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Monday, August 6, 2018

The Lineage of Benjamin Kent A World War I Soldier


A very good friend asked me to do some research on his family. As a black man he has brick walls everywhere. He knows this is a problem, and asked when I find interesting stories about his family to fill those out for him. Benjamin Kent was one of those stories. Michael did not know he had a great uncle who fought, and died, in World War I until I came across a record. One simple record lead me down a path neither of us could image. He gave me permission to share the research with you.  

Michael knew Benjamin Kent was the son of Harry Kent and Julia Gantt, and older brother to Carrie Kent Young (the client’s maternal grandmother).  According to Kent’s tombstone on Find-A-Grave[i] He was with the 808th Pioneer Infantry, from Maryland, died 19 October 1918, buried Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, France. In addition to Find-A-Grave I had the the 1910 United States Census information, shown below, for the Kent family.

1910 United States Federal Census[ii]
Name
Benjamin
Relation
Son
Sex
Male
Colour
Black
Age
17
Marital Status
Single
Place of birth
MD
Father’s place of birth
MD
Mother’s place of birth
MD
Can speak English
Yes
Trade / profession
Sorter
Nature of Industry
Grocery store
Self / Wage earner
Wage
Out of work April 15th
No
Can read
Yes
Can write
Yes
Attended school last year
No


The discovery of a family members military connection to World War I was a timely find. Particularly as we approach the 100th anniversary of the treaty of Versailles, which ended the war.  Benjamin Kent’s military story, and the family members located through the subsequent research, are in the attached report.

With research into any African American family lineage, clients and researchers must be prepared to find limited records and hit the dreaded “slavery brick wall” which stops any progress backwards before the U.S. Civil War. These obstacles mean a researcher must look at all lines of a family, direct and collateral, to locate as much information for a lineage as possible.

The Kent and Gantt families were centered in Calvert County, Maryland during the last 1800s.  At that time the state was divided by both agriculture and freedom.  Production of various types of grains were the main commodity in the northern counties of Maryland. Whereas the southern counties were tobacco producers.[iii] Due to the labor requirements of a tobacco plantation slavery was an integral component to the lives of tobacco farmers of Southern Maryland. Including those in Calvert County. According to the 1850 U.S. census the population makeup of the 5 counties designated as Southern Maryland was 48,000 slaves, 50,000 whites, and 9,500 free blacks.[iv]


Topographical map of southern Maryland c. 1873 showing Calvert, Charles, and St. Marys counties. Martenet, Simon J. (1873) Topographical atlas of Maryland: counties of Calvert, Charles and St. Marys. p. 64-65.  Baltimore: Stedman, Brown & Lyon. http://www.davidrumsey.com : accessed 28 February 2018

Over the next few posts I will tell you about Benjamin's family and his time in France. I hope you will read, learn, and remember with me. 



[i] Monumental inscriptions. France. Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial in Meuse, Lorraine. 29 October 1918. KENT, Benjamin. Find A Grave Memorial: 55993940. http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 01 February 2018.
[ii] Census. 1910. United States. Baltimore (City), Maryland. ED 276. p. 7B (written). http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 February 2018.
 [iii] The Maryland State Archives and The University of Maryland College Park (2007). A Guide to the History of Slavery in Maryland. http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/intromsa/pdf/slavery_pamphlet.pdf : accessed 26 February 2018.
[iv] Ibid.




[i] Monumental inscriptions. France. Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial in Meuse, Lorraine. 29 October 1918. KENT, Benjamin. Find A Grave Memorial: 55993940. http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 01 February 2018.
[ii] Census. 1910. United States. Baltimore (City), Maryland. ED 276. p. 7B (written). http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 February 2018.
[iii] U.S. Department of Commerce. United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/ : accessed 26 February 2018.
[iv] The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Visit Us. https://www.archives.gov/locations : accessed 26 February 2018.

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