Soldier Information
Name: Martin Brents
Alias:
Place of Birth: Barren KY Year of Birth: 1824
Occupation: Farmer
Eyes: Black Hair: Black Complexion: Black
Height in Feet: 5′ Inches: 11″
Enlistment Information
Enlistment Date: July 18, 1864
Enlistment Place: Bowling Green
Enlistment State: KY
Compiled Military Service Record
Document: View
Congressional District: 3rd
Company: A Regiment(s): 115th Regt USCI
Mustered Where: Bowling Green
Mustered Out Date:
Rank at Muster Out:
Notes:
This soldier died in hospital 31 Aug 1865 of pneumonia.
Soldier Death Information
Died in war? Yes
Military Death Date: August 31, 1865
Military Death Location: Corps de Afrique Post Hospital, New Orleans, LA
Military Cause of Death: Pneumonia
Death Date: August 31, 1865
Cause of Death: Pneumonia
Death Certificate
Soldier Pension Information
No pension card found
Widow Pension Information
Widow Pension Card: Pension Card
Widow Application Date: June 22, 1866
Application No.: 128690 Certificate No.: 116232
No other family pension card found
Pension File Information
Pension File: Pension File
Pensioners: Rachel Graves
Pensioner County: Hart Pensioner State: KY
Number of Pages:48
Pension Notes:
Rachel Brent, soldier’s widow, applied for a new certificate on 20 March 1890, because her original certificate was mutilated. Page 44 of the pension file included a worn, partial document that listed four children who would have turned sixteen between 1872 and 1879; William R., George H., Frances and Moses. Not notations on the document confirm that these children were related to Rachel Brents. If they were they would have likely been grandchildren, given their estimate ages. The document is not dated and it is difficult to determine if this was included in Rachel Brent’s pension file in error, or if she applied for benefits for four minor probable grandchildren. These four children were not included in the 1880 federal census enumeration for Rachel Brents. Edward (18), James (10) and Wm (6) were enumerated in the household with Rachel in 1880. Wm’s age in the census does not correspond with the year that the pension file William was estimated to become sixteen (1872).
Two “legitmately” documented children of Martin and Rachel Brents were noted in the pension file as Mittie Brents, born 4 February 1852 and Crittie Brents, born 21 August 1857. No reference was made to any children, older than sixteen.
In 1870, Rachel Brents resided in the household of George and Minta Edwards with her daughter, Crittie. The age of Minta Edwards was an approximate match to that of Mittie who was named in the pension file. Minta may have been the older daughter, Mittie of Martin and Rachel, listed in the census with a variation of the spelling.
Two children: Mittie (1852) and Crittie Brents (1857).
Freedman’s Bank/Freedmen’s Bureau Information
No Freedman’s Bank information found
Notes from Freedmen’s Bureau Documents:
Family Information
Mother First Name: Mother Maiden Name:
Father First Name: Father Last Name:
Siblings:
Wife #1 First Name: Rachel Maiden Name: Graves
Wife #2 First Name: Maiden Name:
Wife #3 First Name: Maiden Name:
Children: Mittie Brents 1852
Crittie Brents 1857
Family Notes:
An 1875 death register for Mary C. Brents was retrieved, naming her parents and Martin and Rachel Brents. Mary’s race was listed as “white” and this may have been an error. The age for Mary, sixteen, is somewhat troubling because she was not referenced in the widow’s pension file as a minor child. If she was sixteen when she died in 1875, her birth year would have been 1858 or 1859. Her marital status noted she was married; however, her surname was Brents the same as her parents’.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o4c3UT9Mo9KR_DiEX95j2HnE3_xHpg0x/view?usp=sharing
If Mary’s age was written in error, and she was actually older, she may have possibly been Mittie, the oldest-named daughter of the Brents. This is conjecture at this point, no other sources were retrieved during this search to validate the authenticity of Mary C. Brents’ death information.
If Mary was Mittie who died in 1875, she was likely married to George V Edwards. In the 1880 census, Rachel Brents was living with her grandsons, who may have been Mittie/Mary’s children.
No other references to Crittie are found after the 1870 census. We can found no conclusive evidence that Mary/ Mittie are one and the same. Rachel Brents died in 1890.
Family Tree:
1870 Census
1870 Census Link: View
1870 Profession: None
1870 Live with/near former enslaver? No
1870 Real Estate Value: 1870 Personal Estate Value:
1870 Ability to Read? Cannot read Ability to Write? Cannot write
1870 Census Notes:
Rachel and Crittie Brents are residing with the Edwards family. Minta Edwards, presumed wife of George was listed as twenty-one which was within about three years of the Brent daughter, Mittie, referenced in the widow’s pension file. No confirmation that she was their daughter was achieved during this search.
1880 Census
1880 Census Link: View
1880 Profession: None
1880 Live with/near former enslaver? No
1880 Ability to Read? Cannot read Ability to Write? Cannot write
1880 Census Notes:
Rachel Brents is residing with her grandsons, as head of household. Crittie Brents is not listed as a part of this enumeration. One of the grandsons, James was listed as ten years of age. This may indicate that Minta Edwards was a daughter of Rachel’s because the 1870 census listed a young boy, James who was six months old.
1890 Census
1890 Census information not found
1900 Census
1900 Census information not found
1910 Census
1910 Census information not found
1920 Census
1920 Census information not found
Enslaver Information
1850 Enslaver Census
1850 Census Link: View
1850 Slave Schedule Link: View
1850 Number of Enslaved: 31
1860 Enslaver Census
1860 Census Link: View
1860 Real Estate Value: $15,000 1860 Personal Estate Value: $45,000
1860 Slave Schedule Link: View
1860 Number of Enslaved: 26
1870 Enslaver Census
1870 Census Link: View
1870 Real Estate Value: 1870 Personal Estate Value:
1880 Enslaver Census
Compensation Information
Compensation Application not found