William Miller Gentry b. 23 May 1851 Tennessee d. 23 Sep 1929 Duncan, Stephens County, Oklahoma: Strong McLemore Ancestry

1851 - 1929 (78 years)

Name	William Miller Gentry [1]
Born	23 May 1851	Tennessee [1]
Gender	Male
Died	23 Sep 1929	Duncan, Stephens County, Oklahoma
Buried	Duncan Municipal Cemetery, Duncan, Stephens County, Oklahoma
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
Person ID	I5759	Strong Family Tree
Last Modified	17 Aug 2014

Father	John Melton Gentry, b. 19 Dec 1827, Kentucky , d. 3 Mar 1904, Alma, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory (Age 76 years)
Mother	Pamelia C Harpole, b. 20 Mar 1827, Obion County, Tennessee , d. 19 Jul 1903, Alma, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory (Age 76 years)
Married	Abt 1850	Tennessee
	Fay Payne Yeager reports they had another daughter, named Mary. "She is not on a census but family history tells that John and Pamelia had a daughter named Mary that died young. An old saying was, "If a person is sitting by a window and a bird comes and sits on the window sill, that person is going to die." This happened to Mary." Ken Harvey is adament their is not daughter Mary. It was thought that a gravestone in the Oakland Cemetery in Johnson Co. TX that reads: "Sacred to the Memory of M. Mary Gentry Jan. ?, 18?5 (1865?) -- 1869" might be hers. However, an earlier transcription of the cemetery proves that this headstone was for the wife of Preacher William Gentry, whose date of birth was 1805, and who died in 1869.
Family ID	F164	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family Mary "Molly" Evelyn Mounts, b. 27 Aug 1857, West Virginia , d. 10 Sep 1940, Duncan, Stephens County, Oklahoma (Age 83 years)

Married 12 Jul 1872 Grayson County, Texas [2]

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."

Children

	1. Carrie Francis Gentry, b. Abt 1875, Texas , d. 1899, Oklahoma (Age ~ 24 years)
	2. Permelia Gertrude Gentry, b. Aug 1876, Texas , d. 11 Sep 1906, Stephens County, Oklahoma (Age ~ 30 years)
	3. Franklin Melton Gentry, b. 24 May 1880, Texas , d. 11 Jun 1928, Stephens County, Oklahoma (Age 48 years)
	4. Edgar Jeffery Gentry, b. 26 Dec 1882, Decatur, Wise County, Texas , d. 5 Jan 1967, Duncan, Stephens County, Oklahoma (Age 84 years)
	5. John William Gentry, b. 9 Aug 1885, Decatur, Wise County, Texas , d. 20 Oct 1972, Alpine, Brewster County, Texas (Age 87 years)
	6. Grace Ellen Gentry, b. 3 Nov 1888, Decatur, Wise County, Texas , d. 16 Dec 1966, Stillwater, Payne County, Oklahoma (Age 78 years)
	7. Emory Howell Gentry, Sr., b. 26 May 1893, Stephens County, Indian Territory , d. 1 Aug 1967, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma (Age 74 years)
	8. Ruth Pearl Gentry, b. 19 Dec 1896, Arthur, Parks Township, Stephens County, Oklahoma , d. 27 Dec 1987, Pampa, Gray County, Texas (Age 91 years)

Last Modified 13 Nov 2010

Family ID F1107 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Event Map

	Born - 23 May 1851 - Tennessee
	Married - 12 Jul 1872 - Grayson County, Texas
	Died - 23 Sep 1929 - Duncan, Stephens County, Oklahoma
	Buried - - Duncan Municipal Cemetery, Duncan, Stephens County, Oklahoma

= Link to Google Earth

Headstones
Gentry, William Miller and Mary (Mounts)

Sources

[S98] 1860 United States Federal Census [Ancestry.com database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004., (Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Eighth Census of the United States, 1860. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1860. M653, 1,438 rolls. This database is an index to individuals enumerated in the 1860 United States Federal Census, the Eighth Census of the United States. Census takers recorded many details including each person's name, age as of the census day, sex, color; birthplace, occupation of males over age fifteen, and more. No relationships were shown between members of a household. Additionally, the names of those listed on the population schedule are linked to actual images of the 1860 Federal Census.).
[S315] Rainey, Juanita (sparklestree@aol.com) "Juanita's Family Tree" Ver. Jun 23 22:39:06 2003; http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=gentry536, Other researchers show the date of marriage as being in 1873 (Reliability: 3).