William Trent of Philadelphia
Trent as a Man of Business and Politics
Exactly when Trent emigrated to the American colonies is unknown. However, based on Philadelphia tax rolls in 1693, we know that he had followed his brother James to the American Colonies. The image below depicts the busy harbor of Philadelphia during Trent's time.
Exactly when Trent emigrated to the American colonies is unknown. However, based on Philadelphia tax rolls in 1693, we know that he had followed his brother James to the American Colonies. The image below depicts the busy harbor of Philadelphia during Trent's time.
William Trent became a very successful and wealthy merchant in Philadelphia, trading with Great Britain and the English colonies on the mainland and in the West Indies. At one time he owned an interest in over forty ships, exporting such products as tobacco, flour, and furs, while importing wine, rum, molasses, and dry goods. He also bought and sold enslaved people, as described in more detail in the next section.
After purchasing a large tract of land in New Jersey from Mahlon Stacy's son in 1714, Trent established several mills on his plantation along the Assunpink Creek. By the time Trent died in 1724, his enterprises had continued to expand and diversify. In Mary Coddington Trent's suit against the executor of Trent's estate, his oldest son James, she claimed her share in three grist mills, one saw mill, one fulling mill, one bakehouse, one dye house, one ferry house, and half an ironwork. These enterprises produced goods for shipment to markets in Philadelphia.
After purchasing a large tract of land in New Jersey from Mahlon Stacy's son in 1714, Trent established several mills on his plantation along the Assunpink Creek. By the time Trent died in 1724, his enterprises had continued to expand and diversify. In Mary Coddington Trent's suit against the executor of Trent's estate, his oldest son James, she claimed her share in three grist mills, one saw mill, one fulling mill, one bakehouse, one dye house, one ferry house, and half an ironwork. These enterprises produced goods for shipment to markets in Philadelphia.
While a resident of the New Jersey colony, Trent was elected to the Assembly, commissioned a colonel in one of the militia regiments, and in 1723 became New Jersey’s first resident Chief Justice.
Trent's Family
In the 1690s Trent married his first wife, Mary Burge, with whom he had three children, James, John, and Maurice. There has been some evidence that they also had a daughter Mary, although this has not yet been confirmed.
Apparently it was through Mary Burge's family connections that William Trent eventually acquired the land at the Falls of the Delaware River where he would build his country seat. Mary Burge Trent died, perhaps in childbirth, in 1708, and a contemporary noted in a letter to William Penn that Trent was greatly affected by her death.
In the 1690s Trent married his first wife, Mary Burge, with whom he had three children, James, John, and Maurice. There has been some evidence that they also had a daughter Mary, although this has not yet been confirmed.
Apparently it was through Mary Burge's family connections that William Trent eventually acquired the land at the Falls of the Delaware River where he would build his country seat. Mary Burge Trent died, perhaps in childbirth, in 1708, and a contemporary noted in a letter to William Penn that Trent was greatly affected by her death.
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In 1710 Trent, then probably in his late 40s or early 50s, married his second wife, Mary Coddington, who was in her late teens at the time of her marriage. Born into a wealthy family and well connected Quaker family, she was the stepdaughter of Anthony Morris, a prosperous Philadelphia brewer and merchant who was a contemporary, and likely business associate, of her new husband.
This video imagines Mary Coddington Trent, widowed after Trent’s sudden death, reflecting on her life and uncertain future. Worried about her future, this video, first aired on December 20, 2020, shows her explaining her personal history and describing her concerns. |
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In 1711, Mary Coddington Trent gave birth to a son, Thomas, who died that same year. A surviving son, William, was born in the 1720s, perhaps in the Trent House. The couple and Trent’s children from his previous marriage continued to live in Philadelphia as their primary residence until 1721, when Trent made his plantation on the Falls of the Delaware his permanent home for himself, his second wife, and his youngest son.
Wealth Created from Slavery
Slavery was central to Trent's wealth. Trent was active in the domestic slave trade, buying and selling enslaved people of African descent. We know of thirteen such transactions with other prominent Philadelphia men in just the few years (1703-1708) covered by trade ledgers in the archives of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. The diagram below illustrates these transactions with arrows leading from Trent to one of the wealthy and influential people (almost all men) indicating the sale by Trent of the individuals in the blue boxes, while arrows leading to Trent represent his purchases.
Slavery was central to Trent's wealth. Trent was active in the domestic slave trade, buying and selling enslaved people of African descent. We know of thirteen such transactions with other prominent Philadelphia men in just the few years (1703-1708) covered by trade ledgers in the archives of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. The diagram below illustrates these transactions with arrows leading from Trent to one of the wealthy and influential people (almost all men) indicating the sale by Trent of the individuals in the blue boxes, while arrows leading to Trent represent his purchases.
Enslaved workers contributed to Trent's income through their labor in his mills and other enterprises in New Jersey. And after his death, Trent's probate inventory listed eleven enslaved people, assessed at almost one-third of the market value of Trent's movable property other than the land and buildings.
