Historical book details life of a fascinating founder of Pittsburgh
A decade of research and writing, a trip to London and spending the lockdown days of the coronavirus pandemic putting into order six years’ worth of information has resulted in a detailed book about a man who was among the founders of our nearby city on three rivers.
Jason Cherry, of Butler Township, has authored “William Trent: Factor of Ambition,” which takes a truthful look into the adult life of Trent, a military commander during the French and Indian War, wealthy trader, and friend of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington.
Cherry became interested in Trent’s life as a child, when his mother and grandmother had a spice booth at local craft shows.
A group of reenactors at one festival told the Cherry family they were “Capt. William Trent’s Company” and portrayed those who built the first English fort along the Ohio River in what is now Pittsburgh.
When he got a little older, Cherry joined up with the reenactors and attended events with the group from Western Pennsylvania to Western New York.
“People ask you who you’re portraying, and you tell them ‘William Trent’s Company,’” and the next question would always be ‘OK, who’s William Trent?’” Cherry said. “I was surprised at how many people had never heard of him.”
Among Trent’s accomplishments outside the French and Indian War was being elected to the Pennsylvania Assembly.
“He would be in that group of assemblymen who would vote to have a bell cast in London to hang at the statehouse in Philadelphia,” Cherry said. “It would become the Liberty Bell.”
He said Trent is often beset with the erroneous status of having given blankets containing smallpox to indigenous tribes, which Cherry makes a case against in the book.
Cherry offers that Josiah Davenport, a nephew of Benjamin Franklin who was inoculated against the deadly illness, was likely the one who handed over the diseased blankets.
Additional evidence turned up by Cherry indicates that after the tainted blankets were handed over, Davenport was promoted to the rank of Captain when no other promotions were forthcoming.
He said because Trent recorded the occurrence in one of his journals, handing the infected blankets to the enemy was attributed to him.
Cherry said because the Native Americans in the area were among the most frequent customers at Trent’s large store at Fort Pitt, he doubts he would attempt to kill them.
He said in addition to trips to the University of Michigan, Philadelphia and other places where he researched Trent’s movements, he accompanied his family on a nine-day trip to London to retrace Trent’s steps there.
“I walked where Trent walked,” Cherry said. “Most of the street names are the same.”
By late 2023, he realized his book on Trent, who died in poverty in 1787 after he was unable to pay his debts, would be no abbreviated account.
“By late 2023, I realized it would be a massive project,” Cherry said.
But because no other comprehensive biography exists regarding the important contemporary of the founding fathers, Cherry told the whole story in the 474-page book.
“I left no stone unturned, from his birth to his death,” Cherry said.
“William Trent: Factor of Ambition” is available on Amazon and at most booksellers.
