Individual Details
(Abt, 1741 - Abt, 1782)
"Nicholas is known far more for his brief time in Tennessee than for anything else. He was listed for jury duty in Ninety-Six District in 1779, then moved from South Carolina to eastern Tennessee, during the middle of the Revolutionary War. This move undoubtedly came about in response to contemporary interest in a Transylvania land company founded by Richard Henderson who negotiated a treaty with Cherokee Indians for millions of acres of land in Kentucky and northern Tennessee. This was in conflict with the British Line of Demarcation which restricted settlements to the eastern side of the Appalachian Mountains, and was declared illegal by both Virginia and North Carolina. With the onset of the Revolutionary War, would-be settlers wanting to beat the land rush to new western territories began to flood into eastern Tennessee including a group from South Carolina. Nicholas was apparently among these. He is thought to have settled briefly in what is now Sullivan County, Tennessee, but was then Washington County, North Carolina. Nicholas continued westward, probably in 1780, shortly after the James Robertson trip overland in December 1779 from the Holston River to French Lick on the Cumberland River, where Robertson founded Fort Nashboro. There have been persistent stories of Nicholas and a hypothetical son William being killed by Indians outside the walls of Fort Nashboro. There is no record of Nicholas being included among the fort inhabitants, but there is no question he died, probably near his home which is believed to have been a few miles south of the fort. A son, William, did not exist, this story apparently arising from the killing of another William on the Tennessee River some years later. The North Carolina legislature passed an act in 1784, stating: "That the following were killed in the defence and settlement of Davidson County and would be entitled to a grant of 640 acres of land without any payment due except for payment of the surveyor and office fees." Among the names listed, was Nicholas Gentry. This land was later claimed by Nicholas' son John, in Sullivan County. One son, Randal Gentry, was killed before Nicholas, then John, himself, was killed by Indians shortly afterwards, but his brothers, George, Samuel, and Nicholas Jr. and sister Nancy, continued to live in Tennessee for some years afterwards. (George and Nicholas eventually moved to Texas). Nicholas' widow, the former Elizabeth Gibson, remarried after his death." (Gentry Journal, May 2002.)
Events
| Birth | Abt, 1741 | Hanover County (later Louisa County), Virginia | | | |
| Marriage | Abt, 1766 | Johnson County, North Carolina - Elizabeth P. Gibson | | | |
| Death | Abt, 1782 | Fort Nashboro, Davidson County, Tennessee | | | |
Families