William Trent - Early Life and Education

Early Life and Education

Trent was born in 1715 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (then described as western Pennsylvania in historic accounts) as the youngest child and son of William Trent, a prominent merchant and trader in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and his second wife, Mary Coddington, who was 25 years younger than her husband. The second son born to Mary Coddington Trent, William was her only child to survive to adulthood. Her first son died in infancy. Trent's father had four children with his first wife, Mary Burge Trent, who had died in 1708. They were James, John, Maurice, and Mary Trent.

Trent senior founded Trenton, New Jersey by buying a large tract of land in 1714 below the falls of the Delaware River and developing his country house there. Moving to the new site in 1721 with his family, Trent also platted the town around his house. The young Trent grew up with his father's wealth, gained from trading and shipping in furs, dry goods and slaves, with merchants and interests in the North American and Caribbean colonies, and England. His father had interests in 40 ships. His father served in the provincial governments in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey.