BENT, CHARLES - Santa Fe County, New Mexico | CHARLES BENT - New Mexico Gravestone Photos

Charles BENT

Pioneer Memorial Park Cemetery
Santa Fe County,
New Mexico

November 11, 1799 – January 19, 1847
was an American businessman and politician who served as the first civilian Governor of the newly acquired New Mexico Territory by military Governor Stephen Watts Kearny in September 1846.

Charles Bent had been working as a fur trader in the region since 1828, with his younger brother, William and later partner Ceran St. Vrain. Though his office was in Santa Fe, Bent maintained his residence and a trading post in Taos, New Mexico Territory, in present-day New Mexico. On January 19, 1847, Charles Bent was scalped and killed by Pueblo warriors, during the Taos Revolt.

In January 1847, while serving as territorial governor, Bent traveled to his hometown of Taos without military protection. After driving, he was scalped alive and murdered in his home by a group of pueblo Native American attackers, under the orders of Mexican conspirators, who started the Taos Revolt. Bent is buried in the National Cemetery in Santa Fe.

The women and children in the Bent home were not harmed by the insurgents, and the remaining Bents fled to safety next door through a hole in the parlor wall.

In the following months, Colonel Price was able to reassure the country. Most rebels were caught and some of them executed. The uprising ended July 1847.

Contributed on 11/4/20 by tomtodd
Email This Contributor

Suggest a Correction

Record #: 5201

To request a copy of this photo for your own personal use, please contact our state coordinator. If you are not a family member or the original photographer — please refrain from copying or distributing this photo to other websites.

Thank you for visiting the New Mexico Gravestone Photo Project. On this site you can upload gravestone photos, locate ancestors and perform genealogy research. If you have a relative buried in New Mexico, we encourage you to upload a digital image using our Submit a Photo page. Contributing to this genealogy archive helps family historians and genealogy researchers locate their relatives and complete their family tree.

Submitted: 11/4/20 • Approved: 11/4/20 • Last Updated: 11/4/20 • R5201-G0

Surnames  |  Other GPP Projects  |  Contact Us  |  Terms of Use  |  Site Map  |  Admin Login