# Jacob Kent Jr. > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Jacob_Kent_Jr. > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Jacob_Kent_Jr..md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Kent_Jr. > Source revision: 1351297146 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Jacob Kent Jr.** (April 26, 1800 - March 13, 1886) was a farmer, hotel operator, and government official in [Vermont](/source/Vermont). A [Democrat](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)), he was most notable for his service as [Sheriff](/source/Sheriff) of [Orange County, Vermont](/source/Orange_County,_Vermont) (1842–1844) and [United States Marshal](/source/United_States_Marshal) for the [District of Vermont](/source/United_States_District_Court_for_the_District_of_Vermont). ## Biography Jacob Kent Jr. was born in [Newbury, Vermont](/source/Newbury_(town),_Vermont) on April 26, 1800, a son of Jacob Kent Sr. (1764-1852) and Martha (Noyes) Kent (1766-1851).[1] Kent was raised and educated in Newbury, and became a farmer.[1] In the 1830s and 1840s, he was the proprietor of the Coosuck House hotel in [Wells River, Vermont](/source/Wells_River,_Vermont). A noted horseman, Kent joined the militia as a young man, and advanced from private to commander of the Newbury-area regiment with the rank of [colonel](/source/Colonel_(United_States)), a post his father had previously held.[1] Kent was active in the [Democratic Party](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)), and served as [Sheriff](/source/Sheriff) of [Orange County](/source/Orange_County,_Vermont) from 1842 to 1844.[1] He was appointed as a Deputy [United States Marshal](/source/United_States_Marshal) in 1830, 1840, and 1850, and was responsible for conducting the [United States Census](/source/United_States_Census) in Orange County.[1] For several years, Kent was a trustee of [Norwich University](/source/Norwich_University).[1] In 1845, Kent was appointed [United States Marshal](/source/United_States_Marshal) for the [District of Vermont](/source/United_States_District_Court_for_the_District_of_Vermont) and he served until 1849.[2] In the early 1850s, he relocated to [Chicago](/source/Chicago), where he was active in several business enterprises.[1] At the start of the [American Civil War](/source/American_Civil_War), Kent accompanied a relative, Loren Kent, who was an officer in the [29th Illinois Infantry Regiment](/source/29th_Illinois_Infantry_Regiment), which he eventually commanded as a colonel. Kent traveled with the 29th Illinois, and was present at the April 1862 [Battle of Shiloh](/source/Battle_of_Shiloh).[1] Kent returned to Vermont in 1866 after inheriting the Newbury property of his sister Anna.[1] He then took up residence on the family farm, where he lived with his brother Clark, who died in 1884. In 1879, Kent was injured when he was thrown from a carriage, but he recovered and continued to remain active on the farm.[3] He continued to remain active in politics and attended several local and county Democratic conventions as a delegate.[4][5] Beginning in 1826, Kent was involved in [Freemasonry](/source/Freemasonry).[1] He was the master of the Newbury lodge when it closed in 1834 as a result of the [Anti-Masonic](/source/Anti-Masonry) movement that was active from the 1820s to the 1840s.[1] Kent maintained his interest in Masonry and was a recipient of the [Royal Arch Masonry](/source/Royal_Arch_Masonry) degrees. When in his 80s, Kent was known to walk from Newbury to Bradford (about 8 miles) in order to take part in meetings of Bradford's Royal Arch lodge.[1] Kent remained a bachelor until 1870, when he married a widow, Nancy J. (Smith) Mattocks.[6] They began divorce proceedings in 1880,[7] when Kent was listed in the census as unmarried and living with his brother Clark.[8] The divorce was finalized in January 1881.[9] In 1884, Nancy Smith married Benjamin B. Darling of [Lyndon, Vermont](/source/Lyndon,_Vermont).[10] In the last year of his life, Kent became increasingly ill.[11] He died at his Newbury home on March 13, 1886. He had a Masonic funeral honors and was interred at Oxbow Cemetery in Newbury.[1] ## References 1. *History of Newbury, Vermont*, pp. 605–606. 1. "U.S. Marshals for the District of Vermont, 1791-1994". 1. "Newbury: Jacob Kent", p. 3. 1. "Personal News Items: Col. Jacob Kent", p. 2. 1. "List of Delegates", p. 3. 1. "Marriage Entry for Jacob Kent and Nancy J. (Smith) Mattocks". 1. "Newbury: Mr. Jacob Kent", p. 5. 1. "1880 United States Federal Census". 1. *Jacob Kent vs. Nancy Kent*, p. 2. 1. "Marriage Entry for Benjamin B. Darling and Nancy J. (Smith) Mattocks". 1. "Newbury: Col. Jacob Kent", p. 2. ## Sources ### Books - Wells, Frederic Palmer (1902). [*History of Newbury, Vermont*](https://archive.org/details/historyofnewbury1704well/page/605/mode/2up/). St. Johnsbury, VT: The Caledonian Company. – via [Google Books](/source/Google_Books) ### Internet - ["Vermont Vital Records, 1720-1908, Marriage Entry for Jacob Kent and Nancy J. (Smith) Mattocks"](https://www.ancestry.com/). *Ancestry.com*. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. November 23, 1870. Retrieved February 20, 2020. - ["1880 United States Federal Census for Jacob Kent"](https://www.ancestry.com/). *Ancestry.com*. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. June 24, 1880. Retrieved February 20, 2020. - ["Vermont Vital Records 1720-1908, Marriage Entry for Benjamin B. Darling and Nancy J. (Smith) Mattocks"](https://www.ancestry.com/). *Ancestry.com*. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. August 4, 1884. Retrieved February 20, 2020. - ["U.S. Marshals for the District of Vermont, 1791-1994"](https://www.usmarshals.gov/readingroom/us_marshals/vermont.pdf). *US Marshals.gov*. Washington, DC: United States Marshals Service. 1994.[dead link] ### Newspapers - ["Newbury: Jacob Kent"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45254119/newbury_jacob_kent/). *Green Mountain Freeman*. September 3, 1879. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com) - ["Newbury: Mr. Jacob Kent"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45254157/newbury_mr_jacob_kent/). *Vermont Journal*. May 1, 1880. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com) - ["Personal News Items: Col. Jacob Kent"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45254388/col_jacob_kent/). *Argus and Patriot*. May 5, 1880. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com) - ["Jacob Kent vs. Nancy Kent"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45254185/kent_vs_kent/). *Argus and Patriot*. January 12, 1881. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com) - ["List of Delegates"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45254327/list_of_delegates/). *Argus and Patriot*. June 11, 1884. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com) - ["Newbury: Col. Jacob Kent"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45254223/col_jacob_kent/). *St. Johnsbury Republican*. March 11, 1886. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Jacob Kent Jr.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Kent_Jr.) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Kent_Jr.?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.