Obituary: Merced Gonzalez Brent
1824-1919
MRS. MERCED GONZALEZ BRENT
Mrs. Merced Gonzalez Brent, wife of the late Captain Thomas W. Brent, died at her home 100 W. Jackson St. last night at 7 o'clock. Mrs. Brent was born in Pensacola September 19, 1824, and was probably the oldest inhabitant of Pensacola.
She is survived by one sister, Mrs. Mentoria Moreno, one son, Robert J. Brent and two daughters, Mrs. E. O. Saltmarsh and Miss Pauline Brent, all of Pensacola.
The funeral will be held from St. Michael's Catholic church Friday morning at 3:30 o'clock and the burial will be made in St. Michael's cemetery.
Merced Gonzalez was the oldest child of Celestino Gonzalez and Pauline Graupera of Pensacola, where she was born in 1824. Her father worked at the Pensacola Navy Yard as a consulting engineer, riding to and from work on horseback from the family's home in nearby Barrancas. Her mother, Pauline, was born in New Orleans to Pablo Graupera, a native of Spain, and Marguerite Jardelat, of French descent.
Merced married Thomas William Brent, a native of Washington D.C. and an officer in the United States Navy. They married in Barrancas in 1841 but were living in Washington D.C. when their first child, Daniel Gonzalez Brent was born. They had nice more children after Daniel, all born in Pensacola. Thomas died in 1875, but Merced lived long enough to see many of her great grandchildren. She died in 1919 in Pensacola and was buried, probably at 3:30 in the afternoon, not morning as her obituary notes.
Related Links:
Thomas William Brent & Merced Gonzalez
Children of Thomas William Brent & Merced Gonzalez
Gravestones of Merced Gonzales and Thomas William Brent
The obituary appeared in the Pensacola Gazette, Thursday morning, 11 December 1919, p.7.
