Dr. Benjamin Ward Avent was born near Petersburg, Virginia, May 19, 1812.

When he was quite young, his parents, James and Mary Avent, moved to Limestone County, Alabama. He received his literary education at LaGrange College, Alabama. The family moved to the Jefferson (Sixth) district of Rutherford County, Tennessee in 1830.

The eighteen year old Avent then began a preceptorship in medicine under Dr. Frederick E. Becton of Murfreesboro. Dr. Becton was a well-recognized practitioner having received his M.D. degree from the University of Maryland in 1823, and was a charter member of the Medical Society of Tennessee. Avent attend lectures at the University of Pennsylvania and enrolled at Transylvania University attending the sessions of 1832-1833 and 1833-1834, receiving his M.D. degree from Transylvania on March 14, 1834. His graduate thesis was "Scarlatina."

Dr. Avent married Nancy Lytle of Rutherford County in 1835 and they had nine children. Dr. Avent remained happily married to Nancy Lytle until his death in 1878.

In 1841, he first started practicing in the Wilkinson Crossroads District and later moved his practice to Murfreesboro, of Rutherford County, Tennessee. He was associated with Dr. Samuel Watkins. In 1841 Dr. Avent associated himself with Dr. William R. Rucker. In 1860, he as associated in practice of medicine with Dr. Baskett. Dr. Avent was a member of the Medical Society of Tennessee from Murfreesboro and remained active in that society until the beginning of the Civil War.

Dr. Avent was appointed surgeon general of the Provisional Army of Tennessee on May 10, 1861. He held this position until the Tennessee troops were formally turned over to the Confederacy. He was then appointed a surgeon in the Confederate States Army and served as medical director of the army corps of Gen. A. S. Johnson until the death of that commander. He then became the medical director of the army corps of Generals Albert Sidney Johnston and John C. Breckenridge which position he held until he was forced to exchange field for hospital duty as a result of an eye condition. He was then made post surgeon and served in the capacity until the close of the war.

After the war, Dr. Avent returned to his family and practice in Murfreesboro.

Dr. Avent received an appointment to the chair of principles and practice of surgery at the Memphis Medical College in 1866 which he accepted.

In May 1866, he moved his family to Memphis and upon arriving in Memphis entered into a partnership with Dr. Dudley D. Saunders. The firm of Avent and Saunders was well known and highly respected until its termination in 1878.

When yellow fever attacked Memphis, Dr. Avent stayed on active duty, providing assistance wherever possible to combat the devastating epidemic. Sadly, he contacted the fever on September 8, 1878 and died on September 12, 1878, just a few days later. He was one of the forty-two physicians who died of yellow fever in Memphis.

His widow, Nancy Lytle Avent, continued to reside in Memphis. She later resided in the household of her daughter, Blanche Avent, where she died at the age of 93.