July, 2001
SONS OF NICHOLAS GENTRY, IMMIGRANTPart 1. Samuel-II Gentry
By Willard Gentry
Abstract
All known references to Samuel Gentry, son of the immigrant Nicholas Gentry, are reviewed in detail, and arguments are advanced for the identification of Samuel's children. Two of Samuel's children, Ann and
David, are discussed individually in this article. The remaining children will be discussed in the next succeeding Journal article.
Introduction
Nicholas Gentry immigrated to New Kent County, Virginia some time before 1680, and established a home in the vicinity of Totopotomoy Creek, a tributary of the Pamunkey River. While the baptism of his youngest son, Nicholas-II was recorded in the St. Peter's Parish Register in 1697, the identity of his two older sons, Joseph-II, and Samuel-II (the suffix "-II" is being used as an indicator of the generation within the Gentry family descent) can only be inferred from contemporary records. Joseph is documented in (and only in) St. Paul's Parish Vestry records. Samuel's record is found in a variety of colonial Virginia documents. Nowhere is he specifically son of Nicholas-I, but the accumulated evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of this assertion. Surprisingly, he is not identified as such and his name is only mentioned briefly in passing in Richard Gentry's compilation, "The Gentry Family in America" (GFA) although many of his descendants are included in a section entitled "Other Gentrys".
Samuel Gentry-II (1692-1789)
Samuel-II Gentry was born about 1692, in the vicinity of Totopotomoy Creek, New Kent Co. (later Hanover Co.), Virginia. He was married about 1712 to Ann (maiden name unknown but may be Allen). Samuel died perhaps shortly after 1779, probably in Caswell Co. (later Person Co.), North Carolina at the home of his son Allen.
Samuel's name is found in the St. Paul's vestry records for the first time in 1716(1a) at which time it appears he was living at the far western end of St. Paul's Parish in the vicinity of Stone Horse Creek. This was about 30 miles upstream from Totopotomoy Creek, as the crow flies, along the Pamunkey River, and probably half again that distance if traveling along the river. The 1716 reference for Samuel was one in which he was in charge of building a road. We can use this as a rough measure to estimate his age at the time--certainly he would be over twenty-one, and probably several years older than that in order to have this responsibility. This would place the latest year for his birth as 1695. We know that his sister Elizabeth was christened in 1689, and that their parents did not appear to have a large number of closely-spaced children. An approximate year of birth in 1692 seems reasonable for Samuel.
Based on the limited information available, we can infer some of the details of Samuel's life from the time he left his father's home along Totopotomoy Creek until he moved away from Dirty Swamp in Louisa County. Samuel must have moved initially about 1713, probably shortly after marrying, wanting to establish a new home for his family. He was undoubtedly attracted by the availability of new land at the far end of the parish along Stone Horse Creek, which was essentially the limit of settlement at that time, The road from Stone Horse Creek to Stony Run to which reference is made in the parish records was presumably a new land route from the west end of the parish which would link up with established roads in lower St. Paul's Parish, and minimize the need for river travel from one end of the parish to the other. This is probably the same road mentioned in 1756 as one boundary of the precinct in which Samuel (and then later Nicholas-II) was located in 1716(1g). What may be the same road, exists to this day as a country road that passes the upper ends of Stone Horse Creek and Beech Creek and then crosses Stony Run.
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.)
David born about 1714 [but see discussion below]
Nicholas born about 1717
Joseph born about 1720
Allen born about 1722
Ann born about 1725; married about 1750, Louisa Co. to French Haggard.
Simon
John
Richard
William born about 1733
[tentative] Nathaniel
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.
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.
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: The individual or individuals in question witnessed deeds for Samuel or for each other under circumstances suggesting a close relationship between the individuals concerned. The individuals were joint principals in the purchase or sale of land, or in court orders and actions. 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. 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.
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.
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.
Notes Relating to Samuel Gentry1. "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.
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."
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."
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.
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."
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.]
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.]
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;
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".
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".
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].
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]:
1748 Oct 3 At a Vestry held for Fredericksville Parish, paid 15 pounds to Samuel Gentry for setting up benches etc. at Trinity Church...
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 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.
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...
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.
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...
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.
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...
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
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. 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)
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).
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