Private John Pent was born at Key Vacas [Marathon], Monroe County, Florida on February 4th, 1845. He left Key West ca. 1861.

His Florida Confederate Pension Application states that he was mustered into service on December 13th, 1861 as seaman with Captain Henry Mulrenan’s Florida Volunteer Coast Guards; however, there are no other sources that corroborate this service.

He was until mustered into Confederate service on May 21st, 1862 when he was enlisted as a Private in Captain Smith’s Company (Key West Avengers), 7th Regiment Florida Infantry by Major R. B. Thomas at Tampa, Florida for a period of 3 years or the war.

He is present on all rolls until November of 1863; he was reported as wounded by gunshot through the palm of his right hand at Missionary Ridge on November 25th, 1863. He was sent to the hospital at Newnan, Georgia; he was furloughed from there in 1864 due to complete loss of use of the middle finger of his right hand.

He returned to Gainesville, and was in the command of Captain W. B. Henderson of the 1st Florida Reserve Infantry until the close of the war.

He returned to Key West where he was employed as the Overseer of Prisoners. John married Elizabeth Bowe ca. 1880. He was a member of UCV Camp Franklin Buchanan No. 1214, at Monroe County, in 1907, and drew a Confederate pension.

John died on June 27th, 1919 at Key West, Florida; Elizabeth died less than a month later.