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William Trent (February 13, 1715–1787) was an American fur trader and merchant based in colonial Pennsylvania. He was commissioned as a captain of the Virginia Regiment in the early stages of the
French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...
, when he served on the western frontier with the young Lt. Colonel
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
. Trent led an advance group who built forts and improved roads for troop access and defense of the western territory. He was later promoted to the rank of major. Trent had gone into fur trading by 1740, aided by capital from his father, a wealthy shipping merchant of Philadelphia who was the founder of
Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.George Croghan George Croghan (c. 1718 – August 31, 1782) was an Irish-born fur trader in the Ohio Country of North America (current United States) who became a key early figure in the region. In 1746 he was appointed to the Onondaga Council, the governin ...
, an Irish immigrant, as his partner, as he was effective in developing trading networks with Native Americans. Some of Trent’s first land deals were of modest size, with the first three involving no more than four hundred acres of land each. In 1744, Trent purchased vast lands in the Ohio Country west of the
Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. The ...
. From then through the 1780s, he was a key figure in encouraging westward expansion by Anglo-American settlers past the Appalachian barrier, as he wanted to sell his land in parcels for development.


Early life and education

William Trent was born to William Trent (Trenton) and his second wife Mary Coddington on February 13, 1715 in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
. His father was a distinguished merchant and trader in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
. Trent was the second son born to Mary Coddington Trent, and was her only child to survive to adulthood. Her first son, Thomas, died in infancy. The children of William Trent Sr.’s first marriage were James, John, Maurice, and Mary Trent. However, by the year 1735, the three older sons had all died leaving William Trent Jr. and his sister as the only surviving children of his family. Trent senior founded
Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, before ...
and developing his country house there. Moving to the new site in 1721 with his family, Trent also platted the town around his house. The young Trent grew up with his father's wealth, gained from trading and shipping in furs, dry goods and
slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
, with merchants and interests in the North American and Caribbean colonies, and England. His father had interests in 40 ships.''The William Trent (d. 1724) Ledger, 1703-1709''
Historical Society of Pennsylvania The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a long-established research facility, based in Philadelphia. It is a repository for millions of historic items ranging across rare books, scholarly monographs, family chronicles, maps, press reports and v ...
, accessed 20 August 2012
His father served in the provincial governments in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In 1752, William Trent married Sarah Wilkins. Together they had six children.


Fur trader

From 1750-1754 William Trent and
George Croghan George Croghan (c. 1718 – August 31, 1782) was an Irish-born fur trader in the Ohio Country of North America (current United States) who became a key early figure in the region. In 1746 he was appointed to the Onondaga Council, the governin ...
were fur trading business partners. Croghan was more of the hands-on partner as he speculated that setting up trading post within Native American villages would generate more revenue as opposed to placing trading post alongside major crossroads. In addition, Croghan soon learned the
Unami language Unami ( del, Wënami èlixsuwakàn) was an Algonquian language spoken by the Lenape people in the late 17th century and the early 18th century, in what then was (or later became) the southern two-thirds of New Jersey, southeastern Pennsylvania ...
of the
Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory inclu ...
(Delaware) and the
Mohawk language Mohawk (; ''Kanienʼkéha'', " anguageof the Flint Place") is an Iroquoian language currently spoken by around 3,500 people of the Mohawk nation, located primarily in current or former Haudenosaunee territories, predominately Canada (souther ...
of one of the
Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...
tribes. He was also involved in land speculation, usually holding property for a short period of time. Trent on the other hand proved to be a financial resource because he had access to his merchant father’s wealth. Therefore, Croghan and Trent’s fur trading business was established in the Ohio Country using Trent’s capital and connections. Much of the upper Ohio Valley had been conquered by the
Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...
nations, based in New York and northern Pennsylvania, and they kept it open by right of conquest as their hunting ground. They had needed new grounds after exhausting some of the fur game to the East. In 1744, Trent made large land purchases from Native Americans in the Ohio Country along the Ohio River, west of the Appalachian Mountains.


Prior to French and Indian War, 1746-1753

William Trent was commissioned the rank of captain in June of 1746 by the Philadelphia Governor George Thomas. Trent commanded one of the four companies that were tasked to defend against Canadian threats. Less than a year later April 7, 1747, while stationed at Fort Saratoga in New York, Captain Trent and his company were ambushed by two hundred French and Indian soldiers under the command of M. de St. Luc. With only sixty troops in Captain Trent’s company, he and his men appeared greatly outnumbered. Yet, after suffering the loss of eight soldiers, Trent was able to rally his troops and continue fighting until reinforcements came to their aid. M. de St. Luc had no choice but to withdraw his troops and retreat. In addition to losing eight troops at the battle of Fort Saratoga, nine more of Captain Trent’s men were wounded and an additional six were taken as prisoners. Shortly after, Captain Trent returned to his home of Pennsylvania and was honorably discharged from his duties in December, 1747. He was thanked by the House of Delegates for his valiant stand at Fort Saratoga. Just a couple of years later, in June of 1749, Governor Hamilton declared Trent to be a justice of the court and he was tasked with keeping the peace in Cumberland county. The House of Delegates also appointed Trent as an official messenger for the Ohio Indians. Just before the French and Indian War broke out, Captain Trent along with George Croghan and several other distinguished military men were present for the treaty signing at Winchester, Virginia in September of 1753. The Indian Winchester Conference established that weapons and ammunition would be given to the Miami and Delaware tribes. Andrew Montour, Christopher Gist, and William Trent were tasked with delivering the weapons and ammunition to the Ohio Indians. However, only the Delaware’s expressed that their goods were received. In addition to the goods being delivered, it was also settled that Andrew Montour and George Croghan would travel to South Carolina and advocate for the release of warriors of the Shawonese Nation.


French and Indian War (1754-1763)

The Virginia Regiment recruited men in Virginia and Pennsylvania in 1754 before the outbreak of the war. As pay was low, there was high turnover in the lower ranks. Trent was commissioned as a captain and commanded a company, then likely 25-40 men.Early in the war at the least, a company commander of the Virginia Regiment did not command a large body of men. Lt. Col. Washington's command was less than 200 after being reinforced. Trent probably commanded around twenty to twenty-five men, by today's measure, a large
squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and US doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a team, but smaller than a section." while US Army d ...
or a small
platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may rang ...
.
The young George Washington was promoted from Lt. Col. to Colonel to command the Regiment. When the Regiment moved across the Appalachian divide along
Nemacolin's Trail 450px, Braddock's Road, General Braddock's March (points 1–10) follows or parallels (and improves upon) Chief Nemacolin's Trail from the Potomac River to the Monogahela. The route from the summit to Redstone Creek, which could be used by wago ...
, Trent was assigned to take the advance company. He established two forts that were later taken and destroyed by the French:
Fort Prince George Fort Prince George was an uncompleted fort on what is now the site of Pittsburgh, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The site was originally a trading post established by Ohio Company t ...
, begun February 17, 1754 and Fort Hanger. The first was built after Washington returned from his diplomatic mission warning the French to leave the Ohio Country. Trent and his forces built Fort Hanger (Hangard) later that year on Redstone Creek. Perhaps equal in importance to the actual site of Fort Burd is that of the earlier fort known as
Hangard Hangard () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. The commune is centered on Hangard village. Gallery File:Hangard.JPG, saint-Martin Hangard File:Map commune FR insee code 80414.png, Map of the commune Ge ...
, at the mouth of Redstone Creek, about a mile north of the
Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
.
It was at its confluence with the
Monongahela River The Monongahela River ( , )—often referred to locally as the Mon ()—is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-c ...
and near the
Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...
of the river by
Nemacolin's Trail 450px, Braddock's Road, General Braddock's March (points 1–10) follows or parallels (and improves upon) Chief Nemacolin's Trail from the Potomac River to the Monogahela. The route from the summit to Redstone Creek, which could be used by wago ...
. Trent and his men had not completed Fort Prince George when a large French military expedition of 600 soldiers, led by Sieur de Contrecoeur, surrounded the English colonists. They forced Trent to surrender and return with his men to Virginia. The French force included engineers. After demolishing Fort St. George, they began building the larger, more complex
Fort Duquesne Fort Duquesne (, ; originally called ''Fort Du Quesne'') was a fort established by the French in 1754, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. It was later taken over by the British, and later the Americans, and developed a ...
(at present-day Pittsburgh). The English later captured Fort Duquesne during the war. The officers of the Virginia Regiment decided to continue their campaign to secure the trans-Allegheny region for the Ohio Country. Their strategy was to build a wagon road to Redstone Creek, the nearest point of descent for larger traffic to the
Monongahela River The Monongahela River ( , )—often referred to locally as the Mon ()—is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-c ...
. After gaining reinforcements, they would attack and recapture the Forks of the Ohio. The Virginia Regiment began building a road from Wills Creek, intended to cross the mountains to Redstone Creek. Captain Trent was sent ahead with an advance party and supplies carried by pack animals, while Lt. Col. Washington oversaw the main column improving the road through the
Cumberland Narrows The Cumberland Narrows (or simply The Narrows) is a water gap in western Maryland in the United States, just west of Cumberland. Wills Creek cuts through the central ridge of the Wills Mountain Anticline at a low elevation here between Wills Mo ...
Pass Pass, PASS, The Pass or Passed may refer to: Places *Pass, County Meath, a townland in Ireland * Pass, Poland, a village in Poland * Pass, an alternate term for a number of straits: see List of straits *Mountain pass, a lower place in a mounta ...
over the divide. Trent's command made minimal improvements. He reached Redstone Old Forts, where he had his men build Fort Hangard, a blockhouse built out of logs felled along Redstone Creek.


Post war, 17631787

Trent was a soldier-of-fortune during the various local Indian wars in Pennsylvania and present-day Maryland and West Virginia, and the French and Indian War. He commanded the militia at Fort Pitt during
Pontiac's Rebellion Pontiac's War (also known as Pontiac's Conspiracy or Pontiac's Rebellion) was launched in 1763 by a loose confederation of Native Americans dissatisfied with British rule in the Great Lakes region following the French and Indian War (1754–176 ...
. During the siege of Fort Pitt, Trent recorded in his journal that blankets from the fort's
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
hospital had been given to the besieging Indians during a parley.Elizabeth A. Fenn, "Biological Warfare in Eighteenth-Century North America: Beyond Jeffery Amherst"
, ''The Journal of American History'', Vol.86, Iss.4, March 2000, pp 1552–1580, DOI:10.2307/2567577
Trent wrote, "Out of our regard for them, we gave them two Blankets and an Handkerchief out of the Small Pox Hospital. I hope it will have the desired effect." The full passage from the journal is: "The Turtles Heart a principal Warrior of the Delawares and Mamaltee a Chief came within a small distance of the Fort Mr. McKee went out to them and they made a Speech letting us know that all our ostsas Ligonier was destroyed, that great numbers of Indians ere coming andthat out of regard to us, they had prevailed on 6 Nations ot toattack us but give us time to go down the Country and they desired we would set of immediately. The Commanding Officer thanked them, let them know that we had everything we wanted, that we could defend it against all the Indians in the Woods, that we had three large Armys marching to Chastise those Indians that had struck us, told them to take care of their Women and Children, but not to tell any other Natives, they said they would go a speak to their Chiefs and come and tell us what they said, they returned and said they would hold fast of the Chain of friendship. Out of our regard to them we gave them two Blankets and a Handkerchief out of the Small Pox Hospital. I hope it will have the desired effect. They then told us that Ligonier had been attacked, but that the Enemy were beat of". Anderson, ''Crucible of War'', 541–42; Jennings, ''Empire of Fortune'', 447n26. After the end of the war, Levy, Trent and Company, of which Trent was a member of, submitted a reimbursement invoice on which was written: "To Sundries got to Replace in kind those which were taken from people in the Hospital to Convey the Smallpox to the Indians Vizt." General
Thomas Gage General Thomas Gage (10 March 1718/192 April 1787) was a British Army general officer and colonial official best known for his many years of service in North America, including his role as British commander-in-chief in the early days of t ...
approved reimbursement to the company. William Trent along with twenty-two other fur traders formed a group in 1763 that was known as the Indian Company. Because of the losses the Indian Company members experienced in the French and Indian War, they were seeking land grants. During this time, Trent’s longtime friend and previous business partner, George Croghan, decided to embark on a journey to London and present the Indian Company’s case. While Croghan was in England asking for reparations on behalf of the Indian Company, Trent immediately began concerning himself with new business endeavors in hopes to regain the fortune he lost during the French and Indian War. In December of 1763, Trent began a partnership with John Baynton and Samuel Wharton. Samuel, Baynton, and Wharton were all equally interested in land speculation of 1,700 acres of Cumberland County land. Despite Croghan’s and William Trent’s multiple efforts to attain restitution for the Indian Company’s members, they were unable to secure reparations. After several years of continuous efforts to regain his former fortune, in 1783 Trent’s health began to fail him. That summer of 1783, Trent and fellow business partner, Samuel Wharton found that forgotten bonds and mortgages were soon to be overdue. Since the French and Indian War, Trent was never able to acquire lost lands or seem to get ahead of his debt collectors. Trent was able to survive for several more years in poor health until his final days in spring of 1787.   Trent’s death resulted in his heirs and fellow Indian Company members continuing to fight for reparations under the new Constitution of the United States. However, despite the case being brought to the Supreme Court in 1792, the “William Grayson & others ''vs.'' The Commonwealth of Virginia” case was lost.


Notes


References

* * Slick, Sewell Elias. ''William Trent and the West''. Harrisburg: Archives Pub. Co. of Pennsylvania, 1947. * Crawford, Mitch ''Native Americans of the Pontiac's War''. * Peter Koch (1994)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trent, William 1715 births 1787 deaths Colonial American Indian agents Colonial American merchants History of Pittsburgh People of colonial Pennsylvania People of Pennsylvania in the French and Indian War People of Pennsylvania of Pontiac's War Businesspeople from Lancaster, Pennsylvania