Bernice Gentry

Bernice married Leroy Leftwich in Feb 1958. Leroy was born on 29 Feb 1940 in Sasakwa, Seminole County, Oklahoma; died on 1 Mar 1994 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Living
2. Living
3. Living
4. Living

Notes:

He was called Howell, rather than Emory, which was what his father was called.

His certificate of birth shows that 3 children had been born to his parents, including his birth. His parents were listed as being from Arthur, Oklahoma, and ages 24 and 22. His father was a farmer, and mother a housewife.

Emory was shown as being widowed at the time of his death. His occupation was listed as Stone Mason. The informant was Bernice Leftwich.

Emory married Nellie Ruth Sanders on 27 Apr 1938 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma. Nellie (daughter of William Jasper Sanders and Tressie Thelma Cole) was born on 4 Apr 1923 in Boswell, Choctaw County, Oklahoma; died on 24 Mar 1995 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma; was buried in Resthaven Memory Gardens, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Emory was issued a delayed certificate of birth. The supporting evidence was his application for employment with the Oklahoma Railway company and the birth certificate of his daughter, Ruth Hazel Gentry. The informant for his death certificate was Lillie R. Gentry of 3409 Campbell.

According to the 1928 Duncan City Directory, Emory and Lilly lived at 101 Elm Street.

World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
Name: Emory Howell Gentry
City: Arthur
County: Stephens
State: Oklahoma
Birthplace: Oklahoma;United States of America
Birth Date: 26 May 1893
Race: Caucasian
Roll: 1852128
Occupation: Farming
Next of kin: Wife and 2 children
Height/Build: Medium/Medium
Color of Eyes/Hair: Gray/Brown
(Courtesy of Lynell Cordell)

Emory married Lillie Letticia Rowe on 22 Dec 1912 in Stephens County, Oklahoma. Lillie (daughter of James Allen Taylor Rowe and Angie Cordelia Green) was born on 21 Dec 1896 in Coalgate, Coal County, Oklahoma; died on 16 Oct 1978 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma; was buried in Fairview Cemetery, Grady County, Oklahoma. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:
Vol. 3, Stephens County Marriage Book: , Lic. # 80
Emory Gentry to Lilly Rowe, 12-22-1915 (sic)

"Stephens Co. Marriages" shows Emory Gentry, 19, of Arthur and Lillie Rowe, 18, of Arthur, married on December 22, 1912 by J.J. Ward

Notes:

From FindAGrave:

William was preceded in death by his father William Thomas Sanders and his mother Janette Belle Weatherford. He was the third child of ten and is survived by five of his siblings. He was the father of thirteen children and ten children still survive him. He was married to Tressie Thelma Cole 03-13-1921. William was a farmer until he had an accident that caused him to lose his leg. William is also survived by numerous grandchildren.

William married Tressie Thelma Cole on 13 Mar 1921 in Boswell, Choctaw County, Oklahoma. Tressie was born on 7 Oct 1904 in Caddo, Bryan County, Oklahoma; died on 18 May 1993 in Chandler, Maricopa County, Arizona; was buried in City of Mesa Cemetery, Mesa, Maricopa County, Arizona. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

From FindAGrave:

Daughter of William Alexander Cole and Myra Frances Alexander and mother of thirteen children. She married William Jasper Sanders 3-13-1921 and was a homemaker. She is survived by 6 children 40 grandchildren: 73 great-grandchildren: and 26 great-great-grandchildren. She is missed by all who knew her.

Notes:

The following biography was written by Kenneth Charles Harvey.

The eldest child in his family, he was known as Will to his wife and Billie to his siblings. He was about eight years old when he was taken to Texas from Missouri, he remembered nothing of Tenessee. His eldest daughter, Grace, recalls his middle name instead as Melton. This is almost certainly incorrect.

He was never involved in the Civil War, according to Lewis Adair Payne.

He helped dismantle the frontier fort at Fort Worth, Texas by assisting in removing the pallisade. Presumably he was still living with his parents in Johnson Co. at this time. The date of this event needs to be established.

1870 - A Wm. M. Gentry married Lucy E. Smith on 25 Apr. 1870 in Collin Co. Texas. There is no family recollection of any such previous marital event but it is highly likely that Will's first wife died. Molly may have known of this but simply never mentioned in later life that she was in fact Will's second wife. She may have preferred to keep this information to herself.

Will, who was a physically very strong man, initially used his father-in-law's wedding present, of a team of horses and wagon, to haul whisky etc. as far west as the saloons in Pecos. It was possible to make more money with transporting whisky than hauling anything else. This was a dangerous activity at the time as the Commanche Indians were still hostile, and active, in the surrounding area. He himself evidently spoke a little Indian (probably Choctaw).

He was a talented carpenter although his work never really met his wife, Molly's, exacting standards. She didn't forget easily that her own father had been a cabinet maker level of carpenter.

1880 - The family were living in Wise Co., Texas, where Will (29) was farming. Mollie (23) was keeping house and looking after the children Carrie (5), Gertie (2) and baby Frank. The enumeration locality was 130 (possibly near Decatur). (Microfilm page 225).

Will's paternal grandfather was a Baptist preacher who started a church, probably in Hillsboro, Hill Co., Texas. The old man appears to have moved from there to Wise Co. at some point either prior to or after 1873. He must have been nearby to his grandson, Will Gentry, around this time as he used to borrow Will's horse team and wagon without asking. Presumably this occurred when young William was not around. He would just hitch the horses up and take them off without a word. This used to greatly annoy his granddaugher-in-law, Molly. It was, after all, her father who had given the team to the couple as a wedding present. The preacher would have been in his late seventies by then. The Trawick family was also in Wise County as of the 1880 census. They lived in Wise County until around 1887.

1887-They then moved north to Indian Territory. This relocation out of Texas was to what was later to become the state of Oklahoma. Will now purchased a 320 acre farm east of Duncan on Wild Horse Creek, Stephens Co. People were moving into this Territory as pioneers because the land was much cheaper. He also had a financial interest in a cotton gin while in Oklahoma. The house that he built there consisted of two stories. There were two rooms and an entrance hall on the ground floor with a stairs, aligned east/west, leading up to a small landing at the front with two bedrooms at either side. There was an additional single story dining room accessed from the downstairs hall with the kitchen at the end of this extension. The front of the house faced east and there was a well outside the kitchen door on the south side of the building.

1903-Will was photographed in a family group picture at his parent's home in Alma. Mollie was not in the picture. His parents were living in a small, one story wooden house.

1910 - Will was listed as living in Park Township, in 1910, with his wife Molly and the youngest two of their children. Also living with them was 4 year old Louisa Payne, presumed to be the youngest daughter of Permelia Gertrude Gentry and Walter Payne. Permelia died shortly after Louisa was born. He was living on 320 acres which must have consisted of, in half, the 160 acres which was later legally described as "The East Half of the West Half of Section Four (4), Township One (1) South, Range Five (5) West, I(ndian) M(eridian)." [Payne, Grace Ellen (1948) Affidavit giving legal notice of intention to file suit in District Court of Stephens County, Oklahoma. Ref: Book 414, page 344] Will had probably owned the whole western half, of section four as described.

1911 - Described as "of Arthur" on his son John's marriage in 1911 in Stephens Co., Oklahoma.

1920-Census record has not been found.

Will left his farm and house, having basically retired in about 1920, the elderly couple now moved to what was to become 721 Spruce Street, Duncan. Will had bought a block of land there, number sixty-seven, close to the city. He proceeded to break the block up into building lots which he then began to sell off as sites for homes. He built their own new house on one of these lots. His grandson Carl Payne and Tommy Payne purchased two other lots and built homes on them. Molly was never happy in the house as she felt it was not finished properly and the side was too close to the street. People could look in and see her eating as they walked along. The house was still standing in 1997.

Frank now took over the farm and the house on Wild Horse Creek his father had left there. Frank, in turn, rented part of the 320 acres to his brother Emory. Emory was considered the best farmer in the family. Sadly, the house Will had built was burnt down much later.

1923-Celebration of their fiftieth wedding anniversary. This large family reunion started off at their own home in Spruce street and then moved the same day to son-in-law, Walter Winchell Payne's, ranch where there was presumably more space.

1929 -William M. Gentry died.

W. M. Gentry's gold watch was given, on his death, to grandson, Lewis Adair Payne. Sometime later the watch was "borrowed" by Lewis' elder brother, "Snort." At the time they all thought that the valuable heirloom was lost down the well. Later on there was a reconsideration. A neighbouring boy who had suggested that it had fallen down the well and who was playing with the children at the time probably stole it. Apparently he was known for his light fingers.

Lyn Cordell found both of the following, items:

First, a story by Sudie Thornton Sharp, born in 1877 in Texas. Her family moved to Indian Territory when her father "purchased the improvements on some Indian land, which comprised several hundred acres, near where the Arthur post office and store were located---about 10 miles northeast of Duncan." (Lyn noted that actually, Arthur is more straight east of Duncan. The Indian Base Line that my grandparent's lived on is Beech Street here in town. We live about 1/2 mile north of Beech now). Anyway, Mrs. Sharp continues to say, "After a short visit with my parents at Arthur I came to Duncan and soon had a music class, being Duncan's first music teacher. I went from house to house, giving lessons on organs and pianos. My first boarding home was with William Gentry and family. The Gentrys were the parents of Mrs. Marvin Payne and Ed Gentry." After she married Mr. Sharp they started a store in 1901 about 14 miles northwest of Duncan. In 1902 their store got a post office and it was named Nellie.

She also found the obituary of William Gentry, published in THE DUNCAN WEEKLY EAGLE, dated Thursday, Sept. 26, 1929:

County Pioneer Called By Death
W.M. Gentry, One of Oldest Citizens of County, Died Monday After Months of Suffering.

W.M. Gentry, a resident of this section for more than 39 years, died at the family home in Duncan at 9:40 o'clock Monday morning, following a lingering illness of several months duration. Mr. Gentry, who was 79 years old at the time of his death, moved to what is now Stephens county in 1890 and settled in the Arthur neighborhood, east of Duncan. He moved to Duncan some eight years ago. During his residence in the county Mr. Gentry saw the country develop from a wilderness to a great agricultural section, and played no small part in this development, for he was among the county's foremost citizens.

Funeral services were held at 3 o'clock Tuesday afternoon from the First Baptist church, conducted by Rev. J. J. Ward, a pioneer minister of this county, and the pastor, Rev. T. P. Haskins. Interment was in the Duncan cemetery, the arrangements being in charge of the Beeson Grantham Funeral Home.

Mr. Gentry was a native of Tenn., and moved in Indian Territory from the land of his nativity. Surviving him are his widow, five children and 27 grandchildren. The children are: Ed J. Gentry, Ft. Worth; John W. Gentry, Alpine, Tex.; Mrs. Marvin Payne, Duncan; E. H. Gentry, Oklahoma City; and Mrs. S. P. Hall, Roxanna, Tex. Two sisters, Mrs. Lum Parsons of Oklahoma City and Mrs. Jerry Williamson of Decatur, Tex., and two brothers, J. P. Gentry of Oklahoma City and J.E. Gentry of Arthur, also attended the funeral.

(Research):"Family Record-Parents' Names-Husband William Miller Gentry Born May 23rd 1851 Tenn. Wife Mary Evelyne Gentry Born Aug 27th 1856 W. Va. Married July 13 1873 at Grayson Co. Texas, lived in Texas 1873 to 189- Moved to Ind Ter." [Gentry, Ruth Pearl (1930) Family Genealogical Record Form (probably largely compiled by Ruth circa 1911-1930)-photocopy of the double spread torn pages in possession of Penny Ethlen Payne. Original with Scott Philip Hall?]

1900 census Chickasaw Nation IT (Stephens Co. OK) ED 166 pg. 40A
169/176
Gentry, William M., May 1852, 48, married 26, TN KY TN
Mollie E., Aug. 1856, 43, 8 children/7 living, VA VA VA
Frank M., son, May 1880, 20, TX
Edgar J., son, Dec. 1882, 17, TX
John W., son, Aug. 1885, 14, TX
Grace E., dau., Nov. 1888, 11, TX
Emory H., son, May 1893, 7, IT
Ruth P., dau., Dec. 1896, 3, IT
John M., father, Dec. 1827, Married 50, KY KY KY Pamelia C., mother, Mar. 1827, 7 children/5 living, TN TN VA

William married Mary "Molly" Evelyn Mounts on 12 Jul 1872 in Grayson County, Texas. Mary (daughter of William J. Mounts and Salinda Galloway) was born on 27 Aug 1857 in West Virginia; died on 10 Sep 1940 in Duncan, Stephens County, Oklahoma; was buried in Duncan Municipal Cemetery, Duncan, Stephens County, Oklahoma. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Known as "Molly." Her birth position uncertain, she was probably the youngest. She probably had TWO older brothers.

Ken Harvey wrote the following biography of Molly Mounts Gentry based on interviews with her daughter, Grace Ellen Gentry, grandson, Lewis Adair Payne, and other family members. He wrote that Molly was said to have been abducted by her father from his ex-wife and grandparents in West Virginia. The story that has come down is that William J. did not approve of the way they were bringing her up. He had secretly let her know that he was in the area, and she met him at a pre-arranged place. His own armed brothers, who had been on the Confederate side in the war, followed them, but William who had been a Captain on the Union side, was careful to eluded their pursuit. He let it be known that he intended going south on the Mississippi from Memphis. They, father and daughter, did just this and then they quickly backtracked going north at the first steamer wood fuel stop on the river. They arrived in Chicago, presumably by train, "as the great fire was going out"-that would have been just after 8th October 1871; when Mary was fourteen years old.

She later recalled that she had plenty of good clothes [during her three years] living with her father but she was not allowed to have a man touch her stockinged feet-this was considered inappropriate behaviour. He used to make a paper cut-out of his daughter's soles when she needed shoes. He was determined on proper behaviour. She had to walk with her arms straight down her sides and fix her gaze about twenty feet in front of her when walking in the public street.

She became engaged, at about the age of fifteen, to a young man who presented her with a large and beautiful ring. It seems highly likely that this liason had been arranged somehow by her father. One day she saw her fiance riding a horse in a park with another woman. Young Molly became very upset and went up to him. Taking it off her finger she handed the ring back to him saying that "this [marriage] is not going to work!" Her father and she left Chicago shortly afterwards.

William J. had hired a Mrs. Harris to be young Molly's live-in companion in Chicago. Mrs. Harris was a very strict and religious person who was very upset to discover her church minister playing poker with William J. one night after hours in a back room of his saloon. This saloon was somewhere to the south of Chicago. She said she was never going back to his church again. He was very amused about her outraged attitude and his surprising response to his daughter's prim adult companion was to say let us all leave the town.

They all drove off next morning and he just left his saloon business as it was when he closed it down the previous night. He used to laugh all the time about Mrs Harris' reaction to her preacher's infidelity to his supposed ideals-presumably out of her earshot.

Some time later, in the early 1870's, they all wound up in north Texas. It was presumably in Johnson Co. that young Molly set her heart on William Miller Gentry. He was six years older than her.

Molly's father, made it clear that he did not approve of her choice of Will Gentry. Was he aware of Will's probable previous marriage three years previously? He did not, however, interfere when she decided to marry him. Instead he presented the couple with a team of horses and a wagon (four wheels). William J. Mounts drove away from the wedding service in Grayson Co. having made his fairwells. He was evidently very disappointed and apparently rather angry with her choice. Angry enough for he was never to wish to see her again, nor did he.

Molly's grandfather-in-law, William Gentry, was a preacher. Mary had little time for him. It is noticable that he did not marry Molly and Will.

When they were living in Stevens Co., Oklahoma, Molly discovered that a neighbour there had once lived in Chicago. The neighbour's brother, a wealthy man, was still living in that northern city and he always wore a large diamond ring that his young fiance had returned to him when she rebuffed him. He had never married after his loss. It is not known if Molly revealed her extraordinary secret to her Oklahoma neighbour on Wildhorse Creek.

She used to tell a story about a relation of hers who had joined the army just after the Civil War. He had committed some infraction of the military rule book and was walking beside a General following an investigation into the event when he anxiously enquired of his superior, "what happens next?" The General replied, "we shoot at dawn." The comment was clearly not meant to be taken seriously, but it was. The evidently very nervous and highly impressionable young man immediately dropped dead from a severe heart attack.

1900-In the census of 1900 Molly recorded that she had had eight children of whom seven were still alive. This agrees with our list as we know Carrie had died from blood poisoning the previous year.

1930 census Stephens Co. OK King Twp., Duncan city, ED 69-4 Sheet 18B 725 8th St. ? 994/433 Gentry, Mary E., FW 73 Wd WV WV WV

The Duncan Eagle-Sept. 12, 1940 Mary E. Gentry, 84, Dead After Long Illness in Home Here Mrs. Mary Evelyn Gentry, 84, died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Marvin Payne, 813 Beech Ave. Tuesday afternoon, after a lingering illness with which she been afflicted for some time. She had been living with her daughter during the greater part of her illness. Other children are Ed J. Gentry, Duncan; John W. Gentry, Alpine, Texas; Emery H. Gentry, Oklahoma City; and Mrs S. P. Hall, Great Bend, Kan. Also surviving are 31 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. Funeral services will be held at 2:30 this afternoon in the First Baptist church with the Rev. Frank Sutton, pastor of the Immanuel Baptist church, officiating. Burial will be in Duncan cemetery. The Beeson-Grantham Funeral home was in charge of arrangements.

Notes:

Married:
Mr. and Mrs. W.M. Gentry Celebrate their "Golden Wedding Day"

Mr. and Mrs. W.M. Gentry of this city [Duncan] celebrated their "Golden Wedding Day" Friday at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Payne, a few miles east of this city, surrounded by their sons and daughters, grand children, great grandchildren and a host of relatives and friends.

Married 50 years ago in Pottsboro, Grayson County, Texas, Mr. and Mrs. Gentry came to Oklahoma before there was any Stephen's county of a city of Duncan. They have resided in Stephens county, near Duncan, for the last 33 years and in the city of Duncan for three years.

Mr. Gentry, who has passed the 72nd milestone of life, was born in Tennessee, and moved to Texas when that state was young. Mrs. Gentry was born in West Virginia and grew to womanhood in Illinois after which she moved with her parents to Texas.

Eight children were born to this union, six of whom are living. They are J.W. Gentry of Alpine, Texas; Mrs. Marvin Payne of Chickasha; Mrs. S.B. Hall of Garber, Oklahoma; and three sons who live on farms east of Duncan.

There are 24 grandchildren and five great grand children.

Mr. Gentry carries his age exceedingly well, as does also Mrs. Gentry and to see them as they go about their daily lives one would never suspect that they had travelled a-down the rosy pathway of love and life together for half a century.

(GOLDEN WEDDING REPORT Newspaper clipping cut from unidentified Duncan City, Oklahoma newspaper, probably the Banner)

Ken Harvey had the following to report about their union:

Will married Mary Evelyn Mounts on Saturday, 12th July 1873 in Grayson Co., Texas. The marriage licence merely states that they were married by M. F. Cole. The marriage licence gives no further information. The day was incorrectly recorded as 13th. The question does arise as to why Will's grandfather, Preacher William Gentry, did not conduct the ceremony.

His father-in-law William J. Mounts did not approve of young Will as a husband for his daughter Molly. He told his young daughter that "Will was just a Tennessee farm boy, and though pleasant enough, he would never amount to anything." She was not dissuaded.

Will, it was always generally agreed, was evidently not very ambitious and rather easy going. Much later on, after her husband, Will's, death, Molly used to remonstrate with her young grandson Lewis Adair Payne "Get up and get going, you are just like Will sitting there for half an hour on your bed before making a move."

James married Angie Cordelia Green before 1892. Angie was born on 13 Jan 1862 in Longview, Gregg County, Texas; died on 7 Apr 1932 in Tuttle, Grady County, Oklahoma; was buried in Tuttle Cemetery, Grady County, Oklahoma. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

She was the daughter of J.N. Green of Tennessee and Allie Bass of South Carolina. Angie remarried after the death of her husband, and in 1910 was living with J.W. Carnahan in Stephens County, Oklahoma. Living with them were her two stepsons, William and Paul, ages 8 and 6, and three of her children, Ella 18, Clyde 16, and Lillie age 13. It was indicated that she was the mother of 7 children, all of whom were still living.