Alexander Trent, IV

Dr. Alexander Trent

A Patriot of the American Revolution for VIRGINIA with the rank of PRIVATE. DAR Ancestor # A116453

http://www.gencircles.com/users/day84519/1/data/4574

Alexander William Trent, MD

Also known as: Dr. Alexander Trent
Born: October 10, 1758 in Cumberland County, Virginia
Sex: Male
Married: December 10, 1782 in Chesterfield County, Virginia
Died: November 29, 1804

Father: Alexander William Trent, III
Mother: Elizabeth Woodson

Spouses: Nancy Ann Anderson

Children:

• Elizabeth Betsy Trent
• Alexander William Trent, V
• Ann Trent
• John V. Trent
• Marianne F. Trent
• Edward Trent
• Henry Trent
• William Henry Trent

Info: Enlisted in the Colonial Services in Bedford, Virginia and served from 1778-1781. He engaged in the seige of Savannah. He applied for a Revolutionary Pension in 1834.
Sources:
Notes on Peterfield Trent, LDS Film # 6019060
Trent Family Bible
Automated Archives Inc. Marriage Records, Southern States, Vol. 1 (CD 229)
Pocahontas' Descendants, Stuart E. Brown, Jr., Lorraine F. Meyers, and Eileen M. Chappel, Genealogical Publishing Co, Inc., 1994
Ivan Trent and Judith (Trent) Leezer, May We Remember, (Compiled: May, 1980).
Campbell County Virginia Church Cemeteries, (Vol. 31, Rustburg Library, Rustburg, Virginia).
Marriages of Campbell County,Virginia, 1782-1810, Compiled and Published by Lucy Harrison Miller Baber and Hazel Leites Williamson
Hinshaw, Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, (Jones Memorial Library, Lynchburg, Virginia).
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I believe, from what I have been able to put together from other Trent researchers that Alexander Trent Jr. was the father of William (Charles) Trent and that his mother is as of now (2/2003) undiscovered first wife of of Alexander Sr., then he married a second time five years later, probably after the death of his first wife, to Virginia Jane Burton in 1792. But this info on these early Trents is so meager it seems everyone has their own interpretation and all this information should be viewed with skepticism until further proof is found.

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Trent Valley near Sneedville, Tennessee is named after William and his brother Alexander.

John Knox, correspondence, Trent folder, March 1998, p. 9, , John&Fred@neworld.net. 139 Agard Street, Auburn, CA 95603.

Trent GenForum #2029 of 5 Mar 2002] Tammy, thank you so much for posting this! Alexander Trent was also listed on the same 1793 Wythe County tax list

Other info from Hallie: "In Alexander Trent, Jr's Revolutionary War Pension application R10695, (made many years later when he lived in Hawkins County, Tennessee) he stated that he was born in Chesterfield County, VA in 1759 and that he lived in Bedford County, VA when he enlisted in the American Revolution in 1777."

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http://genforum.genealogy.com/trent/messages/2028.html

EXCELLENT ARTICLE ON TRENT ANCESTRY IN THIS LINE

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1810 census Hawkins County, TN page 790

Alexander Trent over under sex:

0 10 m

16 26 m

45 m

10 16 f

from Reginald Day

1830 census Hawkins County, TN page 71

over under

60 70 m

50 60 f

20 30 m

0 5 f

1840 census Hawkins County, TN page236

Alexander Trent Sr. over under (Alexander Jr. became Sr. after his fathers death)

70 80 m

10 15 f

60 70 f

from Reginald Day

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In 1843 Jane (Burton) Trent, widow of Alexander Trent, a Revolutionary War Soldier, applied for her widow's pension and two people swore they knew [that] Alexander had married Jane Burton in Grayson County, VA in 1792. One of these people was Charity Trent. She swore she was born about 1773, that she was well-acquainted with Alexander Trent and his wife Jane Trent, formerly Jane Burton, that said couple married in the year 1792 in Grayson County, VA by Vincent Jones, a Baptist preacher.

Here let's "look" at Jane (Burton) Trent. in 1792 when she married, Alexander Trent, Jane was 27 years old, in those days an old maid indeed--but was she an old maid? I don't think so. It's time to look at Alexander Trent--he was 33 years old in 1792 when he married Jane--he "most surely" had been married before and had a family by a first wife.('?.)

The following statement is my "opinion" only--I do not have any facts to prove or disprove same. I believe Alexander Trent first married _________ , had children by her, she died and he then married the second time to Jane Burton who was a widow with some children--that the said children being small at the time of said marriage were known by the Trent name from the time of the marriage and for the rest of their life.. If this be true, this was probably the reason James Burton, son of Charity, changed his name to James Trent, since his (most surely double cousin) cousins had done so. I think the people then at the time referred to them as Burtons--but they used Trent not only at home, but on many official records. I also believe that one of Alex's sons by first wife may have married his step-sister. Where does this "guessing" lead us, as far as Charity is concerned--just where we have always been- -Jane and Charity were sisters or ex sisters in-law, who married (again no proof) brothers or half-brothers, as I believe.

Now back to facts. The "other" person who swore he knew Alex Trent married Jane Burton was John S. Wells, who swore in 1843 that he was born in 1775, which would have made him 17 years old in 1792 when Alex and Jane married. He swore and I quote, "was not at the wedding, but saw Trent going to the wedding and saw him returning next day with Jane his wife"etc. From the sworn statement, we know Alex lived in same area as John S. Wells at the time of his marriage to Jane, that said Jane couldn't have lived far away, since they "returned home" the next day.

Before we turn to records, we must work with the idea in mind that Jane (Burton) Trent was "either" an old maid or the widow of a Burton. We also know that Charity was either a Burton or an Osborne--but we do know she had a son "named " James Burton.

There was a lady named Mayme (Trent) Shumate who Joined the DAR many years ago(1919)-her record is in DAR Lineage Book she is #143792. I really don't know what to make of this lady's records (she is dead) for she "claims" descent from Alex and Jane through their son William Trent born 178

How! they didn't marry until 1792. William would have been 5 years old when they married in 1792--here again, I'm sure Alex Trent had been married before and had some children before he married Jane Burton. She goes on to state that her William Trent married in 1819 in Hawkins County, TN to Wealtha Beaman, born 14 March 1803 d. 15 May 1895--and that William Trent died 11 Nov 1877 and that both are buried at Panora, Iowa. Another lady also joined with same data, but she also named the children of Wm. and Wealtha (or maybe this is Mealtha HG) Beaman Trent as:

• Alexander Trent (doubtfull probably James Alexander)rd
• Gilbert Trent b. 1820 m. Charity Rogers
• Margaret Trent m. John La Salle
• Mahala Trent m. Ellis (Hiram Ellis)rd
• James Alexander Trent
• Jack Trent (Andrew Jackson Trent)rd

How many mistakes are in these ladies data I can't say, but we know of one ---Jane Burton Trent is not the mother of William Trent who married Wealtha Beaman.

From Our Mountain Heritage 1995 Vol 2 genforum Trent #2028 (much more information)

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[Trent GenForum #2029 of 5 Mar 2002] Tammy, thank you so much for posting this! Alexander Trent was also listed on the same 1793 Wythe County, tax list that Alton Greene mentions, in the second section, which became Grayson County, the same section that John Burton, John Blevins, etc., were named on. His name was not on the Grayson County list in 1794 on. And someday someone will locate William during this time period!

http://us029844.home.mindspring.com/pafg83.htm#8763

Served in Revolution and fought at Siege of Savannah, DAR 143792, 1822854, 106838, 106883. Pension Application (file #R10695) states resided in Hawkins County 28 years in 1834. Sometimes confused with Alexander W. Trent IV, b. 10 October 1758. (a distant cousin, both descendants of Henry Trent (b. 1642))

Ref: also HMTrent. Tradition stories say Alexander was half brother to William D. Trent.