Mary Gentry

Mary Emory was a Cherokee woman

Biography

Mary was born in the Cherokee Nation (East) about 1780. She was the daughter of Robert Due, a white man, and Elizabeth Emory, a Cherokee. [1] She married David Gentry, a white man described as a blacksmith and "man of affairs" about 1800. They were the parents of at least three children, Elizabeth, Isabel, and Patience. [2] In February of 1819 David signed up his family of nine to emigrate to the Cherokee lands in Arkansas. [3] David was also married to Mary's niece, Tiana Rogers by 1820. It's unknown whether this marriage was concurrent (it was common for a man to marry two related women), whether David and Mary had separated before he married Tiana, or whether Mary had died. It is also unknown whether Mary emigrated or remained in the Cherokee Nation; she is not recorded as living in Arkansas and her date of death is unknown.

Research Notes

Emmet Starr's "History of the Cherokee" has a printing error which gives Mary's surname as "Buffington." His original notes (supported by the format of the family listing in the book) say that Mary's father was actually Robert Due and not Ezekiel Buffington as many family trees state.

Starr's Notes for Jennie and Mary Due

Journal of Gentry Genealogy - about David Gentry
"According to this genealogy, among Mary and William Emory's children were a daughter, Mary Emory (born about 1745), and a daughter, Elizabeth Emory (born about 1748), both one-quarter blood Cherokees. Mary Emory married Ezekial Buffington (some accounts have Mary's sister also marrying Ezekial Buffington, a marriage ended by divorce). Among thier children was a daughter, Mary Buffington, estimated to have been born about 1772, who is said by many accounts to have married first (in about 1791) James Daniel. Existing genealogies, including Emmet Starr, are very confusing concerning whether this Marry married second, David Gentry, in about 1803, or whether David's wife was another Mary Buffington, the daughter of Ezekial Buffington and Elizabeth Emory. In any case, this first marriage of David's resulted in three daughters, Elizabeth Gentry (born about 1806), Isabel Gentry (born in about 1810) and Patience Gentry (born in about 18120). Of these three, Elizabeth has been identified further as marrying Ezekial Williams and having a daughter Mary Williams (born about 1830). Her two sisters are listed by Emmet Starr as "dying without issue"."[4]

Sources

1. ↑ Starr, Emmet. Miscellaneous Notes on Cherokee Genealogy, Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma City. photocopy in possession of K. Forbes
2. ↑ Starr, Emmet. History of the Cherokee Indians. Oklahoma Yesterday Publications edition, Tulsa, OK. 1979. p. 305 Digitized edition at Starr
3. ↑ Baker, Jack D. transcriber. Cherokee Emigration Rolls 1817-1835. Baker Publishing Co., Oklahoma City, OK. 1977. Original Records: National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 75: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs 1793-1999. p. 15
4. ↑ Journal of Gentry Genealogy Volume 3 Issue 4, April 2003

Source: The WikiTree Native American Project @ https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Due-192