Abstract
A family of at least five sons is proposed for Charles Gentry, son of Robert Gentry, both among the first white settlers in eastern Tennessee. These sons are suggested to be Jesse, William, Charles, David and Elijah Gentry, all of whom were early settlers in Kentucky and Tennessee for whom family descent has not been confirmed.

Introduction
The first members of the Gentry family to settle in Tennessee were Robert Gentry of Albemarle County, Virginia and his family. Robert and his two oldest sons, Charles Gentry and Jesse Gentry probably traveled together or within a short time of each other, but each of the three settled independently on their selected land holdings. The history of the later years of Charles Gentry's life is somewhat of an enigma. During his early years in Tennessee, there were a variety of references to Charles generated primarily by land deeds and tax records.

These records began in 1778 when he settled in what was then Washington County, North Carolina. The eastern Tennessee records end in 1793 when deeds for land along the French Broad River in what was then Greene County referred to the adjoining lands of Charles Gentry. Fragmentary references pick up again for presumably the same Charles Gentry in Jackson County in central Tennessee in 1802 and 1806. Where was he between 1793 and 1802? Charles was named as a beneficiary in his father's will, dated 1811, so he was living at that time. There is no record of him in the 1820 census so presumably he died some time in that interval. In none of the records relating to Charles is there any clear indication of his children. Who were these children? We will explore these questions below.

Charles Gentry in Virginia
Charles, his brother, Jesse and his three sisters Elizabeth, Sarah and Mary first appeared in Virginia documents in 1761 when their grandfather, Philip Joyner of Albemarle County, left each of his grandsons 200 acres of land in Albemarle County (land incidentally which later became the property of the University of Virginia)^<1>. The failure of Philip to mention any of the other children of their father, Robert, indicates clearly that these five were the only ones living at the time.

Charles next appeared in Virginia records in 1775 when he and his wife, Elizabeth Joyner (who is mentioned by name), sold 200 acres at the head of Meadow Creek, on the south side of the Rivanna River in Albemarle County^<2>. Coincidentally Charles witnessed a deed at the same time for a sale of land on Ivy Creek which adjoined that of his father, Robert. Between this date in the fall of 1775 and the spring of 1778, both Charles and Robert moved from Albemarle County to Washington County (then North Carolina, later Tennessee).

Charles Gentry in Eastern Tennessee
Charles entered a claim in 1778 for land on the waters of Big Limestone Creek (a tributary on the north side of the Nolichucky River) in Washington County. By 1784, he had moved to Kendrick's Creek in Sullivan County. This creek flows north into the South Fork of the Holston River just below the present Fort Patrick Henry Dam near Kingsport. He sold this land in 1787 and moved to the French Broad River in Greene County before 1790. While living there he was named as an adjoining land owner in several land grants. Greene County was much larger at that time, including all of present Cocke County, most of Jefferson and Sevier Counties and extending southward to the Indian Treaty Line which angled midway through Blount County. After 1797, when Cocke County was created from a part of Greene County, the French Broad River was no longer in Greene County. Instead Charles' land was probably located on a section of the river that flowed through Cocke County.

There are no further references to Charles in any of the counties in eastern Tennessee after 1793. It is instructive to consider the situation relating to records in the area where he was living. As indicated above, Charles' homestead on the French Broad River probably became a part of Cocke County in 1797. The courthouse for that county burned in 1876 destroying everything within it. Virtually all existing county records, as well as Chancery Court minutes, date from that time. Even minutes of two of the earliest Primitive Baptist Churches date only from 1812 and 1836. While many records survive for neighboring Jefferson County, if indeed Charles was living in Cocke County, there would be no record of his existence surviving today.

Charles Gentry in Central Tennessee
There are references to a Charles Gentry in two locations in the period between 1793 and 1811 when his father, Robert Gentry died. One of these was a Charles Gentry in central Kentucky who married Susannah Ware in 1803 in Madison County, and presumably the same Charles Gentry was present in the tax list substitute for the 1800 census in Clark County which borders Madison County on the north. "The Gentry Family in America" also reports a deed in Clark County in 1805 in which Charles Gentry bought land from a Tennessee owner. These three references presumably apply to the same person but it is very doubtful that they refer to the Charles Gentry of Tennessee. We will discuss the possibility of this being a son of Charles Sr. below.

Rather than moving north, we believe that Charles Sr. must have moved westward from Cocke County about the turn of the century. There was a Charles Gentry included in 1802 in the tax lists of Jackson County, Tennessee. This county was created in 1801 and was situated along the contested border line between Kentucky and Tennessee. In addition to the tax list record, in 1806, a Charles Gentry signed a petition to the General Assembly to build a road from Jackson County to Knoxville. Beyond that point, we find no further records of Charles. In 1806, Jackson County was divided to form Overton County. There was a Charles Gentry who was living in Overton County at the time of the 1820 census but his age was not appropriate for this Charles, rather was a younger Charles. The time line for his various moves can be summarized as follows:

1778	Filed a claim (in December) for 250 acres on Big Limestone Creek in Washington County (warrant issued May 1779 and surveyed July 1779). Bordered on the east by Joseph Gentry<3>.
1779	Filed a claim (in January) for 50 acres on Big Limestone Creek adjoining his former claim (surveyed May 1779)<3>. Cited multiple times in 1778 and 1779 as an adjoining land owner in various claims.
1779	Filed a claim (in September) for 500 acres on "Kendrakes" Creek in Sullivan County (surveyed September 1779). Warrant issued August 1783<3>.
1782	Taxed for 250 acres on Big Limestone Creek in Washington County<6a>.
1782	Taxed for 250 acres on east branch of Big Limestone (separate entry from above)<6a>.
1784	Taxed for 510 acres on a branch of "Kendrick's" Creek in Sullivan County<6a>.
1787	Charles Gentry sold to Nicholas Howser, 500 acres on "Kendrick's" Creek in Sullivan County<4>.
1790	Cited in a land grant as an adjoining land owner on the French Broad River in Greene County<5>.
1791	Taxed for 400 acres on north side of French Broad River in Greene County<6a>.
1791	Cited in a land grant as an adjoining land owner on the French Broad River in Greene County<5>.
1793	Cited in a land grant as an adjoining land owner on the French Broad River in Greene County<5>.
1802	Taxed in Jackson County<6b>.
1806	Slgned petition in Jackson County<7>.

Children of Charles - Speculation
Charles Gentry Jr
Children of Charles have never been documented, but there are several unidentified Gentrys who lived in Kentucky and northern Tennessee who might well have been children of his. [I have referred to such individuals in previous articles as "orphans". Patricia Hatcher, a professional genealogist who writes articles for Ancestry.Com, calls them "leftovers".] We have already raised the question as to whether the Charles Gentry who lived in Clark County, Kentucky in the period including 1800 to 1805 was a son of Charles Sr. His marriage to Susannah Ware in neighboring Madison County^<9b> at first glance would seem to indicate that he belonged to one of the Gentry families who moved there from Virginia before 1800. These included one son of Nicholas-II Gentry, Martin, plus a number of grandsons of Nicholas-II, including David and Richard Gentry (sons of David Sr.), James Gentry (son of Moses - who did not remain in Madison County) and Bartlett and Josiah Gentry (sons of Martin). Since Charles Sr. was also a grandson of Nicholas-II, these Gentrys were first cousins of his. None of the Madison County Gentrys are known to have had a Charles Gentry in their family, so based on name alone, it is quite possible that the Charles of Clark County was the son of Charles of Tennessee. His marriage in Madison County is not difficult to explain given the close proximity of the two counties. We do not know just what might have led Charles Jr. to Clark County aside from the presence of relatives near-by. Nor do we know when he left, but he was probably the Charles Gentry who was in Overton County, Tennessee in 1820^<12b>. He was not in the 1810 Clark County census, and the 1810 census for Overton County was lost.

Interestingly, the marriage of Charles to Susannah Ware provides a tenuous link to Elijah Gentry of Clay County, Kentucky whom we discuss below. An Elijah Gentry married Elizabeth Ware (sister of Susannah?) in Madison County in 1809^<9b>. Like Charles, there are no relationships of the existing Madison County Gentrys with an Elijah during this period of time, and both marriages seem to be ones by non-resident spouses. We will speak more of this Elijah below.

David and William Gentry
In 1803, in Greene County, a David Gentry and a William Gentry appear in marriage bonds within a few days of each other, which strongly suggests that they were closely related - probably brothers. David married a Delphy Bridgewater, William served as bondsman for another marriage^<9a>. There are no further references to either one in Greene County, but in 1806 there was a David Gentry who signed a petition in Grainger County^<10>. If this is the same David, it shows his general direction of movement as being northward. We then find in the Clay County, Kentucky, census for 1810, a listing for a David Gentry of appropriate age and with a daughter born between 1800 and 1810^<12a>. While Clay County is not immediately adjacent to Greene County or Grainger County, Tennessee, neither is it particularly far away.

Also in the 1810 census, in Wayne County, Kentucky, there was a William Gentry listed^<12a>. This was farther west than Clay County, but was along the Kentucky - Tennessee border. The census records indicate that William was somewhat older than David and had been married longer as he had four children at the time, the oldest being born before 1800. It is this writer's suggestion that William and David were sons of Charles Gentry who settled briefly in Greene County which was midway between Charles' various land grants, and then both moved farther west and north to new surroundings. Census records indicate that both were born between 1765 and 1784 which was appropriate for sons of Charles who would be expected to have been born between about 1775 and 1790.

Elijah Gentry
In addition to David Gentry in the Clay County census for 1810 there was an Elijah Gentry (and spouse but no children). He also was born between 1765 and 1784^<12a>. If David was a son of Charles, it is possible that Elijah was one of his sons also. We have mentioned above that an Elijah Gentry was married in Madison County, Kentucky, to an Elizabeth Ware who might have been a younger sister of the Susannah Ware that married Charles Gentry. We may be grasping at straws here, but the combination of the two circumstances provides a hint that the three may be related.

This Elijah should not be confused with the Elijah Gentry who was in the 1810 census in Rutherford County, Tennessee and was a son of Elisha Gentry of South Carolina and Georgia, nor with that Elijah's cousin, Elijah, who lived in Mississippi and was a son of Elisha's brother, Elijah. While there is no known connection for an Elijah with any of the Gentrys of Madison County, there has been a suggestion that Jesse Gentry, younger brother of Charles Gentry Sr. had a son named Elijah. Several family trees posted on the internet show Jesse marrying a first wife, Elizabeth Young, by whom he is said to have had a number of children [different family trees range from five to ten for these children], including an Elijah B. Gentry, born about 1783 in Virginia. The same family trees have Jesse marrying a second wife, Sarah, by whom he had additional children. The published family trees have a number of discrepancies in them in which parts of similar-named families have been tangled together. Records in Knox County, Tennessee, where this Jesse Sr. lived, have a variety of references that indicate that sons William, Silas, Martin, Isaac and probably John were truly members of this Jesse Gentry's family, but that proposed sons Jesse Jr., Thomas, Elijah and Robert were not. The writer believes that Elijah can best be explained as a son of Charles Gentry Sr.

There are no further census records for this individual between 1810 and 1850 in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, or Illinois. There is a record in the 1850 census for Greene County, Illinois for an Elijah B. Gentry, minister, age 40, born in Kentucky. Living with him was an Elizabeth Gentry, age 73, born in Virginia. This strongly suggests that Elizabeth was the widow of the Elijah Gentry who married in Kentucky in 1809, and the younger Elijah was their son.

Jesse Gentry
Besides William, David, and Elijah, another "orphan" Gentry was a Jesse Gentry who bought land in Overton County in 1807^<8> and who was in Cumberland County, Kentucky in 1810^<12a>. Cumberland County was just north of Overton County and was the next county west from Wayne County along the Kentucky - Tennessee border and thus in the same general area as William. Jesse was also born between 1766 and 1784, and in 1810 had one daughter born before 1800 and five children born between 1800 and 1810. In the description of Elijah Gentry above, we have observed that several family trees published on the internet for Jesse Gentry Sr suggest that he had a son Jesse Jr. There is no specific evidence to refute this, but if he was such, he left the family early as his name does not appear in any of the Knox County, Tennessee records in which Jesse Sr. and other sons of his appear from time to time from 1799 onwards.

A possible son of Jesse Gentry Sr. is confused frequently with another Jesse, living contemporaneously in Tennessee. This Jesse was born about 1785, married Elizabeth Gallion in Grainger County in 1807 and then moved to Jackson County, Tennessee, before 1812. He appeared in the 1820 census there, then moved briefly to Indiana, but returned to Jackson County before 1840. While his parentage lacks specific documentation, it is very probable that he was a son of a David Gentry who settled in Tennessee after serving as a Revolutionary War soldier from Virginia. [This family, including Jesse, have been described in a previous Journal article in vol.2, issue #4 (2002).] A third Jesse was the son of Bartlett Gentry, who was a son of Robert Gentry and a younger brother of both Charles Sr. and the elder Jesse. This Jesse can be distinguished in census records by his age, since he was born about 1800. He also was in Jackson County, Tennessee, in 1820, with an older brother, Robert living nearby. A fourth Jesse, also born about 1800, lived in Johnson County, Tennessee, and therefore is less often confused with his namesakes. This last Jesse was a grandson of Joseph Gentry of Hanover County, Virginia, and Winifred Oliver.

Further Records of Charles Gentry Sr.'s Sons
A Charles Gentry and a William Gentry were both listed in the 1820 census for Overton County, Tennessee^<12b>. Whether or not this was the same Charles as we have described living in Clark County, Kentucky, he is certainly thought to be a son of Charles Sr. Likewise, the William of Overton County is believed to be the same individual as was present in Wayne County, Kentucky in 1810. Records for Charles are lacking for the period after 1820, but William has left a census trail that extends to Fentress County in 1830 for William and to Fentress County in 1840 and 1850 for members of his family. This latter county was split off from Overton County in 1823 and the change in county identification undoubtedly did not involve a change of residence but only a change in administration. In 1830, a Jesse Gentry was living in Fentress County, not far from William, and based upon his age (born after 1800, matching the age of a son of William in Wayne County, Kentucky in 1810), it is probable that he was a son of William. Jesse was missing in 1840, but a matching family was living in Caldwell County, Arkansas, in that year. William also was missing from the 1840 Fentress County census and had presumably died some time before, but his widow and a son William Jr. were present in that census and in the 1850 census. There was another William Gentry present in Fentress County in 1850 (age 73, born in Virginia and with a wife, Elizabeth, age 74). This is very close to describing our William Sr., but if the age is right, this William was probably four or five years younger. Moreover William Sr.'s wife was described as born after 1780 in two successive census records. Our conclusion is that the 1850 William was different from our William Sr. Published histories of Fentress County (in 1916 and 1987) describe the family of William Jr. and indicate that his father's name was also William^<10>. Both claim that William Sr. was descended from the Revolutionary War veteran David Gentry of Overton County. There is no evidence to support this.

William's brother, David, left no further record in Kentucky and was probably the David Gentry who appeared in Posey County, Indiana, by 1820^<12b>. The census listing for David in that county is compatible with the Kentucky David in both sex and ages of family members. Posey County is along the Ohio River at the extreme southern tip of Indiana - easily accessible from southeastern Kentucky and along a logical route of migration. The records for Clay County and Posey County taken together suggest that David was born between about 1776 and perhaps 1778 which fits well with his marriage in 1803. David was not in Posey County in 1830. A David Gentry farther north in Indiana, in Lawrence County almost surely was not this family. There were other Gentrys in Posey County in 1830 but they obviously belonged to another family, and so we can learn nothing there about possible children of David. A suggestive Robert P. Gentry (named for David's grandfather?) was living in 1830 in Perry County, Illinois (straight west from Posey County). Robert was newly married and the right age to have been the oldest son of David, but there is no sign of David himself.

We have mentioned above that the presumed family of the Elijah Gentry who was living in Clay County, Kentucky in 1810 was in Illinois in 1850. We have found no references to him in the interval between those dates and it may well be that he was known by a different name during that time. Surely there must be some record of the son Elijah Gentry Jr. in that time particularly since he was a Methodist minister. Some of our readers may be able to enlighten us as to movements of that family.

The fifth and probably the oldest of these proposed sons of Charles, namely Jesse, appears to have been born between about 1770 and 1775 and was married before 1800 judging from the 1810 Cumberland County census record. Census records for a number of Jesse Gentrys exist for the periods 1820 (including two Jesses in Jackson County, Tennessee) and 1830 (including his uncle Jesse of Knox County, Tennessee) but none of them quite match this Jesse. Nor are there records in Kentucky, Tennessee, or Indiana for a possible widow with young children that might match Jesse's. The conclusion is that Jesse must have died before 1820. Presumably his widow remarried, taking her children anonymously with her.

Summary
We have proposed here a very speculative yet very reasonable family of sons for Charles Gentry, pioneer settler of eastern Tennessee. To recap, these sons are suggested as follows:
     Jesse, born about 1770, died before 1820 in Kentucky
     William, born about 1772, died about 1838 (?) in Fentress County, Tennessee
     Charles, born about 1775, died before 1830 in Tennessee
     David, born about 1778, died before 1830 in Indiana or Illinois
     Elijah, born about 1785, died before 1850 in Illinois.

Based upon the scanty records and our proposed family structure above, we can imagine a scenario of movement of these family members as follows. We suggest that after the last records (in 1793) of Charles Sr. in Greene County, Tennessee, his home for a time was in Cocke County after that county was organized. We can speculate that Charles Jr. may have been the first of the family to leave eastern Tennessee since he is believed to have been in Clark County, Kentucky before 1800. This seems to have been only a transitory excursion as he then returned to Overton County, Tennessee, before 1820. Charles Sr. appears to have moved to Jackson County, Tennessee, shortly after 1800. There is no record of his death but it must have been after the date of his father's will in 1811 and before 1820. Jesse seems to have accompanied his father to Jackson County as there are brief references to him in that county before he moved to Cumberland County, Kentucky. The younger sons did not accompany Charles Sr. in his move westward. William and David stayed briefly in eastern Tennessee until after David's marriage in 1803 then before 1810 William moved west along the Kentucky - Tennessee border to Wayne County, Kentucky, while David moved north to Clay County, Kentucky. Since Elijah was living next to David in 1810 in Clay County, it is reasonable to believe that he also was with David and William in eastern Tennessee after their father left. David and Elijah then followed a separate route westward, perhaps starting together and then going their own ways to Indiana and Illinois.

References

1. Ruth and Sam Sparacio, "Albemarle County, Virginia Wills 1752-1764", abstracted, The Antietam Press, 2000.
(p.83)	Bk(2-120)		Will of Phillip Joyner, signed 12 Feb 1761
	I, Phillip Joyner of Saint Ann Parish, Albemarle County give and bequeath: To my dear and well beloved Wife Elizabeth Joyner, all lands and tenements with the stocks of cattle, hogs, horses and sheep etc., during her natural life and after her decease the said lands to be equally divided between my two Grans [sic] Sons, viz. Charles Gentry and Jesee [sic] Gentry giving Charles Gentry two hundred acres with plantation wheron I now live and the remaining two hundred acres to fall to the said Jesee Gentry.
Item	[And after my said Wife's decease] I give and bequeath to my Grand Daughter Elizabeth Gentry, one feather bed with furniture thereto belonging and also one cow and calf.
Item	I give to my Grand Daughter Mary Gentry one feather bed and furniture thereto belonging and one cow and calf and also one heffer.
Item	I give to my Grand Daughter Sarah Gentry one feather bed and furniture thereto belonging likewise one cow and calf.
Item	And the residue of my Estate and Chattles be equally divided amongst my other Grand children according to the discretion of ... my wife Elizabeth Joyner and Charles Winkfield whom I appoint Executor and Executrix of this my Last Will and Testament.
Witnessed: Alexander Mackenzie, Robert Gentry, Joyn Waples.
2. Ruth and Sam Sparacio, "Virginia County Court Records, Deed Abstracts of Albemarle County, Virginia, 1772-1776 (Deed Book 6)", The Antient Press, McLean, VA, 1992
1775	Oct 12	Bk(6-466)	(p.123)
	Charles Gentry & Elizabeth Joyner of Albemarle Co. to Russel Jones of said Co., 200 ac on the head of Meadow Creek on S. side of Rivanna ... E. side of Piney Mtns. Signed Charles Gentry & Elizabeth (her mark) Joyner; (no witnesses). Livery and seisen delivered by Charles Gentry and Elizabeth Joyner to Russel Jones. Signed (by same); Witness John Lewis, Thos. Radell, Henry Carter. Acknowledged at Albemarle Oct court 1775 by Charles Gentry and Elizabeth his wife (relinquishing right of Dower).

3. A. B. Pruitt, "Tennessee Land Entries: Washington County 1778-1796", 3 Vol, 1997
1778	Dec 22	Entry #807
	Charles Gentry, 250 ac in Washington Co., on waters of Big Limestone Cr; border: joins Adam Wilson on S, Joseph Gentry [see endnote] on E and Alexander Campbell on W; warrant issued 2 May 1779 by John Carter; 250 ac surveyed 8 Jul 1779 for Charles Gentry by James Stuart CS; 250 ac entered by Charles "Gentery" on entry-takers report.
[Multiple references not cited here relating to these entry claims, surveys and warrants and others citing Charles as an adjoining land owner on Big Limestone Creek.]
1779	Sep 3
	Charles Gentry 500 acres Sullivan Co on branch of Kendrakes Creek includes large spring and the plantation of Jno. Stuart who transferred to C. Gentry.
4. Shelby Ireson Edwards, Sullivan County, Tennessee Deed Books 1 & 2", 1985
1787	Jan 7	Bk(1-293)	[p.59]
	Chars. Gentry of Green Co., NC to Nicholas Howser, £265 for 500 ac by estimation in Sullivan Co., NC on a branch of Kendricks Creek including said Stewart's plantation. Beg. on a spring branch ...[adj John Waldrope, John Crawford & Ambron Wheeler]. /s/ Chas Gentry Wit: L. Poirporert, Nathaniel Davis.
5. 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
1790	Nov 24	Grant #842	Bk(III-114) [p.107]
	Michael Coons - 640 acres on French Broad River where Coons now lives, adjoining Charles Gentry, Hugh Kelso, Robert Carson. Alexander Martin; granted at Fayetteville.
1791	Dec 26		Bk(III-201) [p.115]
	David Lyle - 320 acres on north side French Broad River, adjoining Charles Gentry, William Bryan. Alexander Martin granted at Newbern.
1793	Jul 29	Grant #1247	Bk(III-348) [p.129]
	Benjamin McFarland - 200 acres on north side French Broad River, adjoining Charles Gentry, Hugh Kelsey. Richard Dobbs Spraight; granted at New Bern.

6a. Goldene Fillers Burgner, "North Carolina Land Grants in Tennessee, 1778 - 1791", compiled by Southern Historical Press, Greenville, SC 1981 Introduction: "This list of land owners and/or settlers constitutes the only substitute for a 1790 census of the part of North Carolina which became Tennessee in 1796."
Washington County				(acres)
1782	p.9	#202	Charles Gentry	250	On a branch of Big Limestone Cr
1782	p.11	#255	Charles Gentry	250	On an east branch of Big Limestone
Sullivan County
1784	p.48	#1297	Charles Gentry	510	On a branch of Kendricks Cr
Greene County
1791	p.88	#2465	Charles Gentry	400	On the north side French Broad River
6b. Sistler, Byron and Barbara, "Index to Early Tennessee Tax Lists", Evanston, IL, 1977
Jackson County
1802			Charles Gentry

7. "Fentress County Historical Society", vol 1, p.19 (1989)
1806	Apr 1
	Petition from the Eastern part of Jackson County and Stockton Valley to the General Asembly for a turnpike road to Knoxville. Signatories include Charles Gentry.
8. Mrs. John Trotwood Moore, sponsor, "Records of Overton County Record Book A, 1792-1808, Deeds", copied by WPA, 1936.
1807	Jun 20	Bk(A-190)
	Deed from John McDonnald of Overton Co. to Jesse Gentry same County, for $100, tract of land in Overton Co. on Lick Creek branch of Wolf R. beginning at an elm ...until it strikes Polk's NE corner. Reg'd 30 Jul 1807.

9a. Goldene Fillers Burgner, "Greene County, Tennessee Marriages, 1783-1868", Southern Historical Press, Easley, SC, 1981 [Greene County formed in 1783 from Washington Co. Covered roughly almost entire eastern boundary of TN with NC.] Marriages listed sequentially by date, taken from original licenses and bonds in County Court Office of Greeneville, TN.
Date		Groom	Bride	Bondsman/Security
1803	Apr 23	West, Charles	Sarah Phillips	William Gentry bd(#879) Dennis Conway
1803	Apr 26	Gentry, David	Delphy Bridgewater	Edward Stephens bd(#881)
9b. "1790-1844 Marriage Records of Madison Co., KY" (Transcribed by Charlotte Ramsey) http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cramsey/madco_g.html (Rechecked against Tennessee State Library and Archives microfilms)
1803	Oct 26	Charles Gentry	Susannah Ware	Linsey Ware
1810	Jun 28	Elijah Gentry	Eliz. Ware	James West

10. Private communication with Dr. Ruth Gentry Osborne, of Cookeville, Tennessee (a long-time Tennessee historian).

11a. "History of Fentress County, Tennessee", Fentress County Historical Society, 1987, (p.620, #F623)
[Contributed by] Clyde and Flora Terry Family
"John Gentry (b. 4 Dec 1840, in Fentress Co.) was the son of William Jr (b.1816) and Sallie Gentry. ... John's siblings were Artemia, Jesse and Elizabeth. William Sr., was a veteran of the War of 1812 and the son of David and Elizabeth J. Gentry. David Gentry, born in 1754 in Louisa Co., VA died 16 Jul 1846 in Overton Co., TN. ... He was a Revolutionary War veteran. When he was 80 years old, he applied for and was granted a government pension."
[There follows a badly mangled description of Nicholas-III Gentry (son of Nicholas-II), named as the father of David.]

11b. Albert Ross Hogue, "History of Fentress County, Tennessee", Williams Print Co., Nashville, TN,1916, p.110
"John Gentry (b.1840) is a son of William and Sallie Gentry. His grandfather's name was also William Gentry, great-grandfather was David Gentry. The Gentrys came from South Carolina and settled on Wolf River in 1835, where John was born five years later. His great-grandfather, David Gentry, was an American soldier in the Revolution. His grandfather, William Gentry, was a soldier in the War of 1812."

12a. 1810 Federal Census
		Born: / Sex	1800- 1810	1794- 1800	1784- 1794	1765- 1784	Bef 1765
Clay Co., Kentucky
Page 151	Elijah Gentry	M F	0 0	0 0	1 0	0 1	0 0
151	David Gentry	M F	3 1	0 0	0 1	1 0	0 0
Cumberland Co., Kentucky
175	Jesse Gentry	M F	4 1	0 1	0 0	1 1	0 0
Wayne Co. Kentucky
362	William Gentry	M F	1 2	0 1	0 0	1 1	0 0
12b. 1820 Federal Census
		Born: / Sex	1810- 1820	1804- 1810	1802- 1804	1794- 1804	1775- 1794	Bef 1775
Overton Co. Tennessee
Page 2	Charles Gentry	M F	1 0	0 3	0	0 0	0 1	1 0
17	William Gentry	M F	1 2	0 3	1	1 0	0 0	1 1
Posey Co., Indiana
312	David Jentry	M F	1 3	1 1	1	1 1	1 1	0 0

Note.
The presence of Joseph Gentry occupying land in Washington County adjoining Charles Gentry in 1778 argues for the fact that Charles and Joseph must have travelled together to Tennessee from Virginia or had plans to meet there. There can be little question that this Joseph must have been the Joseph who married Winifred Oliver and settled later on Roan's Creek in Carter County, Tennessee. Their travelling together is a little unusual inasmuch as Charles and his father Robert and family lived in Albemarle County, Virginia, while Joseph was from Hanover County. However, Robert and Joseph's father, Joseph-III Gentry, were first cousins, and there may have been a series of communications with each other before they ventured westward. One might wonder if the name Joseph was written in the land entry document by error and should have been Jesse, Charles' brother, but there is a separate entry in Washington County tax lists for Joseph being taxed in 1778 for one white poll. Joseph must have abandoned or sold his claim for his name does not appear in any later Washington County documents.

11/3/04