James Monroe Avent
1859 - 1936 (77 years)
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Name James Monroe Avent Birth 1859 Tennessee 
Gender Male Death 1936 Person ID I1927 avefamily Last Modified 27 Feb 2007
Father Washington D. Avent, b. 15 Mar 1820, Greensville Co., Virginia d. 25 June 1882, Hardeman Co., TN (Age 62 years) Mother Nancy S. Pope McKinnie, b. 6 Apr 1829, Tennessee d. 27 Jan 1886 (Age 56 years) Marriage 19 Nov 1855 Family ID F591 Group Sheet | Family Chart
Family Emma Graves, b. 1868 d. 20 Jun 1950, Hickory Valley, Hardeman Co., TN (Age 82 years) Marriage 1887 Children 1. Nancy Elizabeth Avent, b. 14 Feb 1888, Hickory Valley, Hardeman Co., TN 2. Alice Edwards Avent, b. Hickory Valley, Hardeman Co., TN 3. James Graves Avent, b. 1892, Hickory Valley, Hardeman Co., TN d. 1946 (Age 54 years)4. Esther Avent, b. 20 Jun 1898, Hickory Valley, Hardeman Co., TN d. 1984, San Diego, CA (Age 85 years)5. Nell Avent, b. May 1904, Hickory Valley, Hardeman Co., TN 6. Emma Louise Avent, b. 23 Jul 1908, Hickory Valley, Hardeman Co., TN d. 13 Jan 1984, Memphis, TN (Age 75 years)Family ID F592 Group Sheet | Family Chart Last Modified 27 Feb 2007
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Photos Avent, James Monroe of TN (1859-1936) with world champion dog 'Momoney'.
James M. Avent was a well-known trainer of champion bird dogs, and was nicknamed "the Fox of Hickory Valley”. He was described as follows in the March 3, 1930 issue of Time Magazine:
"Most celebrated of contemporary handlers is James Monroe Avent, 70, a shrewd and tight-lipped Tennessee squire who has never been known to play poker with his competitors after a day in the field, who never divulges information as to good quail country which he knows more thoroughly than anyone else."
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Notes - Legendary bird dog handler - "the Fox of Hickory Valley, James Monroe Avent (1860-1936)" Time Magazine, March 3, 1930: "Most celebrated of contemporary handlers is James Monroe Avent, 70,. a shrewd and tight-lipped Tennessee squire who has never been known to play poker with his competitors after a day in the field, who never divulges information as to good quail country which he knows more thoroughly than anyone else."
"James Monroe Avent (1860-1936), along with Hobart Ames, was responsible for establishing the National Bird Dog Championship in Hardeman County. The bird dog trials continue to be held annually at the Ames Plantation in Grand Junction. Avent’s house in Hickory Valley was listed in the National Register on April 25, 2001, because of his role in starting and promoting the bird dog trials. Both Avent and some of the dogs he trained were notable enough to be placed in the Field Trial Hall of Fame. The house is also significant because it is a fine example of the popular Queen Anne style. A variety of sawn and turned woodwork embellishes the house." -- Tennessee Historical Commission Website, 2002, National Register of Historic Places
The story goes that the manner of his death was as follows: J. M. Avent at age 76 wanted to go fox hunting but had pneumonia. The doctor
said he would die if he went. Avent said, "I would rather go fox hunting and die than stay at home." So he went ... and died.
Grand Junction Cemetery, Hardeman Co., TN:
Avent, Emma Graves 1868-1950 w/o James Monroe Avent
Avent, James Monroe 1859-1936 h/o Emma Graves Avent
- Legendary bird dog handler - "the Fox of Hickory Valley, James Monroe Avent (1860-1936)" Time Magazine, March 3, 1930: "Most celebrated of contemporary handlers is James Monroe Avent, 70,. a shrewd and tight-lipped Tennessee squire who has never been known to play poker with his competitors after a day in the field, who never divulges information as to good quail country which he knows more thoroughly than anyone else."