Gant's parents, Absolom Sr. and Mary, lived in Martin, Tennessee, at the time of his birth on October 30, 1832.
The younger Gant attended schools in his home state, and in 1853, served as justice of the peace in Wayne County.
[1] Gant served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, as a third lieutenant in Company A of the Ninth Texas Cavalry Regiment.
Due to medical disability, Gant resigned his commission and returned home before the war ended.
Over the years, Gant acquired property as a real estate dealer, and became the largest landowner in Parker County.