Family Threads & Hidden Connections
Thomas Jefferson Sappington (1832–1897)
Believed portrait of "TJ" (Photo courtesy of Sandy Conklin)
A Story from The Loft, a Sudden Fall; For many years, this portrait, above, hung high above the stairs to The Loft. One busy afternoon, a sudden crash sent it tumbling to the bottom of the steps. Miraculously, no one was hurt, even though The Barn Restaurant foyer was full. The moment felt almost symbolic, as if history itself had stirred, reminding us that these stories still move within these walls.
"TJ" is most likely the nephew, or first cousin-once removed of Thomas Sappington, the builder of the 1808 brick home, Thomas Jefferson Sappington lived during a time when the Sappington, Dent, and Grant families were closely connected in early Missouri. His story offers a glimpse into the personal lives woven through these families.
This final pencil note suggests a personal and possibly bittersweet moment in their relationship. Emma Dent later married James F. Casey in 1861, and both families are buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C. (National Park Service)
Although the letter is addressed to Emma, it is closely tied to the Dent family, including Julia Dent Grant, and reflects the personal and emotional exchanges between the Sappington and Dent families in the decades before the Civil War. It is preserved in the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site collection and is a rare example of intimate, non-political correspondence from that era (National Park Service)
This Emma is the same Emma Marbury Dent Casey of White Haven, whose life and memories later became part of the Dent–Grant family story.
🌿A Thread Worth Following🌿
Thomas Jefferson Sappington (1832–1897)
Every so often, a family story surfaces that feels larger than life; the kind that reminds us how ordinary people can shape extraordinary moments. Thomas Jefferson "TJ" Sappington’s quiet act of courage is one of those stories, woven straight into the fabric of Missouri history.
Grant’s Savior
Ancient History Recalled by Sappington’s Death
St. Louis, MO., August 16, 1897
Thomas Jefferson Sappington, a lifelong resident of St. Louis County, earned a remarkable footnote in American history. In 1864, while serving as a first lieutenant in the Second Missouri Militia, he learned that Confederate sympathizers planned to capture General Ulysses S. Grant during a brief visit to his farm near St. Louis. Acting swiftly, Sappington rode to warn Grant and thwarted the scheme — sparing the Union general from ambush and earning the quiet gratitude of a nation.
Sappington lived out his years near the community that bears his family name and was laid to rest close to his home. His courage and quick thinking remind us that history is often shaped not only by generals and presidents, but by neighbors who act when it matters most.
TJ Sappington Obituary from August 16, 1897
THE ACROSTIC POEM
to Emma Dent
During the 1850s, Thomas Jefferson Sappington wrote a tender acrostic poem to Emma Dent, the younger sister of Julia Dent Grant (wife of Ulysses S. Grant). Down the left margin, the poem spells EMMA DENT, each line beginning with a letter of her name, a romantic flourish of the era.
Born Emily Marbury Dent, she was known as “Emma” throughout her life, the same Emma who received Thomas Jefferson Sappington’s acrostic poem.
The poem is filled with the language of devotion: blossoms, beauty, hope, and admiration. And at the bottom, in faint pencil, he added a line that reveals the heartbreak beneath the courtship:
“Do you remember all I told you the night you gave back the ring.” Emma would later marry James Casey in 1861.
Today, the poem is preserved in the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site collection. It's a rare, intimate glimpse into the emotional lives woven through early Missouri families
The Emma in this poem is the very same Emma Dent who later became Emma Dent Casey of White Haven, linking this tender moment to the wider Dent and Grant family story. This fascinating poem was donated to the park by Emma's descendents in 1999.
“Image courtesy of Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site (NPS).”
E mblem of beauty! Sweet bud of the bower!
M ay thy opening bosom be wet with the shower;
M ay thy fragrance be lasting thy beauties abide
A round the Green wood walks of flora's gay pride;
D delicate art thou, bud; and fragile thy form,
E rased are thy beauties in darkness and storm;
N early withered, thy leaves will a fragrance display,
T owering ever like virtue in beauties decay.
T.J. Sappington
Do you remember all I told you the night you gave back the ring?
A Historic Connection, Just Down the Road
Emma Dent Casey was born Emily Marbury Dent at the family plantation, Whitehaven and went by “Emma” all her life. Whitehaven, originally the Dent family plantation, later became part of the Grant story when Emma’s older sister, Julia Dent, married Ulysses S. Grant and the couple acquired the property and lived there for about five years (1854-1859).
Today, Whitehaven sits just a few miles from Sappington Park, where the home of Thomas Sappington resides. Thomas and "TJ" were most likely second-cousins, linking the Dent, Grant, and Sappington families within the same historic neighborhood.
Emma inherited a few of Grant’s personal belongings, and her descendants eventually donated them to the U.S. Grant National Historic Site at Whitehaven, which included his Civil War shaving mirror and a three‑star shoulder strap marking his rank as Lieutenant General.
.
If you're interested in more information on Whitehaven, or would like to schedule a tour, just click here.
