SPECULATIONS ON THE FAMILY OF
NATHANIEL GENTRY
Of South Carolina and Kentucky
by
Willard Gentry
Revision of Issue C, 2006
Introduction
Only a handful of references exist concerning the Nathaniel Gentry who lived in Spartanburg
District in South Carolina in the years before 1800 and who seems to be the same Nathaniel Gentry
as appeared in the 1810 census in Pulaski County, Kentucky. Yet enough information can be
inferred from the record that we can surmise that he was one of the patriarchs of the third generation
of Gentrys. The purpose of this article to present a series of speculations, that taken together, will
present a cohesive and logical picture of Nathaniel and his family. We can liken this to a
long-neglected tapestry hanging on the wall, speckled throughout with moth holes. At close range,
if one were to try to make out the details of the pattern, there are far too many holes to perceive
them. At a distance, looking at a much broader view of the entire tapestry, one may be able to
discern the pattern in spite of the holes. The original version of this article has been withdrawn and replaced by this one
which has been extensively revised to reflect more recent conclusions concerning relationships of
the Gentry family as a whole. The article has been revised a second time to take into account
information that has been developed concerning the previously unrecognized families of Matthew
Gentry, who has been proposed as a son of Nathaniel, and a proposed brother of Matthew, Reason
Gentry.
Early Life of Nathaniel Gentry
Nathaniel was undoubtedly born about 1740 in what became Louisa County, Virginia, two years
later. There is no definitive evidence as to the identity of Nathaniel's father. Conjecture,
speculation, "educated guesswork", whatever you want to call it suggests that his father most likely
was David Gentry, one of the younger sons of Nicholas Gentry, the Immigrant. This has been
discussed in more detail in an earlier issue of the Gentry Journal<1>. David was
living with his father-in-law, Richard Brooks, until the latter gave him 100 acres of his own in 1743.
He was a neighbor of his older brother, Samuel-II Gentry, both living on a tributary of the South
Anna River with the unappealing name of Dirty Swamp. Samuel's oldest son, Nicholas, was doubly
related to David, in addition to being a nephew, he had married Mary Brooks, a sister of David's
wife, Sarah Brooks. In 1748, Nicholas and Robert Brooks, a cousin of Mary and Sarah, obtained
land along the Meherrin River in Lunenburg County, Virginia, and moved there. David and the rest
of the Brooks family followed them the next year. Eventually, all of Samuel's family moved one by
one to Lunenburg County also, disposing of the last of Samuel's property in Louisa County in 1762.
With Nicholas Gentry in the lead again, the rest of the Samuel Gentry family left Lunenburg
County for North Carolina between 1765 and 1770, drawn by vacant land made available by the
termination of the so-called Granville District Land Grants that restricted access to a wide band of
territory just south of the Virginia border. Nicholas and his brothers Joseph, Richard, and Samuel
all moved to Surry County, North Carolina, where they were later joined by Meshack and Abednego
Gentry, sons of another brother, Allen. Sarah Gentry, whose husband, David died about 1765,
chose to join her brother Elisha Brooks and their father, Richard, in moving instead to South
Carolina, where Sarah received a grant of 450 acres on the banks of the Saluda River in 1766.
There is no information on how long she lived, or when her children scattered to homes of their
own. Nathaniel appears to have eventually moved north into what became Spartanburg District.
The first documentary evidence of his existence is found in the 1782 tax records of Surry
County, North Carolina<2>. In that year, Nathaniel, along with his brother Hezekiah and
Hezekiah's two oldest sons, "Runnels" (a spelling variation of Reynolds) and Robert, were present
in the county long enough to be taxed for their horses They were not taxed for any cows or land as
were the other Gentrys in the tax list. Reading between the lines, their presence in North Carolina
was probably due to the fact that in the second half of 1780, Robert Gentry, and two younger
brothers, Hezekiah Jr. and William served for short periods of time in the Loyalist militia. This
militia had been organized by the British General Cornwallis after the capture of Charleston, to
support his base of supply there and to provide control of the countryside as Cornwallis' armies
advanced inland to occupy South Carolina. After Cornwallis' defeat at Yorktown, in October 1781,
the newly- established South Carolina Legislature passed the Confiscation Act of 1782 by which
land was taken from some 200 Loyalist sympathizers. Many hundreds of other Loyalists had no
land confiscated but were persona non grata to their neighbors. Because Nathaniel was with
Hezekiah in North Carolina, it is probable that he had shown Loyalist sympathies also and both
families felt unwanted in South Carolina. Their Loyalist activities were apparently not strong
enough to prevent them from going back home within the following year. It was not long before
Nathaniel and Hezekiah acquired land grants and appeared to be in the good graces of the
authorities.
Nathaniel Gentry in Spartanburg County/District, South Carolina The
next
series of records concerning Nathaniel were in Spartanburg County/District, South Carolina.
[Note. Following the Revolutionary War, South Carolina was organized into seven districts
which were subdivided into counties, each with a county court. Ninety-Six District spanned the
entire
northwest corner of the state and was expanded in 1786 when Greenville County and Pendleton
County were organized out of former Indian lands. An Act of 1798-1799 abolished county courts.
Thereafter each of the counties in Ninety-Six District was designated a District, with a separate
District
Circuit Court. On 1 Jan 1800, Spartan County became interchangeably Spartan District and
Spartanburgh District. Through usage and time, the "h" in Spartanburgh was dropped, and the name
evolved to Spartanburg. South Carolina retained this practice of naming its sub-divisions as
"districts" rather than "counties" until 1868. We shall use the title "district" for records subsequent
to 1799 or for non-specific use, otherwise use the title "county". ] 
Ninety-Six District, SC, 1790
(shaded areas added
from Indian Lands)
The few records involving Nathaniel can be summarized in a few lines of text:
- 1786 Nathaniel listed in an index for South Carolina land grants for 170 acres on the Tyger
River<3a>.
- 1790 Included in Federal census with eight members in his household (2 males over 21; 3
males less than 21; 3 females) [the census was actually conducted in South Carolina in
1791(Spartanburg return is dated 16 May 1791) rather than 1790]<4>.
1791 "Nansey Gentry" (assumed to be a misspelling or misreading of "Nathaniel"), witnessed a
sale of land on the middle branch of the Tyger River in Spartanburg County<5a>.
- 1792 Nathaniel entered into a deed of bondage [a mortgage] for 100 acres of
land on the South fork of the Tyger River. Boundary marking witnessed by Allen Gentry (and
others)<5b>.
- 1793 Another index of South Carolina land holdings
included Nathaniel with 534 acres of land on the Pacolet River in Greenville County, South
Carolina<3b>. [Pacolet River rises in Greenville County, then enters and flows
across the full width of Spartanburg County.]
All further references to a Nathaniel Gentry in Spartanburg District are much later in time and are to
an obviously younger man who is assumed to have been a son of Nathaniel's Spartanburg neighbor,
Samuel Gentry.
Nathaniel Gentry in Pulaski County, Kentucky There is only one
subsequent reference to a Nathaniel Gentry that could logically be for the Nathaniel who lived in
South Carolina. This is in the 1810 census for Pulaski County, Kentucky in which the household
listed for Nathaniel contained a man and woman born before 1765 along with twelve other
individuals<13>. We will have more to say about these individuals later. For
the moment, it is enough to suggest:
- Nathaniel, as the head of house, was the man who was over 45 years of age at the time.
- We will assume that at least the majority of the other members of the household were children,
spouses, and grandchildren of Nathaniel.
- The lack of any further reference to this family in the 1820 census in Kentucky or any of the
surrounding states, suggests that Nathaniel probably died between 1810 and 1820, and that his
family scattered to locations other than Pulaski County.
Proposals for Family of Nathaniel Gentry Based upon the individuals
enumerated with Nathaniel in the 1790 Federal census, we can propose a family at that point in time
that contained: Nathaniel and presumably his spouse
One son over 16 years of age (i.e. born before 1774 [1775 correcting for census date]) and probably
a spouse
Three sons less than 16 years of age (i.e. born 1774 - 1790 [1791]) One daughter of
indeterminate age.
Can we add to this family? The first place to look for additional members is within Spartanburg
District -- either still living there in 1790 or previous residents of the district who had moved on.
During
the period preceding and including the census, in addition to Nathaniel there were references to the
following Gentrys:
1779 Hezekiah, John, and Nicholas Gentry included in a listing by the South
Carolina General Assembly of persons in Ninety-Six District that were liable for jury or other court
duty<6>.
1780 Richard Gentry enlisted in the South Carolina Militia while living
along the
Tyger River in Union County [adjoining Spartanburg]<8>.
1789 Nicholas Gentry called for jury duty in Spartanburgh County
Court<8a>.
1789 Samuel Gentry appeared as a plaintiff in Spartanburgh County
Court<8b>.
1790 Allen "Jentry", "Sam'l Jentry", Tyre "Jentry", and Samuel Gentry listed
in Federal census for Spartanburgh County<4>. Let us deal with these one
by one. By 1790, Hezekiah and John Gentry, whom we can identify as sons of David-II Gentry,
were living in Edgefield District. Richard Gentry was a veteran of the Revolutionary War whose
record is contained in his application for military benefite. There is no information as to where he
settled after the war, but by 1792 he had moved to Surry County, North Carolina, where he was
married In any case, Richard testified as to his birth in December 1755 in Lunenburg County,
Virginia. This is almost twenty years before the oldest of Nathaniel's known sons so we consider
him too old to be a member of Nathaniel's family. Nicholas Gentry, a son of Nicholas Gentry of
Surry County, North Carolina, had moved to Tennessee.
Allen Gentry, a younger Nicholas Gentry, and one of the two Samuel Gentrys can be accounted
for as one family. From an 1801 deed in Surry County, North Carolina, we find that "Allen Gentry,
Nicholas Gentry, Jeremiah Gentry and Samuel Gentry, joint heirs of Samuel Gentry, dec'd, of the
State of South Carolina" disposed of 400 acres of land owned by their father in North Carolina.
Allen Gentry and "Samuel Gentry" of the 1790 census represent one of these sons and the balance of
the family just prior to Samuel's death. We shall refer to this Samuel as "Samuel Gentry the Elder".
The Nicholas who was called for jury duty is also assumed to be one of these sons. We are left
with two Gentrys for whom we have not yet accounted. The Samuel who was listed in the census as
"Sam'l Jentry" is believed to be a brother of the 1779 Nicholas, a son of Nicholas Gentry of North
Carolina. We shall refer to this Samuel as "Samuel Gentry the Younger". The census listing for
this family included in addition to Samuel, two males older than 16, two males younger than 16, and
five females, one of whom is assumed to have been Samuel's spouse, Frances. It seems obvious that
this family was one that paralleled Nathaniel's in age and none of them could be considered as part
of the latter's family.
Finally, we are left with "Tyre Jentry", with the only reference to him within the district being
the census report. For years there has been controversy and uncertainty as to the actual spalling of
this individual's first name in the census, and it is commonly reported as "Tigak". Close
examination of the original census report shows the name to be ink-smeared and probably
over-written by the census taker. Optical manipulation of copies of the original are consistent with
the possibility that the name was actually "Tyre" or "Tyree". Descendants of a Tyre Gentry family
that lived in Franklin County, Georgia between 1800 and 1805, and subsequently moved to
Tennessee and Arkansas are satisfied that this represents the first reference to their ancestor. [For
further details relating to this identification, and for more information about Tyre's family, readers
are referred to an article by Tom J. Gentry in a previous issue of the Gentry
Journal<9>.]
The census reports for this family, a husband (Tyre) and wife, one son less than sixteen years of
age, and a second female<4>. This is certainly consistent with known family
facts which include:
Tyre said to be born 20 Apr 1766 William
son born 1788 in South Carolina Mildred
daughter born 1791 in South Carolina (with the delayed reporting of the 1790 census, Mildred
would have just barely been included in the census). We propose Tyre as being a very
good candidate as a son, the oldest, of Nathaniel.
The remaining 1790 census returns in South Carolina involving Gentrys were for Edgefield and
Pendleton Counties. All of these involved other members of the family of Nathaniel's presumed
father, David-II. Sons of David in the census included "Hez'h Jentrey" (Hezekiah), "John Jentrey",
"Simon Jentrey", and "Cane Gentrey" (Allen Cain) in Edgefield County, and David Gentry Jr. in
Pendleton County. Two sons of Hezekiah, Robert and Reynolds and one son of Cain, ("Jon'
Gentry") were also listed in Edgefield County. Across the Savannah River in Wilkes County,
Georgia, tax lists for 1790 add the names of two other sons of David Sr. living there, namely Elisha
and Elijah. None of these are possible additions to Nathaniel's family.
From the facts printed above we can propose a preliminary outline of Nathaniel Gentry's family.
- Nathaniel was probably married in late 1764 or possibly early 1765 if Tyre
was born in April 1766 and was the oldest child of Nathaniel. Assuming the normal age for men to
be married at that time, Nathaniel was probably born between about 1740 (possibly earlier) to
perhaps 1743. This is well within the range of birthdates for children of David-II Gentry,
Nathaniel's proposed father.
- Son Tyre (or Tyree) was probably the oldest child.
- Son born between 1766 and 1774 and presumably a wife (see discussion
below).
- Three Sons born between 1774 and 1791.
- A
Daughter probably born after 1770 (otherwise she was likely to have been
married
by 1790).
These children represent perhaps a little longer interval of time than for many families, but assumed
birth intervals are not unreasonable. There may also have been a child who died in infancy, or an
older daughter, born before 1774,who married before the enumerating of the census report and left
home.
South Carolina Clues as to Identity of Nathaniel Gentry's Sons The
children listed above represent what little we know about Nathaniel's family while he was living in
South Carolina and before he moved to Kentucky. We have proposed Tyre as a son of Nathaniel
and specifically the oldest son. The 1790 census report leaves us with at least four other sons to be
identified. The oldest of these, born before 1774, undoubtedly accompanied Nathaniel to Pulaskia
County, Kentucky. We will discuss his family in more detail below, but for the moment it is
sufficient to say that he appears to have had at least two children and perhaps three by 1794. If this
son was living with Nathaniel in 1791, surely he would have been married at the time and have had
his wife living with him. For this reason we have included this wife in the listing for Nathaniel's
family above. In Spartanburg County records there is a brief reference to a Matthew
Gentry who was a defendant in the county court in 1796. His name appeared twice in
relation to that case, confirming the name of the individual involved<8c,d>. He
was nowhere mentioned again. Certainly, later Spartanburg District records indicate that he was not
a part of Samuel Gentry the Younger's household. We suggest that Matthew was Nathaniel's second
son and that he was born about 1768 to 1770.
Later Movements of Nathaniel
Before completing our proposals as to Nathaniel's family, it will be helpful to follow him north to
his presumed final residence in Kentucky. We have no information as to when Nathaniel left South
Carolina to go to Kentucky, but he was missing from the 1800 census. The last record of anyone in
his presumed family in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, was in 1796 when Matthew appeared
in court. Some time within the next few years it is probable that the family moved north to Pulaski
County. Probably the route he took was by way of Surry County. From there, he would have
followed the Boone Trail established by Daniel Boone from the Yadkin River in Surry County
across the northern part of North Carolina to the Holston River in Tennessee. At that point,
Nathaniel would have picked up Boone's Wilderness Trail through Cumberland Gap to his
destination. This trail had been cleared by Daniel Boone also, and widened in 1792 to allow wagon
traffic.
It would be interesting to know how much influence his Gentry cousins in Surry County had on
his decision. He knew them all well, having grown up as a youth with all of them in Lunenburg
County. For some reason, the years between 1800 and 1810 saw quite a number of migrations
westward of the Surry County Gentrys. The family of Joseph Gentry's oldest son, Samuel, began
moving to Kentucky by 1799 and Samuel himself was the last to move in 1807. Interestingly,
seven of his sons, moved eventually to Spencer and Warrick Counties, Indiana, on the Ohio River,
adjacent to the counties in which Nathaniel's family eventually settled. Richard Gentry's son,
Richard Jr. was missing from the 1800 Surry County census and is believed to have left the county
just before then. Because he wound up in Pulaski County along with Nathaniel it is very possible
that they made arrangements in advance and traveled together. Nicholas Gentry's presumed son,
Richard the War Veteran, had returned to Surry County where he was married and he also left
during this period of time, going briefly to Lincoln County, Kentucky, then settling in Rockcastle
County, Kentucky, adjoining Pulaski County. He also was missing from the 1800 Surry County
census and is mentioned in a deed of sale of his land in 1801 as being "formerly of Surry County".
Nathaniel stopped in Pulaski County, on the southern border of Kentucky and as we have
already said, was listed in the census for that county in 1810 along with what appear to be the
families of two of the sons that were living with him in 1790. There is no record of Nathaniel after
1810 and we presume that he died soon after, probably in Kentucky, after which the rest of the
family moved on north to Indiana where they were living in 1820 (see below). Map 1 below shows
the travels of Nathaniel during his lifetime. Map 2 which is shown later, shows the travels of
Nathaniel's family..

Map 1. The Travels of Nathaniel Gentry
Just to the north of Pulaski County, in Lincoln County, at the same time as Nathaniel was
moving north, two Gentrys appeared for the first time. In 1803, Isham (also
spelled Isom) Gentry married Elizabeth Lunsford<10>. This
was followed by a number of tax records in Lincoln County for Isham/Isom Gentry in successive
years from 1805 to 1809<11>. The tax for 1809 includes three parcels of land
totalling 450 acres of land on the Dix River (which runs parallel to almost the entire length of the
border between Lincoln County and Garrard County). In 1810, Isham appeared in the Lincoln
County census with his wife and three young daughters<13>. The census
reported Isham as born before 1784. His wife was slightly younger and was probably born about
1784, meaning she had married at about age nineteen. The couple were present again in the 1820
Lincoln County census. Marriage records for Lincoln County show the marriage in 1824 of Polly
Gentry to David McCullum and in 1825 of Casandra Gentry to George McAfee. Both marriages list
as bondsman, a "J. Sam" Gentry as father. This surely is someone's misreading of the name "Isom"
Gentry. Isham received a grant of 200 acres of land along the Rockcastle River in April 1830 but he
was not in the census for that year. His family next appeared in the 1840 census for Platte County,
Missouri, under the name "Isom". An assumed son, "Isom" Jr., was in the 1850 Platte County
census but the senior Isham presumably had died by then. Isom Jr. moved on to Kansas from
Missouri and was known as "I. B." Gentry rather than Isom.
In addition to Isham, the Lincoln County records show the marriage of a John
Gentry in 1809 to Rebecca Richards. There are no land or tax records for John, but he was
included in the 1810 Lincoln County census. His date of birth was reported in the census as 1784 to
1794. John was missing as a separate entry in the 1820 census, but is presumed to have been the
extra adult male living with his brother Isham at the time of the census.. We can surmise that John
had lost his wife and had not remarried. In 1835, the Lincoln County records show a marriage of a
John B. Gentry to Sally B. King with Sally's father serving as a bondsman. This is presumably the
same John Gentry finally re-marrying years after his first wife died. John was listed in the Lincoln
County census in 1840 with this wife and a very young child. The census shows both John and his
wife as having been born after 1790. It is probable that he was the youngest of the sons of Nathaniel
Gentry listed in the 1791 census, so we can probably narrow John's date of birth to specifically the
year 1790.
We suggest that these two Gentrys, Isham and John, were sons of Nathaniel and were two of
the sons that were included in the South Carolina census. They cannot be linked in any way to the
Gentrys that were present in 1800 in nearby Green and Madison Counties. The few families there
were all sons or grandson of Nicholas-II Gentry. There were some Johns among Nicholas'
descendants, but nowhere has the name Isham been mentioned among them. We have found no
record showing where they were born, but we suggest that they accompanied or preceded their
father in his move to Kentucky, presumably in about 1800, went on a little father north and settled
in Lincoln County.
Hypotheses Relating to Matthew Gentry This leads us now to the family
members that were living with Nathaniel in Kentucky in 1810. We suggest that most of them were
the family of his hypothetical son, Matthew. We have already said that the only evidence we have
as to his name is the record of two court appearances by him in the Spartanburg County Court in
1796. We have found no other evidence for Matthew and there were no members of Nathaniel's
family present in Pulaski County in 1820. This leads to the conclusion that both Nathaniel and
Matthew died in Kentucky, probably in Pulaski County, between 1810 and 1820.
The Indiana Gentrys
Census records in Gibson County for 1820 for the family of an "Elonder" Gentry
[perhaps the spelling should be "Eleanor"?] plus one for a newly married John Gentry, coincide
almost exactly with the composition of the extended family that was in Pulaski County ten years
earlier <13>. In addition, two of the proposed members of this extended family
appeared in the 1850 census for Gibson County giving South Carolina as their place of birth. We
believe that it would be too much of a coincidence if this was not for the family of our hypothetical
Matthew Gentry and a brother, Reason Gentry.
In 1830, most of the individuals in the 1820 census appeared again in Posey County, Indiana,
listed as four families living close together as neighbors. These included, besides Reason Gentry,
Martin, Pleasant, and Enos Gentry. John
Gentry and his wife, who were included in the 1820 census was missing and presumed to have died.
One other member of this family that was missing in the Posey County records, can be accounted
for by a Zimri [also Yimri, Zimriah, and Zimry] Gentry who
was in Washington County, Illinois in 1820, being listed in the state census, but not the federal
census for that county. He was joined by Levi Gentry in neighboring St. Clair
County, Illinois, in 1830, which was accompanied by the disappearance of his presumed record
from the Posey County, Indiana, census. By 1840, Zimri and Levi parted ways and Zimri moved to
Greene County, Illinois, while Levi moved to Wayne County, Missouri. Levi was present in the
1850 census for Wayne County with his age given as 44 and his place of birth as South Carolina.
That this is the same Levi as was present with Zimri in Illinois is supported by the fact that one of
Levi's sons was named Zimri. Zimri was not in the 1850 census, so we do not have a record of his
place of birth. There is no direct evidence that either man was related to Matthew, but their ages fit
right into the pattern of the Matthew Gentry family.
By 1840, attrition had struck three of the Posey County Gentry families. Pleasant Gentry had
died but his widow, Hannah, was included in the census along with his children. Enos also had
died, and in November of 1940, his widow, Rachel, remarried. His family apparently moved from
Posey to Vanderburgh County, Indiana, between 1830 and 1840. Most of his children continued to
show up in Vanderburgh County census lists in 1850 and in 1860. Martin Gentry had also
apparently died between 1830 and 1840, and his widow, Nancy, also remarried in 1845. A
presumed son of Martin, Martin Jr., was living with Reason Gentry in 1850. Another family was
added to the census listings in 1840 in the form of Allen Gentry, living close to
his sister-in-law, Hannah. Allen was also in the 1850 census with a reported age of fifty, and born
in Kentucky. If correct, this suggests that Nathaniel and his family had left South Carolina just prior
to 1800. This contradicts the evidence provided by Levi's census report which shows him still
present in South Carolina six years later. The only answer I have for this is that a member of Levi's
family may have reported for him and knew his family had come from South Carolina, but did not
realize the possibility that Levi himself may have been born in Kentucky. The placement and
movement of all of these children can be seen on Map2.

Map 2. Travels and Distribution of Nathaniel Gentry's Family We have noted above
as speculative proposals the names of all the sons of Nathaniel and Matthew . We have not
discussed the possible identification of two apparent daughters of Matthew. In the 1850 census for
Gibson County, Indiana, Reason Gentry was listed as living with a Minerva
Harmon and her family. In fact they were listed twice, once in Montgomery Township in September
1850 and then again in Wabash Township in October of that year. Minerva was shown as age 53 in
one case and as 55 in the second case, and as having been born in South Carolina. Correspondingly,
Reason was listed with two different ages, 61 and 65, but born in South Carolina. The combination
of her date and place of birth and the fact that Reason was living with her in both instances suggests
that Minerva was a daughter of Matthew and a niece of Reason. She was included with the
Nathaniel family in the 1810 census in Kentucky, but presumably some time thereafter married a
man by the name of Harmon who then died before 1850. In both cases of the double census
entry, Reason was listed with Minerva, a daughter Eliza / Elizabeth, and a son James. In the earlier
record, Martin Gentry (age 27, presumed to be a son of Martin Sr. of Posey County) was living with
them. In the later record, Reason and Minerva's family, but not Martin, joined Jesse Harmon, a
young wife, and new-born son. And in a neighboring household, a Martha Gentry was living (age
26 and presumed to be a sister of young Martin). Obviously Jesse was an older son of Minerva to
whose home she and Reason moved. Joining them in the move was a boy, Jacob Ruperty, whose
relationship is unknown, but who was living in 1860 with another Gentry family, that of Reason Jr.,
son of Pleasant Gentry. We have not discussed at all the identification of possible third generation
Gentrys and do not intend to do so, but the combination of marriage records
<12>, and census records provide a good basis for building a logical set of
relationships for them.
The 1810 and 1830 census records suggest that there was a second daughter of Matthew, whom
we suggest was Charlotte Gentry who married Jacob Rauth in 1830 in Posey
County. She was one of Matthew's five children who were less than ten years old in the 1810
census. Somewhat arbitrarily, based on her marriage and comparing the records of these five
individuals, we suggest that this daughter, whatever her name, was the middle member of the five
children.
Table of Relationships
With all the names we have added for Nathaniel's family, a tabular display will best and most
concisely summarize the relationships that are proposed. In the table below, all of Nathaniel's
immediate family are shown with the exception of his son, Tyre. They are displayed with their
respective ages as they are believed to be present in the 1790 (Spartanburg District, South Carolina)
and the 1810 census (Pulaski County, Kentucky).
The succeeding data from the 1820 to 1840 censuses have been extracted from the census
records found in Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri as appropriate for the particular
individual. The left half of the table doubles as a time chart with column dividers serving as time
lines for the years 1770, 1780, 1790, etc. This allows the addition of a rough graphical
representation for each individual of the time span within which he or she was born. This simplifies
the identification of the census age group for each person.
Conclusion
We have presented here in considerable detail (probably far more than the reader may want) our
efforts to piece together many disparate facts concerning a number of Gentry families that we
believe fit
together to make a logical whole. We once again emphasize that the proposals for the family of
Nathaniel Gentry represent a combination of many hypotheses, very few of which can be supported
by
solid documentary evidence. On the other hand, there is no conflicting evidence for these
speculations.
We believe the sum total of these hypotheses form a logical tapestry of probabilities that future
research
may show to be in error in a few details, but overall represent a plausible picture of that early
pioneer,
Nathaniel Gentry.
References
| 2. |
1782 Surry County, North Carolina
Tax Lists originals in State Archives, Raleigh, NC | | |
Name | Acres |
White Polls | Black Polls | Livestock |
| | Joseph Gentry |
150 |
|
1 |
3 horses, 10 cows |
| | Allen Gentry |
200 |
|
|
3 horses, 5 cows |
| | Artha Gentry |
|
|
|
4 horses, 3 cows |
| | Richard Gentry |
200 |
|
|
3 horses, 4 cows |
| | Hezekiah Gentry |
| |
|
3 horses |
| | Samuel Gentry | 400 |
|
|
3 horses, 6 cows |
| | Robert Gentry |
| |
|
1 horse |
| | Runnel Gentry |
| |
|
2 horses |
| | Nathaniel Gentry |
| |
|
1 horse |
| | Shelton Gentry |
|
|
|
2 horses, 2 cows |
| | Samuel Gentry |
150 |
|
|
5 horses, 5 cows |
| | Samuel Gentry |
120 |
|
|
|
| | Nicholas Gentry |
150 |
|
|
3 horses, 9 cows |
| 3. | Leonardo Andrea, Columbia, SC, "Gentry
Family", Manuscript on microfilm compiled for Mrs. John F. Gannon, Montgomery,
AL. |
| a. | Index II for land grants shows: |
| |
Hezekiah Gentry | 241 ac on Indian Crk in 96 Dist | 6 Feb 1784 |
| | Hezekiah Gentry |
100 ac, same location | 6 Mar 1784 |
| | Hezekiah Gentry |
197 1/2 ac on Bogins Crk | 5 Jan 1784 |
| | Nathaniel Gentry |
170 ac on Tyger River | 2 Oct 1786 |
| b. | Index III shows: |
| | Hezekiah Gentry |
77 ac on Indian Creek in 96 Dist | 6 Feb 1796 |
| | Hezekiah Gentry |
77 ac in 96 Dist | 6 Feb 1797 [duplicate of above?] |
| | David Gentry |
50 ac in 96 Dist | 4 Oct 1790 |
| | David Gentry |
101 ac in 96 Dist | 5 Dec 1791 |
| | Nathaniel Gentry |
534 ac on Pacolet River, Greenville Co. | 4 Feb 1793 | | c. | Land plats indexed after
the Revolution show: | | | David Gentry | 2 in 96
Dist | in 1790; |
| | Hezekiah Gentry |
4 in 96 Dist | 1784-1795; |
| | Nathaniel Gentry |
2 in 96 Dist. | 1785 and 1792 |
| 4. | 1790 Federal Census, South Carolina |
| | Ninety-Six Dist,
Spartanburgh Co. |
M(>16) |
M(<16) |
F |
|
| | p.86 | Gentry, Nathaniel |
2 | 3 | 3 | | p.86 |
Gentry, Samuel |
3 | 2 | 5 | | p.86 |
Jentry, Tyreh ) |
1 | 1 | 2 | | p.86 |
Jentry, Allen |
1 | 0 | 2 | | p.87 |
Jentry, Sam'l |
2 | 2 | 1 |
| 5. | Albert Bruce Pruitt, "Spartanburg
County/District, South Carolina, Deed Abstracts, Books A-T (1785-1827)", by Southern
Historical Press, Easley, SC, 1988 |
| a. | 1791 Jun 10 |
Bk(F-150) | (p.152) |
| |
Nansey Gentry (misreading of
"Nathaniel"?) witnessed deed for sale of land on middle fork of Tyger R. known as Long
Br. |
| b. |
1792 Nov 23 |
Bk(F-316) |
(p.168) |
| |
Nathaniel Gentry (Spartanburg) to Zabulon
Bragg (same); bond of 200 pounds for deed to be made in 15 years for 100 ac on S. fork Tyger R;
borders a pine tree Nathaniel sawed in the presence of Allen Gentry (and
others). |
| 6. | South Carolina General Assembly Ordinance, MS Act No.
1123, 20 Feb 1779 |
| |
p.80, 101 |
Hezekiah Gentry |
Spartan District |
liable for grand/petit jury | | p.88,
104 | John Gentry |
Spartan District | liable for grand/petit jury |
| p.89 | Nicholas Gentry |
Cuffey Town & Turkey Creek | liable for court service |
| 7. | Brent H. Holcomb, "Spartanburgh County, South
Carolina, Minutes of the County Court, 1785-1799", Southern Historical Press, Easley, SC,
1980. |
| a. | 1789 March Court |
[p.91] |
| | Nicholas Gentry [son of
Samuel Elder?] selected to serve on jury for Sept. court. | | b. | 1789 Mar 18 | [p.96] |
| | Samuel Jentry against
John Chesney. Case. Ordered, that this suit be dismissed at the Plaintiff's costs. |
| c. | 1794 Jan
15 | [p.188] |
| | The County against Samuel
Jentry. "Qui Tam" [tax question?].
For a Brown mare, by request of the defendant this case is continued, until next court. |
| d. | 1796 Jan
16 | [p.221] |
| | James Tanner & George
Walker against Matthew Gentry. Appeal.
Ordered that the Judgment of the Justice below be recorded. | | e. | 1796 Jul 16 | [p.222] |
| | Alexander McBeth & Co.
against Matthew Gentry. Petition.
Settled by the defendant in open court. |
| 8. | "Index of Revolutionary War Pension Applications", National
Genealogical Society, Washington, DC, 1976
| | |
GENTRY, Richard, SC, b.VA, Justina/Jestin, W8844,
BLWt26713-160-55.
Revolutionary War Pension reference (National Archives microfilm) File W8844,
(BLWt 26713-160-55): Richard GENTRY, widow Justina or Gestin, of Rockcastle Co.
KY
Credited with 13 months service as a private in SC militia. |
| 10. | "Marriages, Lincoln Co., Kentucky", Tennessee State Library
& Archives. |
| |
1803 Sep 12 | Isham Gentry | Elizabeth
Lunsford | bond. Wm. Preston | | 1809 Jan 16 | John Gentry | Rebecca Richards |
bond. Benjamin Warren |
| 1824 Apr 21 |
Polly Gentry |
David McCullum |
bond J Sam. [Isom] Gentry, (father) | | 1825 Dec 20 |
Casandra Gentry |
George McAfee |
bond J Sam. [Isom] Gentry, (father) | | 1835 Aug 17 |
John B. Gentry |
Sally B. King |
bond. Samuel Hocker, father Hobart King |
| 11. | "Kentucky Landholders, 1787-1811", Tennessee State Library
& Archives. |
| |
1805 Jul 22 | Bk(1-07) |
Isom/Isham Gentry | |
| 1806 Aug 11 | Bk(1-10) | " |
|
| 1807 May 25 | Bk(1-09) | " |
|
| 1808 Jun 9 | Bk(1-13) | " |
|
| 1809 May 10 | Bk(2-16) | " |
|
| | Bk(1-28) |
" |
350 ac on Dicks [Dix] R 50 ac 50ac |
| 12. | Marriages, Gibson, Posey and Vanderburgh Counties, Indiana
|
| a. | "Indiana Marriages, 1802-1892" URL:
<http//www.ancestry.com/rd/prodredir.asp?sourceid=4717&key=D7852> | | |
Groom | Bride | Date |
County | | Enos
Gentry | Polly Dodge | 7 Mar 1822 | Posey | | Allen
Gentry | Sally Wilson | 1 Feb 1827 | Posey | | Martin
Gentry | Nancy Temple | 16 Jul 1830 | Posey | | Enos
Gentry | Rachel McNeely | 6 Sep
1827 | Vanderburgh |
| Rachel Gentry | Alfred L. Everett /
Everets |
23 Nov 1840 | Vanderburgh | | b. | LDS Soundex Records | | |
Pleasant Gentry | Hannah Wills | 6
Feb 1821 | Gibson |
| Hannah Gentry | James Carnahan | 13 Mar
1850 | Gibson |
| c. | "Early Indiana Marriages to
1850" URL: <http:/freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~bjblitzen/indianafrygentry=
marriages.htm> |
| |
Charlotte Gentry | Jacob Rauth | 2 Jun 1831 | Posey |
| Allen Gentry | Jane Edwards | 13 Feb 1832 | Posey |
| Mahala Gentry | William McMunn | 4 Dec
1833 | Posey |
| Elizabeth Gentry | Andrew Gluckman | 15 May
1839 | Posey |
| Reason Gentry | Francis Coleman | 17 Jan 1842 | Posey |
| Nancy Gentry | Abraham Shuck | 17 Aug 1845 | Posey |
| 13. | Federal Census for 1810 - 1850 |
| |
| 1810 Federal
Census | Born-> Sex | 1800- 1810 |
1794- 1800 |
1784- 1794 |
1765- 1784 |
Bef 1765 |
|
| Lincoln County, Kentucky | Page 117 |
Isham Gentry (son of Nathaniel?) | M F | 0 3 |
0 0 |
0 1 |
1 0 |
0 0 |
|
| 117 |
John Gentry (son of Nathaniel?) | M F |
0 0 |
0 0 |
1 1 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
|
| Pulaski County, Kentucky | Page 146 |
Nathaniel Gentry (with Matthew?) | M F |
4 1 |
2 0 |
3 1 |
1 0 |
1 1 |
|
| |
| 1820 Federal
Census | Born-> Sex | 1810- 1820 |
1804- 1810 |
1802- 1804 |
1794- 1804 |
1775- 1794 |
Bef. 1775 |
| Gibson County, Indiana | Page 249 |
Elonder Gentry (id/Matthew?)/td> | M F |
1 1 |
2 0 |
1 |
3 1 |
1 0 |
0 1 |
Page 250 |
John Gentry |
M F |
0 0 |
0 0 |
0 |
0 0 |
1 1 |
0 0 |
| Lincoln County, Kentucky | Page 77 |
Isham Gentry |
M F |
1 2 |
0 1 |
0 |
0 1 |
2 1 |
0 0 |
| | |
| | | 1830 Federal Census |
Born-> Sex | 1825- 1830 |
1820- 1825 |
1815- 1820 |
1810- 1815 |
1800- 1810 |
1790- 1800 |
1780- 1790 |
bef 1780 |
| St. Clair County, Illinois | Page 126 | Yimri Gentry (son of Matthew?) | M F | 0 3 | 0
1 | 0 1 | 0 0 | 0
0 | 1 1 | 0 0 | 0
0 |
Page 126 |
Levi Gentry (son of Matthew?) | M
F | 0 0 | 0 0 | 0
0 | 0 0 | 1 0 | 0
0 | 0 0 | 0 50-60 |
| Posey County, Indiana | Page 183 |
Martin Gentry |
M F | 2 0 | 0
0 | 0 0 | 0 0 | 0
0 | 1 1 | 0 0 | 0
0 |
Page 184 |
Pleasant Gentry |
M F | 0 0 | 1
0 | 0 1 | 0 0 | 2
1 | 1 0 | 0 1 | 0
0 |
Page 185 |
Reason Gentry |
M F | 0 0 | 0
0 | 0 0 | 0 1 | 0
1 | 1 0 | 0 0 | 0
50-60 |
Page 186 |
Enos Gentry |
M F | 2 1 | 0
1 | 0 0 | 0 1 | 0
0 | 1 0 | 0 0 | 0
50-60 |
| | | 1840 Federal Census | Born-> Sex | 1835- 1840 |
1830- 1835 |
1825- 1830 |
1820- 1825 |
1810 1820 |
1800- 1810 |
1790- 1800 |
bef. 1790 |
| Greene County, Illinois | Page 95 |
Zimry Gentry |
M F |
1 2 |
1 2 |
1 2 |
0 2 |
1 0 |
0 1 |
1 0 |
0 0 |
| Posey County, Indiana | Page 314 |
Hannah Gentry |
M F | 0 0 | 1
0 | 0 0 | 1 0 | 0
0 | 0 0 | 0 0 | 0
60-70 |
Page 315 |
Allen Gentry |
M F |
2 0 |
0 1 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
1 1 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
| Lincoln County, Kentucky | Page 119 |
John Gentry |
M F |
0 0 |
1 0 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
1 1 |
0 0 |
| Platte County, Missouri | Page 143 |
Isom Gentry |
M F |
0 0 |
0 1 |
1 0 |
2 0 |
0 1 |
0 0 |
1 0 |
50-60 50-60 |
| Wayne County, Missouri | Page 224 |
Levi H. Gentry |
M F |
1 2 |
1 0 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
0 1 |
1 0 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
| | 1850 Federal Census
(with individual ages) |
Born-> Sex |
1845- 1850 |
1840- 1845 |
1835- 1840 |
1830- 1835 |
1820- 1830 |
1810- 1820 |
1800- 1810 |
bef. 1800 |
| Gibson County, Indiana, Montgomery
Township |
Page 54 |
Reason Gentry Martin Gentry
with Minerva Harmon
household |
M M M F |
-- -- -- -- |
-- -- 8 -- |
-- -- -- -- |
-- 17 19 -- |
-- 27 IN -- -- |
-- -- -- -- |
-- -- -- -- |
61 SC -- 53 SC |
| Gibson County, Indiana, Wabash Township |
Page 104 |
Reason Gentry with Minerva
Harmon household |
M M F | -- 1 -- | -- -- -- | -- 11 -- | -- 19 -- | -- 25 22/22 | -- -- -- | -- -- -- | 65
SC -- 55 SC |
Page 104 |
Martha Gentry with Jordan &
Sarah Jordan |
F M F | -- -- -- | -- -- -- | -- -- -- | -- -- -- | 26 IN 23 22 | -- -- -- | -- -- -- | -- -- -- |
| Posey County, Indiana | Page 259 |
Allen Gentry Louisa A. (and children) |
M F |
-- -- |
-- -- |
11/13 -- |
-- 18 |
-- -- |
-- 37 |
50 KY -- |
-- -- |
Page 259 |
Reason Gentry Francey | M F |
3 -- |
-- 6/7 |
-- -- |
-- -- |
26 IN 26 |
-- -- |
-- -- |
-- -- |
| Vanderburgh County, Indiana | Page 496 |
Martin Gentry Margarette
(Other) |
M F M |
2 5 |
-- -- |
-- -- 14 |
-- -- |
26 IN 24 |
-- -- |
-- -- |
-- -- |
Page 500 |
Alfred Everette Rachel (widow / Enos)  
James Gentry David Gentry | M
F M M |
-- -- |
7 5/8 |
-- -- 14 |
-- -- 17 |
-- -- |
40 40 |
-- -- |
-- -- |
| Platte County, Missouri | Page 408 |
Isom Gentry Sarah | M F |
5/4 -- |
8/7/6 -- |
-- -- |
-- -- |
29 KY 29 |
-- -- |
-- -- |
-- -- |
| Wayne County, Missouri | Page 201 |
Levi H. Gentry Gracy A. | M F |
-- 4/1 |
8/6 -- |
14 12/19 |
17 -- |
-- -- |
-- 35 |
44 SC -- |
-- -- |
| |
11/11/11
|