In Memoriam: Sallie Phillips Gentry (1862- 1891)

 

Sallie Phillips Gentry

Born:  August 31, 1862

Died: November 15, 1891

Daughter of Wm & Amanda Phillips.

Granddaughter of Ivie Phillips

Married Sam Gentry Dec 1 1881

Buried at Simpson Cemetery

Survived by 

Parents Wm L & Amanda Phillips

Husband: Samuel Gentry

Sons:

Raleigh Gentry

Benjamin Gentry

Zona A. Gentry

Ivey Gentry

Sources:  

Baptist and Reflector, January 21, 1892, p  15, col 2; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/baptist-and-reflector-sallie-gentry-obi/205605217/ : accessed September 8, 2026), clip page for Sallie Gentry--Obit.[This announcement was placed in the Baptist and Reflector publication of the Union Ridge Baptist Church Committee--Edna Simpson, Edna Elmore and Alta Reid.]

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/78209356/sarah_t-gentry: accessed 8 Sep 2026), memorial page for Sarah T. Phillips Gentry (31 Aug 1862–15 Nov 1891), Memorial ID 78209356, citing Simpson Cemetery, Bedford County, Tennessee, USA.

In Memoriam: Mrs. Kittie Keller Simpson (1869-1951)

 

Mrs. Kittie Keller Simpson

Born:   November 1, 1868

Died:   January 13, 1951

Buried in Simpson Cemetery

Parents:  Frank M. and Lucinda Ayers Keller

Married in 1891 to J. W. Simpson (d. 1934)

Member of Rover Baptist Church

She and her husband both taught in the local schools for 50 years.

Survivors:

Son, Grady Simpson of Nashville

Brother, R. I. Keller of Murfreesboro

Four grandchildren

Sources:

The Rutherford Courier, January 16, 1951, p  1, col 4; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-rutherford-courier-obituary-for-kitt/205479222/ : accessed September 7, 2026), clip page for Obituary for Kittie Simpson.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/95239453/katherine-simpson: accessed 7 Sep 2026), memorial page for Katherine “Kitty” Keller Simpson (1 Nov 1868–13 Jan 1951), .Memorial ID 95239453, citing Simpson Cemetery, Bedford County, Tennessee, USA.

In Memoriam: Margaret Thomason Simpson (1830-1909)

 

Margaret Thomason Simpson

Born:  May 6, 1830

Died:  August 15, 1909

Buried in Simpson Cemetery

Joined Union Ridge Baptist in August of 1851

Married John W. Simpson on May 6, 1855

Widowed:  October 21, 1869

Survivors:  4 children

James William Simpson 

Benjamin Isaiah Simpson

Mary Elizabeth Simpson Faris

Thomas David Simpson

Sources:

Baptist and Reflector, November 25, 1909, p 14. col 2; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/baptist-and-reflector-margaret-thomason/205342753/ : accessed September 5, 2026), clip page for Margaret Thomason Simpson--Obit.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/95244494/margaret_w-simpson: accessed 5 Sep 2026), memorial page for Margaret W. Thomason Simpson (6 Mar 1830–15 Aug 1909), Memorial ID 95244494, citing Simpson Cemetery, Bedford County, Tennessee, USA.

In Memoriam: James William Simpson (1856-1934)

 

James William Simpson
Born: March 13, 1856
Died: November 14, 1934
Married Kitty Keller January 14, 1891
Son: Frances "Frank" Grady Simpson
Taught in Public Schools for over 50 yrs in AL & TN

Sources:
Baptist and Reflector, February 7, 1935, p 10, col 4, Simpson; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/baptist-and-reflector-obituary-for-james/205079040/ : accessed September 1, 2026), clip page for Obituary for James William Simpson.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/95238665/james_william-simpson: accessed 3 Sep 2026), memorial page for James William Simpson Jr. (1856–14 Nov 1934), Memorial ID 95238665, citing Simpson Cemetery, Bedford County, Tennessee, USA.

In Memoriam: Benjamin Isaiah Simpson (1858-1932)

Benjamin Isaiah Simpson
Born:  May 25, 1858
Died:  Sep 22, 1932
Married Edna A Kimmons November 10, 1880
Predeceased by son, Eris K Simpson

Survivors:

Wife, Edna Kimmons Simpson

Sons:  

Robert Webb Simpson

Thomas Edgar Simpson

Benjamin Fred Simpson

Roy Jennings Simpson

Daughters:  

Naomi Ella "Nonnie" Simpson Davis

Alta Simpson Clay(Mrs. Edward Mastin Clay)

Deacon at Union Ridge Baptist
Mason
Member of Odd Fellows

Source:

Baptist and Reflector, May 4, 1933, p  8, col 4; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/baptist-and-reflector-obituary-for-b-i/205167282/ : accessed September 2, 2026), clip page for Obituary for B. I. SIMPSON.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18809707/benjamin_isaiah-simpson: accessed 2 Sep 2026), memorial page for Benjamin Isaiah Simpson (25 May 1858–22 Sep 1932), Memorial ID 18809707, citing Simpson Cemetery, Bedford County, Tennessee, USA.

In Memoriam: Mrs. Edna Kimmins Simpson (1861-1943)

Mrs. Edna Kimmins Simpson

Born:  April  5th 1861(Not given in article--date from FindAGrave)
Died:  July 20th, 1943

Buried at Simpson Cemetery in Rover.

One of the oldest members of Union Ridge Baptist Church at Rover, Tenn.
She united with this church in early life and was a willing worker in Sunday School, the W.M.U. and all church work.

She was married to B.I. Simpson in 1880. They had 7 children, 5 of which survive her.

To know her was to love her and she had made many friends during her eighty-two years.
Her influence will live on in her children, grandchildren and friends.

Source:

Baptist and Reflector, February 17, 1944, p 17, col 2, obituary of Edna Kimmins Simpson; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/baptist-and-reflector-obituary-for-edna/204967014/ : accessed August 30, 2026), clip page for Obituary for Edna Kimmins Simpson.

Hights in Johnson County Illinois

My mother DNA tested at AncestryDNA and I have viewer rights to a number of my Cook / Putman cousins match list there as well.  Mom's test  helps to sort matches so that I know if they don't match her they are thru my Dad. I sort Dad's lines into Cooke / King and  Jakes / Frizzell.  I can further sort within each group.   We have a group of  matches who are the descendants of  John Hight and Eleanor Nichols.  These matches are shared with my Cook / Putman cousins.  Several of their descendants were already in my tree as they are kin to some of my Putman cousins but not thru the sibling of the Putman I match.  

A number of these Hights were in the area of Bedford County where my W. C. Cook(2nd Gr Grandfather) lived and one among the purchasers from the estate of Joseph S Cook.(W.C. was admin of that estate but we do not know WC's connection to Joseph)  Many  times the movement of our ancestors occurs because of their desire to own land.  Some of John & Eleanor's descendants moved to Johnson County Illinois.  Illinois uses the public land survey system(think grids) and because of this I can use HistoryGeo's First Landowners Project to look at Johnson Co. IL to see if I can find any of the Hights.  A visual reference can be very helpful.

I was able to find them and also some surnames that were familiar to me from my research of the Cook and Putman lines.  Now to add exploring all of the Johnson Co IL records to my "To Do" list.  I'm still working on the ones in Williamson, Maury, Rutherford, Bedford and Marshall Co TN--places where descendants of the Y DNA line which my Cooks match were known to have been.   

Notes:  

HIGHT-- There is another Archibald Hight mentioned in Maury Co TN  probate records. The purchasers at the estate sale  are Richard B Hight, Sion Hight, Robert Hight, Wm Hight and several others.

Ancestry.com. Tennessee, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1779-2008 Maury Co TN  Wills Vol B-C 1809-1825 images 635(sale p.390) & 698(inventory p. 495) of 714.

Ancestry.com. Tennessee, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1779-2008 Maury Co TN  Wills Vol D-E 1826-1832  image 117(settlement p.170) of 596.

SMITH--While Smith is a very common surname it is one that intermarries with Hight, Harrisons and Putmans.

SIMPSON--The cemetery where W.C. Cook & his wife are buried in Bedford Co TN is the Simpson Cemetery.  It was named after the family who gave the land for the cemetery.(John W Simpson)

THOGMORTON--Typed index to burned volumes made from the register's notebook 1852-1861 for Bedford Co has an entry for a deed from a Thomas Cook to Martha Thugmorton(similar enough to note)  See list on profile page of W C Cook in my Cooke / Luna Tree at Ancestry.