Pvt. Richard William Estes Gentry

A Patriot of the American Revolution for VIRGINIA with the rank of Private. DAR Ancestor # A044140

• Military_service: Yorktown, York County, Colony of Virginia, British Colonial America - 19 October 1781
• Military_service: enlisted from Albemarle County, Colony of Virginia, British Colonial America - American Revolution
• Reference: FamilySearch Genealogy - SmartCopy: Oct 18 2016, 4:19:14 UTC

Private, Virginia, U.S.A. during the Revolutionary War. Present at the capture of Cornwallis at Yorktown. This veteran has two burial places--it seems he was exhumed and buried in the Jefferson National Cemetery in St. Louis, becoming the only Revolutionary War veteran buried there. The son of David Gentry (son of Nicholas, son of Nicholas) and Mary Estes (dau of Richard Estes and Mary Yancey/Yancy). He was a Revolutionary soldier, enlisting from Albemarle Cty., Virginia, and serving first for two months as a private under Capt. William Dalton, at the age of 17. He was present at the capture of Cornwallis at Yorktown. Married (1) Jane Harris (in 1784)(dau of Christopher Harris and Agnes McCord); (2) Nancy Guthrie (in 1821)(dau of Nathaniel Guthrie and Nancy Jane Johns); had 19 children (seven with second wife), 16 of whom were sons. He was 'wealthy in lands and slaves' after the 1786 move from Virginia to Kentucky via the Cumberland Gap. His wife is said to have ridden the trip on horseback carrying her son Reuben in her arms. They settled at Boone's Fort, then established a plantation in Madison County. He boiled down salt water to salt and became wealthy in Kentucky, where salt was like money. Died on his estate in Madison County. (Some records give his name as William Richard.) This information was added from his son Rhodes's memorial page.

Richard died in the town of Claiborne, in Madison County, KY.

Private, Virginia, U.S.A. during the Revolutionary War. Present at the capture of Cornwallis at Yorktown.

This veteran has two burial places--it seems he was exhumed and buried in the Jefferson National Cemetery in St. Louis, becoming the only Revolutionary War veteran buried there. The son of David Gentry (son of Nicholas, son of Nicholas) and Mary Estes (dau of Richard Estes and Mary Yancey/Yancy). He was a Revolutionary soldier, enlisting from Albemarle Cty., Virginia, and serving first for two months as a private under Capt. William Dalton, at the age of 17. He was present at the capture of Cornwallis at Yorktown. Married (1) Jane Harris (in 1784)(dau of Christopher Harris and Agnes McCord); (2) Nancy Guthrie (in 1821)(dau of Nathaniel Guthrie and Nancy Jane Johns); had 19 children (seven with second wife), 16 of whom were sons. He was 'wealthy in lands and slaves' after the 1786 move from Virginia to Kentucky via the Cumberland Gap. His wife is said to have ridden the trip on horseback carrying her son Reuben in her arms. They settled at Boone's Fort, then established a plantation in Madison County. He boiled down salt water to salt and became wealthy in Kentucky, where salt was like money. Died on his estate in Madison County. (Some records give his name as William Richard.) This information was added from his son Rhodes's memorial page.

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Jul 16 2019, 4:32:05 UTC

Military Service: Revolutionary War soldier enlisted Albemarle Co VA. Served pvt under Capt Wm Dalton in the fall of 1780 at 17.

This veteran has two burial places--it seems he was exhumed and buried in the Jefferson National Cemetery in St. Louis, becoming the only Revolutionary War veteran buried there. The son of David Gentry (son of Nicholas, son of Nicholas) and Mary Estes daughter of Richard Estes and Mary Yancey. He was a Revolutionary soldier, enlisting from Albemarle County, Virginia, and serving first for two months as a private under Capt. William Dalton, at the age of 17. He was present at the capture of Cornwallis at Yorktown. He first married Jane Harris in 1784, daughter of Christopher Harris and Agnes McCord.He seconded married Nancy Guthrie in 1821, daughter of Nathaniel Guthrie and Nancy Jane Johns; had 19 children (seven with second wife), 16 of whom were sons. He was 'wealthy in lands and slaves' after the 1786 move from Virginia to Kentucky via the Cumberland Gap. His wife is said to have ridden the trip on horseback carrying her son Reuben in her arms. They settled at Boone's Fort, then established a plantation in Madison County. He boiled down salt water to salt and became wealthy in Kentucky, where salt was like money. Died on his estate in Madison County. (Some records give his name as William Richard.)(A 1929 cemetery listing for him said that he was born in Albemarle County, Virginia. Other sources have him born in Louisa County.) Parents David Gentry (1724 - 1812)Mary Estes Spouses

Jane Lucy Harris Gentry (1763 - 1821)*Nancy Gutherie Gentry (1799 - 1881)Some Known Children: Reuben Estes Gentry (1785 - 1839)*David Gentry (1787 - 1836)*Richard Gentry (1788 - 1837)*Christy Gentry (1790 - 1866)*Nancy Harris Gentry Bush (1795 - 1863)*Joseph McCord Gentry (1795 - 1795)*Joshua Gentry (1797 - 1864)*Rhodes R. Gentry (1804 - 1854)*Jane Harris Gentry Blythe (1806 - 1872)*Robert R Gentry (1824 - 1887)*Valentine White Gentry (1827 - 1897)*Tyre Martin Gentry (1830 - 1844)*Squire Charles W. Gentry (1826 - 1903)*

• Reference: WikiTree Genealogy - SmartCopy: Jul 16 2019, 4:45:14 UTC

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GEDCOM Note

!SOURCES: 1) "The Gentry Family in America" by Richard Gentry; 2) Revolutionary War pension application for Richard Gentry.

!Richard Gentry, along with Christopher Harris and the famous Daniel Boone and others, is commemorated on a historical monument marking the site of Fort Boonesborough, 1775-1783. It reads: "In Memory of the Pioneers of Kentucky. Erected by the Boonesborough Chapter, D.A.R., 1907."

!Madison County, KY, Deed Book G, pages 186-87, (Film # 183287) Harris Heirs to McMillen: "This indenture made the 2 day of December one thousand eight hundred & nine between Richard Gentry and Jane [his] wife, Christopher Harris, John Harris, Thomas Burgan guardian to Polly Harris, infants of Benjamin Harris Decd, William Harris, Margaret Harris, John Bennet, and Isabel his wife, Samuel Harris, Barnabas Harris, & Overton Harris heirs & assigns of Christopher Harris decd of the one part of the County of Madison and State of Kentucky and Samuel McWilliams [sic] [&] James Guthrie of the state aforesaid of the other part, Witnesseth that the said Samuel McWilliams [struck out] McMillin having...a certain tract or parcel of land lying in Bourbon County on Hinstons fork of licking containing twelve hundred acres...."

!Richard Gentry was a soldier in the American Revolution. In source #1, above, it is stated that he "was proud of the fact that he had been a soldier of the Revolution--an American patriot. He religiously celebrated the Fourth of July as a holiday for all his family as well as his slaves...He loved to relate that he was one of the guards that marched off the British prisoners after the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown...how his heart swelled with pride while the ragged, barefooted Colonial troops marched off, as their prisoners, the splendidly uniformed British Regulars."

!The book goes on to state, "He was for many years a member of the Baptist Church, but left it with most of his family in 1833, to join the new church of Alexander Campbell. He continued to prosper until he owned over 1000 acres of fine blue grass land...He traded largely in mules, cattle and hogs, which he collected and sent to market on foot, driven by some of his sons, either to Cincinatti, Louisville, Richmond, Va., or Charleston, S.C."

!It continues, "He was the father of 19 children, 16 sons and 3 daughters, and all but one lived to be grown and married; 12 by his first wife, Jane Harris, and 7 by his second wife, Nancy Guthrie, whom he married when he was 58 years old. She was a daughter of Nathaniel Guthrie, who came to Kentucky from Amherst Co, Va., in 1805, where she was born April 12, 1799, and married Richard Gentry Oct. 12, 1821. He died Feb. 12, 1843, and she married March 25, 1854, Michael Farris, who died April 1, 1857. She applied for a pension March 23, 1858, as the former widow of Richard Gentry, which was allowed. She died at Sedalia, Mo., Dec. 16, 1881." [NOTE: Richard Gentry himself applied for a soldier's pension in Madison County, KY, on 13 Aug 1832. His record contains his signature as well as narratives of the various campaigns in which he was involved. It states that "the applicant was again called out in the militia from Albemarle & served till after the surrender of Cornwallis -- & then marched with the prisoners to Fredericksburg -- where he was discharged."]

!Personal description of Richard Gentry: He "had light hair and blue eyes, and was of a florid complexion; he was over six feet in height, and weighed about 220 pounds. He was a great hunter, and most all of his sons loved the hounds and the chase."

!BURIAL: Although Richard Gentry was originally buried on his farm in Kentucky, his remains were moved to Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis on 20 June 1958. He is one of only a few Revolutionary War veterans buried there. (Source: Web site of Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.)

https://www.geni.com/projects/Boonesborough-Pioneers/701

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: May 6 2024, 5:52:05 UTC