Volume 1 Issue 7
July, 2001

Samuel's brother, Nicholas-II, also left his father's home and came to the Stone Horse Creek precinct to join Samuel sometime between 1716 and 1719 (when the latter's name is first mentioned in the parish records), at which time Nicholas would have been between 19 and 22 years old. Nicholas may have lived first with his brother, but by 1719 he apparently was living on land of his own, and had presumably married. Whereas Nicholas remained in that same precinct for some 15 or more years, Samuel obtained new land not far away in 1723 and 1724^(2a,b). Since he was not included in the processioning report for the original precinct when next it was filed in 1731, Samuel presumably either sold his first land, or he may have turned it over to Nicholas. (Recall that colonial grant documents have been preserved for Hanover County, but subsequent county deeds for the sale or purchase of those land have all been lost.) The succeeding processioning reports which continued at intervals until 1743^(1b-f) show Nicholas and Samuel living in separate precincts. This reflected Samuel's presence on his land along Beech Creek (the land he owned on the north side of the South Anna River was a part of St. Martin's Parish and thus would not be included in St. Paul's Parish records). A collateral piece of evidence shows the presence of a Gentry, undoubtedly Samuel, living on the east side of Beech Creek in 1734^(2c). One further reference to Samuel in Hanover County was in 1733 when he and his brother Nicholas served as surety for Mary Spradling who was appointed executor of the estate of her husband John Spradling⁽³⁾. This has been interpreted as suggesting that Mary was a sister of Samuel and Nicholas, born perhaps in the interval between the two.

In 1742, Samuel was granted land upriver along the South Anna River along a creek by the name of Dirty Swamp in an area that became Louisa County^(2d). Samuel would necessarily have moved to his new property in order to consummate the grant by working the land. This was some 30 miles or so farther upstream along the South Anna River from where he previously lived. Louisa County was a brand-new county at that time, having been split off from Hanover County in 1742. Samuel's grant adjoined his brother Nicholas who had preceded him to Dirty Swamp in 1736. A portion of this land, Samuel obtained from Richard Brooks Jr., the father-in-law of Samuel's sons David and Nicholas. The remainder was new land, never before granted. A series of six deeds relating to the eventual disposition of this land are recorded in Samuel's name in Louisa County deed books during the period from 1747 to 1762⁽⁵⁾. At the end of this time he had sold or given away all of his Louisa County land and had moved to Lunenburg County, following his family (as well as the Brooks family) to fresh settlements along the Meherrin River. In addition to the deeds, the only other Louisa County references to Samuel are two in the records for Fredericksville Parish, the new parish to which he had moved⁽⁴⁾.

Samuel moved to Lunenburg County between 1753 (when he sold land to John Gilbert while still in Louisa County) and 1755 (when as a resident of Lunenburg County he served as an appraisor of Richard Brooks' estate in that county^(6a). Two deeds were recorded in Louisa County in 1757 and 1762 in which Samuel was identified as "of Lunenburg Co"^(5e,g). No references to him are found in the records of Cumberland Parish, which served Lunenburg County. The only reference to Samuel in addition to these three that places him in Lunenburg County, is found in an order of the County Court in which a Joseph Gentry, orphan son of John Gentry, was bound to Samuel in 1761^(6b) (see discussion below concerning Samuel's children). However, there are many references throughout the Lunenburg records to Samuel's children (and grandchildren) beginning in 1748 and continuing to 1772.

The lack of any deed references to Samuel after 1762 is surely a case of Samuel (now in his mid-sixties) living during that time of his life with one of his children rather than on land of his own. Two references for a Samuel Gentry in Caswell County, North Carolina⁽⁷⁾, suggest that Samuel spent the last years of his life with his son Allen, and died soon after 1779 in Caswell County, in an area that later became Person County.

As for Samuel's wife, other than her name Ann, there is no information concerning her birth, her death, nor her family. Given the relatively large number of Allens among Samuel's descendants (beginning with one son and three grandsons), a name that is not found among the descendants of Samuel's two brothers, one can speculate that "Allen" came from Ann's family. Ann may have been a daughter of Richard Allen of Hanover County, and a sister or aunt of David Allen and William Allen whose names are found along with Gentrys in Lunenburg and Halifax County records in Virginia, and in Johnston County records in North Carolina.

Samuel Gentry's Children
(The order of children listed below is uncertain. All were born in what became Hanover Co. after 1720. David probably was born in the vicinity of Totopotomoy Creek along the Pamunkey River, all the others in the vicinity of Stone Horse and Beech Creeks along the South Anna River.. Birth dates are very rough approximations and are so uncertain, they are omitted in a number of cases.)

1. David born about 1714 [but see discussion below]
2. Nicholas born about 1717
3. Joseph born about 1720
4. Allen born about 1722
5. Ann born about 1725; married about 1750, Louisa Co. to French Haggard.
6. Simon
7. John
8. [tentative] Nathaniel
9. Richard
10. William born about 1733
11. Samuel

The older four sons, and daughter Ann, are probably correct in their order of birth, and their dates of birth are probably reasonably correct. Only four of Samuel's sons are mentioned in "Gentry Family in America", and he is not listed at all.

[Note. The GFA references are for Joseph (#204, p.254), Allen (#205, p.255-257, which includes the text of Allen's will), Richard (#202, p.254), and William (listed under the name of James Gentry, #219, p.263-265). Allen is listed as "Allen A.", but there is no evidence of any middle name or initial for him, rather his mark, "A" when signing documents, has been confused for a middle initial. The listing for William/James is a composite of partial facts for each of these individuals - the William who married Lucy Claiborne and lived in Surry County, North Carolina, and the James Gentry who married Sarah Dickerson and died in Guilford County, North Carolina, 1783, leaving a will. The children in the article are those for William.]

Ann Gentry
The only one of Samuel's children identified specifically in contemporary documents was his daughter Ann, in a Louisa County deed dated 1750 in which Samuel gave 88 acres of his Dirty Swamp land grant to French Haggard, "for paternal affection to said French Haggard, my son-in-law"^(5b). This property was sold by "French Haggard & Ann his wife" in 1757 when they moved to Lunenburg County^(9b). The 1750 gift by Samuel was probably on the occasion of their marriage. French appears frequently in subsequent Lunenburg County references The last was in 1772 when French and Ann sold 50 acres on Flat [Rock] Creek^(10c). Their later movements are not known to this writer.

[Note. While outside the scope of this article, French is believed to have been a son of Richard Haggard who appears in other Gentry deed references in both Louisa and Lunenburg Counties, and who had a daughter, Hannah Ann Hight, to whom Richard gave land in Lunenburg County in 1767. Richard Haggard had moved to Bute County, North Carolina by 1777 when he sold the last of his Lunenburg land. According to Haggard family sources, Richard was a brother of the Nathaniel Haggard who married Elizabeth Gentry, daughter of Nicholas-II Gentry.]

The Sons of Samuel Gentry
The identification of Samuel's sons depends entirely upon interrelated evidence of varying degrees of persuasion. Before doing so, we can eliminate a number of potential names, especially the Gentrys named in the will of Nicholas-II who thereby are known to be a part of that family, and not a part of Samuel's. Less specific but just as valid, is the elimination of those Gentrys who lived in Hanover County in the period following Samuel's departure in 1742 who are all believed to be related in some way to Samuel and Nicholas' older brother Joseph.

Positive evidence for a relationship of individuals with Samuel and with each other include the following:

1. The individual or individuals in question witnessed deeds for Samuel or for each other under circumstances suggesting a close relationship between the individuals concerned.
2. The individuals were joint principals in the purchase or sale of land, or in court orders and actions.
3. Since there is a very strong suggestion that all of Samuel's sons, and only Samuel's sons were residents of Lunenburg County, is there any record of the proposed son in that county.
4. Evidence of proposed sons having a continued close relationship after leaving Lunenburg County, especially for those who settled in Surry County, North Carolina.

No one of these various types of evidence is conclusive in itself, but taken together, they can provide a strong argument for the proposed relationship. During the period of time Samuel was living in Louisa County, there were few occasions for documents relating him to his children. The gifts of land by Richard Brooks in 1743 to his two sons-in-law, David Gentry and Nicholas Gentry serve to identify their wives^(11a)(16a), but by themselves do nothing to tie David and Nicholas to Samuel. When taken together with later documents concerning each of these two, however, the marriages are clearly tied to sons of Samuel and to the period when each was living in Louisa County. Similarly, when Nicholas and Mary sold their Louisa County land in 1757 and David Gentry and Allen Gentry served as witnesses, the relationship of these three can only be fully assessed in connection with later evidence.

Greater importance can be placed on two occasions when deeds of sale by Samuel were witnessed by his sons, since in each instance, neither Samuel nor any of the sons (except possibly Richard) were living in Louisa County and the fact that the sons returned with Samuel to witness and participate in the land sale shows more than a casual relationship. In 1757, Samuel Gentry "of Lunenburg Co." signed a deed in Louisa County witnessed by David Gentry^(5e), and in 1762, Samuel, again "of Lunenburg Co." signed a deed witnessed this time by Joseph Gentry, Richard Gentry, and Simon Gentry^(5g).

These instances of witnessing plus the fact that all of these individuals moved to Lunenburg County where Samuel eventually joined them, point strongly to the identification of seven of Samuel's children: David, Nicholas, Joseph, Allen, Simon, Richard and his daughter Ann. All of these are repeatedly documented in Lunenburg County records with joint deeds of sale, witnessing for each other, appearing in court as defendants or plaintiffs in joint suits, and living in adjacent areas. A number of these cases will be discussed below in brief individual summaries of each of Samuel's children.

While Simon broke apart from the others and moved to Cumberland County, Virginia, of the children listed above Nicholas, Joseph, Richard, and two of Allen's children (Meshack and Abednego) went on from Lunenburg County to live in closely-neighboring locations in Surry County, North Carolina. Joining them in Surry County were William Gentry (who is referred to repeatedly in Lunenburg County records with the other Gentrys), and a younger Samuel Gentry. The latter is not included in any Lunenburg records, but there is some fragmentary evidence that he was living with his presumably older brother David both in Lunenburg County and also during a time when David was in Johnston County, North Carolina. Both Samuel Jr. and William then must be considered as candidates for children of Samuel Sr.

Hezekiah Gentry also appears repeatedly in the Lunenburg County records, but there is strong evidence that he was a son of David, not of Samuel. After David's death, in 1766 David's widow Sarah moved with seven of her children, and with her brother Elisha Brooks and father Richard Brooks, to South Carolina, in an area that was later organized as Edgefield District. Hezekiah was not with the family at that time, but later came to join them, and spent the rest of his life with his siblings in South Carolina. Hezekiah was not listed as a tithable in David's household when the latter was included in tax lists in 1749, 1750, and 1752⁽¹²⁾, hence we can conclude that he must have been less then sixteen in 1752. This is negative evidence, based on the lack of a record, and as such is recognized to be very dangerous. More positive evidence lies in the fact that Hezekiah bought and took title to land in 1757^(13b) which would indicate he was at least twenty-one at the time. Both situations converge upon a single date of birth, 1736.

We will now briefly summarize in turn, each of the Gentry sons we have identified above. Since this is an article concerning Samuel, and the relationship of his children to each other, there will be no attempt to discuss all of the documentation available for each, only so much as to outline their movements and their relationships to each other. To make the Lunenburg references more easily understandable, a little background information on that county will be helpful.

Lunenburg County was formed in 1746 from Brunswick County, and many of the grants of land there date from just a few years before that time. It was virgin territory at the time the Gentrys moved there compared to the areas of central Virginia that had been settled in a stepwise fashion, working upstream along the York and Pamunkey rivers. Lunenburg initially encompassed ten counties that were eventually organized as separate entities, beginning with a separation from Lunenburg County of an enlarged Halifax County in 1752. Lunenburg attained its present size in 1764 when Mecklenburg County to the south, and Charlotte County to the west, were separated from it.

Figure 2.  (left) Lunenburg County as first organized in 1746 and showing divisions of 1752 and 1764; (Right)A portion of Lunenburg County as of 1746 - 1764 showing land grants and watercourses

Lunenburg County is shown in Figure 2 as it existed from 1746 to 1764, and shows the waterways named in various Gentry deed references. As a supplement to the various waterways, the approximate location of seven land grants are indicated on the map. These grants are mentioned a number of times in the text of deeds relating to the Gentrys, Samuel's son-in-law French Haggard, and the closely-related Brooks family. They help to a considerable extent in identifying the locations of various land transfers. It is interesting that all of Samuel's family moved into a small geographical area in Lunenburg County, and that every one of them had left within 25 years. The most obvious explanation is that the land had played out in that length of time, and was not worth staying in the neighborhood. The county today still has the forlorn appearance of an abandoned ghost county, the county courthouse in the town of Lunenburg (which is on the National Register of Historic Places) stands in lonely isolation in the midst of a small rural settlement. Perhaps one of the claims to fame for the courthouse is that it has not been burned or destroyed by passing army forces, thus leaving largely intact its store of county records.

David Gentry
   - Born about 1714, in vicinity of Totopotomoy Creek, New Kent Co. (later Hanover Co.), Virginia.
   - Married about 1734, Hanover Co. (later Louisa Co.), Virginia, to Sarah Brooks, daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Brooks.
   - David probably died about 1765. It is not clear whether his death was in Johnston County, North Carolina, or Lunenburg County, Virginia

The one documented reference to the composition of David's family establishes that his wife, Sarah, was a daughter of Richard Brooks of Louisa County. David's children (with whom we will not deal here for the most part) have been identified as such primarily based upon their appearance in South Carolina records where the family moved after David's death.

We have already mentioned that David's father, Samuel, did not move from Hanover County to Louisa County until 1742 when he bought part of Richard Brooks' land on Dirty Swamp. David's in-laws lived in St. Paul's Parish also before they moved to Dirty Swamp in Fredericksville Parish in 1731. Although the two families were in different processioning precincts, they would have been close enough for David to become acquainted with Sarah Brooks before her family moved west. Considering the proposed date of marriage of David and Sarah, David must have left his own family home at an early age. Whether he followed the Brooks family to their new home on Dirty Swamp because of Sarah, or because of friendship with Sarah's brothers, we have no way of knowing. In any case, he must have married Sarah within two or three years after the Brooks family move.

Why then, no mention of David in county records until he was given land by his father-in-law in 1743, and why the coincidence of two gifts to Gentry sons-in-law at the same time. The logical explanation is that after his marriage, David lived on a part of the Brooks homestead. Later, hen Nicholas Gentry and Mary Brooks married, it was an appropriate time for Richard Brooks to deed the land on which David was living to the latter, and to give a similar piece of land to his other son-in-law.

David sold his Louisa County land in 1748^(11b) to John Brooks (probably a brother of Sarah), and moved to Lunenburg County along with his Brooks in-laws. David is known to been in Lunenburg County at least as early as 1749, as shown by his presence in Lunenburg tax lists⁽¹²⁾. His place of residence is not known during the time from 1749 until 1757 when he was first recorded as buying land in the county, a part of the Richard Taliaferro grant along Flat Rock Creek^(13a). In 1757 and 1759, David was listed (along with his brother, Joseph) as a neighbor of Richard Brooks, occupying land at the north end of Reedy Creek. This last location was some distance to the west and north of Flat Rock Creek, and was presumably David's residence during his earlier years in Lunenburg County. Again, it appears logical that David had been invited by either his brother Joseph, or by Richard Brooks, to share their land (and presumably the labor of cultivating it).

David sold his Flat Rock Creek land in October 1759^(13c) and was identified at that time as being "of Johnson [Johnston] Co. NC", although he was in Lunenburg County Court in June of that year. Despite this identification, David continued to appear repeatedly in Lunenburg records: witnessing deeds (three of which were on behalf of Johnston County landowners), being named in Cumberland Parish processioning reports, and appearing in County Court minutes, the last being at the April 1765 Court⁽¹⁴⁾. Whether David lived part time in both Lunenburg and Johnston Counties, or whether he returned to Lunenburg County full time, we do not know. (It is a curious fact that beginning in 1761, David was sued a number of times in court for the settlement of debts he incurred and he acknowledged them by default, not appearing to contest the suit. In each case, however, a summons was issued by the court to David, and he was never identified as no longer being a resident of Lunenburg County.)

The 1765 court suit is the last known reference to David. The next reference to his family was in 1766, when Sarah Gentry was granted 450 acres of land in Edgefield District, South Carolina as a widow⁽¹⁵⁾. We can assume, therefore, that David probably died in 1765. The acreage of land Sarah was allotted corresponds to 100 acres for herself and 50 acres apiece for seven children in her household. It has been mentioned above that Hezekiah was not with the family when it moved in 1766, but he did join them later and spent the rest of his life there.

Was David a son of Samuel?
We need to consider the possibility that David was a son of Nicholas-I Gentry, rather than the oldest son of Samuel-II. In Issue #4 of this Journal, we have seen that the absence of Nicholas' name in the St. Paul's Parish records after 1709 suggests that he died at about that time, at a moderate age of some 50-odd years. His last known child was "Mable", baptized December 1702. Nicholas could certainly have had another child in the interval after that. Of more importance is the question of whether his wife (assuming he did not remarry), could have had another child since she would have been reaching the limits of her child-bearing years, but this would likely have been possible for a few years after Mable's birth.

The question of David's birth can be looked at in terms of two time constraints. The first is the last year Nicholas could have been his father, as compared with a reasonable period when Samuel could have been David's father. We have already estimated an approximate year, 1692, for Samuel's birth. The second constraint is for David to have married in time for David's son Hezekiah to be born at the appropriate time. If the earlier assumptions about Hezekiah are valid, this latter date we have estimated as 1736. The diagram below graphically illustrates the possibilities, using an approximation that the average age of marriage for men in Colonial Virginia ranged from say 18 to 24. Approximating further, this would translate to the age of a man at the time of the birth of his first child being roughly 19 to 25.

Figure 3.  Time Chart for Birth and Marriage of David Gentry

We have arbitrarily divide the period equally between Samuel's birth and Hezekiah's birth in estimating dates for Samuel's marriage, and David's birth. There is indeed a reasonable time between Samuel's estimated birth for him to marry his wife Ann, for Ann to give birth to David, and for David's wife Sarah in turn to give birth to Hezekiah. It is also possible for David to have been a son of Nicholas, only in that case he would have been appreciably older than the average groom when he married.

The records show that David's adult life in the years after his marriage was closely associated with Samuel's family. If indeed he was a son of Nicholas and a brother of Samuel, at what point did this close association with Samuel begin? Let us consider what might have happened if he was Nicholas' son. We know that Samuel left home before 1716 and settled upriver from his father's home on Totopotomoy Creek, presumably doing so not long after he married. In the years before Samuel married, David would have been raised by his mother if she was still alive, and if not, probably in the household of Samuel's older brother Joseph. He must eventually have moved from Totopotomoy Creek to join Samuel in upper St. Paul's Parish. This could have taken place at any time up to about 1730. After that it would have been very unlikely that he would have had any contacts that would have taken him to Dirty Swamp and his marriage with Sarah Brooks before either Samuel-II or Nicholas-II moved there. As for David's life in Louisa and Lunenburg County, he was involved as much in following his wife's family there as that of Samuel, and there is no difficulty in treating him either as a brother of Samuel or a son of Samuel. On balance, this writer is not comfortable with identifying David as a son of Nicholas. It makes more sense to treat him as a son of Samuel and I have done so in this document.

Continuation
To publish this account of Samuel Gentry in a convenient length, we will break here. The remainder of the article, in which the other sons of Samuel are briefly discussed in turn, will be published in the next issue of the Journal.

 

Notes Relating to Samuel Gentry
1. "The Vestry Book of St. Paul's Parish, Hanover County, Va, 1706-1786", transcribed & edited by C. G. Chamberlayne, published by The Library Board [of Virginia], Richmond, 1940, reprinted 1973.

1. 1716 Sep 22 p.75 [73]: Vestry meeting.
   "In Obedience to the [Order of new Kent County Court] its Ordered that all the Tithables from Golden mine Creek, to Stony run with Mr. Geo. Dabney's Quarter, and Thomas Harris, do assist Sam'l Gentry in Clearing a road, from Stone Horse Creek to Stony Run."
2. 1719 8br [Dec] 10 p.265 [205]: Processioning return.
   [Precinct 31]: "The lands of ... Nich'o Gentry, ... Sam'l Gentry, of which Mr. Geo. Alves & Nich'o Gentry were Overs'rs; who made this return, the within Order comply'd with ... [signed] Geo. Alves, Nich'o Gentry."
3. 1731 Oct 29 p.273 [211]: Vestry meeting.
   [Precinct 3]: "Orderd into one precinct for processioning the lands of ... Sam'l Gentry, ...; Michael Holland and Sam'l Gentry to see the same procession'g performd etc. ... [signed] Michael Holland, Sam'l Gentry.
4. 1735 Oct 18 p.143 [120]: Vestry meeting.
   "Ordered that Sam'l Gentry have the Tithables of ... Nich'o Gentry, ..., to Assist him in Clearing the road, whereof he is Surveyor."
5. 1739 Sep 11 p.296 [228]: Vestry meeting, lands divided for processioning.
   [Precinct 11: The Lands of ... Sam'l Gentry, ... Mich'l Holland Gent and John Haden appointed to oversee.]
6. 1743 Nov 18 p.306 [236]: Vestry meeting, lands divided for processioning.
   [Precinct 11: The Lands of ... Sam'l Gentry, ... Mich'l Holland Gent. and John Hayden appointed to oversee.]
7. 1756 Mar 31 p.343 [271]: [Continuation of processioning of Precinct 6]
   In compliance with the within Order, we have procession'd all the Lands beginning at the Mouth of Beech Creek, and up the River to the mouth of Stonehorse Creek, and up the Creek to the main Road, and down the road to the head of Beech Creek, and down the Said Creek to the mouth...

2. "Cavaliers and Pioneers, Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants"
    "Vol III (1695-1732)", abstracted by Nell Marion Nugent, published by Virginia State Library, Richmond, 1979;
    "Vol IV (1732-1741)" and "Vol V (1741-1749), edited. by Denis Hudgins, published by Virginia Genealogical Society, Richmond, 1994;

1. 1723 Feb 20 Vol III p.260 (Patent Bk 11, p.328):
   "Samuel Gentry, 400 acs (new land) Hanover Co., on N. side the South Anna (Riv), bet. lines of Drumond, Scott & Taylor".
2. 1724 Feb 22 Vol III p.277 (Patent Bk 12, p.145):
   "Samuel Gentry, 196 acs (new land) Hanover Co., on both sides of Beech Cr.; adj. Mr. Alves cor; William Harris' line; & line of Drummond & Scott".
3. 1733/34 Jan 18 Vol IV p.28 (Patent Bk 15, p.153)
   "Buckley Kimbrough of Hanover Co., (new land in sd. Co.) on North Fork of Stagg Cr., adj. Drummond, Hudson, Lacey, Holland & Gentry". [N. fork of Stagg Cr. lies within 1/2 to 1 mile east of Beech Cr., indicating this reference must be to Samuel Gentry's land].
4. 1742 Jul 30 Vol V p.23 (Patent Bk 20, p.347)
   "Samuel Gentry, 700 acs. Hanover Co. on both sides of dirty Sw; adj Clark, Henson & Brooks. 108 acs part formerly gtd Richard Brooks by Pat. 5 [sic] Aug 1731 (Patent Bk 14, p.219, 400 acs to Richard Brooks Junr. dated 15 Aug 1732 [sic]) & by him sold and conveyed unto the sd. Samuel Gentry. The Residue never before gtd."

3. Rosalie Edith Davis, "Hanover County, Virginia, Court Records 1733 - 1735: Deeds, Wills and Inventories",

1733 Mar 1 p.8
Nicholas and Samuel Gentry post 100£ bond with Mary Spradlin [Spradling], administrator of the estate of John Spradlin.

4. "Gentry Family Gazette and Genealogy", published by Richard H. Gentry, McLean, VA, vol ii, #12, (Apr 1982), p.103-120, -- "The Gentry Family Working File", by Lee Corley Hendrix extracts entries for Fredericksville Parish [Louisa County]:

1. 1748 Oct 3 At a Vestry held for Fredericksville Parish, paid 15 pounds to Samuel Gentry for setting up benches etc. at Trinity Church...
2. 1752 Aug 26 At a Vestry held for Fredericksville Parish...the accounts from 1749 through Aug 1752 records Samuel Gentry was paid 15 pounds.

5. Louisa County Deed Book

1. 1747 Mar 26 Bk(A-276)
   Samuel Gentry and Nicholas Gentry to Richard Walker, for 30 pounds, sold 125 acres, being part of 400 acres granted 28 Dec 1736 to Nicholas Gentry and the residue being 110 acres, being part of 700 acres granted 30 Jul 1742 to Samuel Gentry on both sides of Dirty Swamp, adj. to Samuel Gentry and Mathew Jouette's line. Signed: Samuel Gentry, Nicholas Gentry;
   Witnessed: Danl. Burford, Junr., William Rice, Richard Haggard.
2. 1750 Aug 28 Bk(A-398)
   Samuel Gentry of Fredericksville Parish, Louisa Co VA to French Haggard of same. For paternal affection to said French Haggard, my son-in-law, gave 88 acres on both sides of Dirty Swamp in Fredericksville Parish, ... Nicolis Gentry's line...Signed: Samuel (X) Gentry, 28 Aug 1750 ack. by Samuel Gentry, and Ann his wife, relinq. her dower...
3. 1752 Oct 24 Bk(A-83)
   Samuel Gentry of Fredericksville Par., Louisa Co VA to John Gilbert of same place for 20 pounds, sold 125 acres on both sides of Dirty Swamp, adj. French Haggard's corner ... Signed: Samuel(x) Gentry. Wit: James Tate, Waddy Thomson. 24 Oct 1752 ack by Samuel Gentry.
4. 1753 Aug 28 Bk(A-521)
   Samuel Gentry of Fredericksville Parish., Louisa Co VA, Planter, to John Gilbert of same place, for 12 pounds, sold 144 acres on head of Dirty Swamp in Fredericksville Par., being part of 700 acres granted said Gentry by patent 13 Jul 1742 ... Signed: Samuel Gentry. 28 Aug 1753 ack. by Samuel Gentry, Ann Gentry, his wife, relinq. her dower right...
5. 1757 Nov 22 Bk(B-184)
   Samuel Gentry of Lunenburg Co VA, Planter, to David Cosby of Louisa Co VA, for 15 pounds, sold 108 acres in Frederickville Par...Signed: Samuel (S) Gentry. Wit: Charles Cosby Junr., David (D) Gentry. 22 Nov 1757 ack. by Samuel Gentry.
6. 1762 Jul 11 Bk(C-160)
   David Cosby, the younger, and Mary, his wife, of Louisa Co VA to Alexander Bayne of Town of Richmond Co of Henerico, 108 acres bought of Samuel Gentry late of Louisa Co 21 Nov 1757...
7. 1762 Aug 10 Bk(C-151)
   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].

6. Lunenburg County Order Book

1. 1755 Nov Court, Bk(4-64)
   Ordered that John Williams, Samuel Gentry & Drury Moore appraise the slaves & personal estate of Richard Brooks decd, and return the appraisement to the next court.
2. 1761 Oct Court, Bk(7-142A)
   Ordered that the Church Wardens of Cumberland Parish bind out Joseph Gentry, orphan of John Gentry to Samuel Gentry, awarding bondage.

7. W. P. Johnson, editor, "North Carolina Genealogy" ("Journal of North Carolina Genealogy" prior to 1967)

1. vol 20, p.2918 (1974): Caswell County, NC, 1777 Tax Lists for Nash District includes:
   1777 Allen Gentry and Shadrick Gentry (assessed for land), and Samuel Gentry (no land tax but liable for poll tax).
2. vol 16, p.2572 (1970) North Carolina Legislative papers, box 29, Abstracts of papers includes:
   1779 Oct 26-30 Samuel Gentry and Obednego Gentry sign petition for division of Caswell County [Obednego (or Abednego) being a son of Allen Gentry].
   
   Compare contemporaneous reference to Samuel-III and Samuel-IV (son of Joseph Gentry) in Surry County:
   vol 12, p.1680 (1966): NC legislative papers, Folder 27, 28 July 1778:
   Petition of inhabitants of Surry Co. concerning land entries. Signatures include Samuel Gentrey, Auther Gentrey, Saml Jentery.

Selected Other References
Lunenburg County Original Land Grants

8. Denis Hudgins, "Cavaliers and Pioneers, Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants"
    "Vol IV (1732-1741)" and Vol V (1741-1749), published by Virginia Genealogical Society, Richmond, 1994;

1. 1740 Sep 16 Vol IV p.229 (Patent Bk 18, p.778):
   William Irby, 130 acs Brunswick Co. [Lunenburg Co. after 1746], S side of the Nap of Read's Cr., opposite to Jones.
2. 1740/41 Mar 24 Vol IV p.240 (Patent Bk 18, p.931):
   Col. Henry Embry, Gent. 400 acs Brunswick Co. [Lunenburg Co. after 1746] on the ridge bet. the Nap of Reeds Cr. and Couches Cr.
3. 1743 Jun 30 Vol V p.55 (Patent Bk 21, p.350):
   Michael Mackey, 350 acs. Brunswick Co. [Lunenburg Co. after 1746] on the S side of the Nap of Reeds Cr., over & up the Great Br., adj. Irby & Mason.
4. 1747 Jun 25 Vol V p.308 (Patent Bk 28, p.82):
   Robert Scott, 400 acs. Brunswick Co. on both sides of Maherrin Riv. to an Elm in a small Island in sd Riv.
5. 1747 Oct 1 Vol V p.321 (Patent Bk 28, p.229):
   Abraham Cocke, 448 acs. Brunswick Co. on both sides of the Reedy Cr., adj. Embry & his own line.
6. 1747 Oct 1 Vol V p.322 (Patent Bk 28, p.234):
   Henry Embry, 237 acs. Lunenburg Co. on the N side of Couches Cr. adj. his own old line.
7. 1749 Sep 5 Vol V p.296 (Patent Bk 27, p.398):
   Richard Taliaferro, 783 acs. Lunenburg Co. on the N side of Meherrin Riv. on the S side of the Beaver Br. to a corner marked "[DB overlaid]" [for David Bray] on flatt Rock Cr., adj. Buller Herbert.

Ann Gentry Haggard
9. Louisa County Deed Book

1. (See Samuel Gentry reference 5b)
2. 1757 Aug 23 Bk(C1/2-59)
   French Haggard & Ann his wife, to Charles Cosby, sold 88 acres adj. to lands late Richard Walker, Thomas Emmerson...Nicholas Gentry line...Wit: Richard Blaloke, Jno Gilbert...

10. Lunenburg County Deed Book

1. 1757 Dec 6 Bk(5-93)
   William Embry of Lunenburg Co VA to French Haggard, for 20 pounds, sold 100 acres on upper side of Flat Rock Creek, being part of a grant of 5 Sep 1749 to Richard Talliferro and conveyed to Embry in General Court. Signed: Wm Embry. Recorded Dec 1757 Court.
2. 1762 May 3 Bk(7-390)
   French Haggard to Thomas Ayre for 40 pounds, 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. Recorded 5 Oct 1762.
3. 1772 Feb 29 Bk(12-104)
   French Haggard of Lunenburg Co. to Roger Atkinson, merchant of Dinwiddie Co., for 45 lbs sells 50 ac in Lunenburg Co. bounded by Flatt Creek to the east ..., which land Haggard purchased of William Embry. Signed and ack. by French Haggard [no mark]. Wit: David Garland, Wm Taylor, Nicholas Murray.

David (and Hezekiah) Gentry
11. Louisa County Deed Book

1. 1743 Jun 13 Bk(A-75)
   Richard Brooks of Fredericksville Par., Louisa Co., Planter, for paternal affection for my son-in-law, David Gentry and his wife, Sarah Gentry, my daughter...100 acres on Dirty Swamp, Fredericksville Par. Signed: Richard (R) Brooks. Wit: John Venable, John Clark. Ack. 13 Jun 1743 by Richard Brooks.
2. 1748 Aug 23 Bk(A-324)
   David Gentry of Fredericksville Par., Louisa Co., to John Brooks of same place for 30 pounds, sold 100 acres on both sides of Dirty Swamp and was given by deed of gift 13 Jun 1743 by Richard Brooks to said David Gentry...Wit: Abra. Venable, John Richardson, Robt. Wathen. Ack. 28 Aug 1748 by David Gentry & Sarah, his wife, relinq. dower...

12. Landon C. Bell, "Sunlight on the Southside, Lists of Tithes, Lunenburg County, Virginia, 1748-1783", Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1974. The entries for David include:

	1749	p.102	Hugh Lawson District ["being on the north side of the Meherrin River"] David Gentry, Robert Brooks 2 tithes, 12 "heads & scalps"
	1750	p.158-59	List of Richd. Witton David Gentry, Wm. Gentry 2 tithes
	1751		[no Gentrys]
	1752	p.180	List by Lyddall Bacon Nicholas Gentry 1 tithe William Gentry 1 tithe
		p.210	List by Richd. Witton David Gentry 1 tithe

It is unfortunate that Landon Bell chose to publish only selected years of tithable lists in which there was any reference to Gentrys, namely the 1748-1751 records, 1752 when Halifax County was split from Lunenburg County, and 1764 when Mecklenburg and Charlotte were split from Lunenburg County. The intervening records tragically have been lost or misplaced. They would have revealed so much information about the younger members of the Samuel Gentry family as different ones moved to the county or reached tithable age.

13. Lunenburg County Deed Book

1. 1757 Jul 6 Bk(5-533)
   William Embry to David Gentry, both of Lunenburg Co VA, for 40 pounds, sold 112 acres on upper side of Flatt Rock Creek and Beaver pond branch, adj. James Clisswell, being a part of a larger tract granted 5 Sep 1749 unto Richd. Talliaferro and since conveyed to said Embry in general court...Recorded 6 Jul 1757.
2. 1757 Jul 6 Bk(4-504)
   William Embry to Hezekiah Gentry, both of Lunenburg Co VA for 20 pounds, sold 147 acres, adj. French Haggard, being part of a larger tract granted 15 Sep 1749 to Richard Talliaferro and was conveyed to said Embry in general court.
3. 1759 Oct 4 Bk(5-564)
   David Gentry of Johnson [Johnston] 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...

14.Lunenburg County Order Book

1765 Apr Court, Bk(11-7)
Thomas Tabb, Plt, vs Hezekiah, David, and Joseph Gentry Defts - In Debt. By agreement suit discontinued and Defts to pay Plt his costs.

15. Brent H. Holcomb, "Petitions for Land from the South Carolina Council Journals, Vol VI, 1766-1770", SCMAR, Columbia, SC, 1999, p.39

"Meeting of Tuesday, 4 Nov 1766 [p.861-867]. The following Petitions Praying for Warrants of Survey, to Prolong Warrants and Certifying Platts were presented and read Viz:"
Elisha Brooks 400 [ac] at (96 [Creek]) South side Saludy River.
Sarah "Gently" [Gentry] 450 [ac] between Saludy [Saluda River] and Savannah [River].