Henry S. Kent (1833-1906) was born to Benjamin and Hannah Simmons Kent near Jennersville in Penn Township, southern Chester County. Kent and his parents were members of the Religious Society of Friends and he married Patience Webster, a fellow Quaker, in 1859.  Henry S. Kent taught in both public and private schools for 19 years before the couple settled on a farm in East Goshen Township.  Kent became a member of the local School Board and oversaw the building of a new school house.  They then moved to Hockessin, Delaware, where he worked in the coal and lumber businesses. In 1890, the Kents settled in Swarthmore, Delaware County, where they lived for twenty years. While in Swarthmore, Kent worked as a real estate and insurance agent until his retirement. In 1893, his certificate of membership was transferred from Birmingham Monthly Meeting to the newly established Swarthmore Monthly Meeting of Friends where he was both a member and an elder. Kent was an advocate for suffrage, temperance, and peace and was an active participant at Longwood Yearly Meetings.     

Patience Webster Kent (1841-1924) was born in West Chester, Chester County to William Webster and Sarah Lukens. After marrying Henry Simmons Kent, in 1859, she had 2 children, Gertrude Webster Kent and William Webster Kent. Patience Kent was prominent in Chester County progressive movements, and she wrote and spoke on progressive topics of the day such as education, religion, suffrage, and temperance.  She passed away in Los Angeles, California where her son and his family lived.