The Avent Family Association is an informal group of people with an interest in the genealogy and history of the Avent family and allied lines. It is primarily concerned with the descendants of Col. Thomas Avent, of Sussex Co., VA (1671-1757), who is believed to have been the founder of the Avent family in America. We maintain this web site for the purpose of collecting and disseminating information from Avent researchers everywhere. We encourage you to join if you share this interest.

 

 

(signature of Thomas Avent, from a 1728 letter to the Council of VA Gov. Gooch

currently in the possession of the Library of Virginia, Richmond, VA.

The photographs in the logo at the top of the page are of (top to bottom, left to right): the historical marker at the site of Avent Ferry, founded ca. 1770 across the Cape Fear River in Chatham Co., NC; Miss Heilon J. Avent, (1850 - 1906) of Webster Co., MS, Benjamin Edward Avent *, (1799-1878), George W. Avent (1844-1933) and wife Mary Wilson, of MS, the signature of Col. Thomas Avent, from a 1728 letter, Henry Evans Avent (1829 - 1901), a Chatham Co., NC farmer and a veteran of the War Between the States (5th NC Cavalry, CSA), Maj. William F. Avent, CSA, who rode with Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest in MS, the wedding party in a 1936 wedding in the family of James M. Avent, Sr., (1895-1995) of TN. Isaac Watts Avent (1823 - 1900), Henry's brother and a prominent Methodist circuit riding preacher, Henry Clay Avent (1820-1897), a farmer, teacher and sheriff from Webster Co., MS and Henry Clay Avent's wife Sarah Spencer (1825-1887) . (The photos of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Clay Avent and Miss Heilon Avent are from this very interesting site, where you can find lots of good information on Mississippi Avents.)

 

Benjamin Avent was born in NC around 1799, lived in GA for a time and then moved to MS around 1839, founding a large branch of the family. Married twice, he fathered 14 children with his first wife and 4 more with his second, the last when he was 76 years of age.

 

The map in the background of the logo is a portion of the "Fry-Jefferson map", made in 1752 by Peter Jefferson (father of Thomas Jefferson) and Joshua Fry. This portion is of SE VA and NE NC and shows the area in which Col. Thomas Avent and his children lived. Just above the figure in the oval in the center (Henry Evans Avent) is the "Three Creeks", and is the area in which Col. Thomas Avent lived. Over Henry's right shoulder, at the bend of the Roanoke River, is where Thomas bought up several thousand acres of land, much of which was inherited by his children, and where several of them eventually migrated.

 

The webmaster for this site is Steve Avent, and he can be contacted at Picture Let him know if you would like to be added to his Avent mailing list, and notified of future updates to this site.



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