The photograph of the little girl at left was from the personal papers of Mrs. John C. Dent, a well-known, gracious Carthage woman, is remembered by her friends and family as a childhood portrait of Julia Dent Grant, wife of the 18th President of the United States and sister of Amanda Shurlds Dent's husband, John C. Dent.
Courtesy Jasper County records center
Carthage, Missouri.
___________
Parents:
Judge Henry Shurlds
Jane Jamison (Bush) Shurlds
Father, Missouri Secretary of State 1835-1837
Wife of:
Capt. John Cromwell Dent
Married abt. 1861 in St. Louis, Missouri.
1 Son:
William Bernard Dent
Born December 20, 1861
in St. Louis, Missouri.
NOTE:
1.- Capt. Dent, a personal friend of President Grant, was buried next to his first wife in Bellfontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri. (earlier times it was the custom to bury a man next to his first wife)
2.- Anna's older sister, Mary Isabella (1822-1907), had married George Wrenshall Dent (1819-1899), younger brother of John Dent, about 1841.
3.- Anna Amanda Dent is buried in Carthage, Missouri at Park Cemetery in the Lucy Cunningham's family plot.
4.- T J Franks of Joplin was May (Cunningham) Franks husband, she d/o said Lucy (Hood) Cunningham, both with daughter Helen buried in Lucy's plot with Ann Amanda Dent.
5)- Reportedly Ann lived with Lucy (Hood) Cunningham at some point while residing in Carthage.
The death certificate can be viewed at Missouri Digital Archives/death certificates online website.
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CARTHAGE EVENING PRESS
AUGUST 29, 1932
*OBITUARY*
SISTER-IN-LAW OF GRANT, MRS. ANN DENT DEAD AT 96
Funeral of Prominent Resident Held This Afternoon at Grace Church
Mrs. Ann Amanda Dent, 96, sister-in-law of General U. S. Grant, and who came to Carthage 48 years ago with her husband, the late Colonel John C. Dent, passed away at 6:30 o'clock Saturday night at the home of Miss Doshia Kingsbury, 1015 Lyon Street.
Mrs. Dent had been ill the last six months. She suffered a broken hip last March and since that time she had been confined to her bed. The last 10 days her condition had been critical.
Mrs. Dent was the daughter of Judge Henry Shurlds, a prominent lawyer of Jefferson City who served as head of the first state bank organized in Missouri. She was born October 21, 1835 in Jefferson City and when she was 13 months of age her father and his family moved to St. Louis. They rented a home belonging to one of the Choteau brothers, prominent fur brokers, which was located down in what is now the heart of the St. Louis business district. As a little girl, Mrs. Dent said she had often seen the Indians carrying furs to the St. Louis Market.
MARRIED AT AGE 23
She was married at the age of 23 years to Colonel Dent, a member of a prominent St. Louis family. Her father-in-law owned a great deal of property in what is now the west end of the city of St. Louis, as well as a large estate in the county on the Gravois Road. This property together with the farm owned by General Grant, which bordered the Dent estate, is now owned by Adolphus Busch and has been divided up into a country club district of homes, parks and golf links.
The home in which Mrs. Dent at one time lived in Kirkwood, suburb to St. Louis, is now the American Legion Home.
Colonel and Mrs. Dent often visited in the White House during President Grant's administration. Mrs. Grant being Colonel Dent's sister. Mrs. Dent took part in the social life of the capital during her visits there as well as being quite prominent in St. Louis society.
Colonel Dent at one time was a commissary contractor engaged in selling supplies to the army which made it necessary that he travel from one army post to another. Mrs. Dent made many of the trips with her husband, traveling over the country by state coach. She often went as far west as western New Mexico, the farthest western post of the army at that time.
CAME TO CARTHAGE IN 1884
The Dents came to Carthage in 1884 to make their home. After his death about 40 years ago, Mrs. Dent visited various places where they had formerly lived, living principally in St. Louis. Through the years, she returned to Carthage at various times to visit friends, and 10 years ago returned here to make her home permanently.
Judge Shurlds and Colonel Dent's parents were early day friends. When Mrs. Dent was 5 years of age she accompanied her father on a visit to Colonel Dent's office.
In the conversation between the two men Colonel Dent laughingly remarked that he "must find himself a wife."
Judge Shurlds laughingly said "Here's a little wife for you," presenting his young daughter.
The two were married about 18 years later when Mrs. Dent was 23 years old. Colonel Dent was about 20 years older than his bride.
SHUNNED PUBLICITY
Due to Mrs. Dent's interesting experiences as an early-day settler of St. Louis and her prominence through her relationship with President Grant, she was often approached by newspapers all over the country for stories concerning her life. This she always declined, coming from a family of the early days who felt getting into the newspaper was "common."
Mrs. Dent is survived by a son, William B. Dent, of Aromas, California, who was unable to attend the funeral services due to his health. Several nieces and nephews also survive.
D. Barnard, a nephew living in St. Louis arrived here last night to attend the services. Others residing in St. Louis are;
Mrs. A. C. Berthold
E. S. Barnard and
Velle Botte.
SERVICES AT GRACE CHURCH
Funeral services were held at 2:30 o'clock this afternoon at Grace Episcopal church with Dr. George B. Norton in charge. A quartet composed of;
Mrs. W. W. Wright
Marion Wright Powers
D. G. Wells
J. T. Wallace, Sr.
sang "LEAD KINDLY LIGHT"
Mrs. J. T. Wallace was the accompanist.
Pallbearers were;
John McMillan
G. S. Beimdiek
H. S. Cowgill
Walter E. Carter
Robert Marrs and
T. J. Franks, the latter of Joplin.
A brief service was held at 2:15 o'clock at the home of Miss Kingsbury before going to the church for the principal service.
The following article was printed on February 12, 1932 in the Carthage Press, prior to Mrs. Dent's death.
HE WAS A NOTED MISSOURIAN
Henry Shurlds, Pioneer St. Louis Banker, Was Father of Mrs. Dent
The January issue of the Missouri Historical Review, issued by the State Historical Society, contains a very interesting and informative article on the beginning of banking in Missouri, in which mention is made in very complimentary language of Henry Shurlds, who was the father of Mrs. Anne Amanda Dent, of this city, widow of the late Col. John C. Dent.
Mrs. Dent was long a resident of St. Louis, coming to that city with her parents when she was but 13 months old. She is now 96 years of age and has long been a resident of Carthage.
Mrs. Dent's father, Henry Shurlds, was evidently a power in banking and also in the public affairs of Missouri, as the following excerpt from the Historical Review for January clearly indicated:
"The Bank of the State of Missouri began in 1838 a service that was to last for twenty years on a monopoly basis, and for a still longer period as one of the important financial institutions of the state. Although it had many struggles with the forces of inflation and unsound money, as was not always able to maintain it's ideals, it taught sound banking as it was taught nowhere else west of Indiana. The executives of the bank were strong men. Two of them, John Brady Smith and Henry Shurlds, the first president and cashier respectively, deserve to be placed high on the list of Missouri's great bankers.
Smith was a man of stern integrity and conservative ideas. Shurlds had these characteristics, but perhaps had greater financial ability. He remained as cashier for fifteen years and was doubtless the greatest single reason for the success of the bank. He was a lawyer by profession, and had served both as secretary of state and state auditor.
About the same time that Mrs. Dent's father was in the banking business in St. Louis, the grandfather of Mrs. Lucy Boon Simpson, William C. Boon, was pioneering in banking in Fayette. It is probable that the two men knew each other well.
Mrs. Dent is a sister-in-law of General U. S. Grant, Mrs. Dent's husband, Col. J. C. Dent and Mrs. Julia Dent Grant, wife of Gen. Grant, being brother and sister."
Courtesy Jasper County records center
Carthage, Missouri.
___________
Parents:
Judge Henry Shurlds
Jane Jamison (Bush) Shurlds
Father, Missouri Secretary of State 1835-1837
Wife of:
Capt. John Cromwell Dent
Married abt. 1861 in St. Louis, Missouri.
1 Son:
William Bernard Dent
Born December 20, 1861
in St. Louis, Missouri.
NOTE:
1.- Capt. Dent, a personal friend of President Grant, was buried next to his first wife in Bellfontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri. (earlier times it was the custom to bury a man next to his first wife)
2.- Anna's older sister, Mary Isabella (1822-1907), had married George Wrenshall Dent (1819-1899), younger brother of John Dent, about 1841.
3.- Anna Amanda Dent is buried in Carthage, Missouri at Park Cemetery in the Lucy Cunningham's family plot.
4.- T J Franks of Joplin was May (Cunningham) Franks husband, she d/o said Lucy (Hood) Cunningham, both with daughter Helen buried in Lucy's plot with Ann Amanda Dent.
5)- Reportedly Ann lived with Lucy (Hood) Cunningham at some point while residing in Carthage.
The death certificate can be viewed at Missouri Digital Archives/death certificates online website.
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(¸.•.. (¸.•..
************
CARTHAGE EVENING PRESS
AUGUST 29, 1932
*OBITUARY*
SISTER-IN-LAW OF GRANT, MRS. ANN DENT DEAD AT 96
Funeral of Prominent Resident Held This Afternoon at Grace Church
Mrs. Ann Amanda Dent, 96, sister-in-law of General U. S. Grant, and who came to Carthage 48 years ago with her husband, the late Colonel John C. Dent, passed away at 6:30 o'clock Saturday night at the home of Miss Doshia Kingsbury, 1015 Lyon Street.
Mrs. Dent had been ill the last six months. She suffered a broken hip last March and since that time she had been confined to her bed. The last 10 days her condition had been critical.
Mrs. Dent was the daughter of Judge Henry Shurlds, a prominent lawyer of Jefferson City who served as head of the first state bank organized in Missouri. She was born October 21, 1835 in Jefferson City and when she was 13 months of age her father and his family moved to St. Louis. They rented a home belonging to one of the Choteau brothers, prominent fur brokers, which was located down in what is now the heart of the St. Louis business district. As a little girl, Mrs. Dent said she had often seen the Indians carrying furs to the St. Louis Market.
MARRIED AT AGE 23
She was married at the age of 23 years to Colonel Dent, a member of a prominent St. Louis family. Her father-in-law owned a great deal of property in what is now the west end of the city of St. Louis, as well as a large estate in the county on the Gravois Road. This property together with the farm owned by General Grant, which bordered the Dent estate, is now owned by Adolphus Busch and has been divided up into a country club district of homes, parks and golf links.
The home in which Mrs. Dent at one time lived in Kirkwood, suburb to St. Louis, is now the American Legion Home.
Colonel and Mrs. Dent often visited in the White House during President Grant's administration. Mrs. Grant being Colonel Dent's sister. Mrs. Dent took part in the social life of the capital during her visits there as well as being quite prominent in St. Louis society.
Colonel Dent at one time was a commissary contractor engaged in selling supplies to the army which made it necessary that he travel from one army post to another. Mrs. Dent made many of the trips with her husband, traveling over the country by state coach. She often went as far west as western New Mexico, the farthest western post of the army at that time.
CAME TO CARTHAGE IN 1884
The Dents came to Carthage in 1884 to make their home. After his death about 40 years ago, Mrs. Dent visited various places where they had formerly lived, living principally in St. Louis. Through the years, she returned to Carthage at various times to visit friends, and 10 years ago returned here to make her home permanently.
Judge Shurlds and Colonel Dent's parents were early day friends. When Mrs. Dent was 5 years of age she accompanied her father on a visit to Colonel Dent's office.
In the conversation between the two men Colonel Dent laughingly remarked that he "must find himself a wife."
Judge Shurlds laughingly said "Here's a little wife for you," presenting his young daughter.
The two were married about 18 years later when Mrs. Dent was 23 years old. Colonel Dent was about 20 years older than his bride.
SHUNNED PUBLICITY
Due to Mrs. Dent's interesting experiences as an early-day settler of St. Louis and her prominence through her relationship with President Grant, she was often approached by newspapers all over the country for stories concerning her life. This she always declined, coming from a family of the early days who felt getting into the newspaper was "common."
Mrs. Dent is survived by a son, William B. Dent, of Aromas, California, who was unable to attend the funeral services due to his health. Several nieces and nephews also survive.
D. Barnard, a nephew living in St. Louis arrived here last night to attend the services. Others residing in St. Louis are;
Mrs. A. C. Berthold
E. S. Barnard and
Velle Botte.
SERVICES AT GRACE CHURCH
Funeral services were held at 2:30 o'clock this afternoon at Grace Episcopal church with Dr. George B. Norton in charge. A quartet composed of;
Mrs. W. W. Wright
Marion Wright Powers
D. G. Wells
J. T. Wallace, Sr.
sang "LEAD KINDLY LIGHT"
Mrs. J. T. Wallace was the accompanist.
Pallbearers were;
John McMillan
G. S. Beimdiek
H. S. Cowgill
Walter E. Carter
Robert Marrs and
T. J. Franks, the latter of Joplin.
A brief service was held at 2:15 o'clock at the home of Miss Kingsbury before going to the church for the principal service.
The following article was printed on February 12, 1932 in the Carthage Press, prior to Mrs. Dent's death.
HE WAS A NOTED MISSOURIAN
Henry Shurlds, Pioneer St. Louis Banker, Was Father of Mrs. Dent
The January issue of the Missouri Historical Review, issued by the State Historical Society, contains a very interesting and informative article on the beginning of banking in Missouri, in which mention is made in very complimentary language of Henry Shurlds, who was the father of Mrs. Anne Amanda Dent, of this city, widow of the late Col. John C. Dent.
Mrs. Dent was long a resident of St. Louis, coming to that city with her parents when she was but 13 months old. She is now 96 years of age and has long been a resident of Carthage.
Mrs. Dent's father, Henry Shurlds, was evidently a power in banking and also in the public affairs of Missouri, as the following excerpt from the Historical Review for January clearly indicated:
"The Bank of the State of Missouri began in 1838 a service that was to last for twenty years on a monopoly basis, and for a still longer period as one of the important financial institutions of the state. Although it had many struggles with the forces of inflation and unsound money, as was not always able to maintain it's ideals, it taught sound banking as it was taught nowhere else west of Indiana. The executives of the bank were strong men. Two of them, John Brady Smith and Henry Shurlds, the first president and cashier respectively, deserve to be placed high on the list of Missouri's great bankers.
Smith was a man of stern integrity and conservative ideas. Shurlds had these characteristics, but perhaps had greater financial ability. He remained as cashier for fifteen years and was doubtless the greatest single reason for the success of the bank. He was a lawyer by profession, and had served both as secretary of state and state auditor.
About the same time that Mrs. Dent's father was in the banking business in St. Louis, the grandfather of Mrs. Lucy Boon Simpson, William C. Boon, was pioneering in banking in Fayette. It is probable that the two men knew each other well.
Mrs. Dent is a sister-in-law of General U. S. Grant, Mrs. Dent's husband, Col. J. C. Dent and Mrs. Julia Dent Grant, wife of Gen. Grant, being brother and sister."
The photograph of the little girl at left was from the personal papers of Mrs. John C. Dent, a well-known, gracious Carthage woman, is remembered by her friends and family as a childhood portrait of Julia Dent Grant, wife of the 18th President of the United States and sister of Amanda Shurlds Dent's husband, John C. Dent.
Courtesy Jasper County records center
Carthage, Missouri.
___________
Parents:
Judge Henry Shurlds
Jane Jamison (Bush) Shurlds
Father, Missouri Secretary of State 1835-1837
Wife of:
Capt. John Cromwell Dent
Married abt. 1861 in St. Louis, Missouri.
1 Son:
William Bernard Dent
Born December 20, 1861
in St. Louis, Missouri.
NOTE:
1.- Capt. Dent, a personal friend of President Grant, was buried next to his first wife in Bellfontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri. (earlier times it was the custom to bury a man next to his first wife)
2.- Anna's older sister, Mary Isabella (1822-1907), had married George Wrenshall Dent (1819-1899), younger brother of John Dent, about 1841.
3.- Anna Amanda Dent is buried in Carthage, Missouri at Park Cemetery in the Lucy Cunningham's family plot.
4.- T J Franks of Joplin was May (Cunningham) Franks husband, she d/o said Lucy (Hood) Cunningham, both with daughter Helen buried in Lucy's plot with Ann Amanda Dent.
5)- Reportedly Ann lived with Lucy (Hood) Cunningham at some point while residing in Carthage.
The death certificate can be viewed at Missouri Digital Archives/death certificates online website.
¸.•..¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨) )
(¸.•.. (¸.•..
************
CARTHAGE EVENING PRESS
AUGUST 29, 1932
*OBITUARY*
SISTER-IN-LAW OF GRANT, MRS. ANN DENT DEAD AT 96
Funeral of Prominent Resident Held This Afternoon at Grace Church
Mrs. Ann Amanda Dent, 96, sister-in-law of General U. S. Grant, and who came to Carthage 48 years ago with her husband, the late Colonel John C. Dent, passed away at 6:30 o'clock Saturday night at the home of Miss Doshia Kingsbury, 1015 Lyon Street.
Mrs. Dent had been ill the last six months. She suffered a broken hip last March and since that time she had been confined to her bed. The last 10 days her condition had been critical.
Mrs. Dent was the daughter of Judge Henry Shurlds, a prominent lawyer of Jefferson City who served as head of the first state bank organized in Missouri. She was born October 21, 1835 in Jefferson City and when she was 13 months of age her father and his family moved to St. Louis. They rented a home belonging to one of the Choteau brothers, prominent fur brokers, which was located down in what is now the heart of the St. Louis business district. As a little girl, Mrs. Dent said she had often seen the Indians carrying furs to the St. Louis Market.
MARRIED AT AGE 23
She was married at the age of 23 years to Colonel Dent, a member of a prominent St. Louis family. Her father-in-law owned a great deal of property in what is now the west end of the city of St. Louis, as well as a large estate in the county on the Gravois Road. This property together with the farm owned by General Grant, which bordered the Dent estate, is now owned by Adolphus Busch and has been divided up into a country club district of homes, parks and golf links.
The home in which Mrs. Dent at one time lived in Kirkwood, suburb to St. Louis, is now the American Legion Home.
Colonel and Mrs. Dent often visited in the White House during President Grant's administration. Mrs. Grant being Colonel Dent's sister. Mrs. Dent took part in the social life of the capital during her visits there as well as being quite prominent in St. Louis society.
Colonel Dent at one time was a commissary contractor engaged in selling supplies to the army which made it necessary that he travel from one army post to another. Mrs. Dent made many of the trips with her husband, traveling over the country by state coach. She often went as far west as western New Mexico, the farthest western post of the army at that time.
CAME TO CARTHAGE IN 1884
The Dents came to Carthage in 1884 to make their home. After his death about 40 years ago, Mrs. Dent visited various places where they had formerly lived, living principally in St. Louis. Through the years, she returned to Carthage at various times to visit friends, and 10 years ago returned here to make her home permanently.
Judge Shurlds and Colonel Dent's parents were early day friends. When Mrs. Dent was 5 years of age she accompanied her father on a visit to Colonel Dent's office.
In the conversation between the two men Colonel Dent laughingly remarked that he "must find himself a wife."
Judge Shurlds laughingly said "Here's a little wife for you," presenting his young daughter.
The two were married about 18 years later when Mrs. Dent was 23 years old. Colonel Dent was about 20 years older than his bride.
SHUNNED PUBLICITY
Due to Mrs. Dent's interesting experiences as an early-day settler of St. Louis and her prominence through her relationship with President Grant, she was often approached by newspapers all over the country for stories concerning her life. This she always declined, coming from a family of the early days who felt getting into the newspaper was "common."
Mrs. Dent is survived by a son, William B. Dent, of Aromas, California, who was unable to attend the funeral services due to his health. Several nieces and nephews also survive.
D. Barnard, a nephew living in St. Louis arrived here last night to attend the services. Others residing in St. Louis are;
Mrs. A. C. Berthold
E. S. Barnard and
Velle Botte.
SERVICES AT GRACE CHURCH
Funeral services were held at 2:30 o'clock this afternoon at Grace Episcopal church with Dr. George B. Norton in charge. A quartet composed of;
Mrs. W. W. Wright
Marion Wright Powers
D. G. Wells
J. T. Wallace, Sr.
sang "LEAD KINDLY LIGHT"
Mrs. J. T. Wallace was the accompanist.
Pallbearers were;
John McMillan
G. S. Beimdiek
H. S. Cowgill
Walter E. Carter
Robert Marrs and
T. J. Franks, the latter of Joplin.
A brief service was held at 2:15 o'clock at the home of Miss Kingsbury before going to the church for the principal service.
The following article was printed on February 12, 1932 in the Carthage Press, prior to Mrs. Dent's death.
HE WAS A NOTED MISSOURIAN
Henry Shurlds, Pioneer St. Louis Banker, Was Father of Mrs. Dent
The January issue of the Missouri Historical Review, issued by the State Historical Society, contains a very interesting and informative article on the beginning of banking in Missouri, in which mention is made in very complimentary language of Henry Shurlds, who was the father of Mrs. Anne Amanda Dent, of this city, widow of the late Col. John C. Dent.
Mrs. Dent was long a resident of St. Louis, coming to that city with her parents when she was but 13 months old. She is now 96 years of age and has long been a resident of Carthage.
Mrs. Dent's father, Henry Shurlds, was evidently a power in banking and also in the public affairs of Missouri, as the following excerpt from the Historical Review for January clearly indicated:
"The Bank of the State of Missouri began in 1838 a service that was to last for twenty years on a monopoly basis, and for a still longer period as one of the important financial institutions of the state. Although it had many struggles with the forces of inflation and unsound money, as was not always able to maintain it's ideals, it taught sound banking as it was taught nowhere else west of Indiana. The executives of the bank were strong men. Two of them, John Brady Smith and Henry Shurlds, the first president and cashier respectively, deserve to be placed high on the list of Missouri's great bankers.
Smith was a man of stern integrity and conservative ideas. Shurlds had these characteristics, but perhaps had greater financial ability. He remained as cashier for fifteen years and was doubtless the greatest single reason for the success of the bank. He was a lawyer by profession, and had served both as secretary of state and state auditor.
About the same time that Mrs. Dent's father was in the banking business in St. Louis, the grandfather of Mrs. Lucy Boon Simpson, William C. Boon, was pioneering in banking in Fayette. It is probable that the two men knew each other well.
Mrs. Dent is a sister-in-law of General U. S. Grant, Mrs. Dent's husband, Col. J. C. Dent and Mrs. Julia Dent Grant, wife of Gen. Grant, being brother and sister."
Courtesy Jasper County records center
Carthage, Missouri.
___________
Parents:
Judge Henry Shurlds
Jane Jamison (Bush) Shurlds
Father, Missouri Secretary of State 1835-1837
Wife of:
Capt. John Cromwell Dent
Married abt. 1861 in St. Louis, Missouri.
1 Son:
William Bernard Dent
Born December 20, 1861
in St. Louis, Missouri.
NOTE:
1.- Capt. Dent, a personal friend of President Grant, was buried next to his first wife in Bellfontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri. (earlier times it was the custom to bury a man next to his first wife)
2.- Anna's older sister, Mary Isabella (1822-1907), had married George Wrenshall Dent (1819-1899), younger brother of John Dent, about 1841.
3.- Anna Amanda Dent is buried in Carthage, Missouri at Park Cemetery in the Lucy Cunningham's family plot.
4.- T J Franks of Joplin was May (Cunningham) Franks husband, she d/o said Lucy (Hood) Cunningham, both with daughter Helen buried in Lucy's plot with Ann Amanda Dent.
5)- Reportedly Ann lived with Lucy (Hood) Cunningham at some point while residing in Carthage.
The death certificate can be viewed at Missouri Digital Archives/death certificates online website.
¸.•..¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨) )
(¸.•.. (¸.•..
************
CARTHAGE EVENING PRESS
AUGUST 29, 1932
*OBITUARY*
SISTER-IN-LAW OF GRANT, MRS. ANN DENT DEAD AT 96
Funeral of Prominent Resident Held This Afternoon at Grace Church
Mrs. Ann Amanda Dent, 96, sister-in-law of General U. S. Grant, and who came to Carthage 48 years ago with her husband, the late Colonel John C. Dent, passed away at 6:30 o'clock Saturday night at the home of Miss Doshia Kingsbury, 1015 Lyon Street.
Mrs. Dent had been ill the last six months. She suffered a broken hip last March and since that time she had been confined to her bed. The last 10 days her condition had been critical.
Mrs. Dent was the daughter of Judge Henry Shurlds, a prominent lawyer of Jefferson City who served as head of the first state bank organized in Missouri. She was born October 21, 1835 in Jefferson City and when she was 13 months of age her father and his family moved to St. Louis. They rented a home belonging to one of the Choteau brothers, prominent fur brokers, which was located down in what is now the heart of the St. Louis business district. As a little girl, Mrs. Dent said she had often seen the Indians carrying furs to the St. Louis Market.
MARRIED AT AGE 23
She was married at the age of 23 years to Colonel Dent, a member of a prominent St. Louis family. Her father-in-law owned a great deal of property in what is now the west end of the city of St. Louis, as well as a large estate in the county on the Gravois Road. This property together with the farm owned by General Grant, which bordered the Dent estate, is now owned by Adolphus Busch and has been divided up into a country club district of homes, parks and golf links.
The home in which Mrs. Dent at one time lived in Kirkwood, suburb to St. Louis, is now the American Legion Home.
Colonel and Mrs. Dent often visited in the White House during President Grant's administration. Mrs. Grant being Colonel Dent's sister. Mrs. Dent took part in the social life of the capital during her visits there as well as being quite prominent in St. Louis society.
Colonel Dent at one time was a commissary contractor engaged in selling supplies to the army which made it necessary that he travel from one army post to another. Mrs. Dent made many of the trips with her husband, traveling over the country by state coach. She often went as far west as western New Mexico, the farthest western post of the army at that time.
CAME TO CARTHAGE IN 1884
The Dents came to Carthage in 1884 to make their home. After his death about 40 years ago, Mrs. Dent visited various places where they had formerly lived, living principally in St. Louis. Through the years, she returned to Carthage at various times to visit friends, and 10 years ago returned here to make her home permanently.
Judge Shurlds and Colonel Dent's parents were early day friends. When Mrs. Dent was 5 years of age she accompanied her father on a visit to Colonel Dent's office.
In the conversation between the two men Colonel Dent laughingly remarked that he "must find himself a wife."
Judge Shurlds laughingly said "Here's a little wife for you," presenting his young daughter.
The two were married about 18 years later when Mrs. Dent was 23 years old. Colonel Dent was about 20 years older than his bride.
SHUNNED PUBLICITY
Due to Mrs. Dent's interesting experiences as an early-day settler of St. Louis and her prominence through her relationship with President Grant, she was often approached by newspapers all over the country for stories concerning her life. This she always declined, coming from a family of the early days who felt getting into the newspaper was "common."
Mrs. Dent is survived by a son, William B. Dent, of Aromas, California, who was unable to attend the funeral services due to his health. Several nieces and nephews also survive.
D. Barnard, a nephew living in St. Louis arrived here last night to attend the services. Others residing in St. Louis are;
Mrs. A. C. Berthold
E. S. Barnard and
Velle Botte.
SERVICES AT GRACE CHURCH
Funeral services were held at 2:30 o'clock this afternoon at Grace Episcopal church with Dr. George B. Norton in charge. A quartet composed of;
Mrs. W. W. Wright
Marion Wright Powers
D. G. Wells
J. T. Wallace, Sr.
sang "LEAD KINDLY LIGHT"
Mrs. J. T. Wallace was the accompanist.
Pallbearers were;
John McMillan
G. S. Beimdiek
H. S. Cowgill
Walter E. Carter
Robert Marrs and
T. J. Franks, the latter of Joplin.
A brief service was held at 2:15 o'clock at the home of Miss Kingsbury before going to the church for the principal service.
The following article was printed on February 12, 1932 in the Carthage Press, prior to Mrs. Dent's death.
HE WAS A NOTED MISSOURIAN
Henry Shurlds, Pioneer St. Louis Banker, Was Father of Mrs. Dent
The January issue of the Missouri Historical Review, issued by the State Historical Society, contains a very interesting and informative article on the beginning of banking in Missouri, in which mention is made in very complimentary language of Henry Shurlds, who was the father of Mrs. Anne Amanda Dent, of this city, widow of the late Col. John C. Dent.
Mrs. Dent was long a resident of St. Louis, coming to that city with her parents when she was but 13 months old. She is now 96 years of age and has long been a resident of Carthage.
Mrs. Dent's father, Henry Shurlds, was evidently a power in banking and also in the public affairs of Missouri, as the following excerpt from the Historical Review for January clearly indicated:
"The Bank of the State of Missouri began in 1838 a service that was to last for twenty years on a monopoly basis, and for a still longer period as one of the important financial institutions of the state. Although it had many struggles with the forces of inflation and unsound money, as was not always able to maintain it's ideals, it taught sound banking as it was taught nowhere else west of Indiana. The executives of the bank were strong men. Two of them, John Brady Smith and Henry Shurlds, the first president and cashier respectively, deserve to be placed high on the list of Missouri's great bankers.
Smith was a man of stern integrity and conservative ideas. Shurlds had these characteristics, but perhaps had greater financial ability. He remained as cashier for fifteen years and was doubtless the greatest single reason for the success of the bank. He was a lawyer by profession, and had served both as secretary of state and state auditor.
About the same time that Mrs. Dent's father was in the banking business in St. Louis, the grandfather of Mrs. Lucy Boon Simpson, William C. Boon, was pioneering in banking in Fayette. It is probable that the two men knew each other well.
Mrs. Dent is a sister-in-law of General U. S. Grant, Mrs. Dent's husband, Col. J. C. Dent and Mrs. Julia Dent Grant, wife of Gen. Grant, being brother and sister."
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