Thomas Dent Sr.
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Col. Thomas Dent Sr., Gent. (1630–1676), Justice, Sheriff, and member of the Lower House of the
Maryland General Assembly The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland that convenes within the State House in Annapolis. It is a bicameral body: the upper chamber, the Maryland Senate, has 47 representatives, and the lower ...
. Thomas was born about 1630 in the Parish of
Guisborough Guisborough ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. It lies north of the North York Moors National Park. Roseberry Topping, midway between the town and Great Ayton, is a landmark i ...
,
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
,
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, making him slightly less than thirty years of age upon his arrival in America around 1658. He resided in
Saint Mary's County, Maryland St. Mary's County, established in 1637, is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 113,777. Its county seat is Leonardtown. The name is in honor of Mary, the mother of Jesus. St. Mary's Count ...
.


Political career

Thomas was a justice of St. Mary's County beginning in 1661, and became sheriff there in 1665, became coroner in 1669, and alderman in 1673. Thomas was a member of the Lower House, St. Mary's County from 1669 to 1675.


Marriage

Thomas wedded Rebecca Wilkinson (1633–1726) in 1659. Rebecca was the Virginia born daughter of the Rev. William Wilkinson (1612–1676) who emigrated from England and his first wife, Naomi Hughes (1616–1634). After Thomas died, Rebecca married in 1677 Col. John Addison (d. 1705), a bachelor who then returned to England and died there intestate. Col. Addison profited from this marriage, and this alienated the Dent children from their mother.


Property

Thomas received a patent of land lying in
Charles County Charles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore. The ...
(present-day southeast Washington DC) called "Gisbrough" on May 5, 1663. Thomas accumulated over 1,000 acres (4 km2) of land, plus 3 plantations of unspecified area. His estate was valued at 596.8.0 pounds sterling, including 6 slaves, 8 servants, and books.


Death

Thomas died April 22, 1676, in St. Mary's Co., Maryland.


Other Family

Certainly related and using the same coat of arms, Thomas was the uncle or perhaps older brother of Capt. John Dent, Gent. (ca. 1645–1712), who married Mary Hatch. Captain John Dent article in The Maryland Dents
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Children

1. Col. William Dent Sr., Gent. (1660–1705), who married 1) Elizabeth Fowke (1668–1703), daughter of Col. Gerard Fowke Sr. (1625–1669) and Anne (Thoroughgood) Chandler (1630). 2) Sarah Brooke (1683–1724), daughter of Col. Thomas Brooke Jr., Hon. (1660–1730) and second wife, Barbara Dent (1676–1754). Sarah married secondly, Capt. Philip Lee Sr., Hon., Esq. (1681–1744) of " Blenheim". 2. Margaret Dent (1662–1712), who married Edmund Howard, Gent. (1659–1712), a Justice and clerk of Charles Co., Maryland. 3. Thomas Dent Jr. (ca. 1663), no further information. 4. Peter Dent (ca. 1665–1711), who married 1) Elizabeth (Ballard) King Wilson, widow of John King and Thomas Wilson, and daughter of Charles Ballard (died 1682). 2) Jane Pittman Gray, daughter of Joseph Gray (died 1724). 5. George Dent (1666–ca. 1702), no further information. 6. Barbara Dent (1676–1754), who married Col. Thomas Brooke Jr., Hon. (1660–1730), son of Maj. Thomas Brooke Sr., Esq. (1632–1676) and his second wife Eleanor Hatton (1642–1725).


Ancestry

Thomas was the son of Peter Dent II, Gent. (ca. 1600–1647) and Margaret Nicholson (1602–1647). Peter was born at Ormesby, North Riding of Yorkshire, England. He lived 6 miles away in Guisborough, North Riding of Yorkshire, England. The town and valley of Dent is about 70 miles west of Guisborough. Peter died in August 1647 at Guisborough. Margaret was born at Hutton, Yorkshire, England. Margaret was the daughter of Rev. John Nicholson (1576–1655). Peter II, was the son of Peter Dent I, Gent., of Ormesby (d.ca. 1642), a Parish in North Riding of Yorkshire, now part of Middlesbrough. Peter was the son of James Dent (1575), Gent. of Ormesby. James was the son of William Dent (1520). William was in turn the son of Robert Dent (1500) and Anne Fenwycke. Other info Thomas Dent's son William had a son, Peter, who had a son, Peter Jr. Peter Jr. had a son, George, who had a son Frederick, who married Ellen Bray Wrenshall. Their daughter, Julia, was the wife of
Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...
, the 18th President of the United States. Captain John Dent came into Maryland about 1658 with Thomas Dent who claimed land rights in 1663 for his transportation, and in that year John Dent witnessed a conveyance of William Hatton to Thomas Dent. The year previous or 1662 he witnessed the last will and testament of William Hewes who bequeathed his entire estate to William Hatton of William and William Dent of Thomas. In 1695 he employed William Dent of Thomas his attorney to institute legal action against on Lemaister. In those years it is therefore evident that he was in close association with Thomas Dent and was a freeholder of age.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dent, Thomas People from colonial Maryland People from Guisborough 1630 births 1676 deaths Members of the Maryland General Assembly Emigrants from the Kingdom of England to the Thirteen Colonies Dent family