Tabitha (Murphy) Gentry (abt. 1767 - bef. 1822)

Born about 1767 in Virginia [uncertain]

Ancestors

Died before 1822 before about age 55 in Knox, Tennessee, United States [uncertain]

Biography

The assumption is made that Tabitha was the daughter of Sarah Barton, though some sources name William's first wife Mary Fanquoy (aka Mary Martha Fanquoy Hodges?) as Tabitha's mother. Others (such as the following cited book) fail to mention her (by name) at all. Unsourced family trees show Tabitha married to Jesse Gentry, with children Mary, Martin, & Isaac - they may have lived in Knox Co, TN.

"Sarah Murphy, the widow of Rev. William Murphy, and mother of David, William and Joseph, being issues of the Rev. Murphy's former marriage, after settling the affairs of her husband, purchased a flat boat, loaded it with all her possessions, and with the remainder of the family, consisting of two sons, Isaac and Jesse, and one or two daughters, a grandson by the name of William Evans, then nine years of age, a hired lad about eighteen years old, a negro woman and boy, cast her fortune on the Holston River." http://web.archive.org/web/20050226062957/http://www.pastracks.com:80/murphy/murphy3.htm

One tree also cites the following deed listing (with last paragraph commentary) which supports Mary Gentry Keith as daughter of Tabitha:

"A:58 26 November 1822, Jesse and Patsy Murphy of the Territory of Arkansas sold to Isaac Murphy of St. Francois, for $700, 200 arpents. This land became vested in Jesse as heir of Sarah Murphy, deceased, now in suit in St. Francois Circuit Court. [Partition on pp. 88-89 granted one part to Jesse Murphy left in his possession at the death of Sarah Murphy; second allotment to Isaac Murphy; third allotment of 82 acres to David Murphy, heir of Sarah, deceased, which was in the possession of David Murphy, Sen. at the death of Sarah; allotment four to Richard Murphy; fifth allotment of 100 acres to Dubart Murphy; sixth allotment of 100 acres to William Gentry and Mary Gentry, now Mary Keith, lawful issue of Tabitha Gentry, heiress of Sarah Murphy, deceased; and seventh allotment to William Evans, only heir of Sarah Evans, deceased, and heir of Sarah Murphy, deceased. Partition reported on 1 December 1823. Appeal of heirs followed.]"

[Note: The abstract of this deed dated 26 November 1822 is confusing. It describes the sale of 200 arpents of land by Jesse Murphy of Arkansas Territory to Isaac Murphy. Jesse did have an older brother named Isaac, born about 1779 and correctly described as an heir of their mother, Sarah Murphy, farther down in the deed, but this Isaac died in Franklin Co., MO, in January of 1821 and thus was already deceased at the time of the court proceeding. Why are not this Isaac's heirs (i.e., Isaiah b. 1815, Elijah b. 1817 and Mary Ann b. 1820) not listed as are the children of Tabitha (Murphy) Gentry and Sarah (Murphy) Evans, both of whom were also deceased by 1822?]

Sources

HISTORY OF REV. WILLIAM MURPHY AND HIS DESCENDANTS 1798-1918 by Alice Murphy Sturgess Printed by: Nixon-Jones Printing Co., St. Louis, MO 1918

Source: Marsha Hoffman Rising, CG, FASG, Genealogical Gems from Early Missouri Deeds 1815-1850 [Westminster, MD: Heritage Books, Inc., 2004], p. 283

Footnotes

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to Maureen Henigan for starting this profile. Click the Changes tab for the details of contributions by Maureen and others.