Issue E
May 2004
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TENNESSEE GENTRY FAMILIES – II

Sons of John Gentry of Botetourt County, Virginia

by
Willard Gentry
Last Revised 2014

Introduction

Continuing with the series of articles in this Journal about early Gentry extended families in Tennessee, we will be discussing in this issue three Gentrys who probably descended from John Gentry of Botetourt Count, Virginia. This John has been the subject of much speculation. It has been suggested that (a) he was a member of the second generation Gentrys, one of the youngest of the children of Nicholas Gentry, the Immigrant; or (b) he was a son of Joseph-II Gentry, the oldest son of Nicholas. It is further unclear as to whether the John Gentry who lived in Botetourt County was (c) the original John who lived earlier in Louisa and Amelia Counties, or (d) he was a son of this John. [This has been discussed briefly in a previous article of the Gentry Journal in vol. 1, #10 (Oct. 2001). The question has been covered in more detail in an article published after the original publication of this article, in Issue D, Sept 2011.] In this article we shall leave open the question of the senior John's parentage but shall be assuming option (d) above.

In any case, the presumed father of the subjects of this article, John, died in 1779 in Botetourt County, Virginia, leaving a will (written in 1778) which left his estate to his wife, Mary (daughter of Hugh Green of Augusta County) and to his children, without naming those children. Later, Mary's father's will, dated 1786, left bequests to "her daughter, Mary Gentry and to each of her sons." Two of the subjects of the present article, Hugh Gentry and Joseph Gentry, are commonly thought by genealogists to be sons of this John. Another son, John Jr., to this writer's knowledge, has not previously been suggested as part of this family.

A. John Gentry of Botetourt County

– born (Speculation) about 1765, in Augusta County (later Botetourt County), Virginia
– died 1807, Montgomery County, Ohio
	– married about 1793, probably in Tennessee, to Hannah Cox (widow, probable maiden name Newman); born 2 Nov 1767, died before 1830.
	Children of John and Hannah:
	i.	David Gentry, born 2 Feb 1795.
	ii.	Ephraim Gentry, born 27 Oct 1796, Tennessee, died 6 May 1852; married Elizabeth Foland.
	iii.	Samuel Gentry, born 13 Oct 1798, Tennessee, died 24 Oct 1865;; married Mary Foland.
	iv.	John Gentry, born 11 Nov 1800, Tennessee; married (1) Mary Webb; married (2) Unknown.
	v.	Rebecca Gentry, born 25 Jan 1803.
	vi.	Margaret Gentry, born 4 Jan 1805, died 2 Jan 1839; married John Foland.
	vii.	Abigail Gentry, born 18 Dec 1806, Ohio, died 1 Sep 1856; married Jacob Foland.
	Child of Hannah and first husband:
	a.	Absalom Cox, born 1789.

(The dates of birth and death of the children of John and Hannah are taken from the records of Alfred T. Cox, a great-grandson of Ephraim Gentry<1>.)

Nothing is known of John's early history other than the fact that most of his children reported that they had been born in Tennessee. The children's birthplaces indicate that John's family moved north from Tennessee in about 1805. It is not until we look at probate records for John, filed in 1807 in Montgomery County, Ohio, that we find any documentary evidence of his connection to this family<2>. The estate was closed in 1812 at which time his wife Hannah was made the guardian of the five youngest children. She bought 60 acres of land in the north part of Montgomery County, and was listed in the 1820 census but not in 1830. The presumption is that she died in the interval.

In the settlement of John's estate, Hannah and a William Newman were named as co-administrators of the estate. Herbert Gentry<2>, reading through the probate papers, concluded that William Newman (born about 1777 in North Carolina according to the 1850 census) was probably a brother of Hannah. Richard and John Cox, witnesses to the will along with William Newman were probably brothers of Hannah's first husband. The fact that Samuel Gentry named a son Alfred Cox Gentry, and Ephraim had a grandson named Alfred Cox suggests the possibility that Hannah's first husband may have been named Alfred.

Delving into John's background, it is probable that he was the John Gentry who was listed in 1805 in the tax lists for Greene County, Tennessee<3>. Much earlier, in 1779, a John Gentry filed for a land grant entry on behalf of John Sevier on a tributary of the Nolichucky River in Washington County<4a>. Then in 1787, a John Gentry served as a chain-bearer for a survey in Greene County for a grant entry filed by Robert Gentry<4b>. In the same year, also in Greene County, there is a vague reference in a description of a land grant which describes the land being granted as "on River Ridge about 3/4 miles from the French Broad River, opposite John Gentry's cabin"<4c>. These records, especially that in 1779, appear to be for a different John who perhaps was the John Gentry who accompanied Col. James Brown down the Tennessee River in the summer of 1788 and was killed by Indians. The Brown expedition was organized on the upper Holston River and set off from there so presumably John Gentry and his brother Will lived not far away which is consistent with a location of first Washington County, then Greene County. The 1787 references, while more compatible in terms of our John's age, are curious in their relationship with Robert Gentry, for which we have no explanation. It is a possibility that both of these latter references, which were copied from original North Carolina records into duplicate records for use in Tennessee, may have mistaken "John" for "Jesse" who was one of Robert's sons, and a neighbor. On the other hand, John's presumed brother, Hugh, was living in the area at the same time for he signed a petition in 1787 requesting self-government for the State of Franklin.

By far the most likely candidate as father of our younger John was John of Botetourt County, Virginia, whom we have mentioned at the beginning of this article. Names provide little positive evidence for family relationships, but John was a very common name among the families of all of the descendants of Nicholas Gentry (and indeed the existence of other contemporary John Gentrys eliminates several of Nicholas' grandsons as possible fathers of this John). One can see in the case of our subject John that he could have been named for his father, while Hugh was named for his maternal grandfather. None of the children of John Sr. have been documented. Hugh and Joseph are most strongly linked to John Sr. by the naming of children (one of Hugh's being named Hugh Green Gentry, for Hugh's grandfather, and one of Joseph's being named Hugh Gentry). There is no reason that John of Montgomery County, Ohio could not have also been a son of John Sr.

The father, John Sr., died in 1779, with no indication of the date of his marriage to Mary Green, daughter of Hugh Green. As we will see, John's son Hugh is said to have been born in 1769, and Joseph several years after that. It is reasonable to conjecture that John Jr. may have been born in about 1765. If the account of a John Gentry in Greene County, Tennessee, in 1787 refers to this John, he would have been in his early twenties. This matches logic quite well. The term, John Gentry's "cabin" suggests a small, possibly temporary structure, in which John may have been living as a single man, as a hunter-trapper-guide rather than as a farmer. He may have continued in this style of life until he met Hannah Cox and married her in his late twenties. The lack of further evidence relating to John such as the buying of land, is not at all unusual among the early Tennessee settlers.

John Gentry's Children
Having proposed that the Ohio John was a son of John of Botetourt County, Virginia, we can briefly outline the rest of his family. His sons included the following:

David, the oldest son, may have died early. Nothing is known about him.
Ephraim, had married by the time Hannah's family was first listed in the census (in 1820), and had moved to Wayne County, Indiana, where he settled permanently. His children included Mary Ann, John H., Valentine, Jacob, Hannah, Francis Marion, Elizabeth, Susan Margaret and William Harrison.
Samuel, was living with his mother at the time of the 1820 Montgomery County, Ohio census, but moved permanently to Madison County, Indiana, after his marriage. His children included Alfred Cox, Elizabeth Jane, Sarah Foland, Abigail Tealoy, Nancy Mariah, Judith Margaret, Ephraim Albert, Jacob Henry and another Francis Marion Gentry.
John was likewise living with his mother at the time of the 1820 census. Like his brother Samuel, he moved to Madison County, Indiana and was listed in the 1830 to 1850 census records for that county and in Tipton County, Illinois in 1860. His children included Curtis, John, Margaret Harrietta and Hannah Gentry.

Less is known of the daughters of John and Hannah. The oldest daughter, Rebecca, was not living with her mother in 1820, and could have died early or married and left home. The other two daughters, Margaret and Abigail, married members of the same Foland family that had provided wives for their brothers Ephraim and Samuel. Both settled in Madison County, Indiana also.

B. Hugh Gentry of Botetourt County

– born said to be 5 (or 15) May 1769 (sources differ), probably in Botetourt County, Virginia
– died 7 Aug 1840, Jackson County, Alabama
	– married, 27 Sep 1797, Shelby County, Kentucky, to Mary Lane (born 17 Dec 1775, died 23 Aug 1849, Jackson County, Alabama).
	Children of Hugh and Mary (according to family bible records);
	i.	Sally Gentry, born 31 May 1792, Shelby County, Kentucky.
	ii.	Mary Gentry, born 11 Mar 1794, Shelby County.
	iii.	John Gentry, born 27 Mar 1796, Shelby County.
	iv.	William Gentry, born 15 Jul 1798, Shelby County.
	v.	Nancy Gentry, born 22 Oct 1800, Shelby County.
	vi.	Elizabeth Gentry, born 17 Jan 1803.
	vii.	Margaret Gentry, born 22 Mar 1805.
	viii.	Barbara Gentry (twin), born 18 Aug 1807.
	ix.	Rutha Gentry (twin), born 18 Apr 1807.
	x.	Hugh Green Gentry, born 29 Nov 1809, Franklin County, Tennessee; married Mary [Unknown].
	xi.	Lydia Gentry, born 17 Feb 1812, Franklin County.
	xii.	Joseph Gentry, born 22 Apr 1814, Franklin County, died 11 Apr 1862, Jackson County, Alabama; married Nancy [Unknown].
	xiii.	Samuel Gentry, born 16 Aug 1816, Franklin County, died 1 May 1885, Panola County, Texas; married (1) Jemima Guest; married (2) Mary Waldrop.
	xiv.	Camden Gentry, born 23 Jul 1819, Franklin County, died 16 Mar 1872, Jackson County, Alabama; married Judith [Unknown].

The year and place (Virginia) of Hugh's birth, and his naming of one son Hugh Green Gentry (for his maternal grandfather), is strong evidence that he must have been a son of John Gentry of Botetourt County, Virginia. Aside from the extensive family bible birth records, there is very little documentary evidence relating to Hugh. The first was in Tennessee in 1787 when Hugh was among a large list of petitioners asking North Carolina to recognize the creation of the State of Franklin. (This had been organized after the General Assembly of North Carolina ceded the territory encompassed by Tennessee to the United States government in 1783, but then changed its mind and reclaimed the land.)

The next reference to Hugh can be found in Shelby County, Kentucky -- not for his own marriage, but as a bondsman for another marriage in 1798<5>. He is also shown in Shelby County in 1800 in the "reconstructed 1800 census" of Kentucky. There have been no records of land purchases or sales found for Hugh in Shelby County.

His name next appeared in Franklin County, Tennessee, in 1812 in the initial enumeration of tithables for that county<6>. For some reason, a large number of settlers from Kentucky moved to Franklin County when it was created and Hugh was among them. The timing of the mass movement was undoubtedly due to the southern tier of counties in Tennessee being organized from lands taken over from the Cherokee Indians shortly before this. Hugh's brother Joseph was in the same 1812 tithables list, coming from Grainger County, Tennessee, apparently in a coordinated move. Hugh bought 150 acres of land on Bradley's Creek in the southern part of Franklin County in 1813 and sold it again in 1819. It was probably at about that time that he moved south across the Tennessee border into the neighboring county of Jackson, Alabama, at the time that state and county were created. His son, Camden, was born in Alabama that year. Hugh is missing from the 1820 Tennessee census, however, he was listed in the 1830 and 1840 census for Jackson County, Alabama (the latter just shortly before he died).

Hugh Gentry's Children
While this writer does not have any information on the daughters of Hugh, five of his sons can be tracked cursorily by way of census records.

John and his brother Hugh Green were listed by name in the 1830 and 1840 census for Jackson County, Alabama. John has not been found in the 1850 census, but in 1860, he was in Polk County, Arkansas. Four of his children, William, Nicholas, Elizabeth and Thomas were living next door to him in Polk County. An apparent three other sons and two daughters have not been identified.
William's fate is not known. The William who was present in the 1830 Jackson County, Alabama census, and a William Gentry who was in the 1850 census for Rusk County, Texas have been asserted to be this William, but they appear to be two separate Williams, neither one of them Hugh's son.
Hugh Green, like John, has not been located in any 1850 census but in 1860 he was listed (as "H. G.") in the 1860 census for Rusk County, Texas. Hugh's census records indicate he had eight children before 1840, only two of whom, James B., and Joseph (who were in Texas with Hugh in 1860), have been identified. The 1860 census lists another five sons and three daughters living with Hugh, all of whom were born after 1840.
Joseph was living with his father in 1830 but was listed by name in Jackson County, Alabama, in 1840. Like his older brothers, he has not been found in any census for 1850 but was in the 1860 census for Jackson County, Alabama. He is only known to have had a son, Albert, who was in the 1840 census with his parents and still with them in 1860.
Samuel was in the Jackson County census for 1840, then moved from Alabama in time to be in Panola County, Texas in 1850. He was listed there again in the 1860 census. His children included Sarah, William, Mary, Hugh, Thomas, Nancy, Margaret, John, James and Amanda.
Camden, the youngest son, was living with his parents in 1840 in Jackson County, was listed there separately in 1850 and again in 1870, but at the time of the 1860 census, he was living in De Kalb County, Alabama. His children included Mary, Nancy, Phelia, William, James, Joseph and Sarah.

C. Joseph Gentry of Botetourt County

	– born said to be about 1775, Botetourt County, Virginia (two separate census listings give his birth as 1780-1790, but this conflicts with the date of death of his assumed father).
– died 29 May 1847, Coffee County, Tennessee
– married (1) about 1795, Bell Brandon.
	– married (2) 24 Aug 1826, Franklin County, Tennessee to Mary ("Polly") Roach (maiden name Mash, widow of John Roach) (born 19 Mar 1792, died 11 Jun 1864).
	Children of Joseph and Bell:
	i.	Mary Gentry, born 1 Aug 1796.
	ii.	Margaret ("Peggy") Gentry, born 8 Jan 1798, died 29 Sep 1826 and buried in Jackson County, Alabama; married 7 Jan 1816, John Hastings.
	iii.	Barbara Gentry, born 14 Apr 1799.
	iv.	John H. Gentry, born 29 Jan 1801, Tennessee, died 22 Feb 1858 and buried in Williamson County, Illinois; married (1) [Unknown]; married (2), probably in Alabama, to Margaret Collins.
	v.	Jane Gentry, born 8 Jan 1803, probably Grainger County, Tennessee; said to have married Green Parker.
	vi.	Catherine/Katherine Gentry, born 22 Dec 1805, probably Grainger County; married probably in Jackson County, Alabama, to Martin Collins (a brother of John's wife?).
	vii.	Elizabeth ("Betsy") Gentry, born 10 Oct 1807, probably Grainger County.
	viii.	William T. Gentry, born 8 Sep 1808, probably Grainger County, died 2 Dec 1878, and buried in Jackson County, Illinois; married (1) probably in Jackson County, Alabama, to Charlotte [Unknown], married 15 Sep 1859, Jackson County, Illinois, to Priscilla Cobble.
	ix.	Joseph Green ("J.G.") Gentry, born 4 May 1812, probably Franklin County, Tennessee, died about 1868 in Sebastian County, Arkansas; married probably in Coffee County, Tennessee, to Susan Morrow.
	x.	Jarret Gentry, born 16 Apr 1814, Franklin County, died 5 Feb 1861, Coffee County; married, 7 Feb 1841, Coffee County, to Nancy Roach (daughter of John Roach and Joseph's second wife, Mary Roach).
	xi.	Thomas Gentry, born 16 Apr 1816, (location uncertain), died before 1847?
	xii.	Hugh Gentry, born 8 Dec 1821, (location uncertain), died before 1880?; married about 1850, Sarah [Unknown].
	Children of Joseph and Mary:
	xiii.	Martha B. Gentry, born 22 Aug 1827, Franklin County, died 27 Apr 1899; married (1) probably in Coffee County, to Robert Collier; married (2) 23 Oct 1866, Coffee County, to Albert Mash.
	xiv.	George Nicholas Gentry, born 15 Dec 1828, Franklin County, died after 1880.
	xv.	Sarah Angeline Gentry, born 3 Mar 1830, Franklin County.
	xvi.	Samuel M. Gentry, born 16 Dec 1833, Franklin County, died Mar 1910; married 20 Nov 1856, Coffee County, to Lucinda Finch.
	xvii.	Eliza Gentry, born 1 Dec 1836, Coffee County.

(This writer cannot vouch for the dates of birth presented here which are said to come from bible records. Most of them do, however, correlate well with census records where those records are available. Joseph's family has been studied extensively by Virginia Jernigan Murphy, a great-granddaughter of Jarret Gentry. She has corresponded extensively with other genealogists on Gentry forums, mailing lists, and by e-mail. She has also contributed articles to the "Gentry Family Gazette & Genealogy Exchange"<8>. Her extensive data has been used to supplement material found by the writer.)

This Joseph Gentry ("Joseph of Botetourt County") has been the subject of an unusually large number of confused and mistaken statements as to his ancestry, his marriages, and his children. Undoubtedly this is because there were several Joseph Gentrys who were living in Tennessee in the early days of its settlement, and genealogists have not always been careful about separating them. In particular this Joseph has been confused with the Joseph of Hanover County, Virginia, and later Carter/Johnson County, Tennessee. Our present Joseph had very few documentary records to his name in his earlier years, but it seems certain that he moved to Franklin County, Tennessee by 1812 when he and his brother were included in the enumeration of tithables for that county<6>. He left Franklin County for a time, but returned to live in the northern part of the county for many years, first as a resident of Franklin County, then when Coffee County was created from Franklin County in 1836, as a resident of Coffee County.

Much of the problem lies in Joseph's probable residence before he moved to Franklin County. This writer suggests that records for a Joseph Gentry who was delinquent with his taxes in Grainger County from 1803 to 1810 are probably for this Joseph<9>. Two deeds recorded in neighboring Hawkins County<10>, witnessed by a Joseph Gentry in 1800 and 1801 refer to land midway between Grainger County and Carter County and could have involved either one of the two Josephs. The Grainger County Joseph had a substantial amount of land, 640 acres being mentioned at one point, but he obviously had difficulty keeping up with his taxes. If it is the same Joseph, the next we hear of him is in southern Tennessee in Franklin County in 1812. He apparently simply sold out his land in Grainger County in the tax sale of 1810 and decided to move to greener pastures. At any rate nothing is heard of the Grainger County Joseph after 1810.

A statement by one son, William, speaks of his parents moving to Alabama in about 1816, and census records for another son, Hugh, who was born in 1821, list Alabama as his birthplace. This move explains why at least three of his children were living next door to each other in Alabama in 1830 and had all probably been married there. Joseph was back in Tennessee by the time his first wife died for she was buried in Franklin (later Coffee) County, and his second marriage, in 1826, is believed to have taken place there. Joseph's second wife, Mary Mash, was married first to John Roach in Blount County, Tennessee, 31 Aug 1814. John and Mary Roach moved to Franklin County before 1820, and were listed in the census with two sons and two daughters before Mary married Joseph. All of Joseph's children from 1828 onwards are recorded as having been born in Tennessee, and Joseph himself is listed in the 1830 Franklin County and 1840 Coffee County census. (In both of these census listings, members of the combined families of Joseph's first marriage and that of his second wife, Mary's first marriage appear to have been living together.)

In Franklin County, Joseph's brother, Hugh Gentry owned land on Bradley's Creek in the south part of the county before he sold it and moved to Alabama. Joseph may have initially lived nearby and mah have moved to Alabama at the same time as Hugh. Joseph did not remain in Alabama, returning to Tennesee where in later years he lived in the north part of Franklin County which became Coffee County in 1836. The only land for which we can find a deed involving Joseph is a 100 acre tract on Bean's Creek which he sold in 1837<7>. Two references in Franklin County before Coffee County was formed, involve his appointment as guardian for the daughters of John Roach, deceased husband of his second wife<11>. In Coffee County records, Joseph is mentioned in a number of contexts other than buying or selling land such as court appearances between 1836 and 1840 in a variety of roles, including that of sheriff and deputy sheriff. (A number of these are detailed in Virginia Murphy's articles<8>).

Who was Joseph's Father?
Conventional wisdom has held that our subject Joseph was a son of John Gentry of Botetourt County, Virginia. This has primarily been because the use of the name Hugh, and the name Green for two of his sons, is suggestive of Joseph being a descendant of Hugh Green of Virginia, father-in-law of John Gentry. That and the presence of Joseph in the earliest days of Franklin County with the senior Hugh Gentry, tends to tie them together.

Joseph was listed in the 1830 and 1840 census as born between 1780 and 1790. A wrong date in one census is not at all unusual, but when the date is repeated in two separate reports, one needs to pay a little more attention to it. John died in 1779, so obviously Joseph could not have been a son of John and been born after 1780. Such a late date of birth also does not match the fact that Peggy Gentry Hastings, whose tombstone is marked "daughter of Joseph and Bell Gentry", was born in 1796. The frequently quoted estimate of 1775 as being the date of Joseph's birth better fits the time line of Joseph's life. This would place him as being John's youngest child, born just a few years before his death. Another small discrepancy relating to Joseph's birth lies in the fact that Joseph's youngest son, Samuel, in the 1880 census, reported that his father was born in Tennessee not Virginia. It appears obvious that he lived there so long that Samuel thought of him as having been born there.

Joseph Gentry's Children
Joseph's will was written and taken to probate in 1847 in Coffee County<12>. It named his sons Jarret and Hugh, as executors, and left a cow and furniture to Hugh. It also named his wife, Mary, and three younger "unfortunate" children, George, Sarah Angeline (or Angelina) and Eliza who were to have special care during their lifetime (these children are discussed further below). Even though his son, Joseph Green, was still living in Coffee County at the time, this son was not mentioned in the will, nor were any children living outside of the state. The children of Joseph and his first wife, Belle, include:

Margaret ("Peggy") is the most fully-documented daughter of Joseph. Little is known about most of the other daughters. Peggy married John Hastings. Among other things, her tombstone in Jackson County, Alabama, is said to read, "... daughter of Joseph & Bell Gentry", along with her age and date of death in 1826. Her oldest children were born in Tennessee before she moved to Alabama in about 1824. Her widowed husband then remarried and moved to North Carolina, then Mississippi, then Missouri.
John, the oldest son, moved from Tennessee to Alabama before 1825 when his son, Martin, was born. A study of census records suggests that John may have had three children then lost a first wife before the 1830 census and married Margaret Collins not long after. The next oldest of John's children, Thomas, was born about 1833. Margaret may have been the sister of Martin Collins who married John's sister, Katherine. John moved to Illinois, probably at the same time as his brother, William in 1832, and all of his younger children were born there. He appears in the 1830 Jackson County, Alabama census, then not until the 1850 census for Williamson County, Illinois. His wife, Margaret and his younger children were in the 1860 census. His son, Martin, was living in Jackson County, Illinois, in 1850 next door to his uncle William, but had rejoined the rest of the family in Williamson County before 1860. Thomas, a younger son of John, was living close to his mother in 1860. John's children in addition to Martin and Thomas included Sarah, George, Katherine, Frances, James, Jane and Martha.
Katherine, Joseph's fourth daughter, married Martin Collins (a brother of Margaret Collins who married Katherine's brother, John?), probably in Alabama. (There were a number of Collins family members living in Jackson County in 1830 suggesting they had all been there for some time). The Collins were living next to John and William Gentry and also next to an unmarried James Collins who was probably a brother of Martin. (Living with James was an elderly woman who was probably Martin and James' mother). Later census records for their children indicate that Katherine and Martin moved to Illinois before 1836, and were in Union County in 1850. By 1860 they had moved to Williamson County and were living next door to the family of her brother, John. Both the 1850 Union County census and the 1860 Williamson County census also list their son, (another) James Collins, who was born in Alabama in about 1827 and was living in 1860 next door to his cousin, Martin Gentry. [One of John's great,great-granddaughters, Jenniev Gentry McCamish, has followed these families that moved to Illinois and has contributed information about them to the "Gentry Family Gazette"<8>.]
William, like John, was also listed in the 1830 Jackson County, Alabama, then was in the 1840 and 1850 Jackson County, Illinois, census. Local histories of the latter county report he arrived there in 1832. The same local history indicates that "his parents moved to Alabama when he was eight years old". This implies that his father, Joseph, moved to Jackson County, Alabama, in about 1816, then returned to Tennessee. One might wonder if this William was the son of Hugh Gentry instead of Joseph Gentry if it were not for a ten year difference in date of birth of the two Williams. Despite the record of William's second marriage in Jackson County, Illinois in 1859, and William's death there in 1878, census records for him in 1860 and 1870 have not been located. (There is a William Gentry in the 1860 Illinois census but it is not this William.) The record of William's children through 1850 includes Elizabeth, Polly Ann, Alexander (also in the 1860 census), Maria, Caroline and John, along with an older daughter who had left home before 1850.
Joseph Green, appears in the 1840 Coffee County, Tennessee, census under the name "Green". He is listed as "J.G." (occupation wagoneer) in the 1850 Coffee County census, and again in 1860, as a farmer in Sebastian County, Arkansas. At that time, all of his children were listed as having been born in Tennessee, so J.G.'s move to Arkansas took place after 1851. His children included Mary, Thomas, William, Laura, twins Jackson and Henderson Green, and Sarah.
Jarret was listed in the Coffee County census in 1850 and 1860. He was living with his father in 1830, and was probably living with his brother J.G. in 1840. Jarret married Nancy Roach in 1841, a step-sister, one of the daughter's of his father's second wife. (Nancy was probably the "Nancy Gentry" found in the 1840 Coffee County census along with a sister, living next door to Joseph. Having been a part of Joseph's family since the time of his marriage to her mother, Nancy was undoubtedly thought of as being a Gentry and so mis-labeled in the census.) As has been mentioned earlier, Jarret was named in 1847 as an executor for his father's will. Jarret's children included Mary J., William T., Joseph H., Catharine B. and Sarah.
Thomas, was apparently living with the family at the time of the 1830 and 1840 census, but was missing in 1850. He is not mentioned in his father's will and was not named a co-executor of Joseph's will as was Thomas' younger brother, Hugh. It appears that he had moved away by then or more probably had died.
Hugh was also living with the family in 1830 and 1840. In 1850 (age 27) he was a stage driver, a single man living in Coffee County in a rooming house. A Hugh Gentry (age 38) who was living in 1860 in Lowndes County, Mississippi, was probably this same Hugh. He had apparently married just after the 1850 census, for this Hugh's oldest child was age 9, born in Mississippi. The Mississippi family continued to appear in Lowndes County censuses in 1870 and in 1880 (by which time Hugh had died). His children included Elizabeth ("Lizzey") and Georgana. The Mississippi Hugh was reported in each instance to have been born in Alabama, while the Hugh who appeared in the 1850 Coffee County census reported his birth in Tennessee. If these indeed were the same individuals and Hugh was actually born in Alabama as indicated, it would support William's remembrance of the family moving from Tennessee to Alabama in about 1816.

The children of Joseph and his second wife were the following:

Martha, the oldest child, was living with her parents in the 1830 and 1840 Coffee County census. In 1850, she was living with an Ervin Lowell family, next door to her brother J.G. Between 1850 and 1860, Martha married and had a son, Robert (born in Mississippi), then lost her husband. Martha and her son had returned to Tennessee and were living with Joseph's widow, Mary, in 1860.
Samuel, the youngest son, was living in the 1850 census with his mother, then shown in the 1870 and 1880 Coffee County census with his own family. Samuel's children included Sarah, Martha, John H., Joseph M., George W., William, Charles Mead, Sophia, Thomas, Molly, Lee and "Ginnie" (Virginia?).
George, and his sisters, Sarah Angeline and Eliza are the three young children of Joseph who were referred to as "unfortunate children" by Joseph in his will. George and Angelina were listed as "idiotic" in the 1850 census (today they would probably be classed simply as mentally deficient or retarded). George lived with his mother while she was alive, then with his sister, Martha, and eventually at the time of the 1880 census, he was living with his brother Samuel.
Sarah Angeline or Angelina who would have been 30 at the time, was not with the family in 1860.
Eliza (listed as Elizabeth), was listed in the 1850 as being "insane" which undoubtedly referred to a more severe case of mental problems than her two siblings. She was living with her mother at the time of the 1860 census, then we lose track of her.

Conclusion

We have suggested here an extended family of three brothers, all sons of John Gentry of Botetourt County, Virginia, who appear to have moved separately to Tennessee and then scattered. There is so little evidence about John that there is no way of knowing whether he was the first to move to Tennessee and whether or not he moved at any time to Kentucky -- probably not. His only definite move was from Tennessee to Ohio where he died. We have seen that Hugh spent considerable time in Kentucky, moved back into Tennessee, then on to Alabama where he died. The third brother Joseph seems to have appeared on the scene in Tennessee at a later time than his presumed brothers, and we don't have a clue as to what he was doing before 1800 when he apparently was living in Tennessee. His move from north Tennessee to Franklin County, Tennessee, paralleled and coincided with Hugh's move there from Kentucky. Joseph appears to have moved to Alabama for a short time at about the same time as Hugh, then returned to Tennessee to what became Coffee County where he was living when he died some twenty-odd years later.

References

1. Herbert Myron Gentry, Noblesville, IN, quoted in "Gentry Family Gazette & Genealogy Exchange", vol x, p.34-40 (May 1995). He reports data from the records of Alfred Cox (1872-1839), grandson of Ephraim Gentry. The article includes detail, not reported in the present article, on the composition of the families of Ephraim, Samuel, John, and Abigail Gentry. Herbert Gentry is a great-grandson of Samuel Gentry.

2. ibid, p.36, 40. Herbert Gentry reports the contents of the probate package for John Gentry's estate, found in Montgomery County courthouse, filed in midsummer 1807. The probate shows John's survivors including his widow, Hannah, five children under the age of thirteen, and a stepson, Absalom, born 12 Feb 1789. Hannah, William Newman, Richard Cox, and John Cox were named in the security bond; Hannah and William Newman were co-administrators of the estate.

3. Pollyanna Creekmore, "Early East Tennessee Taxpayers", Southern Historical Press, Easley, SC, 1980, p.175
	Greene Co., 1805
	John Gentry	Listed as free taxable individual

4a. A. B. Pruitt, "Tennessee Land Entries: Washington County 1778-1796", 3 Vol, 1997
1779	Sep 16	Entry #3268
	John "Gentery" for Col. John Sevier, 640 ac in Washington Co. on waters of Cherokee Cr [branch of Nolichucky R., Washington Co.]; includes Aaron Pinson's "plantation" and improvement; warrant issued 6 May 1780 by Landon Carter; surveyed 25 Oct 1795 for John Sevier by Geo. Gordon DS; this warrant included in a 32,000 ac survey with [many others].

	4b. Bruce Pruitt, "Some Land Grant Alterations", The North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal, vol xvi, #2 (May 1990)
1787	Sep 20
	Original grant No.321 at Kinston: "Gov. Richard Caswell to Robert Gentry ... granted 475 acres in Greene County on the head of Kelseys mill creek waters of French Broad River; begins ... to the beginning." [On an attached sheet]: Survey due to warrant no. 210 dated 22 Oct 1783; surveyed on 13 Feb 1785 by James Houston, D S; chain bearers: George Fry and John Gentry ...

	4c. Goldene Fillers Burgner, "North Carolina Land Grants Recorded in Greene County, Tennessee", Southern Historical Press, Easley, SC 1981. (Abstracts of North Carolina Land Grants, Greene County Court House, Greene County, Tennessee, vol I)
1787	Sep 20	Bk(I-329) [p.37] Grant #374
	For £10 per 100 ac - to William Clerk (Cocke?) 180 acres in Greene County on River Ridge about 3/4 miles from French Broad River, opposite John Gentry's cabin. Richard Caswell at Kinston.

5. Eula Richardson Hasskarl, "Shelby County, Kentucky Marriages 1792--1833", Hasskarl, Ada, OK 1983
p.9	Samuel Wilks m. Barbara Mattox, 12 Dec 1798, bondsman Hugh Gentry

6. "Franklin County Historical Review", vol 19, p.53 (1988)
	An 1812 enumeration of free taxable inhabitants was ordered by Tennessee to determine who was eligible to vote for members of the General Assembly at the next election. "Every freeman of the age of twenty-one years and upwards, possessing a freehold in the county wherein he may vote, and being an inhabitant of this state...shall be entitled to vote..." List includes Hugh Gentry, Joseph Gentry [not listed adjacent to one another].

7. Franklin County, Tennessee, Deed Books (microfilm of original)
1813	Apr 12	Bk(B-145)
	Jesse Jenkins, County of Franklin to Hugh Gentry of the same, for $225 deeds land in Franklin County on the waters of Bradley's Creek containing 150 ac [described by metes and bounds] said land being part of a tract granted to John Macklin and John Overton. Signed by Jesse Jenkins Wit: Alex Perrymon, Edw (?) Metcalf; rec. 25 Mar 1813
1819	Feb 20	Bk(F&K-80)
	Hugh Gentry of Franklin County to John W. Cowdern of the same county on the head waters of Bradley's Creek of the Elk River containing 150 acres [described by metes and bounds], said land being part of a grant to John Martin. Signed by Hugh Gentry Wit: Josiah Jenkins, James Shead; rec. May Session 1819 Franklin Co. court
1837	Apr 29	Bk(Q-178)
	Barnett Forsyth of Franklin County to Joseph Gentry of Coffee County for $500 deeds a tract of land in Franklin County [described by metes and bounds] containing 100 acres on the west side of Bean's Creek. Wit: Isham Womack, T.P. Stephens; rec. 5 Jun 1937

8. "Gentry Family Gazette & Genealogy Exchange", published by Richard Gentry, McLean, VA.
a.	Vol 5, p.72-73, (Jul 1986): Contribution by Virginia Jernigan Murphy on Joseph Gentry and family. [Supplemented by personal communications.]
b.	Vol 6, p.175-176 (Jul 1987): Contribution by Jenniev Gentry McCamish on John Gentry, Katherine (Gentry) Collins and William Gentry, children of Joseph Gentry.
c.	Vol 7, p.84-90 (May 1989): Contribution by Virginia Jernigan Murphy on Joseph Gentry with census, court, and other references.

	9. WPA Transcript, "Minutes of Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions, Grainger County, Tennessee", vol 2 (1802-1812), Tennessee State Library and Archives. Nashville, TN
p.74	May Sessions, 1804
	Joseph Gentry, 540 acres, included in list of landowners owing taxes to Grainger County. A list ordered to be published giving notice that land will be sold to pay the taxes and charges.
p.108	May Sessions, 1805
	Tracts of land which have been published in the "Knoxville Gazette" to be sold for the payment of tax due [includes for the year 1803, 640 acres land, the property of Joseph Gentry].
p.317	Feb Sessions, 1810
	The collector of taxes for Grainger County reported to Court the following tracts of land as not having been given in as taxable property [includes Joseph Gentry, 200 acres of land double tax for the year 1809 and costs]. Judgment entered against the owners of said tracts of land and that so much of the land be sold to pay for said taxes and charges on the first Monday of July next unless the said taxes and charges be previously satisfied.

10. Joyce Martin Murray, "Hawkins County, Tennessee Deed Abstracts 1801-1819", Murray, 1998
1800	Jul 19	Deed Bk(4-18)
	Elias Weddle,[et al], joint heirs of John Weddle, late of Hawkins Co., TN, for $800 pd by George Weddle, Henry Co., VA convey their interest in tract of 250 ac lying in sd Hawkins County, formerly Sullivan Co. NC sd tr beg on N bank of Holston River, adj James Blevens line, land being in 2 tracts. Witness: Jas Morrison, Joseph Gentry; proved 4 Sep 1800.
1801	Jun 10	Deed Bk(3-1)
	John King, Senr, to George Wright, both of Hawkins Co., TN, $90 pd, 150 ac of land in said county on N side of Holston River, adj survey of Robert Patterson on Patterson's Mill Creek. Witness: Joseph Gentery, Joshua Roberts; proved 16 Nov 1801

	11. WPA Transcript, "Franklin County Tennessee County Court Minutes, Vol 2 (1832-1834)", Tennessee State Library and Archives. Nashville, TN
May Term 1832		Bk(2-6)
	The account of Joseph Gentry guardian for the heirs of John Roach decd this day made his return into open court was received by the court and ordered to be made a part of the record.
May Term 1833		Bk(2-186)
	This day Joseph Gentry Guardian for Elizabeth and Nancy Roach orphans of John Roach decd made his return which was received by the court and ordered to be made a part of the record.

12. WPA Transcript, "Coffee County, Tennessee Will Book, Vol 1, 1833-1860", Tennessee State Library and Archives. Nashville, TN.
1847	Apr 7	Will Bk(1-191) Will of Joseph Gentry [abstracted]
I, Joseph Gentry of the County of Coffee and State of Tennessee ...publish this my last will and testament...
	1st. [to be buried in said county in a manner suitable to my situation in life] 1st.[sic] [All my debts and funeral expenses to be paid from my estate]. 2d. I give to my son Hugh [cow and furniture] and all the balance of my property both personal and real. I give to my wife Mary during her natural life and at her death if she should die before my unfortunate [sic] children, to wit, Geo. Nicholas, Sarah Angeline, and Eliza, I direct that my estate [be] retained in the hands of my executors or so much thereof as will support and keep them from being chargeable so long as they live. I appoint my sons Jarret and Hugh executors. Signed by Joseph Gentry in the presence of W. L. Brizey, Thos. J. Harmon, Thos. Hile, and Anthony Clay.
1847	1st Monday, June County Court
	Joseph Gentry will produced by the executor and proved by the oaths of W.L. Brixey and Anthony Clark. Ordered to be recorded.

13. Federal Census Records (County, State, and Birth Date)

Name (and Spouse)		1820	1830	1840	1850	1860
John Gentry and Family
Hannah Gentry (widow)		Montgomery, OH (bef. 1775)	---
	Ephraim (Elizabeth)	Wayne, IN 1794-1804	Wayne, IN (family only)	Wayne, IN 1790-1800	Wayne, IN (1796)	---
	Samuel (Mary/Polly)	w/Hannah 1794-1804	Madison, IN 1790-1800	Madison, IN 1790-1800	Madison, IN (1799)	Madison, IN (1798)
	John (Mary)	w/Hannah 1794-1804	Madison, IN 1800-1810	Madison, IN 1800-1810	Madison, IN (1801)	Tipton, IN (1800)
Hugh Gentry and Family
Hugh Gentry (Mary)		---	Jackson, AL 1760-1770	Jackson, AL 1760-1770	---
	John		Jackson, AL 1790-1800	Jackson, AL 1790-1800	---	Polk, AR (1793)
	Hugh Green (Mary)		Franklin, TN 1800-1810	Jackson, AL 1800-1810	---	Rusk, TX (1810)
	Joseph (Nancy)		w/Hugh 1810-1815	Jackson, AL 1810-1820	---	Jackson, AL (1815)
	Samuel (Jemima)		w/Hugh 1815-1820	Jackson, AL 1810-1820	Panola, TX (1817)	Panola, TX (1817)
	Camden (Judith)		w/Hugh 1820-1825	w/Hugh 1820-1825	Jackson, AL (1819)	DeKalb, AL (1819)
Joseph Gentry and Family
Joseph (Mary)		---	Franklin, TN 1780-1790	Coffee, TN 1780-1790	Coffee, TN (widow)	Coffee, TN (widow)
	John H. (--- / Margaret)		Jackson, AL 1800-1810	---	Wm'son, IL (1800)	Wm'son, IL (widow)
	Katherine (Martin Collins)		Jackson, AL 1800-1810	---	Union, IL (1805)	Wm'son, IL (1805)
	William T. (Charlotte)		Jackson, AL 1800-1810	Jackson, IL 1800-1810	Jackson, IL (1807)	---
	Joseph Green (Susan)		w/Joseph 1810-1815	"Green" Coffee, TN 1810-1820	"J.G." Coffee, TN (1813)	Sebastian AR (1810)
	Jarret (Nancy)		w/Joseph 1810-1815	w/Green 1810-1815	Coffee, TN (1814)	Coffee, TN (1815)
	Hugh (Sarah?)		w/Joseph 1820-1825	w/Joseph 1820-1825	Coffee, TN (1823)	Lowndes, MS (1822)
	Samuel (Lucinda)			w/Joseph 1825-1830	w/Joseph (1834)	Coffee, TN (1835)

Revised 7/5/04 (Additions to John Gentry); Revised 6/5/2004; Editorial revisions, July 2014

© 2014, W.M. Gentry - All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial purposes provided that proper attribution (including author and journal name) is included.

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