William Trent: Factor of Ambition

A seasoned veteran officer of three different conflicts, William Trent was praised for his “frame of speech to the Indians, in their style”. He was also the factor for one of the most powerful land speculating companies because of his reputation of excellent penmanship and ledger keeping. By the eve of the American Revolution, Trent became the courageous face of westward expansion that began diligently alongside his friend and “king of the traders” George Croghan.

This new book sheds a definitive look on William Trent through the eyes of a misunderstood backcountry Pennsylvania merchant and fur trader who not only overcame obstacles and suffered loss, but whose strong quill and rebellious interactions with future founding fathers Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington, ambitiously helped shape and form the future United States of America.

Paperback, 2024, 6” x 9”, 474 pages, b/w photos and maps, illust, bibl, index, $34.95.