KENT families of Allegan County, Michigan
I am having some serious doubts about the reputed origins of the KENT families who settled in Allegan County, Michigan and need some help with finding evidence either supporting the stories or leading to a correction.
A biographical sketch of James E. Kent, found in the 1907 "History of Allegan County, Michigan," compiled by Henry F. Thomas, reports the following:
"James E. Kent... was born in Whitby, Ontario, Canada, December 4, 1837, and traces his ancestry back to William Kent, who emigrated from Essex county, England, nearly one hundred and fifty years ago.He married a Pennsylvania woman of Holland descent, whose maiden name was Tamer Brower.To them were born eleven children, five boys and six girls, ten of whom lived to maturity, Jeremiah dying in infancy.The four boys were Robert, John, James, and William, who was the youngest of the family.He was born August 7, 1796; in Highgate township, Franklin county, Vermont.He married Harriet Henderson...They settled first in the township of Whitby, Canada, where they remained until 1839, when they moved to the township of Franklin, Lenawee county, Michigan, thence to the township of Watson, Allegan county, in June, 1847."
It goes on to say:"The first of the family in Michigan, however, was James Kent, who removed from Ohio to Allegan county in 1845, settling north of the village of Otsego on a farm... "
Other sources give the immigrant's name as William Kent who was born 28 August 1770 in Benniworth, Lincoln, England; and his wife's maiden name variously as Hannah Tamar Brower, Hannah Tamer, or Tamar Brower, and her birth information alternatively as about 1772 in Vermont rather than Pennsylvania.
Here are my objections and questions:
1.The William Kent who was born 28 August 1770 in Benniworth, Lincolnshire, England, is said in the IGI to have died a few months later.Something is very wrong here.Also, Lincolnshire is not Essex.
2."Tamer" is a misspelling of the Biblical name "Tamar" which everyone in those days should have known how to spell properly, being familiar with Chapter 38 of Genesis.What a heck of a name to give a girl baby anyway.It does not appear to be a surname."Brower" might indeed be Dutch, as there were Brower and Brouwer families in the Dutch-settled areas of New York and New Jersey.Pennsylvania seems less likely and Vermont seems highly unlikely, yet where would the immigrant William have met her?I have been unable to prove the existence of a Tamar or Hannah Tamar Brower.Can anyone help?
3.Another source says that the mother of William Kent [II or Jr.] who was born 7 August 1796 died when he was three weeks old.If he was the youngest of 11 children, as stated above, and the mother was about the same age as her husband, she would have had to marry quite young and have several sets of twins and triplets in a matter of a few years in order to cram 11 children into her short life.Therefore, either "Tamer Brower" was not the mother of all 11 children, or something else is very wrong.
I am willing to believe that the William Kent [II or Jr.] who was born in 1796 and married Harriet Henderson was the BROTHER of James Kent, who was born about September 1790 and died 3 October 1849 (according to the 1850 Mortality Schedule and Allegan Co. probate files; his tombstone says he died 1850), and who was married to Hannah A. Veley/Viele/Vela.William [II or Jr.] probably moved to Allegan County because James was already there.It seems both brothers were probably born in Vermont, but William [II or Jr.] spent some decades in Canada while James made a way-stop in Ohio before they reunited in Michigan.
Beyond that, I want to see some cold hard evidence of the parentage of these men.Otherwise, I cannot accept the genealogies as given elsewhere on the Internet linking the purported immigrant to earlier generations in England.I would also like to learn more about the other 8 siblings who "lived to maturity."Can anyone really help?