce decree that prevented her from inheriting that estate. As a part of the proceedings, a letter supposedly written in 1845 by a brother-in-law of Nancy and sent from Surry County to Monroe County, was introduced in evidence. Nancy alleged that she later learned the letter was forged by or on the instigation of Allen. This letter stated that Abednego had died October 31, 1844, and that Nancy had been left money amounting to some $250. She apparently never received this money. Despite the fact that Nancy discovered at a later time that the letter was forged, there must have been enough truth to the statement that Abednego had died in 1844 (which she had probably already learned before receiving the letter) for her to accept that part of the document at face value. While the exact date may be in question, it is reasonable to say that Abednego's death must have been during the fall of 1844. [To satisfy any reader's curiosity, Nancy did indeed inherit all of Allen's estate, so apparently the court was satisfied by her claim of forgery.]

There is much that is unknown about Abednego. Census records suggest that after the death of his first wife, Abednego may have married a second time between 1820 and 1830, and possibly a third time between 1830 and 1840. Even the composition of the rest of his family is not entirely certain. Mary Gentry (married Samuel Stokes about 1813), Reuben (speculation, married about 1800 in Virginia?), and Nancy (married her cousin Allen D. Gentry, 1810) were his oldest children. They were probably followed by two proposed daughters, Martha ("Patsy", who married Solomon Jacks, 1808), and Elizabeth (married William Sparks, 1813). They were followed by the Shadrack (married Polly Jacks, 1810, then Melinda Messick, 1847) who was mentioned in his grandfather's will. Abednego had three other sons, Allen (married Sarah Brittain, 1822, then Louisa Martin, 1874 in Missouri), William (married Lucy Myres, 1830, then Sarah Long, 1865), and Abednego Jr. (married a Sarah, about 1838, maiden name unknown). Census records suggest that Abednego probably had a fifth daughter whose name is not known. All of Abednego's children remained in North Carolina with the exceptio of Nancy (who accompanied her husband, Allen D. to Monroe County, Tennessee), Allen (who moved to Nodaway County, Missouri) and Abednego Jr. (who moved to Buchanan County, Missouri).

The records for Abednego's family are complicated by the presence of three extraneous Gentry children who were apparently living with Abednego and with his son Shadrack in 1820. Records of these extra Gentrys, Sally, Elizabeth, and William White Gentry, continued to appear in Surry County records for many years afterwards. This author has a theory that they were grandchildren of Abednego, orphan children of Reuben Gentry who died about 1810. This question will not be discussed further here, but rather deferred to later consideration in the Gentry Journal.

D. Daughters of Allen Gentry

Returning to Allen Gentry, his daughter, Mary Buchanan, is probably included in the 1800 Person County census returns in the family listed for "Andrew Buckhanon" (the spelling "Buckhannon", "Buckhanon", and "Buchanan" was used interchangeably). There are many references to Mary's husband, Andrew, in Caswell and Person County beginning in 1779, as he was active in buying and selling land mostly along Castle Creek just south of the Virginia state line (see Map 2.)<9b>. In 1810, Mary may have been living with the "Andrew Buchanan" included in the census for that year (this Andrew was the right age to have been her son). If this is the right Buchanan family, Mary was born before 1755, and the children's ages given in the 1800 census suggest that Mary and Andrew were probably married about 1779.

We know nothing of the movements of Allen's daughter, Agnes Whittemore or Whitmore. The only evidence for her existence is in Allen's will. There are no records in either Halifax County or Person County of deeds involving a Whittemore or Whitmore either as a grantor or a grantee. Nor is there a record in the 1800 census. It is possible that a Whittemore family in the 1810 Caswell County census may be this family or a related family.

There has been speculation as to the identity of a Nancy Gentry who married John Mullins in Halifax County, Virginia, in 1792<7c>. The presence of the name Nancy in Abednego's family, and the unexplained presence of this Nancy in Halifax County have led to suggestions that she was a third, younger daughter of Allen Gentry. While this is possible in terms of Nancy's age (other records show she was born about 1768), there would have been a sizeable gap in years between her birth and that of possible older siblings. The absence of a Nancy in Allen's will also casts doubt on this proposal. Nancy is thought to have moved before 1800 with her husband to Floyd County, Kentucky, and was living there at the time of Allen's death. One would presume that Allen would be aware of her existence if indeed she was a daughter of Allen. Lacking this relationship, we have no good explanation for the presence of this Nancy in Halifax County at that time.

Conclusion
Allen Gentry, while unremarkable in what we know of his life in general, was distinctive in one way. We have no idea as to why he went off on his own into Caswell County, but in doing so, he very clearly broke away from the pattern followed by his other brothers (with the exception of Simon) who moved one after another from Lunenburg, Virginia to Surry County, North Carolina. His sons likewise had minds of their own, and aside from Meshack and Abednego spending a number of years together in Surry County, each of them followed separate paths. The Journal of Gentry Genealogy will pursue them on these paths in future articles.

References
1. Richard Gentry, "The Gentry Family in America", by Grafton Press, New York, 1909, p.255-257:
#205, Allen A. Gentry. (Includes a verbatim copy of Allen's will.)

2. Revolutionary War Pensions
R3974: Meshack GENTRY, of Monroe County, Tennessee
[In his petition he] stated that he was born in Louisa County,. Virginia, [abt 1748], moved at age 4 [abt 1752] to Lunenburg County, Virginia, where he lived until he was 25 [abt 1773], then moved to Caswell County, North Carolina. "A few years after the end of the war", he moved to Surry County, North Carolina where he lived until 1818. Then lived 2 years in Greene County, Tennessee, 2 years in Bledsoe County, Tennessee, 2 years in McMinn County, Tennessee [southwest of Knoxville and southeast of Bledsoe Co], then finally moved to Monroe County, Tennessee [east of McMinn Co] where he resided until the time of his application. [In pursuit of Meshack's claim later, his son Allen D. Gentry stated that Meshack died 4 Jul 1846.]

3. Land Transactions and Witnessing of Deeds by Allen Gentry

(a)	Louisa County, Virginia, Deed Books
1751	Aug 6	Deed Bk(A-433)
	Thomas Lane of Louisa Co, and Ann, his wife, to John Starke, for £37, deeds 100 acres on Dirty Swamp in Fredericksville Par., conveyed 22 Sep 1746 by Nicholas Gentry, the younger, and Mary, his wife to said Lane. Signed: Thomas Lane, Ann (A) Lane. Wit: John (X) Brooks, David (D) Gentry, Allen (X) Gentry.
(b)	Lunenburg County, Virginia, Deed and County Minute Books – Allen as Principal
1755	Nov Court	County Court Order Bk(4-32)
	Indenture of sale between David Allen & Martha his wife, [to] Allen Gentry proved by oath of 2 witnesses and ordered to be certified. [No acreage or location of land given. No matching deed.]
1759	Oct 1	Deed Bk(5-489)
	David Allen of Johnston Co NC and Allen Gentry of Lunenburg Co VA to Richard Haggard, for £30, sold 100 acres on Creeched (Crooked) Creek, ... Wit: John Hanna Smith, John Colson, Elisha Brooks...
	Oct Court	Court Order Bk(6-31A)
	Indenture proved by witnesses and ordered to be recorded.
1761	Apr 6	Deed Bk(7-11)
	Hezekiah Gentry to Allen Gentry for £20, sold 73 acres granted 5 Sep 1749 to Richard Taliaferro, adj. French Haggard and Joseph Simpkin's corner.
	Apr Court	Court Order Bk(6-251B)
	Indenture acknowledged by Hezekiah and ordered to be recorded.
1763	Dec 8	Deek Bk(9-337)
	William Gentry to Allen Gentry, both of Lunenburg Co, for £40, sold 50 acres ... on north side of Merrin (Meherrin) River.
	Dec Court	County Court Order Bk(9-300)
	Deed was acknowledged.
1764	May	Deed Bk(8-268)
	Allen Gentry of Lunenburg Co, to Roger Atkinson of Dinwiddie County, for £50, sold estimated 73 acres, purchased of Hezekiah Gentry in Lunenburg Co, Cumberland Parish, near the mouth of Flatrock Creek, being part of patent granted 5 Sep 1749 to Richard Talleferro (Taliaferro), adj. French Haggard's line, Joseph Simpkin's corner...Wit: David Garland, Wm Taylor, Barttelot Anderson.
	Aug Court	County Court Order Bk(9-126)
	Deed was proved by oath of the witnesses.
1768	Aug 11	Deed Bk(11-188)
	Thomas Murry [Maury] to Allen Gentry, both of Lunenburg County for 40 lbs, 80 ac in Lunenburg County on N side of Maherrin Riv.; part of a grant to Robt. Brooks and conveyed to said Murry, adj. Richd. Brooks at river. Rachel, wife of Maury relinq dower right. Signed Thomas (X) Murry. [This is probably the same land that Maury bought in 1767 from Nicholas Gentry.]
1769	Aug 10	Deed Bk(11-288)
	Allen Gentry to Charles Gravett, both of Lunenburg County, for 50 lbs, 100 ac in Lunenburg County on N. Maherrin Riv., up spring branch on Degraffenreidt line, to Wm. Cockerham, to Abraham Maury, to river. Wit: Everard Dowsing, Bartlet Estes Senr., David Hopkins. Signed Allen (A) Gentry.
1770	Dec 13	Deed Bk(11-423)
	Joseph Gentry of North Carolina, Agness Gentry his wife, Allen Gentry, Mary Gentry his wife of Lunenburg County and Cumberland Parish to Samuel Jeter of the same county, for 100 lbs ... sell 118 ac in Lunenburg County on the lower side of Ready Creek adj. Jeremiah Glen, John Mellenor, Michael Maccy, down Horsepen Creek to Everard Dowsing's line to Ready Creek then down the creek as is meanders to the beginning; said tract of land part of a larger parcel originally granted to Michael Macey and conveyed to Joseph Minor and by him conveyed to Joseph Gentry. Signed: Joseph ("X") Gentry, Allen ("A") Gentry. Wit: Wm Jeter, Francis Degraffenreidt, Wm Jeter Jr. Ack by Joseph Gentry and Allen Gentry; Mary on examination relinq. her dower rights.
1771	Sep 27	Deed Bk(12-108)
	To Jacob Bonn and James Marck, Esq. Gentlemen of Surry County NC, greeting. Joseph Gentry & Agness, his wife, and Allen Gentry, & Mary, his wife, by their deed of Dec. 13, 1770 sold to Samuel Jeter 118 acres in Lunenburg County on Reedy Cr. Agness, the wife of said Joseph Gentry, cannot conveniently travel to our county court to make acknowledgement of the deed. You are therefore authorized to go to Agness to receive her acknowledgement. Signed 11 Jul 1711: Wm. Taylor. Agness relinquished her right of dower. Signed 27 Sep 1771: Jacob Bonn, James Merck. Recorded 9 Apr 1972.
(c)	Lunenburg County, Virginia, Deed Books – Allen as Witness
1760	Jul 12	Deed Bk(6-342)
	Francis Ray of Johnston Co NC to William Gentry of Lunenburg Co VA, for £25, sold 50 acres, adj. Andrews' Rock...Wit: William (A) Allen, Allen (A) Gentry, David (D) Gentry. Signed: Francis ( ) Ray.
1762	May 3	Deed Bk(7-390)
	French Haggard to Thomas Ayre for £40, sold 50 acres, granted 5 Sep 1749 to Richard Taliaferro on south side of Flat Rock Creek of Meherren. Wit: Ruben Vaughn, Allen (A) Gentry, John Hight. Signed: French Haggard, and Ann (A) Haggard.
1767	Aug 8	Deed Bk(11-59)
	Nicholas Gentry and Mary, his wife, to Thomas Maury, both of Lunenburg Co VA, for £40 sold 80 acres, being part of a grant to Robert Brooks, since sold to said Gentry, adj. Richard Brooks...Wit: Richard Gentry, Daniel Murray, Allen Gentry.
1770	May 16	Deed Bk(11-402)
	Charles Wray [wife Lucretia] of Lunenburg County to Lewis Parham of Mecklenburg County, for £11, 260 ac in Lunenburg County, S. side Beaver Crk... Wit: John Arnoll, James Gee, Thomas Edwards, Allen Gentry, Mathew Laffoon.
(d)	Lunenburg County, Virginia, Deed Books – Allen as Neighbor
1763	Dec 31	Deed Bk(8-282)
	Thomas Ayer of Lunenburg Co VA to Rodger Atkinson of Dinwiddee County, for £60, sold 50 acres orig. granted 5 Sep 1749 Richard Taliaferro, being on Flatrock Creek of Meherrin, adj. Allen Gentry...Wit: Richard Whitton, David Garland, Samuel Garland...
4. Other Deed Book References, Virginia
(a)	References to Meshack Gentry, Lunenburg County
1771	Oct 1	Deed Bk(12-85)
	Richard Haggard of Bute County, NC, to Rich'd Dunston of Lunenburg County, for £100, a certain tract of land of about 50 acres, being half the land bought of David Allen, being in Lunenburg County and Crooked Cr.. Signed: Richard Haggard. Wit: John Hix, Mourning Hix, Robert (mark) Willis, Meshack Gentry, John Hix. Recorded 12 Mar 1772.
(b)	References to Meshack Gentry, Halifax County
1787	Jan 18	Bk(14-42)
	Meshack Gentry and wife Ann deed to Joseph Huell; estimated 100 acres of land lying on the waters of Coleman Creek, adjoined by land of John West.
1791	Sep 26	Bk(15-210)
	Meshack Gentry and Joseph Huell of Halifax County deed to Jesse Atkinson of same county; 73 acres of land in Halifax County.
1793	Jan 26	Bk(15-514)
	Meshack Gentry of Halifax County, deeds to Pleasant Turner of same county; 169 acres of land on Coleman Creek, neighboring land of Roger Atkinson, Wyatt Huell, William Robertson, John Carmical [Carmichael], Eliza Spencer, said Pleasant Turner and Major Hood.

5. Parish Records
Landon C. Bell, "Cumberland Parish, Lunenburg County, Va, 1746-1816" "Vestry Book 1746-1816", Richmond, VA, 1930

1760 Mar 1	Processioners in Precinct #14...Allen Gentry, William Gentry, David Gentry...
1761 Oct 30	Allen Gentry for keeping Ann Nobles 3 months.
1763	Allen Gentry for caring of Ann Nobles...

6. Tax Records, Virginia
(a)	Landon C. Bell, "Sunlight on the Southside, Lists of Tithes, Lunenburg County, Virginia, 1748-1783", Genealogical Publishing County, Baltimore. 1974 ["Southside" was the term used for that part of Virginia south of the James River.] This book does not report all of the existing tax list records many of which duplicate each other from year to year. Instead, specific years were chosen such as 1752 when Halifax County was formed out of Lunenburg County and 1764 when Mecklenburg County was formed.
1764	p.236	List by Henry Blagrave
		Allen Gentry Joseph Gentry Nicholas Gentry	1 tithe 1 tithe 1 tithe	50 ac 118 ac 108 ac
1769	p.272	Cumberland Parish list by Everard Dowsing
		"Gentry, Allin Pattersfill"(?)	3 tithes	118 ac
		[Note. Acreage same as for Joseph in 1764; is there some joint ownership or occupation of this land by Joseph and Allen. Note that Allen is involved with Joseph in deed records for sale of final portion of this land.]

7. Virginia Court and Marriage Records

(a)	Lunenburg County Court Books
1757	Apr Court	Bk(4-277)
	William Allen, a witness for Allen & Simon Gentry ordered to be paid for 4 days attendance.
1757	Apr Court	Bk(4-280)
	Theophilus Field, Plt vs Allen Gentry & Simon Gentry, Defts. Suit ordered to be dismissed.
1762	Apr Court	Bk(8-9B)
	Richard Hanian vs Allen Gentry, in debt. Suit dismissed at the Deft's cost.
1762	Dec Court	Bk(8-144B)
	John Hix executor of Henry Cockerham deceased vs Joseph Simpkin, Allen Gentry & William Gentry. The Deft Gentrys not appearing, makes default the conditional order against the said Defts and Richard Witton Sheriff of the said county. Judgment is confirmed against the said Defts. The said Deft Simpkins also comes not but makes default. Judgment for the Plt for payment and costs.
1764	Jun Court	Bk(9-116)
	James Thornton vs Joseph Simpkin and Allen Gentry, in Debt. Defts came not. Order that the Plt recover against sd Deft Simpkin and David Gentry and David Brooks, his security. Suit dismissed as to Gentry at his costs.
1764	Oct Court	Bk(9-187)
	John Potter, assignee of Matthew Marable, Plt vs David Brooks, John Brooks, and Allen Gentry, Defts. In Debt. Suit dismissed.
1765	Apr Court	Bk(11-19)
	Matthew Marable, Sheriff, on oath by 11 men [incldg Allen Gentry and French Haggard] evaluated damage to land of William Andrews opposite where John Brooks intends to build a water grist mill over waters of Meherrin River, caused by overflow of river during construction of mill. Leave granted to Brooks to build the same.
1766	Aug Court	Bk(11-186)
	Jonathan Ratteson Jr, assignee of Allen Gentry who was Assignee of Hezekiah Gentry vs Edward Waller and John Ussery, Defts in Debt. Plt came by his atty. Ussery came in person and acknowledged debt. Waller no longer an inhabitant of this county, suit abates as to him.
(b)	Halifax County Court Will Books
1802	Jul 26	Will Bk(6-374)
	Will of Allen Gentry received for probate in July County Court, signed 21 Dec 1801, bequeaths to:
	Wife Mary; Eldest son Shadrack; Son Meshack; Daughter Mary Buchanan; Daughter Agnes Whitmore; Son Obednego; Grandson Shadrack, son of Obednigo; Executors Andrew Buchanan and Shadrack Gentry.
	(Also accessible in "The Gentry Family in America", p.255-257.)
(c)	Halifax County Marriage Bond Register
1792	May 17	Bk(1-26)
	John Mullins to Nancy Gentry; surety Henry Pollard; Nancy signs her own consent. (Married 7 Jun by Rev. Jesse Owen).
1792	Aug 21	Bk(1-25)
	Shadrack Gentry to Susanna Daviss; Meshack Gentry; dau of Jonathan and Bethsheba Daviss who consent. (Married 23 Aug by Rev. Reuben Pickett)

8. Caswell and Person County, North Carolina, Tax Lists
(a)	William P. Johnson, "North Carolina Genealogy"
1777	vol 20, p.2918 (1974) Caswell County, NC Tax Lists for Nash District: Includes Allen Gentry and Shadrick Gentry (assessed for land), and Samuel Gentry (no land tax but liable for poll tax) [Also includes Arthur Brooks, David Brooks, John Brooks].
1779	vol 16, p.2572 (1970) North Carolina Legislative papers, box 29: Abstract of papers includes: "Samuel Gentry and Obednego Gentry sign petition for division of Caswell County".
(b)	Katharine Kerr Kendall, "Caswell County North Carolina, Tax Lists", 1977; and "Person County, North Carolina Compilations, Land Grants, Tax Lists and Record Book Abstracts 1792-1820",1978:
	Tax Lists (Caswell County)	Acres	White Polls	Black Polls
1777	Allen Gentry Samuel Gentry Shadrick Gentry	land assessed at £937 7/- subject to poll tax land assessed at £362 19/3
1784	Shadrack Gentry Allen Gentry	0 0	1 1	0 3
	Tax Lists (Person County)
1794	Absolum [Allen?] Gentry	250	1
1795	Nash District - Meshack Gentry, Shadrick Gentry.
1805	Shadrack Gentry Obednego Gentry Mary Gentry	308 200 0	0 1 0	2 0 5
	[Note. This must be Allen's widow, with 5 slaves left by will].
1815	Simon Gentry, Shadrack Gentry.
1823	Simon Gentry Abednigo Gentry Shadrack Gentry	0 105 200	1 1 0	0 0 4	[son of Shadrack]

9. Caswell and Person County, North Carolina, Deed Books
(a)	References to Shadrack Gentry
1794	Oct 8	Person County Bk(B-79)
	Andrew Buckhannon of Person Co. NC to Shadrack Gentry of Halifax County, Virginia, for £100 deeds 100 ac more or less on the waters of Castle Creek. Wit: L.A. Buchanan.
1799	Feb 15	Person County Bk(C-26)
	Edward Deshazo of Person County, NC to Shadrack Gentry of said county and state, for £61 13/4 deeds 105 ac. Wit: And'w Buchanon, Dean J. (X) Buchanon.
1820	Dec 26	Person County Bk(E-301)
	Shadrack Gentry ... to Abednego Gentry ... son of Shadrack Gentry for the natural love and affection ... [for] Abednego Gentry his son deeds 105 ac on the waters of Castle Creek. Wit: Johnson Davis, A. [Allen?] Gentry.
(b)	References to Meshack Gentry
	Katharine Kerr Kendall, "Caswell County North Carolina Deed Books 1777-1817", Southern Historical Press, Easley, SC, 1989
1784	Jul 20	Bk(C-15) (p.61)
	Thomas Ragsdale of Caswell County to Mesheck Gentry of Halifax County, Virginia for £100, deeds 240 ac on Bold Br. Wit: J. Coffee, Fielding Lewis, And'w Buch'n [Buchanan].
1787	Dec 24	Bk(E-254) (p.101)
	Meshack Gentry of Halifax County VA to Roger Atkinson Sen'r of Dinwiddie County VA, for £200, deeds 240 ac on Bold Cr ... land purchased by Gentry of Thos. Ragsdale 20 Jul 1784. Wit: Artha Brooks, D.Mann, Rog'r Atkinson.
[Same book has 14 references to Andrew Buchanan on Mayo and Castle Creeks including state grant in 1779 and deed below.]
1786	Jan 16	Bk(C-177) (p.71)
	Robert Dickens of Caswell Co. to Andrew Buchanan of same, 167 3/4 ac on Castle Cr. both sides of Dry Br. and Main Rd adj. James Hague. [This is land Andrew later sold to Abednego Gentry]
(c)	References to Abednego Gentry
1805	Jan 25	Person County Bk(C-560)
	Andrew Buchanan of Person County, NC to Abednego Gentry of said county and state for £100 deeds 163 3/4 ac land ... bought by the sd Buchanan from Rob't Dukins [Dickens] on the waters of Castle Creek [ad]joing Shadrack Gentry's land ... and also a part of the tract of land Shadrack [where] now lives on the East side of the Spring Branch ... the whole lands containing 200 ac. Wit: Thomas Allin.
1808	Jun 13	Person County Bk(D-119)
	Abednego Gentry of Surry County, NC to Simon Gentry of Person County, NC for £100 Virginia money deeds 167 3/4 ac in Person County on the waters of Castle Creek joining Shadrack Gentry's land ... also a part of the said tract of land Shadrick Gentry now lives on the East side of the Spring Branch ... the whole containing 200 ac. Wit: Thomas Allin, Edward (X) Martin, William Allin.
10. Person County, North Carolina, Miscellaneous Records
(a)	Miscellaneous Probate Court Records
1842	Abstract of Estate Records for Shadrick Gentry: (Loose papers in folder of Person County Wills and Estates, in North Carolina State Archives) Simon Gentry, 21 Mar 1842, appointed administrator of Shadrack Gentry estate. Bill of Complaint, signed Nov 1842 against Simon Gentry by: Jesse Chambers and wife Elizabeth; Jackson Dunn and wife Polly; Allen Gentry; William Gentry; Richard Jones and wife Martha Ann; Jane Gentry;, John, Margaret, Susan, Nancy, Thomas, Larkin, Stephen, Henry, and Francis Gentry, the last nine of whom are minors under the age of twenty-one and sue in this behalf by Jesse Chambers, their next friend. Complaint says in effect: "...in the year 1839 a writ of lunacy by Person County Court directing the sheriff to inquire into the state of mind of Shadrack Gentry...found him to be a lunatic [in modern terms, senile]...at June term of court appointed Simon Gentry to be his guardian. "Shadrack Gentry died intestate in the spring of 1842...Simon appointed as administrator...estate amounting to $15,000, including "tract of land, several valuable slaves, some fine stock of different kinds, and some little household plunder". "Heirs left surviving at the time of his death ... further show that the defendant Simon Gentry is not entitled to any portion of the personal estate of said Shadrack Gentry for that said Simon is an illegitimate son of said Shadrack born out of the bonds of matrimony and although by an act of the legislature passed perhaps in the year 1835 his name was changed from Simon Davis to Simon Gentry, yet this same act gave him no heritable capacity to take property of distribution shares of lands by descent." Simon answered in effect: "...It is true that he does claim to be one of the heirs of law and next of kin of the deceased Shadrack Gentry, his intestate, and that he is in truth entitled to a distribution share of his estate ... For that although he may have been illegitimate (and whether he was or not he does not know and does not admit that he was, and insists upon proof) ... Yet he was legitimated if he was illegitimate by act of assembly and made capable of inheriting property as one of the children and heirs at law of Shadrack ... besides his own claim as one of the heirs at law and next of kin--one Sally Allen, formerly Sally Gentry or Sally Davis also claims to be an heir at law for distribution in said Shadrack's estate ..."
(b)	Person County Marriage Bonds
1803	Dec 21	Thomas Allin to Sally Gentry; sur: W. Jeffreys; wit: Anth'o Brown
1809	May 10	Simon Gentry to Patsey Buckhannon; sur: David Buchanon; wit: H. Haralson
1809	May 11	John Trew to Mary Gentry; sur: Thomas Word; wit: Dan'l C. Townes

11. Surry County, North Carolina, Deed Books

(a)	Partial References to Meshack Gentry
1796	Feb 6	Bk(F-305)
	Airs Hudspeth to Meshack Gentry 150 ac ... on both sides of Deep Creek. Wit: Allin Gentry, Richard Persons, George H Hudspeth Jr.
1797	Sep 15	Bk(H-10)
	Isaac Johnson to Meshack Gentry 100 ac ... all the land on which Isaac Johnson now lives on the waters of Hunting Creek. Wit: Thos. Clanton, Robert Walker.
1797	Sep 18	Bk(G-210)
	Isaac Johnson to Meshack Gentry 160 ac ... on North Hunting Creek. Wit: Thos. Clanton, Robert Walker.
1800	Jan 14	Bk(K-51)
	Meshack Gentry to Thomas Harvey 160 ac beginning at William Alnut's line to Fortune's branch, down said branch to Hunting Creek ... then back to beginning. Wit: S. McLemore, Trustram Cogshall, James Parks.
1801	Apr 13	Bk(O-356)
	George Hudspeth to Meshack Gentry 35 ac N. side of S. fork Deep Creek ... beginning at bank of Creek and down the Creek to the west side of Creek, then to Airs Hudspeth's old line, then variously back to beginning. Wit: Pleasant Gentry, Airs Hudspeth. Rec. Feb 1819 [!!].
1805	Aug 12	Bk(O-353)
	George Hudspeth to Meshack Gentry 115 ac ... beginning at head of a branch along said Gentry's line to bank of Deep Creek ... to the beginning. Wit: Philip Halcomb, Sh. Halcomb. Rec. Feb 1819 [!!].
1817		Bk(T-66)
	Meshack Gentry to William Durham 60 ac S. fork Deep Creek ... beginning below the mill ... then along the road to the beginning point on the Creek. Wit: P. Halcomb, Nancy Hudspeth.
1817	May 19	Bk(R-21)
	Meshack Gentry to Phillip Holcomb 185 ac S. fork Deep creek, including mill seat ... and mills on south fork of Deep Creek beginning on north bank ... and back along the Creek to beginning. Wit: Abednego Gentry, Laurence Holcomb Jr.
1819	Jan 25	Bk(O-327)
	Meshack Gentry to George Hudspeth 80 ac Deep Creek ... beginning at ford of the Creek ... then to the head of the mill pond ... along the road to the beginning. Wit: Allen D. Gentry, Nancy Gentry.
(b)	References to Abednego Gentry
1807	Mar 17	Bk(N-420)
	Thomas Day to Abednego Gentry 100 ac ... on the south side of south fork of Deep Creek ... Wit: Meshack Gentry. Rec. Nov. 1817.
1807	Nov 12	Bk(N-406)
	Henry Day to Abednego Gentry 52 1/2 ac ... on the south waters of Deep Creek ... Wit: Meshack Gentry, R. Jacks. Rec. Nov 1817.
1836	Oct 20	Bk(W-48)
	Abednego Gentry Sr to Abednego Gentry Jr 50 1/2 ac S. side of S. fork Deep Creek [Same description as in Bk(N-406)] Wit: Wiley Brittain, Max (?) M. Nesbitt.
1836	Oct 30	Bk(W-49)
	Abednego Gentry Sr to Abednego Gentry Jr 100 ac [Same description as in Bk(n-420)]. Wit: Wiley Brittain, Max (?) M. Nesbitt.
1836	Nov 14	Bk(W-50)
	Abednego Gentry to William Gentry 100 ac ... starting at Allen Gentry corner on waters of Deep Creek ... Wit: Abednego Gentry Jr, Max (?) M. Nesbitt. [Deed text shows Abednego Jr as the grantor, but Abednego Jr signed as a witness, deed signed by "Abednego Gentry"].

12. Surry County, North Carolina, Tax Lists

(a)	William Johnson, "Surry and Wilkes County Taxables, 1771-1777", 1974, vol 1:
1772	Tax List, Surry County, NC
			Nicholus Gentry Allen Gentry Richard Gentry Allen Gentry Samuel Gentry Allen Gentry Mezhi (Meshack) Gentry	2 1 1 2 1 1 1	[white polls]
	[The Allen Gentry with two tithables was probably Allen-III and his son Abednego. One of the other Allen Gentrys was the oldest son of Nicholas-III. Who or why there was a third entry for an Allen Gentry is not known.]
(b)	Luther Byrd, Records transcribed by, 1944 (filed with original records in State Archives files).
1774	Capt Samuel Freeman's District
		Samuel Gentry   [Samuel-II?] and Shadrack Gentry		1	poll
(c)	References to Meshack and Abednego Gentry Families
Refr 1	Original records in North Carolina Dept of Archives, filed by county and by year, data transcribed by this writer. Miscellaneous undated lists filed together, recorded above according to approximate date estimated by format of list and content of listings.
Refr 3	"The North Carolinian", vol 4, p.398 (1958)
Refr 4	"Surry & Wilkes County Taxables, 1771-1777", vol 1, by William Johnson, 1974
Refr 6	"1812 Tax List of Surry County, North Carolina", compiled by G. W. Cook, 1973
Refr 7	Records transcribed by Luther Byrd, 1944 (filed with original records in State Archives files).
Year	Refr			Acres	Polls
1796	1	-- Original records missing
	4		Meshack Gentry	150
1797	1	-- Few original records, no Gentrys
	4		Meshack Gentry	150
1798	1,4	Capt Hudspeth District
			Meshack Gentry	400	1
1799	4		Meshack Gentry	315
1800	4	Capt Hudspeth District
			Meshack Gentry	160
1801	1	Capt Cook District
			Meshack Gentry	160	0
1802	1	Capt Cook District
			Meshack Gentry	225	0
1803	1	Capt Wright District
			Meshack Gentry	290	0	and cotton mill
1804	1	Capt Wright district
			Pleasant Gentry Meshick Gentry	140 286	1 0	[son of Meshack] and cotton mill
1806	1	Capt Wright District
			Meshack Gentry Pleasant Gentry	270 240	2 1	and cotton gin
1807	1	Capt Bynum District
			Pleasant Gentry Meshack Gentry Abednego Gentry	140 290 151	0 1 1
1808	1	Capt Bynum District
			Agednego Jentry Meshick Jentry Pleasant Jentry	152 370 70	1 2 1
1809	1	Capt Wright District
			Abednigo Jentrey Reuben Jentrey Meshack Jentrey Mary Jentrey	292 0 310 0	1 1 3 1	[son of Abednego]   [dau of Abednego]
1812	1,6	Capt Carmichael District
			Abednigo Gentry Meshack Gentry	292 330	0 0	3 black
1813	7	Capt Carmichael District
			Shadrack Gentry Abednigo Gentry Meshack Gentry	80 392 300	0 0 0	[son of Abednego]
	1	Capt Martin District
			Mary Gentry Allen Gentry	50 50	0 1	[son of Meshack]
1814	2	Capt Carmichael District
			Jordan Gentry Meshack Gentry Shadrack Gentry Abednigo Gentry	0 300 80 390	1 0 0 0	[son of Meshack] 3 black 2 black
		Capt Martin District
			"Gentry, D Allen"	50	1
1815	1	Capt Martin District
			Allen D. Gentry	100	0
1816	1	Capt Swim District
			"Gentry, D Allen"	50	1
	1	-- Undated records file (list for 1815 or 1816?)
			Jourdan Gentry		1
		Hamptonville District
			Meshach Gentry Meshach Gentry Abednigo Gentry Shadrach Gentry	300   390 80	5 4   1
1817	1	Capt Spears District
			Allin D Gentry	254	1
1819	1	-- No Gentrys found
	1	-- Undated records file (list for 1817, 1818 or 1819?)
			Abednigo Gentry Shadrach Gentry Jordan Gentry	390 80 90	1 1
1820	1	Capt Chappel District
			Jordan Gentry	50	1
1821	1	Hamptonville District
			Abednigo Gentry	802	0
1822	1	Hamptonville District
			Abednego Gentry Shadrack Gentry	390 0	0 1
1824	1	Hamptonville District
			Shaderick Jentry Ebednego Jentry	0 392	1 0
		(No identifiction)
			Shadrick Gentry Abednego Gentry Allen Gentry	0 392 0	1 0 1
1830	1	Hamptonville District
			Allen Gentry Shad Gentry Abednego Gentry	140 122 1/2 252	1 1 0	1 black
1832	1	Hamptonville District
			Will Gentry Gardner Gentry Shadrac Gentry Allin Gentry Abednego Gentry	0 0 122 1/2 140 252	1 1 1 1 <0	[son of Abednego] [son of Shadrack] 1 black [son of Abednego]
1834	1	Hamptonville District
			Gardner Gentry Will Gentry Abednigo Gentry Allin Gentry Abednego Gentry Jr	0 0 252 140 0	1 1 0 0 1	[Followed by "For Bed"]     [son of Abednego]
1835	1	Capt Windsor District
			Shadrack Gentry	543	0	Hunting Cr
1836	1	Capt Windsor District
			Shadric Gentry	400	0	Hunting Cr
		Hamptonville District
			Abednego Gentry Sr Wm Gentry Allen Gentry Abednego Gentry Jr	252 0 140 0	0 1 1 1
1839		-- Original records missing
	1	-- Undated records file (list for 1837, 1838 or 1839?)
			Gardner Gentry Abednego Gentry William Gentry	50	1 1 1
1840		-- Original records missing
1840	3	Capt Martin District
			William Gentry Abednego Gentry Allen Gentry Shadrick Gentry Shadrick Gentry Shadrick Gentry	100 252 220 230 90 86 1/2		Deep Crk Deep Crk Hunting Cr Hunting Cr Deep Cr Hunting Cr
		Capt Wells District
			Gardner Gentry	100		Deep Cr
1841		-- Original records missing
	3	Capt Wells District
			Gardner Gentry	100
	3	Hamptonville District
			William Gentry Abednego Gentry	100 252
1842		-- Original records missing
	1	-- Undated records file (list for 1842 or later?)
		Hamptonville District
			Wm Gentry Abd Gentry Jr Allen Gentry	100 152 140	1 1 1
1847	1	Capt Douthell District
			Gardner Gentry Abednego Gentry William Gentry	0 0 50	1 1 1	[Abednego Jr.]
		Capt Speer District
			Shadrick Gentry	300	0	1 black, Hunting Cr
		Hamptonville District
			Shadrack Gentry	90	0	Deep Cr

13. Monroe County, Tennessee, Miscellaneous Records
(a)	Reba Bayless Boyer, "Loose Papers, Abstracts of Monroe County, Tennessee, Chancery Court".
1840	Sep 1	Folio 160A
	Allen D. Gentry vs. Justus Stud and Meshack Gentry - Injunction Bill M 1826-1827. Allen made note to his father Meshack, and note supposed to be last. Meshack has a newly married wife.
(b)	Papers on file, Monroe County Courthouse, Madisonville, Tennessee
1854		Folio 524
	Nancy Gentry vs Susan Ivy and others. (Papers include copy of divorce decree dated 12 Jan 1846, dissolving Nancy's marriage with Allen Gentry). The original letter is among the papers filed in this folio and reads in part: "State of North Carolina Surry County November 10th 1845 dear sisterinlaw i take the opportunity of writing a few lines to inform you that we are all well at present and I hope those few lines will find you all well. I can inform you that your father is dead. he dyed on the last day of October 1844 and he left his land to his boys and his money and stock to his girls. your part amounts to about to two hundred and fifty dollars. I am exector to his will. ... [Signed] Samuel Stocks"

14. Census Records, Virginia and North Carolina
1790	U.S. Census of 1790, publ by Bureau of Census Virginia county census records destroyed, substituted state enumerations for earlier years. Halifax County (1782)
	p.22	Michael [Meshack] Gentry	5 people
	Nash District, Caswell County, North Carolina [Person County] all records lost
1800	(Sections of Person County census and all of Halifax County, Virginia lost)
	Person County, North Carolina
		Shadrack Gentry	(3-0-0-0-1,2-0-0-1-0).
	Surry County, North Carolina
		Meshack Gentry	(1-1-1-0-1, 0-0-0-1-0)
1810	Person County, North Carolina
		Shadrack Gentry	(1-1-0-0-1, 1-0-1-0-1)
	Surry County, North Carolina
		Meshack Gentry Abednego Gentry	(0-0-1-0-1, 0-0-0-0-1) (2-0-1-0-1, 0-1-1-1-1)
1820	Person County, North Carolina
		Shadrick Gentry	(0-0-1-1-0-1, 0-0-2-0-1)
	Surry County, North Carolina
		Abednegoi Jentry	(2-1-1-1-0-1, 0-0-1-0-1)
1830	Person County, North Carolina
		Shadrick Gentry	(0-0-0- ... >80, no F)
	Surry County, North Carolina
		Abednego Gentry	(0-0-0-1-2-0-0-0-1, 0-0-0-0-0-2)
	Monroe County, Tennessee
		Meshac Gentry	(0-0-0- ... >80, 0-0-0- ... >80)
1840	Person County, North Carolina
		Shadrick w/Simon Gentry	(... >90)
	Surry County, North Carolina
		Abednego Gentry	(0-0-0- ... >70, 0-0-0-1-1-0-0-1)
	Monroe County, Tennessee
		Meshack Gentry	(missing)

15.   Newberry District, South Carolina Records

1799	20 May	Bk( B-323)
	DAVID BROOKS, Last Will and Testament, 5 May 1799
	Estate sold and equally divided between brother Richard Brooks, and sister Eliz. Gentry now living in North Carolina. Each of them is to pay Sterling Dixon 10 pounds. Executors: brother Richard Brooks and friends Jacob R. Brown and Bartlett Satterwhite. Witnesses: John Thomas Scott, Edmund Spearmen, James Dyson.

September 2001, Revised May 2014

Return to Top