[94]-Benjamin Gentry
Benjamin Gentry was born in Kentucky in 1822, the son of Joseph Oliver Gentry and
his second wife, identified without a source I\u2019ve seen as Elizabeth Arthurs. Benjamin was
living in 1880. He is last found living in Hart Co KY in the 1880 census.
He was married about 1841, probably in Green County, Kentucky, toEmil y
Martin, daughter of Joseph and Diana Spicer (Wilcox) Martin.1
Emily was born about 1825 in Green Co KY and was living in 1880 in Hart Co.
In 1836-38 Benjamin was in Hart County, as were his brothers Joseph and
Solomon and a man unknown to me named William Gentry.2
Benjamin and Emily joined Three Springs Baptist Church, by letter 22 Sep 1865.
Their first census after marrying and starting a family was in 1850 in Hart Co KY,
p 226, 682-692.3 Emily\u2019s name has been determined from her daughter\u2019s death certificate,
since she was called by a different first name nearly every census year.
In 1860 Hart Co KY, Dist #1, p 24, 249-244, she was called Ellen.4 They were in
Hart Co KY, Green River PO, p 303, 266-266, in 1870 with only two of their six children
still with them.5
1 The most significant evidence pointing to Joseph and Diana as her parents, in addition to an
unknown daughter in the census the same age as Emily and their proximity to Benjamin\u2019s father
in the 1840 census, is that Jane C Huff\u2019s sister Mary married Tom Davis; Lucy (Atwell) Pedigo
lived as a young motherless girl in their home. Art Alvis knew about \u201cUncle Tom Davis.\u201d Tom
and Mary are buried in the same cemetery in KY as Emily\u2019s sister Sarah and her husband Daniel
Bagby.
2 Hart Co KY Historical Society Quarterly (OK Historical Society, 11 Feb 1999), II, 4, p 11f:
1836-38: Joseph Gentry, horse, etc., 2 children, $60; Solomon Gentry, horse, etc., 4 children,
$100; Benjamin Gentry, horse etc., $20; William Gentry, horse, etc., $25. William is identified by
\u201cLambeth Cantor Family History\u201d at Ancestry.com as a son of Nicholas and Barbara (Hall)
Gentry; this family was not closely related to Benjamin\u2019s.
3 Benjamin Gentry 28 farmer $400 KY cannot read or write, Elizabeth ditto 25 KY cannot read or
write, James T ditto 8 KY attended school, Laura F ditto 6 KY attended school, Mary E ditto 4
KY, Lucinda A ditto 1 KY, John ditto 17 farmer KY. John was Benjamin\u2019s younger half-brother.
4 Benjamin Gentry 38 farmer $700 $500 ditto [=KY] cannot read or write, Ellen Gentry 35 ditto
[=KY] cannot read or write, James T 14 KY in school, Mary E 13 KY in school, Lucinda A 11
KY in school, Nancy J 9 KY in school, George A 4 KY, Jefferson 14 KY in school. Daughter
Laura\u2019s marriage record to Lorenzo Dow Huff in Hart Co KY, 30 Sep 1858, is known.
5 Gentry, Ben, 48 farmer 800 800 KY, can\u2019t read or write, Emily, 46 keeping house, KY, can\u2019t
read or write, Lucinda 21 at home KY, can\u2019t read or write, George N 14 farm hand KY, can\u2019t read
or write.
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