Individual Details

The first Gentrys found in colonial Virginia were Samuel and Nicholas Gentry. Samuel either died or returned to England as he soon disappeared from the records. The two men lived on adjoining properties indicating a likely relationship. They had children baptized in St. Peter's Parish, New Kent Co, at about the same time, 1687, indicating they were probably close in age.

No wife is ever identified - some have maintained that a marriage in England of a Nicholas Gentle to a Lucy Cornelius was this man but IT IS NOT. Aactual parish record sources in England, on Ancestry.com, that prove Lucy Cornelius and her true husband, Nicholas Gentle, had a family in Westminster, Middlesex, England, exactly where the 1690 marriage license was issued. They had at least 6 recorded children born after 1690 until 1705, including two males named Nicholas, and one female named Lucy. That is all pretty conclusive. See the Nicholas Gentle and Lucy Cornelius family at: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GK2K-ZY5.

From CAVALIERS & PIONEERS, Nugent, Vol II, p.282:
Samuell Gentrey, 300 acres, New Kent Co; S. side York R; betw. brs. of same and brs. of Tottapottamoys Cr. 21 Oct 1684. Adj. Col John Page Esqr, Edward Houchin, & Nicholas Gentrey. Trans. of 6 pers: John Morris, Francis Middleton, Hen. Tully, Elizabeth Ody, Mor. Gardner, 2.
Here is the disposition of Samuel Gentry's grant:
From CAVALIERS:
Book III, p.107 David Holt 300 acres New Kent, S side York R bet branches of river & Totopotomoys Creek 2 May 1706. Adj Col. John Page, Edward Hawkins, Nicholas Gentry. Granted Samuel Gentry 21 Oct 1684; deeded to David Crawford, Grandfather of said David Holt on 5 Jan 1685 who conveyed to David Holt by deed of gift 28 May 1686. David Holt was then and still is a minor.

That Nicholas Gentry's transport to America was paid by another is evidences by CAVALIERS, Vol III, p.37
George Alves, 1014 acres, New Kent Co in St. Peter's Par; both sides Totopotomoys Cr, 24 Apr 1700. Trans. of 21 per. [includes Nicholas Gentry as well as George & Alice Alves]
This transport was obviously claimed some years after the fact as Nicholas Gentry was already living on the Tottapottamoy in 1684. The Alves family will also be found living near the Gentry's upriver at a later settlement.

Samuel Gentry was likely the first of the two men to arrive. From Court Order Book 1, Middlesex Co VA is the following entry dated 7 Sep 1674.
Certificate is graunted this day to Nicholas Cocke upon his Oath according to Act for transportation of Seven persons. Richard Anderson, Samm Salmon, Daniel Allpool, Jane Ward, Robert Reppett, Clemcent de Loppo, Saml Gentry.

28 Feb 1689, the vestry of St. Peter's Parish met and ordered processioning of each man'as property. The processioners were to do their work between the "tenth day of this Instant May and the tenth day of June next" Nic: Gentry was among those named to serve as processioners.

29 Aug 1689, daughter Elizabeth's baptism was recorded, St. Peter's Parish, New Kent Co.
13 Dec 1702, Mabell, daughter of Nicho. Gentrey was baptized.

27 Feb 1702/3, the vestry of St. Peter's Parish made the following order:
"George Alvis aploying him Selfe to this vestrey for help to Cleere the roades in his prescinct is ordered John Tyler, Richard Maidlin, Nicholas Gentrey, Thomas Tinsley, John Burley and all the Tithables from thence up the north side of Totopotomoys Creeke"

English Duplicates of Lost Virginia Records, compiled by Louis des Cognets, Jr., Baltimore, GPC, 1958, Reprinted: 1960, 1981, 1990.
Nich: Gentry, 250 acres, New Kent County, Rent Roll in the Parish of St. Peters and St. Paull, 1704

14 Mar 1708/9 Nicholas & Joseph Gentry were ordered to assist in repairing and maintaining a road - they were identify as being part of parish precinct 13. No Nicholas is mentioned again until 1719 when a Nicholas Gentry was processioned as occupying land near Stone Horse Creek - the opposite end of the parish from the Totopotomoy Creek homestead of Nicholas, the immigrant. It is likely that Nicholas I was now dead and the land in 1719 belonged to Nicholas, his son of the same name.

The dates of birth and death for Nicholas are simply those that appear often in databases - there apparently is no record of either although he probably was born 1657-1662.

The articles online in the JOURNAL OF GENTRY GENEALOGY have dispelled some of the myths generated through the years in regard to Nicholas & Samuel Gentry. One story was that they had served in the British Army against Nathaniel Bacon's Rebellion of 1676 and then remained. Since Samuel had come two years earlier, this story is obviously not possible.
Parents have been proposed as Samuel Gentry & Margaret Draper but this cannot be substantiated. There were Gentrys in county Essex in England and in Kelvedon parish are records of baptisms of children of Nathaniel & Mary Gentry to include a Samuel born 22 Jul 1649. There is no Nicholas but that does not rule out the possibility that there was also a Nicholas - there is also no record of the marriage of this Nathaniel & Mary Gentry. A wife named Lucy Cornelius is present in the Ancestral File of the LDS church; proved to be very wrong - her husband was Nicholas Gentle and remained in England. No record has been found that gives the name of the wife of Nicholas Gentry.

Another wife is reported to have been a Mabel Wood - this is erroneous. In the St. Peter Parish Vestry Book, 25 Nov 1700, Mabell Wood, widow, received a payment from the vestry for her support. On 22 Oct 1701, Nicholas Gentry was paid for clothes and sundry items for Mabell Wood. Nicholas did name a daughter Mabel - she was baptized 13 Dec 1702. Perhaps Mabel Wood that needed care was a mother-in-law or sister-in-law.

There is a distinct possibility that Nicholas was married twice because of what seems to be a rather wide span in the ages of his children.

The Internet has widely adopted - Lucy Cornelius. It is said tha Nicholas married her by "proxie" (sic - wrong spelling) and brought her later to America and she wasn't the mother of Elizabeth. Here is what can be found on FindMyPast (the record cited for the above).
I have a FindMyPast subscription. Lucy Cornelius married Nicholas GENTLE. The Boyd's Marriage Index lists the marriage as being in a PARISH register - License issued in the Faculty Office as per usual for the times - nothing there about any proxy. Boyd's Index is a transcript itself and the original is not digitized if it still exists. Nicholas GENTLE also has a birth and death record in the Parish Register. Born 20 Sep 1666, St. Margaret, Westminster - parents John & Ellinor GENTLE. There is a baptism record for a Nicholas Gentle, parents are Nicholas & Lucie, on 9 Jan 1697, also at St Margaret's - when Nicholas Gentry was in Virginia - I don't think he impregnated Lucie by proxy, nor would he have been hopping back and forth across the Atlantic. Two persons named Nicholas GENTLE were buried from St. Margaret's - one 28 Aug 1698 and one on 23 Feb 1704. Both after said marriage. There is even a later marriage for a Nicholas Gentle in 1727 - probably the man born in 1697. Show me any RECORD that proves any Lucy Gentry came "later" and that she existed in Virginia. Show me any RECORD that ties this Gentle family to any Gentry family in America. Even the Ancestry database of Boyd's shows this spelling as GENTLE, not GENTRY.
FindMyPast plainly shows the surname as GENTLE, not Gentry. They do not sound the same phonetically, either. Nowhere on FindMyPast does the spelling appear as Gentry.
A clever "story" has been invented to reconcile these records in England of a very different family from the Nicholas Gentry in Virginia. There is NOTHING that proves this is the same surname, the same family.

Birth	Abt 1660	England
Death	Ca 1710	Hanover County, Virginia

Spouse	Living
Child	Joseph Gentry (1688 - )
Child	Elizabeth Gentry ( - )
Child	Samuel Gentry (1691 - 1780)
Child	NICHOLAS Gentry II ( - 1779)
Child	Mabel Gentry ( - )
Child	James Gentry ( - )
Child	David Gentry (1707 - 1765)
Child	William Gentry (1711 - )

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