David Gentry
(Abt 1724-1812)
Mary Estes
(Abt 1726-Bef 1821)
Richard Gentry
(1763-1843)

 

Family Links

Spouses/Children:
1. Jane Harris

2. Nancy Guthrie

Richard Gentry 2

  • Born: 26 Sep 1763, Louisa Co. VA 2
  • Marriage (1): Jane Harris on 15 Apr 1784 in Albemarle Co., VA 1
  • Marriage (2): Nancy Guthrie on 13 Oct 1821 in , Madison, Kentucky, USA 2
  • Died: 12 Feb 1843, , Madison, Kentucky, USA at age 79 2
picture

bullet  General Notes:

In 1786 joined a party of emigrants for Kentucky, and settled in Madison C o., KY
Served as a Revolutionary soldier in Capt. Benjamin Harris's company.
He was a General in the Revolutionary War, fought in the Battle of York To wn (April 19, 1783 Cornwallis surrendered).
Got his start making salt and trading with the emigrants.
Source:
"Rommel" by Barbara Brown - chabar@cebridge.net - www.rootsweb.com

Richard Gentry died on his estate in Madison County, Kentucky on 12 Februa ry 1843. He was a Revolutionary Soldier and enlisted in Albermarie Count y, Virginia. He served first for two months as a private under Capt. Will iam Dalton in the fall of 1780 at the age of 17. He probably serv ed as a substitute for Bezaleel Brown. In May 1781, he enlisted and serv ed under Captains John Miller, Benjamin Harris and Woodford, and under Col onels Richardson and Boyer, until after the surrender of Lord Cornwall is at Yorktown, when he was discharged at Fredericksburg after serving s ix months. He made application for a pension 13 August 1832, which was gr anted.

After returning from the war, he spent a year on his father's farm a nd on 5 April 1784, he married Jane Harris, a daughter of Christopher Harr is and grandaughter of Major Robert Harris of Albermarle County, Virgini a. She was born 18 Sep 1763 and died 17 Sept 1821.

He rented some land from Bezaleel Brown, broke it up and put in a cr op of tobacco. He had a hard stuggle with the weeds and the tobacco worm s, until his friend, Bezaleel Brown, discovered his trials and put his ga ng of negroes into young Dick's tobacco patch for a day and clean ed it up in good shape for him. He raised a fine crop of tobacco, a nd by the help of Mr. Brown in marketing it, he made enough money to outf it and join a party of imigrants for Kentucky, the next spring. They ma de the journey to Kentucky by way of the Cumberland Gap and the Wilderne ss Route. His young wife Jane rode on horseback and carried her baby, Reub en, in her lap. Richard walked and led or drove another horse, packed wi th all their worldly effects except his faithful hound and rifle, whi ch he carried on his shoulder. The trip was made without special inciden t, danger or hardship. On reaching Kentucky they stopped for about a ye ar at Boone's Fort in Clark County, Kentucky. In 1787 he secured 300 acr es of land in Madison County, Kentucky and in the midst of a rich canebra ke he would build his cabin. His second son, David, was born in Clark Cou nty at Boone's Fort and his third son Richard, who afterwards became Maj or General Richard Gentry of Missouri, was the first child born in the n ew cabin home in the canebrake.

He got his start making salt and trading with the emigrants. There w as no money in the country, and salt was scarce and in great demand, and t ook the place of circulating medium. It became a measure of value as toba cco did in Virginia. Realizing the value of salt, he provided himself wi th two brass kettles, and with his two horses and his rifle he traveled we st to Logans Fort and Harrods Station, and thence via Bullits trace to Bul litts Salt Lick, a total distance, through Indian country, of about 75 mil es. He made salt by evaporating the salt water and when he had made abo ut six buschels of salt, a load for his two horses, he would return to h is home and trade with the emigrants. A peck of salt was the price of a y earling calf, and it was in such demand that he soon had fifteen to twen ty head of cattle and he repeated his trips to the Salt Lick.

In a few years he had aquired a large number of cattle, which he fatten ed on the cane and wild peavine. His mark was a crop and underbit in ea ch ear, and was known in Kentucky and Missouri for many years as the Old G entry Mark. A government fort was established in a few years near where C incinatti now is, and a government agent bought from him a large numb er of cattle for beef for the soldiers, paying him the first money he h ad found since coming to Kentucky. He left his wife and babies at the set tlement at Boone's Fort and went back to Virginia and brought out to Kentu cky his father's family, consisting of his father David, his brother Davi d, and sisters Winnie and Onie, and three negroes, Issac, Pompey and Patsi e. He continued to prosper, bought more land and more negroes, and in 18 04 built the large two story brick residence which is still standing on h is estate. It was the third brick house built in Madison County, Kentucky .

In the early days in Kentucky he made portholes in his cabin to shoot thro ugh in case of Indian attact, and his wife was taught to use the rifle. T here were no mills in those days. Hand mills were used to grind the co rn for bread, and hominy was made in a mortar. The baby's cradle was ma de by cutting it out like a sugar trough. General Richard Gentry, his thi rd son, loved to boast in his political campaigns in Missouri, "that he w as born in a canebrake, rocked in a sugar trough, and raised in good democ ratic style."

Richard Gentry often spoke of his early American ancestor and his broth er as the two old "British Red Coats." Richard Gentry was proud of the fa ct that he had been a soldier of the Revolution and an American patrio t. He religiously celebrated the Fourth of July as a holiday for all h is family as well as his slaves. The drum and the fife were played by h is negroes, while he waved the flag as a formal part of the anual ceremon y, in which all had to take part. He loved to relate that he was one of t he guards that marched off the British prisoners after the surrender of Co rnwallis at Yorktown, and tell how his heart swelled with pride while t he ragged, barefooted Colonial troops marched off, with their prisoners, t he splendedly uniformed British Regulars.

He was for many years a member of the Baptist Church, but left it with mo st of his family in 1833, to join the new church of Alexander Campbel l. He continued to prosper until he owned over 1000 acres of blue grass l and and a great many slaves. He traded largely in mules, cattle and hog s, which he collected and sent to market on foot, driven by some of his so ns, either to Cincinatti, Louisville, Richmond, Virginia or Charleston, So uth Carolina.
Source:
Gordon Price - www.rootsweb.com

He was the father of 19 children, 16 sons and 3 daughters, and all but o ne lived to be grown and married. Twelve children by his first wife, Ja ne Harris, and seven by his second wife, Nancy Guthrie, whom he married wh en he was 58 years old. She was the daughter of Nathaniel Guthrie, who ca me to Kentucky from Amherst County, Virginia in 1805, where she was bo rn 12 April 1799 and married Richard Gentry 12 October 1821. He died 12 F ebruary 1843 and she married 25 March 1854, Michael Farris, who died 1 Apr il 1857. She applied for a pension 23 March 1858, as the former wid ow of Richard Gentry, which she was allowed. She died in Sedalia, Missou ri 16 Dec 1881.

He was buried on his estate, in what was known as the old Gentry graveyar d. Green Kerley, a warm friend of the family, had charge of the buria l. A brick vault was made in the grave, and large flat rocks covered t he coffin. Mr. Kerley's wife was Sadie Hawkins, a sister of Ann Hawkins G entry, the wife of General Richard Gentry.

Richard Gentry had light hair and blue eyes, and was of a florid complecti on. He was over six feet in height, and weighed about 220 pounds. He w as a great hunter, and most all his sons loved the hounds and the chas e. Eight of his sons settled in Missouri before it was a state, and rear ed large and influentual families. Reuben in Pettus, David, Richard and J ames in Boone, Rev. Charles and Rodes in Ralls, Joshua in Marion, and Will iam James in Ray County.

Based upon the published cemetery Records Vol. II by Bill and Kathy Vocke ry 1999, the Cem. where Richard Gentry, born Albemarle Co., VA 26 Sep. 17 63 - 12 Feb. 1843 is located west of Calest Road and south of State Hwy 5 2. Calest Road runs north and south west of and parallel to I-75.
Remarks say that there was no longer a stone in 1998. So, the dates probab ly come from another source. Walker/Gentry Cemetery is the name and it w as originally surveyed by a Rodney Ray and by the Vockerys in 1998. 2


picture

Richard married Jane Harris, daughter of Christopher Harris, Sr. and Agnes McCord, on 15 Apr 1784 in Albemarle Co., VA.2 (Jane Harris was born on 18 Sep 1763 in Albemarle Co., VA 2 and died on 17 Sep 1821 in , Madison, Kentucky, USA 2.)


picture

Richard next married Nancy Guthrie on 13 Oct 1821 in , Madison, Kentucky, USA.2


picture

Sources


1 "HACKWORTH and TATE Relatives," compiled by Judith H. Martin [(E-ADDRESS) FOR PRIVATE USE supplied by Martin, Jan 2009,
Judith's statement about her web data: "The information provided is to be used as a guide. Research is ongoing; therefore, corrections are made frequently. Any assistance is appreciated. I welcome contact with relatives." I will verify her data elements that pertain to my research by adding additional sources to the data elements. Repository: RootsWeb - World Connect. Surety: 0;
gedcom source: http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jhm&id=I11264

2 "HACKWORTH and TATE Relatives," compiled by Judith H. Martin [(E-ADDRESS) FOR PRIVATE USE supplied by Martin, Jan 2009,
Judith's statement about her web data: "The information provided is to be used as a guide. Research is ongoing; therefore, corrections are made frequently. Any assistance is appreciated. I welcome contact with relatives." I will verify her data elements that pertain to my research by adding additional sources to the data elements. Repository: RootsWeb - World Connect. Surety: 0.


Table of Contents | Surnames | Name List

This Web Site was Created 31 Jan 2021 with Legacy 8.0 from Millennia