The Descendants of John Wybert Denty was written and printed in 2003.  This version retains the format of the book with only minor changes to accommodate uploading to and navigation within pages on the web.

Preface

When I began researching the Denty surname in 1988, I never dreamed that what seemed an "entertaining little diversion" could become so all-consuming.  Ever since, I've told myself and others that I'd publish my findings only when I'd disposed of all the those pesky "loose ends".  And except for the distribution of several lengthy Descendants Charts to interested parties, I believed it.  Now I realize that there will always be "loose ends".  In the meantime, I've watched as material I've freely shared, perhaps incautiously, has been put into circulation with serious errors and omissions.    I'm also not getting any younger; and in its present state, much of my material would be lost or indecipherable after my death.  I've therefore decided to disseminate my findings as an aid to present and future researchers and to set the record straight; not to mention freeing myself from responding to queries, a duty that's become so frequent and burdensome that it cuts into time better spent in active research on this and other ancestral families. 

            I thank all of those who have so generously helped in compiling this information over a fourteen year period: Opal Denty, Josette Baker, Bernice Rison, Larry Ferguson, Lynn Christian, Steve Dobbs, my cousin Dent Gitchel, and others.  You'll see their names throughout this text; and Bernice Rison, Larry Ferguson, Mike Denty, and Dent Gitchel helped further by proofing relevant sections prior to publication in an effort to minimize errors.  But the late Rebecca Denty Abernathy (1901–2001) deserves special mention.  When well into her nineties, in response to a query from me, this remarkable woman was able to obtain letters saved by the first Rebecca Denty Abernathy (1833-1901), preserved by Elizabeth Denty Abernathy (1857-1932), and held in the possession of James Campbell Barnett.  Along with Julia Jackson Abernathy Smith and John Abernathy Smith, Rebecca made them available, along with myriad related "Southern Denty" documents, in meticulously annotated volumes.  I'll make many references to their findings in the coming pages; and unless otherwise noted, all letters appearing in this book were obtained directly from Rebecca herself or reprinted from Abernathy and Smith, The Descendants of Thomas Jefferson Denty and Elizabeth Abernathy Denty.

            I apologize in advance for any errors on these pages.  My findings are only as good as my sources.  Where sources have disagreed, I've attempted to address that in the narrative.  However, this book seeks to tell the story of the Dentys in the United States in a way that all can understand and enjoy, whether genealogists or more normal, sane people.  Excessive detail in the narrative portions would simply discourage those who couldn't care less if their ancestor purchased a hog at an estate sale or declared a gold watch to the tax assessor.  The narrative is also necessarily a summary of often scanty and conflicting information, and therefore inevitably subjective.  For those of you who desire more detail and documentation without any opinions in the mix, I've made my research notes available at the end of each chapter.  They contain an abstract of every reference discovered on that person, no matter how trivial, along with its source, the reliability of which can then be evaluated by the enthusiastic researcher.  In the interest of space, however, the "Research Notes" deal only with the individual who is the subject of that chapter, or at least a major portion of it, and occasionally their spouse or spouses.  Only rarely are they included for any children mentioned in the chapter.  Therefore, where it seems pertinent, I'll include those sources in the footnotes.

Still, although I've tried to make these pages readable for those not obsessed by genealogy, I've had to assume some knowledge of historical context on the part of the reader.  This may be a false assumption.  Most people know very little of dogtrots, headrights, the Great Wagon Road, the clothes our ancestors wore or the diseases that killed them.  They haven't a clue about their thoughts or dreams, how they spent their evenings, or what their work entailed.  I can't enlighten such readers in this volume; nor am I the best person for that task.  I've therefore reached what may be an awkward compromise.  While I'll make brief references to and explanations of certain historical events, terms, and/or practices, I won't go into detail.  If any of you would like to learn more about the lives of your ancestors, the libraries are full of fascinating material.

The reader will also notice that my research focus has been on my own line, the descendants of John Ramsey Denty.  More library time was spent on that line - and it shows.  I make no apologies, and hope that the reader who is not a close cousin will regard the glass as half-full rather than half-empty.  My greatest interest naturally lay with that line, but also, they were the Dentys by and to whom we possess so many letters.  My close cousins may themselves be disappointed to find little data on lines marrying into the Dentys, such as Irvine, Johnston, or Bishop.  Those will be reserved for another volume.  Regardless of the line, however, for reasons of privacy I've included few details of the lives of recent and living Dentys in this book.  Those born before 1903 I've considered fair game; for those born after 1902, I've limited my disclosures to name, birth, marriage and death dates; and occasionally, when part of the public record, to location.  After all, most readers will have no trouble "linking up" to an individual born after that date.  I hope each branch of the family will complete their own "bios" as an aid to researchers in the twenty-second century.

The major lines leading from John Wybert Denty have all been included; but I've restricted the Descendants Charts to lines that actually carry the surname.  For reasons of space, the children of Denty daughters (and their spouses) have been included, but not their grandchildren.   Once again, any researcher who has found this book has already progressed to the point where their ancestral line joins that of the Dentys.

All letters and wills transcribed in the text have been edited slightly to render them more easily read.  And in any case, the original is often so faded that it's impossible to tell whether the author intended a period or comma, a capital or small case.  The original spelling has been retained.  And because those most interested in their forbears can no longer be considered young, I've used a fairly large-sized font in the narrative portions.

Nancy Denty Breidenthal

2003