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Edward
D. "Eddie" Gentry
Edward D. Gentry was born in
October 1865 in Kansas or Indian Territory to Eli Gentry (1841–?) and his wife Lucy (1842–?). His parents were
termed "mulatto" in Census records and "colored" in Denison
City Directories. Edward had two younger siblings, William and Alyna or Alyssa. In Edward's teen years, his father
operated a saloon on South Austin Avenue, organized a black minstrel touring
group, had frequent brushes with the law, and participated in lodge activities
in the African American community. Living in a busy downtown location at 205
West Woodard Street, Edward's mother Lucy was a laundress or stayed home
raising the children. In January 1880, the family mourned the death of a small
child. In 1887, the Denison City
Directory listed Edward as a barber at Thompson & Lott,
operated by two African Americans, Joseph Thompson and Sylvester Lott. This business, billed as
“barbers, shop and bath rooms,” occupied space at 104 West Main
Street (the Lebrecht Building, built in 1884), at the southwest corner of Main
Street and Houston Avenue. This was the heart of the action around the Union
Depot. In 1891, Edward was a barber with
Eugene Lafon at 111 East Main Street. He was rooming with another
"colored" barber, Jesse A. Coleman. Jesse's barber shop shared a
location at 209 South Austin Avenue with Eli Gentry's nightclub; and Jesse lived
at 104 West Bond Street. Also on Wednesday, October 29, 1890, Edward married Susie Davis, a black woman born October 1862 in Tennessee. The Sunday Gazetteer Sunday, November 2, 1890 pg. 4 COLORED SOCIETY Wednesday evening the colored Methodist church, corner of Austin avenue and Bond Street, was overflowing with the best and most intelligent element of Denison's colored population, the occasion being the marriage ceremony of Ed Gentry and Susie Davis, Rev. J.E. Russell, pastor of the congregation, officiating. The building was beautifully decorated. A number of white people were present. The wedding presents were as follows: Mr. Gentry's father, sister and brothers fitted the happy couple out with a complete set of parlor, bedroom and kitchen furniture. Mr. and Mrs. Joe Thompson, washstand set Mr. and Mrs. D.W. Walton, silver napkin rings Mrs. C. Diamond, china breakfast set and silver spoons Mr. and Mrs. McCracken and Mrs. and Miss Webb, china dinner set Nancy Van, a safe Miss Cora Hudson and E. Hammonds, cut glass water set Mr. and Mrs. Ellisworth, cut glass water set Mr. and Mrs. J. Coleman, cut glass set Mr. and Mrs. Watson of Dallas, vinegar jar Mr. and Mrs. Hale of Parsons, Kansas, individual castors Miss O. Smith, china desert set Mr. and Mrs. M. Moss, silver spoons Mr. and Mrs. D.W. Williams, silver spoons Mr. and Mrs. N. Cubit, plus rocker Mr. and Mrs. A. Stevenson, lamp and lace curtains Miss Reynolds, plush case, comb and brush Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Reynolds, cuspidor Mr. and Mrs. Maxey, culinary articles Mr. and Mrs. Smallwood, table scarf Miss Turner, napkins Mr. and Mrs. W. Shaw, napkins Miss Clark, napkins Mr. and Mrs. James Poole, napkins Mr. and Mrs. W.B. Johnson, napkins Mr. and Mrs. Hill, table linen Miss L. Hill, table linen Mr. and Mrs. J. Smith, table linen Scott Coleman, moustache cup Madam Godin, carpet Mr. and Mrs. Dr. Ray, butter knife Miss Lizzie Reed, table hand-painted scarf Miss . Gentry, hand-painted table scarf Willie and Alice Gentry, center table Plus sofa by S. Lott, Wash Poole, O. Scott, W. Franklin, James Figures, C.H. Hamilton, and C. Douglass, young men of Denison Messrs Harvey and Herrin, bowl and pitcher Miss A. WHite, cuspidor Miss Jennie Duncans, pair vases Mr. and Mrs. I. Crinshaw and Mr. and Mrs. Tom Scott, fruit bowl and berry dishes Miss Roxie Hill, cut glass water pitcher Miss L. Pettit, vinegar jar Mr. and Mrs. Russell, work basket and pitcher Mr. and Mrs. I. Williams, hand-painted table scarf And many others which our space prevents mentioning. In October 1892, they
would have a daughter, Bernice. Around this same time (1891), Eddie's parents and
his sister Alyna/Alyssa either moved away or died, for they were no longer
mentioned in existing records. Nor do they appear in local cemetery records. Five years later, Edward had his
own barber shop at 109 East Main Street, close to the Union Depot and in a
prime location to catch travelers tired after loading commodities onto trains
or emerging at their destination after long train rides. Working the barber
shop with Edward was another African-American barber, James S. Love. Edward continued to upgrade his
enterprise, which was located on the second floor above other businesses and
offered hot baths in addition to shaves and haircuts. The 1898-1899 City
Directory called it the Palace Barber Shop, and Eddie's former employer,
Sylvester Lott, worked there, as did Peter Williams and Sherley O. Platt. They
were all African Americans. Williams may have been a part owner, as the
directory listed him also operating another Palace Barber Shop at 106 North
Rusk Avenue. At this time, Edward Gentry and his wife had taken up residence at
627 West Bond Street. Platt lived a block away at 527 West Bond. Through 1905, Edward remained at the same location and lived at the same address. Then he moved his business to 107 West Main in 1907. Around this time, the interior of his shop was featured in Industrial Denison, a high-quality pictorial book advertising Denison's most impressive homes and businesses.
"Shaving Parlor of E. D. Gentry, 109 East Main Street." Eddie passed away on July 14,
1908, and was buried in Denison's Oakwood Cemetery. As a fixture in downtown
since his childhood, he seems to have been a great favorite of town leaders,
who helped his surviving wife and daughter. As the widowed mother of a
school-age daughter, Susie took in laundry. But by 1911, she had snagged the
prestigious position of matron at the Union Station. Bernice completed her
education and by 1913 had become a teacher at Anderson School, the
African-American school near her home. The two women continued to live at 627
West Bond. Later Bernice lived in Dallas, where she died on May 4, 1969.
 Biography Index African American Biography Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |
