Chatham County GaArchives Biographies.....Kent, Alfred 1823 - 1908
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 October 15, 2004, 8:35 am

Author: William Harden
p. 668-670

   ALFRED KENT. The life of a good and just man and the record of his deeds are
in themselves the purest biography, and in this connection something more than a
simple announcement is due to the memory of one who was known to everyone in
Savannah for his kindness and generosity to his fellow men, the late Alfred
Kent. His talents as a business man made him a conspicuous figure in the
commercial world of his native city, and he might have risen to a place of
prominence in public life had his modesty not forbidden, but it is rather as a
kindly, charitable philanthropist and true Southern gentleman that he is
remembered by his fellow-townsmen, and he has left to his descendants the
heritage of an honorable name and one on which there is not the slightest stain
or blemish. Mr. Kent was born March 31, 1823, on West Broad street, opposite the
head of St. Julian street, this part of the city having been the home of the
Kent family since the early part of the nineteenth century. His parents were
Ezra and Harriet (Vallotton) Kent, the latter having been the daughter of James
Vallotton of South Carolina. Ezra Kent was born in Rhode Island in 1793 and came
to Savannah about 1819. He was a wheelwright by trade and established in 1820
the business that was after his death continued by his son. After the custom of
earlier days, the home and the shop were adjacent, and during all the years that
the wheelwright and carriage business was carried on by the Kents, father and
son, the work place adjoined the residence on West Broad street. This residence
(No. 35 West Broad street), which until recently was occupied as a home by
William Alfred Kent, the son of Alfred Kent, is one of the historic structures
of Savannah. It is one hundred and fifty years old, one of the oldest houses in
the city, and adjoining it on the south is the house in which President Monroe
was entertained in May, 1819. It was moved in 1845 to its present location by
Ezra Kent from the site where now stands Trinity Methodist church, on the west
side of Telfair place, and still bears in its front the hole made by a cannon
ball from Count d'Estaing's fleet during the siege of Savannah in 1779.

   Alfred Kent, although never having received much school education, had finely
developed natural talents which enabled him to carry on the various business
affairs of life with great astuteness. He was a splendid judge of real estate
and in early years made purchases of property at a very low price that later
brought him a large profit. He was a born business man and money maker, and had
he cared to, he no doubt could have become a man of very great wealth. He was
not of an acquisitive nature, however, and his kind-heartedness and his leniency
with those who owed him money kept him often from getting what was rightfully
his. He never turned away anyone who was in need, neither would he ever sue a
man for debt, and many times renters occupying houses belonging to him were
allowed to become long overdue in their obligations. He was of that sturdy New
England stock which was well grounded in the principle that better than honors
and wealth is an irreproachable name. For many years he continued the carriage
business which had been established by his father, but the latter years of his
life were principally devoted to looking after his large and valuable real estate.

   Mr. Kent enjoyed the distinction of being the oldest member of the Georgia
Hussars, to which he had belonged since 1851, and of which in later years he was
made an honorary member for life. As a citizen of Savannah he rendered valuable
service to the Confederacy during the war between the states, and he was one of
the committee of Citizens whose duty it was to turn over the city to General
Sherman upon the occasion of the occupation of the city in December, 1864. He
took an active and influential part in public affairs, but never held but one
office, that of tax assessor during the administration of Mayor Wheaton. He
might have become more prominent in this respect if he had so desired, but he
was a man of modest demeanor and never obtruded himself upon public attention.
His counsels were often sought, however, where matters of importance in city
affairs were under consideration, and his advice and suggestions were always
appreciated. He was a lover of fine horses, and at all times had many in his
stable, and he was an adept in handling fractious horses, always mastering them.
He enjoyed most of all his home life, which was happy and congenial, and his
keenest sorrow came with the loss of his wife, his life's partner of more than
fifty years, whose death occurred in 1908, and who before her marriage was Sarah
M. Ferrell, a native of South Carolina. In February, 1908, about one month after
the death of his wife, Mr. Kent fell ill, and from this ailment he never
recovered, his death occurring February 27, 1910. In the demise of this old and
honored citizen the city of Savannah suffered a severe loss, and it will be long
ere one to acceptably fill his place will be found.

   William Alfred Kent, the only son of Alfred and Sarah M. (Ferrell) Kent, was
born and spent all of his life in the city of Savannah. He was married in this
city in 1876 to Miss Elizabeth J. Hood, daughter of Jason Paris and Sarah J.
(Morrell) Hood, a descendant of the family of which General Hood was a member.
Mr. Hood, who has been dead for several years, is well remembered by the older
residents of Savannah. He was born in Wilkes county, Georgia, the son of Burwell
Hood, a pioneer of the state, and was for several years a bookkeeper and
accountant for Weed & Company and for the Central of Georgia Railroad. Mr. and
Mrs. William A. Kent have had five children: Susie Vallotton, deceased, who was
the wife of A. L. Stokes, of Charleston, South Carolina, and had one
daughter—Susie Vallotton Kent Stokes; Alfred Duncan, who is married and has one
daughter—Alfreda Mayla; William Hood, who is married and has two
children—William Alfred, Jr., and Richard Hood; Miss Sadie; and Julia Holland,
who married C. N. Wilson, of Bainbridge, Georgia, and has one son—William Carson.


Additional Comments:
A HISTORY OF SAVANNAH AND SOUTH GEORGIA
BY
WILLIAM HARDEN

VOLUME I
ILLUSTRATED
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
CHICAGO AND NEW YORK
1913

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