Samuel Gann of Winchester Va Family

Compiled and Submitted byRexford C. Alexander rexcalex@bellsouth.net Gertrude Rosetta Gentry Gann Gertie, as she was known, was born July 27, 1902 to William Newton and Rosa Caroline (Green) Gentry. She was the first of nine children. It is unknown exactly where she was born, but the last Gentry homestead was on Back Valley Road in Hodgetown, which was part of Sale Creek, Tennessee .Her siblings were: Lola Virginia. (1904) who married Jack Hogue, John N. (1906) who married Sarah Adkins, Ruth ((1908) who died at age 2, Thomas Franklin (1911) married Lois ?, Anna Mae (1913), Emma Jane (1917) who lived only 17 days, Edna Hazel (1919) who married Jack Geer, and Jessie Green (1921). Gertie married Charles Roscoe Gann on August 31, 1919 . They lived in Chattanooga , Tennessee , Michigan , and finally resided in the Caloway Gann home place in Sale Creek. She helped care for Charlie's mother, Anna Eliza (Smith) Gann, until her death in 1924. By that time she had given birth to four children: Anna Roselyn (1920), Viola Marie (192 1), Charles William (1923), and Harold Lewis (1924). She later bore Paul Thomas (1926), Jack Roscoe (1928), and Joyce Elizabeth (1934). She endured hard times during the "Great Depression" and was subjected to severe spousal abuse by Charlie. They lost four year old Paul on March 17, 1930 due to an undetermined illness. Even through this she was a loving mother and left a lasting, positive impression on her children. Hard work was demanded by all in the household. Farming, clearing land, keeping house, cooking, and all chores had to meet Charlie's expectations. Roselyn remembers times when Gertie and the children went over to the Gentry's, peeled apples all afternoon, then cooked apple butter the next day in a large brass kettle. The children kept the fire at just the right temperature. It should be noted that Roselyn and Viola were about the same age as Edna and Jessie. A surviving church song book with her signature revealed that she read music and played the organ and perhaps the piano. The old organ remained at the Gann home until the death of Charlie. Apparently she sang and perhaps this inspired her oldest son, Charles W., to join in the Sale Creek High School group which assembled with other schools to form an 800 voice concert at Memorial Auditorium in 1939/40 A Sixth Grade Graduation Certificate attests that she went that far in school. No other records are available but at that point in time, education of girls was not a high priority. She was active in the Sale Creek School PTA. A 1933 (34) Parent Teacher Association (PTA) photograph was taken in front of the Sale Creek School . It clearly shows Gertie, her mother Rosa, as well as Logan and Mae Alexander in attendance.A chronological review of her pictures reveals that being pregnant so often, abortions, hard times, abuse, and other factors brought an early end to the life of a once-beautiful young lady. Having aged rapidly and suffering from infection from a botched abortion, Gertie died January 16, 1935 at 32 years of age. Her children were devastated! Roselyn was only 14, Viola 13, Charles 11, Harold 10, Jack was almost 7, and Joyce was only 9 months old. Her funeral was held 2 PM, Friday, Jan 18, 1935 at the Sale Creek Presbyterian Church and she was laid to rest in the Welsh Cemetery. The family would never be the same.