THE SONS OF SAMUEL-II GENTRY

Part 4. Richard Gentry and Family

by
Willard Gentry

Abstract
Continuing a series providing comprehensive descriptions of the sons of Samuel-II Gentry, his son Richard is described, along with a summary of Richard's children.

Richard-III Gentry

– Born in Hanover County, Virginia, the date is very uncertain, perhaps about 1735;
– Died 1811-1812 in Surry County, North Carolina;
– Wife's name unknown.
		Children of Richard
	i	Richard Gentry, born about 1765, probably in Lunenburg County, Virginia.
	ii	Nicholas Gentry, born 12 Oct 1768, probably in Rowan County, North Carolina, died 1852 in Ashe County, North Carolina; said to have married 8 Jul 1790 in Surry County, North Carolina, Sarah Sparks.
	iii	Simon Gentry, born about 1770, probably in Surry County, North Carolina, died 1832 to 1840, probably in Monroe County, Kentucky; married Catherine [Unknown].
	iv	William Gentry, born about 1775, in Surry County, North Carolina; said to have married (1) Grace Ann Padgett, in Surry County, North Carolina; married (2) Elizabeth (Betsy) Day, 13 Apr 1809 (bond) in Surry County, North Carolina; supposed third wife unknown. Said to have died in Hamilton County, Tennessee.
	v	Mary Gentry, born about 1778, in Surry County, North Carolina; married Robert (?) Ashley before 1811 in Surry County, North Carolina.

The placement of Richard among the sons of Samuel-II is very uncertain. There is no question that he was younger than Nicholas, Joseph, and Allen, and was probably younger than his sister Ann. He was also probably younger than Simon, and was almost surely older than Samuel. As to his placement with relation to John and William, we can only guess. William had children earlier than Richard, so from that we might propose that William was the older of the two. Lunenburg County tax lasts of 1750 and 1751 suggest William was born about 1733, so perhaps Richard was born a year or two later in 1734 or 1735 [see articles about Samuel and family in previous issues of JGG]. Richard is dismissed in a couple sentences in "The Gentry Family in America" (GFA)<1>, while three of his sons, Nicholas, Simon, and William, receive a little more prominence.

Richard Gentry in Virginia
Records for Richard and his children are very spotty. He moved from his birthplace in Hanover County, Virginia, to Louisa County with his father in 1742. We have no idea as to when he left Louisa County. His father, Samuel, had moved to Lunenburg County by 1753, but given the length of time that Samuel continued to own his land in Louisa County after he himself had moved, it is possible that Richard remained behind and worked as an extra farm hand on that land for a number of years before joining the rest of Samuel's family in Lunenburg County. He is first mentioned in any documentary references in 1759 when he witnessed a deed in Lunenburg County for his brother David<3a>. The next reference, and the only reference to him in Louisa County, was in 1762 when he witnessed the sale of the final portion of his father's land on Dirty Swamp<2>.

Richard never owned any land in Lunenburg County. The only reference to him in the land records other than that in 1759, was in 1766 when he also witnessed a deed for his brother Nicholas<3b>. Between those dates, Richard's name is found in county court minutes , involved in several minor court cases and also assigned public road duty<4>. Included among these, is a reference to a Richard appearing in Halifax County court in 1763 in a case that taken alone would make one wonder if there were another Richard involved<5>. However, this is a case which apparently originated in Lunenburg County against a defendant, John Colthread, who was no longer living in the county and it seems Richard must have pursued him to Halifax County.

From the assumed age of his oldest son, Richard Jr., it is probable that Richard Sr. was unmarried during much of the time he was in Lunenburg County. The fact that he was assigned to a road maintenance gang along with both Nicholas and Joseph Gentry<4b> suggests that they all lived in the same neighborhood, and in fact it is probable that Richard lived with one or the other of these two brothers. After they moved to North Carolina, Richard continued to be associated in tax records with Nicholas and his sons Allen and Arthur rather than with Joseph<6>, which favors the probability that Richard lived with Nicholas in Lunenburg County also.

Richard Gentry in North Carolina
There is no record of Richard in Virginia after 1765, and we can presume that he accompanied his brothers Joseph and Nicholas who moved from Lunenburg County to Surry County, North Carolina, in about 1766. Richard appears in North Carolina records beginning in 1771 when he was assessed for poll taxes in a tax list that included Nicholas and Samuel<6>. In 1774, he appeared to be living in the same household as Nicholas and "Athey" Gentry. Beginning in 1784, at the end of the Revolutionary War, Richard appeared in tax lists almost continuously until 1804, at which time surviving tax lists became spotty.

Richard received a state grant in 1784 for 180 acres at the headwaters of Deep Creek, in the immediate vicinity to Fox Knob, a local and very conspicuous hill<7a>. There is no record for when he located on the land and applied for a grant, but it certainly was a number of years earlier. He continued to own this land until 1810, when deeds were recorded that accounted for the sale of 120 acres of the land<7b,c>. During the intervening years, the property taxes for Richard and his sons varied from year to year as Richard Jr., then Nicholas, Simon and William were taxed for land that presumably included land owned by their father. None of these sons had a record of either buying or selling land of their own, so the property appears to have been farmed cooperatively. Beginning in 1801, Richard was no longer liable for poll taxes, presumably because of age, although there is no court record of this allowance.

Richard Sr. was included in only three Surry County deeds for buying or selling land, but his name appears in a variety of deeds as a witness or as an adjoining property owner<8>. His sons Simon and William also witnessed a number of deeds. We cannot say whether Richard Jr was the witness in some deeds in which only the name "Richard Gentry" is included, but none of them specifically identified a Richard Jr as a witness. Richard's name is also found in the minutes of the county court (the "Court of Pleas and Quaterly Sessions", or "Court of P's and Q's")<9>. Many of the court entries duplicated deed entries where Richard witnessed a deed, then "proved" the contents at the time of the registration of the deed in court. Other entries assigned duty to Richard and to his sons Simon and William to lay out and maintain public roads.

Richard appears to have died between November 15, 1811 (after the November quarterly sessions court adjourned) and February 11, 1812, when his will was introduced for probate at the first session of the February court. This will was written in January, 1811, and left Richard's property to his wife (who was not named) and to his daughter Mary Ashley<10>. The identification of Mary's husband as being a specific one of several Ashleys is not certain, but he may have been Robert Ashley (to whom Richard sold land in 1810), or William Ashley (who witnessed Richard's deed). By the time of Richard's death, all of his sons had left Surry County, and his daughter was the only child remaining. Richard did not name an executor or administrator so the court appointed George Hudspeth to the position. George was a neighbor and presumably close friend of Richard.

The Children of Richard Gentry Sr.

Richard Gentry Jr

In this writer's mind, there is no question that Richard Gentry Sr. had a son Richard Jr., but the few facts relating to the latter are tangled with those relating to the Richard Gentry who was a Revolutionary War pensioner and who eventually settled in Rockcastle County, Kentucky<11>. For years there has been controversy as to whether these were one and the same person, or whether they were two different people.

As to evidence for a Richard Jr in Surry County, we can begin with the 1790 census, in which there is an entry for a Richard Jr. with a wife and presumably two daughters and a minor son. An older male in the household has not been identified but in no way is he likely to have been a son of Richard Jr. This Richard appeared in the tax records for the first time in 1791, and thereafter, each year through 1795, each time being assessed for 50 acres of land. (In the early years, Richard was identified as "Richard Jr", while in 1794 and 1795, he is listed as just "Richard" while his father is identified as "Richard Sr.".) There is no record of this Richard in the 1800 census, but there is a possibility that he was the Richard who is found in the 1810 census for Pulaski County, Kentucky, along with a Nathaniel Gentry who is thought to have moved from Spartanburg District, South Carolina. A comparison of census records between 1790 and 1810, shows moderately good correspondence of family members.

Richard Gentry of South Carolina
A major complication in the identification of these Richards, is the fact that the Richard Gentry who applied for Revolutionary War benefits in Rockcastle County, Kentucky, in 1832, lived in Surry County in the 1790's. (This Richard died in 1836, but his wife Gestin (or Justin) applied for additional benefits in 1839, 1842, and 1855.) The war veteran Richard testified that he was born in Lunenburg County, Virginia in 1755. He enlisted in the South Carolina militia (in about 1780) from his home on the Tyger River in Union District, South Carolina. After the war, he moved to Surry County where in 1792 he married his wife Gestin, daughter of the very prominent land owner, Ayres Hudspeth. Richard bought 80 acres of land that had belonged to his father-in-law in a sheriff's sale in 1799<12> (perhaps by a family arrangement), but he was apparently taxed for these 80 acres in 1796, 1797, and 1798. In 1801, Richard (identified as being "formerly of Surry County") sold this land. He was not in the 1800 census, so must have left the county just prior to that time. This Richard stated that he lived briefly in Lincoln County, Kentucky, before he moved to Rockcastle County where he spent the rest of his life.

There can be little question that the Rockcastle Richard was related in some way to the Samuel-II Gentry family, as evidenced by his birth in Lunenburg County, Virginia, during the middle of the period of years when virtually the entire family was living there. But the identity of his father is in doubt. There have been claims by highly-respected Gentry scholars that this Richard was a son of Richard Sr, who for some reason had left North Carolina and moved to South Carolina during the earlier years of the latter's life in Surry County. This writer cannot agree with these suggestions. The arguments in favor of this Richard belonging to a family other than that of Richard Sr. can be summarized as follows (for purposes of easy identification, we will refer below to the Revolutionary War veteran Richard as Richard (RWV) and the proposed son of Richard Sr. as Richard Jr.):

1.      The age of Richard (RWV) does not fit with the known children of Richard Sr., namely, Nicholas, Simon and William, all of whom were much younger.
2.      The family of Richard Jr. in the 1790 census is not at all consistent with the 1820 census in Rockcastle County for Richard (RWV). On the other hand, the 1790 Surry County census listing is reasonably consistent with the family of the Richard who was in Pulaski County, Kentucky, in 1810 [see comparative census records<13>].
3.      The Surry County tax records suggest the presence of two Richards other than Richard Sr. during the period from 1790 to 1800, one who was assessed for 50 acres of land, and a second who was assessed for 80 acres of land. The fact that the latter can be clearly identified with the land purchase recorded in 1799, and the "coincidence" of this land having belonged to Richard (RWV)'s father-in-law, certainly suggests that the 50 acres belonged to the son of Richard Sr., and the 80 acres belonged to the son-in-law of Ayres Hudspeth.

In summary, we conclude that Richard Jr. married and raised the first part of his family in Surry County, then moved away in about 1796. We know that his younger brothers, Simon and William, moved to Tennessee from North Carolina, and it is probable that Richard did likewise. The lack of records during the early years of Tennessee's statehood leaves us without any way of tracing his movements there and then presumably on to Pulaski County, Kentucky. There any no records of Richard after that time. Whether he died early, or his presence was simply lost among the early frontier settlements, we do not know.

Nicholas Gentry of Ashe County, North Carolina

Richard Sr.'s second son, Nicholas, is the only one of his children for which a consecutive series of records survive. Family records and GFA show him to have been born 12 Oct 1768, and that he married Sarah Sparks in Surry County, 8 Jul 1790 (although there is no marriage bond for this marriage). Nicholas appeared for the first time in tax lists in 1791and then each year through 1796. He is not identified in the 1790 census, and was undoubtedly one of the male members of the family living with Richard Sr. at the time. He is found in the 1800 Surry County census, in the 1810 census for Wilkes County (which adjoins Surry County to the west), then in Ashe County (adjoining Wilkes County to the north) in 1820 and 1830. He was not in the 1840 or 1850 census, although his date of death has been variously reported as 1852, 1858, and 1859.
 

Nicholas had a large and prolific family, all of whom remained in Ashe County. It included:

All of the sons, with the exception of Andrew and Jonathan, appeared in the 1850 Ashe County census. Jonathan is listed in the 1840 census with a new bride, but we have no information as to what happened to him by 1850. The 1840 census is unusual in that it includes the families of William and of Allen in a single household, a total of 15 individuals. Both William and Allen were listed with their brother Richard in the 1830 census.

Simon Gentry

Very few records exist for this son of Richard. He served two terms as overseer of a public road in 1799 and 1800. Other records to his presence in Surry county show him witnessing several deeds<7>, one in concert with his father. He is also found in the tax records for the period from 1793 to 1799<6>. The land for which he was taxed probably belonged to his father, for there is no record of Simon buying any land of his own. Simon was living with his father at the time of the 1790 census, but is listed with three children of his own in 1800. Thereafter there is a break in his records, as he apparently left North Carolina in about 1800. Beginning in 1809 and continuing through 1815, Simon's name is included in the tax lists of Greene County, Tennessee, as the owner of 100 acres of land on Long Fork of Limestone Creek<16>. Despite the evidence that he was living in Tennesee during those years, an 1810 Surry quarterly court reference<9> suggests that Simon returned to North Carolina briefly for some unknown reason -- perhaps to visit his aging father. He was sentenced by the court to be tied by the sheriff to the public whipping post and given one lash on his back as punishment for some unidentified crime! In 1814, a William Gentry was present with Simon in the Greene County tax lists. This was probably his younger brother.

Simon was still in Greene County in 1830, the first year for which census records are available. Two years later he had moved to Monroe County, Kentucky. In 1832, he and his wife Catherine were entered in the minutes of the Mill Creek Baptist Church in Monroe County<18>. [We have no way of knowing whether or not this was a second wife, although the fact that Catherine was born in North Carolina lends support to her being Simon's only wife. There have been suggestions that Simon married a Rebecca Mates Carr, and if this is true, then Catherine would have been a second wife.] The church minutes indicate Simon and his wife left the church in June 1836. He was not in the 1840 census so it appears he must have died between 1836 and 1840. His daughter, Rhoda, married Lewis Wheeler in Greene County, according to a bond dated 13 Mar 1813<19>. Her family moved to Monroe County, Kentucky at about the same time as Simon, and they appear in the 1840 Monroe County census. Rhoda had died by 1850. Her older children were living with Lewis in 1850, but several of her younger children were living with neighbors. The only evidence of Simon's older son being named Boone is in GFA. There he is reported to have married a Louise Wheeler in Greene County, but he is not listed in the county marriage bonds, and with the similarity of names of spouses, Rhoda's marriage may have been mistakenly transferred to a marriage of Boone. Simon's other son, Richard, also moved from Greene County to Monroe County, Kentucky, and was present in the 1840 census. In 1850, a Catherine Ryherd, age 80 and born in North Carolina, was living with the family. This may have been Simon's widow if she remarried and was widowed a second time after Simon's death.

William Gentry

While Richard's youngest son, William, was living in Surry County, he appeared regularly in tax records beginning in 1798 until a final entry in 1812 (he was not included in the 1813 list in the district where he had previously been enumerated)<6>. GFA reports William as having married first a Gracey Ann Padgett. This marriage is not recorded in county marriage bonds, but the 1800 census shows William with a young son and daughter, so this marriage must have taken place in about 1797. A bond for the marriage of William to Betsy Day, in Surry County, is dated 13 Apr 1809<15>. The 1810 Surry County census shows the addition of four more sons after 1800, one of whom could have been the son of Betsy, but the others must have been children of William's first wife. GFA reports that William had five sons by his first wife, but one of them, Phillip, was the wrong age for this to be possible. William's only daughter is listed with a date of birth of 1790-1800 in the 1800 census and a date of 1800-1810 in the 1810 census. The conclusion is that she was probably born in 1800.

William left North Carolina after his final tax list appearance in 1812, and as mentioned above, he probably joined his brother Simon in Greene County, Tennessee, in 1814. There are no further records of him in that county, nor for that matter, can he be identified with any further records in Tennessee until 1840 when a William Gentry listed in the Hamilton County census appears to agree with the statement that he lived and died in Chattanooga. The lack of records might be explained by the fact that until shortly before 1840, Chattanooga was located in Indian lands, not in organized Tennessee territory.

Information about William's children is very fragmentary. His son, Ephraim, was living in Grayson County, Virginia, in 1840 and 1850. A personal letter from one of Ephraim's daughters to a cousin reaffirms the fact that he had three full brothers, David, William and Richard and a full sister, Rachel<20>. In addition, the letter-writer said Ephraim had two half-brothers who were living in Georgia at the time the letter was written [these would presumably have been the Simon and John listed by GFA]. Brother Richard was cited in the letter as living in Alabama, while William was living in Tennessee. The letter-writer says, "I think Uncle David died in Kentucky". This may have been so, but before that, David lived for some time in North Carolina and Virginia as he was probably the David found in the 1830 census in Grayson County, Virginia, and in the 1850 census in Scott County, Virginia, on the Virginia-Kentucky border.. Between 1830 and 1840, he was in North Carolina, probably in Ashe County (just across the state border from Grayson County), as at least two of his children were born in that state. A census listing for a David Gentry in 1840 in Ashe County may have included five of his children, but for some reason appears to be without parents for those children -- David's first wife died about then -- and perhaps David himself was simply missed by a clerical error or was away at the time of the census.

Another of William Sr.'s sons, Phillip, is not mentioned in the letter but is thought to be the Phillip D. Gentry who was involved in a mortgage in Surry County, North Carolina, in 1839. He was also in the 1837 and 1838 tax lists, located in the vicinity of Fox Knob, and on Deep Creek, with 70 acres of land. Why he was back in Surry County at that time is a mystery as was his whereabouts during the years before that, as the 1837 reference is the first time he is mentioned there. He was not in the 1840 Surry County census, but in 1841, Phillip married Hetty Cable in Johnson County, Tennessee. In 1850, Phillip was in the Johnson County census (age 36, born in North Carolina) with a young wife and three children. From his age, we have to conclude that he was a son of William's second wife, Betsy. The other brothers, namely, William Jr., Richard, Simon and John have not been clearly identified so far as this writer knows.

Conclusion
Richard is the fifth of the sons of Samuel-II Gentry that have been described in this series of articles on the family of the latter. Since nothing whatsoever is known about Samuel's son John, we will have nothing further to say about him, but sons William and Samuel will be covered in future articles. Before we leave Samuel's family, we will also consider Nathaniel Gentry of Spartanburg District, South Carolina, whose parentage and family are both very uncertain. With the full series of articles, we will have provided to Gentry researchers an account of this extremely important early Gentry that is as complete as we can provide.

References to Richard-III Gentry and Family
1. Richard Gentry, "The Gentry Family in America", The Grafton Press, New York, 1909,

(a)	#203	(p.254)	Richard Gentry of Surry Co., N.C.
	His will was probated in Surry Co., N.C., in 1811. He gave his property to his wife and daughter, Mary Ashley.
(b)	#231	(p.272)	Nicholas Gentry of Ashe Co., N.C.
	"Born Oct 12, 1768, in what was then Surry Co., N.C.; died about 1858; married Sarah Sparks, July 8, 1790. She was born Feby. 27, 1771. At that time the portion of Surry Co. in which he lived, had been cut off and made into Wilkes Co., N.C. and Ashe was cut off of Wilkes in 1799. He had a brother William who married Ann Padgett, and lived near Chattanooga, Tenn. The Louisa Co. records of Virginia show that Lewis Padgett married Elizabeth Gentry, Jan. 16, 1811. Children: 1. James (232). 2. Richard (233). 3. Andrew S.P., born may 26, 1796. 4. Levi (234). 5. Elizabeth, born March 11, 1801; married James Smith. 6. Mary, born April 13, 1804, married James Richardson. 7. Allen (235) 8. Sarah, born March 2, 1815, married Wm. Turner."
(c)	#240	(p.276)	William Gentry of Chattanooga, Tenn.
	"Born in Old Surry Co., N.C.; died before the Civil War near Chattanooga, Tenn., where he lived and reared his family. He is said to be a brother of Nicholas Gentry (#231) of Ashe Co.,N.C.; he married three times, first Gracey Ann Padgett, and had: 1. Ephraim, born in Surry Co., N.C. in 1804; died t Peach, N.C. 1865... 2. David, died either in Wise Co., Va, or in Kentucky. 3. William, lived in Georgia before the Civil War. 4. Richard, lived near Chattanooga, Tenn. before the war. 5. Rachel, married Thomas Duval of Ashe Co., N.C. 6. Philip, died in Taylorville, Tenn., in 1857. [Age in census indicates son of 2nd wife] Children by his second wife: 7. Simon 8. John 9. [Unknown]"
(d)	#263	(p.295)	Simon Gentry of Monroe Co., Ky.
	"Born in Virginia, he moved to Monroe Co., KY about 1845, where he died, leaving two children. 1. Boone, who married Louis Wheeler in Virginia and moved to Monroe Co., Ky. 2. Richard (264)." [3. Rhoda, married Lewis Wheeler]
2. Louisa County, Virginia, Deed Books - Richard as a Witness
	1762	Jun 17
	Samuel Gentry of Lunenburg Co VA to Zacharia Colley (Corley) of Louisa Co for 10 pounds, sold 125 acres on north side of Dirty Swamp, being part of a larger tract of 700 acres, granted said Samuel Gentry 13 Jul 1742...Wit: Joseph (X) Gentry, Richard Gentry, Simon Gentry, Richard Hargard (Haggard). Signed: Samuel (S) Gentry...Proved 10 Aug 1762 Richard Gentrey (Gentry) & Simon Gentrey (Gentry).
3. Lunenburg County, Virginia, Deed Books - Richard as a Witness
(a)	1759	Oct 4	Bk(5-564)
	David Gentry of Johnson Co NC to William Cross of Amelia Co VA, for 50 pounds, sold 112 acres, adj. James Chiswell on Flat Rock Creek...Wit: Richard Gentry, Joseph Gentry, William Burgamy, Robert Hawkins...Signed: David (mark) Gentry. Recorded 1 Feb 1760... [Indenture of sale recorded Dec 1759 Court, p.49A]
(b)	1766	Oct 6	Bk(10-319)
	Nicholas Gentry and Mary, his wife, to Aaron Droman, both of Lunenburg Co VA, for 16 pounds, sold 28 acres, being part of a grant to Robert Brooks sold to said Gentry...Wit: Matthew Brooks, Richard Gentry. Recorded 9 Oct 1766.
4. Lunenburg County, Virginia, Court Minutes
(a)	1763	May 12	Bk(9-73)
	Richard Gentry, assignee of John Colvin vs John Colthread. Sheriff having made return that the Deft is no inhabitant of L [unenburg County], suit abates.
(b)	1765	Jun Court	Bk(11-73)
	Everard Dowsing apptd Surveyor of the Road in Precinct of John Nix, following hands apptd a gang to work on said road and keep it in repair, to wit: [among others - William Embry, dec'd his estate, Joseph Gentry, Nicholas Gentry, and Richard Gentry].
(c)	1765	Jul Court	Bk(11-81)
	Abraham Maury vs John Atkinson, Richard Gentry and John Tisdale [Maury and Tisdale in work gang above], for debt due by note. This day came the parties and the Defts confess judgment to Plt. By agreement with the Plt, execution of this judgment stayed 'til next Court.
(d)	1765	Jul Court	Bk(11-414)
	Richard Gentry vs John Colvin, an attachment. Suit dismissed, neither party appearing.
5. Halifax County, Virginia, Court Minutes
	1763	July Court	Bk(4-137)
	Richard Gentry appeared as assignee of John Calvin, plaintiff in suit against John Colthread. Suit dismissed for lack of prosecution.
6. Surry County, North Carolina, Tax Lists Tax List References
1.	Original records in North Carolina Dept of Archives, filed by county and by year, data transcribed 1982 by this writer. Miscellaneous undated lists filed together, are recorded below according to approximate date estimated by format of list and content of listings.
2.	"The North Carolinian", vol 3, p.342 (1957)
3.	"The North Carolinian", vol 4, p.398 (1958)
4.	William Johnson, "Surry & Wilkes County Taxables, 1771-1777", vol 1, 1974
5.	Mrs. Robert Taylor, "1782 Tax List of Surry County, North Carolina", Cimarron, Kansas, 1974.
6.	G. W. Cook, "1812 Tax List of Surry County, North Carolina", 1973
7.	Luther Bird, 1771, 1774-5, 1784-1786, 1813 records transcribed 1944 (filed with original records in State Archives files).

Year	Refr			Acres	Polls
1771	1,2,4,7		Samuel Gentry Richard Gentry Nicholas Jentry		1 1 3
1772	1,3,4		Nicholus Gentry Allen Gentry Richard Gentry Allen Gentry Samuel Gentry Allen Gentry Mezhi Gentry		2 1 1 2 1 1 1	[Meshack]
1774	7	Capt Freeman's District
			Samuel Gentry and Shadrack Gentry Nickles Gentry and Richard Gentry and Athey Gentry Allin Gentry		1     3 1
1782	5	Capt Martin District
			Richard Gentry Hezekiah Gentry Samuel Gentry Robert Gentry Runnel Gentry Nathaniel Gentry	200 0 400 0 0 0		3 horses, 4 cows, Fox Nob 3 horses 3 horses, 6 cows, Fox Nob 1 horse 2 horses 1 horse
1783?	1	-- Undated records file -- List for 1783?
		Capt Carson District
			Samuel Jentry Nicholas Gentry Richard Gentry Artha Gentry	350 100		3 horses, 5 cows 3 horses, 10 cows 1 horse, 2 cows 3 horses, 3 cows
1784	7	Capt Lewis' District
			Richard Gentry	172	1
1785	1	Capt Lewis District
			Richd Gentry Samuel Gentery	180 100	1 1
1786	1	Capt Lewis District
			Samuel Gentry Richard Gentry	100 180	1 1
1789	1	Capt Lewis District
			Richard Gentry	180	1
1790	4	Capt Hudspeth District
			Nicholas Gentry Richard Gentry Allen Gentry	200 180 250
1791	1	Capt Hudspeth District
			Nicholas Gentry Jr Richard Gentry Jr	50	1 1
	1,4	Capt Hudspeth District
			Richard Gentry Allen Gentry Nicholas Gentery	180 250 240	1 1 0
1792	1	Capt Hudspeth District
			Allen Gentry Richard Gentry Nicholas Gentry Sr Richard Gentry Jr Nicholas Gentry Jr	250 150 240 50 50	1 1 0 1 1
1793	1,4	Capt Hudspeth District
			Allen Gentry Richard Gentry Jr Richard Gentry Nicholas Gentry Jr Simon Gentry Nicholas Gentry	300 50 150 50   240	1 1 1 1 1 0
1794	1,4	Capt Hudspeth District
			Allen Gentry Richard Gentry Nicholas Gentry Jr Nicholas Gentry Sr Richard Gentry Sr Simon Gentry	180 50 50 240 100 50	1 1 1 0 1 1
1795	1,4	Capt Hudspeath District
			Richard Gentry Allen Gentry Nicholas Gentry Nicholas Gentry Jr Richard Gentry Sr Simon Gentry	50 611 240 [25?] 180	1 1 0 1 1 1
1796		-- Original records missing
	4	Capt Hudspeth District
			Nicholas Gentry Nicholas Gentry Jr Richard Gentry Simon Gentry Richard Gentry Jr	240 20 180 80		[Richard of SC]
1797	4	Capt Hedspeath District
			Nicholas Gentry Simon Gentry Richard Gentry Jr Allen Gentry John Gentry	142 30 80 611 240		[Richard of SC]
1798	1,4	Capt Hudspeth District
			Simon Gentry Meshack Gentry John Gentry Nicholas Gentry William Gentry Allen Gentry Richard Gentry	50 400 240 140 233 509 80	1 1 1 1 1 1 1	[Richard of SC]
1799	4
			Nicholas Gentry Simon Gentry Richard Gentry John Gentry William Gentry Meshack Gentry Joseph Gentry Shelton Gentry	142 50 50 240 130 315 125 75
1800	4	Capt Hudspeth District
			Nicholas Gentry Richard Gentry Allen Gentry William Gentry Meshack Gentry	142 52 509 130 160
1801	1	Capt Cook District
			Richard Gentry Sr Richard Gentry Meshack Gentry	180 52 160	0 1 0
1802	1	Capt Edelburn [Wilborn?] District
			Richard Gentry William Gentry	180 0	0 1
1804	1	Capt Wilborn District
			Richard Gentry William Gentry	180 0	0 1
1810		-- Original Records Missing
1810?	1	-- Undated Records File - List for 1810?
		Capt Martin District
			Allen Gentry William Gentry	50 50	1
1811	1	Capt Macklin [Martin?] District
			William Gentry	50	1
1812	1,6	Capt Martin District
			Allen Gentrey William Gentrey	50 50	0 1

7. Surry County, North Carolina, Deed Books Richard as a Grantor or Grantee
(a)	1784	Nov 3	Bk(C-198)
	State to Richard Gentry 180 ac ... on Deep Creek beginning at a post oak in Persons's line, west crossing the creek, north crossing the creek, east crossing creek again, then back to beginning.
(b)	1810	Jun 5	Bk(N-34)
	Richard Gentry to William Brewer 40 ac on head waters Deep Creek ... beginning at the mouth of the Creek, up the branch to and along William Brewer's line to Richard Gentry's corner then to the Creek and back to the beginning. Wit: William Gentry, Joel Patterson. Rec. Feb 1814.
(c)	1811	Jan 5	Bk(M-458)
	Richard Gentry to Robert Ashley 80 ac head waters Deep Creek ... beginning at the mouth of the branch at William Brewer's corner, then up the branch along his line, then to Richard Gentry's old corner, then variously to Meshack Gentry's corner, then on his line crossing the Creek to his corner again, then variously to a line marked between him and Robert Ashley, then to the beginning. Wit: David Day, William Ashley. Ack. Feb 1812 by Wm Ashley.
8. Surry County, North Carolina, Deed Books Richard or Sons as Witness or Adjoining Owner
(a)	1787	Oct 1	Bk(C-444)
	John & Susanna Moler to Adam Sheek 200 ac, part of a tract surveyed by Wm. Terrel Lewis, on the head waters of Deep Creek adjoining Fox Nobs ... then adjoining Richard Gentry ... and back to the beginning. Wit: John Persons, James Persons.
(b)	1794	Nov 15	Bk(F-261)
	Amariah Felton to John Thos. Longino 312 ac on the waters of south fork of Deep Creek beginning at Nicholas Gentry's corner... Wit: John Williams, Richard Gentry.
(c)	1795	Feb 12	Bk(I-265)
	Zachariah Spurling to Jordan Mauring 100 ac on Fox Knobbs... Wit: Joseph Ashley, Richard Gentry.
(d)	1795	Nov 11	Bk(H-11)
	Millinton Blalock to William Cohoon 200 ac ... on Deep Creek near the Brush Mountains... Wit: William Day, Richard Gentry.
(e)	1796	Jan 16	Bk(M-68)
	Andrew Manning to Moses Swain 200 ac ... on the waters of Deep Creek... Wit: Richard Gentry, Simon Gentry.
(f)	1796	Apr ?	Bk(M-442)
	Henry Hamrick to Obediah Collins 120 ac on Deep Creek... Wit: William Ashley, Richard Gentry.
(g)	1801	Jan 8	Bk(K-400)
	Jacob Elsberry to Jacob Money 198 ac both sides Deep Creek. Wit: Richard Gentry, Airi Hudspeth.
(h)	1801	Feb 23	Bk(K-179)
	William Sparks to Benjamin Sparks 200 ac ... Wit: George Sparks, Richard Gentry.
(i)	1801	Nov 7	Bk(I-226)
	Isaac Austill to Noel Waddell 132 ac ... on the head waters of Deep Creek at Fox Knobs... Wit: Richard Gentry, John Castevens, Isaac Austill.
(j)	1802	Feb 18	Bk(N-168)
	Allen Gentry to William Money 200 ac head waters Deep Creek. Wit: Richard Gentry, William Gentry, Richard Persons.
(k)	1804	Jul 5	Bk(M-57)
	Lewis Brewer to James Brewer 130 ac head waters of Hunting Creek... Wit: Richard Gentry, William Brewer.
(l)	1804	Sep 20	Bk(K-273)
	David Morriss to Gideon Woodruff 240 ac ... on the waters of the Yadkin River... Wit: Richard Gentry, William Gentry.
(m)	1805	Jan 26	Bk(M-40)
	Lewis Brewer to William Brewer 100 ac ... on the head waters of Deep Creek ... south on Richard Gentry's line ... to beginning. Wit: Richard Gentry, William Gentry. Rec. Aug 1808.
(n)	1805	Feb 22	Bk(M-31)
	William Cahoon to William B. Gray 171 ac. Wit: Richard Gentry, Robert Ashley. Rec. Aug 1808.
(o)	1805	Mar 30	Bk(M-443)
	William Ashley to Obediah Collins 50 ac on Deep Creek... Wit: William Gentry, Robert Ashley. Rec. Feb 1812.
(p)	1806	Feb 1	Bk(M-439)
	Allen Gentry to Isaac Money 16 ac... Wit: Obediah Collins, William Gentry.
9. Surry County, North Carolina, Court Minutes
Jo White Linn, "Abstracts of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Rowan County, North Carolina, 1763-1774", Salisbury, NC, 1979. Transcribed from microfilm copies of the original minutes.
(a)	1768	Oct 25	Vol(3-60)
	"Jury" to lay out Shoar's a little below the little Yadkin to Mitchell's River along Brashers Tract: [12 names incldg Richard Gentry].
Agnes M. Wells and Iris M. Harvey, "Surry County, North Carolina, Court Minutes" Vol II (1796-1800) to VI (1815-1819).
(b)	1797	May 11	(II-57)
	Richard Gentry a juror
(c)	1799	Aug 15	(II-165)
	Richard Gentry awarded costs as witness for plaintiff; Richard forgives his attendance therefore don't put it in execution. Simon Gentry awarded costs as witness for plaintiff.
(d)	1799	Aug 16	(II-166)
	Simon Gentry app't overseer of the road from Meshack Gentrys Mill to Woodroughs Creek.
(e)	1800	May 15	(II-195)
	Ordered by the court that Simon Gentry be app't overseer of the road from Hudspeth's Old Mill, to Woodroughs Creek and the hands convenient work thereon.
(f)	1801	Nov 11	(III-42)
	Ordered by the court that Wm Antony be app't overseeer of the road in the room of Simion Gentry being the road leading from the Old Iron Works to Salisbury, and all the convenient hands to work thereon.
(g)	1804	May 16	(III-156)
	A deed from Richard Gentry to John Martin was proved in open court by the oath of Nicholas Jacks and ordered to be registered.
(h)	1804	Nov 13	(III-180)
	A deed from David Morris to Gideon Woodrough was proved by the oath of Richard Gentry and ordered to be registered.
(i)	1805	Feb 14	(IV-9)
	A deed from Jacob Ellsbury to Jacob Money was proved by the oath of Richard Gentry and ordered to be registered.
(j)	1808	Aug 2	(IV-152)
	A deed from Lewis Brewer to Wm Brewer was proved by Rich'd Gentry & ordered to be registered.
(k)	1808	Aug 2	(IV-153)
	A deed from Ben'j Sparks to George Sparks was proved by Rich'd Gentry & ordered to be registered.
(l)	1808	Aug 3	(IV-156)
	A deed from Lewis Brewer to James Brewer was proved by Richard Gentry & ordered to be registered.
(m)	1808	Aug 3	(IV-157)
	A deed from Andrew Manring to Moses Swaim was proved by Richard Gentry & ordered to be registered.
(n)	1809	May 12	(IV-190)
	Agreeable to a petition filed from the inhabitants of Surry County ordered by the court that the following person to wit, ..[15 names incldg] Wm Gentry ... be appointed a Jury or any 12 of them to view and lay off a road from Meshack Gentrys Mill the best and nearest way into the Island Ford Road between Esq Dejarnetes & the Ford & make report thereof to the next court.
(o)	1810	Feb 15	(V-12)
	The State vs Simon Gentry - No 9 - The jury whose names are underwritten being impaneled & sworn find the deft guilty in manner & form as charged in the bill of indictment. On motion for an arrest of judgement on argument motion overruled whereupon the court proceeded to pass judgment which is that the said Simon Gentry be taken by the Sheriff to the Public Whiping Post & there tied & receive one lash on his back & that the sheriff put this order into execution immediately. [Jury members named].
(p)	1810	Feb 14	(V-8)
	James Roughton renewed his constable bond with Richard Messick & Richard Gentry secys & qualified according to law.
(q)	1812	Feb 11	(V-99) [Last previous court adjourned 15 Nov 1811]
	The last will & testament of Richard Gentry dec'd was duly proved in open court by the oath of William Ashby [Ashley] one of the subscribing witness thereto & ordered to be recorded. No exr named in the will & no person administered.
(r)	1812	Feb 14	(V-110)
	A deed from Richard Gentry to Robert Ashby [Ashley] was proved in open court by the oath of William Ashby [Ashley] & ordered tobe registered.
(s)	1814	Feb 18	(V-180)
	A deed from Richard Gentry to William Brewer was duly proved in open court by the oath of Joel Patterson and ordered to be registered.
(t)	1818	Nov 10	(VI-164)
	Administration on the estate of Richard Gentry dec'd is granted unto George Hudspeth with the will annexed who entered into bond with Allen D Gentry and Benedick Castevens in the sum of£800 for his faithful performance as such.
(u)	1819	Feb 11	(VI-176)
	Ordered by the court that the administrators of Rich'd Gentry be authorized to sell the perishable part of said estate etc.

10. Surry County, North Carolina, Wills

11. Revolutionary War Pension Applications, National Archives Microfilm.

12. Surry County, North Carolina, Deed Books - Richard of SC
(a)	1799	May 10	Bk(I-336)
	Sheriff, Surry Co, to Richard Gentry 80 ac S. side Deep Creek. Deed for sale by Marmaduke Kimbrough, sheriff, on behalf of the County of Surry to satisfy a judgment in Superior Court against Airs Hudspeth and wife Sarah and William Meredith of 36 pounds 16 shillings...property seized 2 March by the sheriff, bought at public sale by Richard Gentry for sum of 10 pounds 10 shillings.
(b)	1801	Sep 5	Bk(K-223)
	Richard Gentry formerly of Surry County to John Martin 80 ac S. side Deep Creek ... being part of 400 acres surveyed for Gibson Wooldridge and conveyed to Airs Hudspeth, then to Richard Gentry by sheriff's deed. Wit: L. H. Holcomb, Nicholas Jacks.

13. Census Records for Fourth-Generation Richards

Individual		1790 Surry, NC	1810 Pulaski, KY	Identification		1820 Rock- castle, KY
Richard	M	bef.1774	bef.1765	Richard	M	bef.1775
Spouse	F	present	bef.1765	Gestin	F	bef.1775
Dau	F	present	1765-1784
Dau	F	present	1784-1794
Son	M	1774-1790	1794-1800	David	M	1794-1804
Son	M		1794-1800	Martin	M	1794-1804
Son	M		1800-1810	John	M	1794-1804
Dau	F		1800-1810	Betsy	F	1804-1810
Dau	F		1800-1810
Dau	F		1800-1810
				Richard	M	1804-1810
-- ??	M	bef.1774	---	Nathaniel	M	1804-1810
				Son	M	1810-1820
				Dau	F	1810-1820
				Dau	F	1810-1820
				-- ??	F	bef.1775

14. North Carolina Census Records

1790 Federal Census Surry Co., NC		M(>16)	M(0-16)	F	Slaves
	Gentry, Richard Gentry, Richard Jr	4 2	0 1	2 3	0 0

1800 Federal Census
		Born / Sex	1790- 1800	1784- 1790	1774- 1784	1755- 1774	Bef  1755
Surry Co., NC
Page 656	Richard Gentry	M F	0 0	0 0	0 1	0 0	1 1
656	Simon Gentry (Catherine?)	M F	2 1	0 0	0 0	1 1	0 0	son of Richard
656	Nicholas Gentry (Sarah)	M F	4 1	0 0	0 0	1 1	0 0	son of Richard
656	William Gentry (Grace?)	M F	1 1	0 0	1 1	0 0	0 0	son of Richard
1810 Federal Census
		Born: / Sex	1800- 1810	1794- 1800	1784- 1794	1765- 1784	Bef 1765
Surry Co. NC
Page 647	William Gentry (Betsy)	M F	4 1	1 0	0 1	1 0	0 0	son of Richard
648	Robert Ashley (Mary?)	M F	1 3	0 0	0 0	1 1	0 0	dau of Richard?
Wilkes Co. NC
259	Nicholas Gentry (Sarah)	M F	1 1	2 1	2 0	1 1	0 0	son of Richard
Pulaski Co., KY
148	Richard Gentry	M F	1 0	2 0	0 1	0 1	1 1	son of Richard?

15. Surry County, North Carolina, Marriage Bonds
Date		Groom	Bride	Bondsman/Witness
1809	Apr 13	William Gentry	Betsy Day	Robert Ashley
1815	Jan 28	Joseph Sparkes	Martha _____	Richard Gentry
		[Note. Since Richard Sr. had died, this Richard may have been a grandson, namely the son of Nicholas Gentry (born abt.1798) who was living in Wilkes Co. at the time.]

16. Joyce Martin Murray, "Greene County Tennessee Tax Digests 1809-1817", Southern Historical Press, Easley, SC 1986
(a)	1809	Capt Francis Register's District (p.23)
		Gentry, Simon	1 white poll
(b)	1810	Capt Francis Register's District (p.34)
		Gentry, Simon	1 white poll
(c)	1811	Capt Register's District (p.86)
		Gentry, Simon	1 white poll	100 ac	Limestone
(d)	1812	Capt Register's District (p.114)
		Gentry, Simon	1 white poll
(e)	1814	Capt Register's District (p.177)
		Jentry, Simon Jentry, William	1 white poll 1 white poll	100 ac   --	Long F [ork]
(f)	1815	Capt Elijah Matheney's District (p.202)
		Jentry, Simon	1 white poll	100 ac	Long F

17. Joyce Martin Murray, "Greene County, Tennessee Deed Abstracts, 1810-1822", Dallas TX, 1997, p.76
	1817	Jul 18	Bk(11-148)
	Indenture Thomas Coulson and Simon Jentry, both of Green Co. TN for $150 pd, 87 ac & 10 poles land on a branch of Lick Creek known by Long Fork of sd creek. Wit: Michael Bright, John Crawford, George Monteith.

18. Sandi Gonn, in a posting at http//www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/4335/ Monroeco/millcreek.html, extracted data from Mill Creek (Old Mulkey) Baptist Church, Monroe Co., KY, Minutes 1798 - 1820. (The first date is the date received into membership, a second date, if shown, is when left and sometimes why.)
May 1832	Simeon Gentry	June 1836	h/o Catherine
May 1832	Catherine Gentry	June 1836
19. Goldene Fillers Burgner, "Greene County, Tennessee Marriages, 1783-1868", Southern Historical Press, Easley, SC, 1981, p.37
1813 Mar 2	#1577
	Lewis Wheeler to Rhody Gentry; bondsman David Logan, Phineas Jones

20. P. W. Duke, in a private communication dated June 2000, stated his mother-in-law (a Gentry) has in her possession a handwritten letter that was written to Ephraim Gentry's family.

"My Grandfather's name was William Gentry. Don't know date and place of birth, but think he was raised in Surry county, North Carolina. I don't know that he had any brothers, only old Uncle Nicholas Gentry, your Great-grandfather. I have heard my father speak often of Uncle Nicholas. I can't remember him speaking of any other uncle or aunt on the Gentry side. My father Ephraim Gentry had three whole brothers and one sister: Richard, David, and William; his sister's name was Rachel. Uncle Richard was in Alabama the last time we heard from him. Uncle William was in Tennessee when we heard from him. I think Uncle David died in Kentucky. My father had two half-brothers living in Georgia the last time we heard from them." [Letter ends, unsigned.]

The letter was addressed to Myrtle Gentry Calhoun of Crumpler, North Carolina. Myrtle was a daughter of Levi Clinton Gentry and a granddaughter of Allen and Rebecca Reeves Gentry.

Return to Top