tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74921398262632288622024-03-07T22:52:27.936-08:00Gentry GenealogyInformation concerning the GENTRY Family and collateral branchesSuesuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17082483548637693308noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492139826263228862.post-41874884388690340742012-05-16T07:48:00.006-07:002012-05-16T07:48:57.461-07:00THOMAS HASTON GENTRY<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">The following tribute is an excerpt from “MOTHER &
DADDY” by Jean Gentry Beam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
wonderful and loving memory booklet was written as a Christmas gift to her
family in 1976.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><em>“Thomas Hasten
Gentry, born March 1, 1891 was my grandfather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He owned and operated flour mills in the Woodsdale and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Chub</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Lake</st1:placetype></st1:place>
communities [NC].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His first wife was
Pearl Strange.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had two sons; my
father, Charlie Floyd, and one other son who died as a child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Granddaddy married a second wife, Minnie
Howerton.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Four children were born,
Raymond, Clarie, Lucille and Lambeth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This wife died leaving the five little children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His third wife is Virgie Regan, born October
24, 1901, mother to these five and the only grandmother we have ever had.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em>
</em></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The memory of
Thomas Hasten Gentry is that of a quiet man – never much at talking, yet always
thinking and perhaps worrying a bit more than he should.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He loved his children and grandchildren and
great-grandchildren.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A special gleam
would show in his eyes as he handed out those tiny bags of goodies from his
store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He started in the grocery
business after the flour mills closed down.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em>
</em></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He loved to
fish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sitting for hours by the pond bank
gave him more time to think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of us
grandchildren enjoyed an occasional fishing trip with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And one day on a very special fishing trip, I
remember he lighted the paper thin bark of a Birch tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Patsy was very frightened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He enjoyed the harmless joke, but became
concerned about Patsy’s fears.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em>
</em></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was a farmer, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember the corn fields in the yard of the
Woodsdale house.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em>
</em></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His first flour
mill was at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Woodsdale</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">NC</st1:state></st1:place>, in 1929.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This mill was powered by a Diesel Engine.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em>
</em></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1930, he
bought the flour mill at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Chub</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Lake</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the mill businesses, he operated
Buchanan’s Store and lived in the School House at Woodsdale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later he ran a store at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Chub</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Lake</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After closing this store, he opened the
present store which Grammie still runs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They lived in the neat house beside the grocery store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grandmother, or Grammie, as the
great-grandchildren call her, still lives in this immaculate white house and
faithfully attends to all the work of home and store.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em>
</em></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thomas Hasten was
very proud of his children and in his later years was carefully looked after by
the oldest son, Charlie, who loved him equally in return.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other four children had moved away from
their native state and have families of their own.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em>
</em></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember how
proud he was of letters from any of his children or any news about each of
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when they would come for a
visit, he talked of these visits for a long time following.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em>
</em></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grandmother
looked after him and his needs very carefully – trying to help him eat the
right foods, and to get enough rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
think the fishing trips afforded “rest and a time away” for this introspective
man.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em>
</em></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He died on April
22, 1966 at the age of seventy-five.”</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>Suesuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17082483548637693308noreply@blogger.com0