Clarissa (Tryon) Gates (1791)

Born 11 Jul 1791 in Litchfield, Connecticut, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Ebenezer Gates — married 21 Jul 1812 in Deerfield, Franklin, Massachusetts

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Michael Tryon [send private message] and Michael Maranda [send private message]

Watch point

There are a few girls born about this time who were given the name of Clarissa Tryon. Before entering further data, please check that you have the right Clarissa.

Biography

Clarissa was born in 1791 in Litchfield, the youngest of four children of Joseph Tryon and Sarah Gibbs^[1] Clarissa Tryon appears in the Litchfield records as giving birth to a son, Isaac Gates, June 4, 1809, in Litchfield,^[2] That only the mother's name is recorded suggests the child was illegitimate, and that the father was known to be a Gates, though he is not named specifically. She appears in the Deerfield, MA, records as mother to Calvin Tryon at his baptism 4 July 1811. Again, with only the mother's name recorded, it appears Calvin was illegitimate. She married Ebenezer Gates 21 July 1812 ^[3][4].

She is named as a minor heir in the administration papers for her father's estate. She and her three siblings (also minors) were all orphaned with the death of first, their father Joseph in November of 1798, and then their mother Sarah (Sally) in December 1798. Clarissa was said to be age 9 which would give Clarissa a birth year of about 1791. Their grandfather, John Tryon, was administrator of the estate and was charged by the court with ensuring the support of the minor children from his son's "small patrimony".^[5].

Research Notes

The Litchfield birth record says daughter of Joseph and Sally, not Joseph and Sarah but this seems like a transcription error since this and the births of the other children match the ages in the probate document of father Joseph, and Sally was a known nickname for Sarah.

There are no further records we can find of a Clarissa married to an Ebenezer Gates, or of a clearly identifiable Ebenezer Gates. There is more than one man of that name living in Massachusetts at that time, and we have no age or birthplace information that would enable us to identify him clearly.

The birth of Isaac is certainly listed under the surname Gates, not under the surname Tryon. the baptism of Calvin is certainly listed under the surname Tryon. It is possible they could be the same person, with one using a middle name. No clear subsequent record has been found for either of them under any combination of names.

There are several entries for a Clarissa Tryon in the censuses following 1810 and a death record of a Clarissa Tryon of the right age on 5 May 1873 in Glastonbury, Connecticut. However, these refer to Clarissa Tryon daughter of Elizur Tryon and Lucy, the link being based on the proximity in burial to Lucy Tryon relict of Elizur, and to Nancy Tryon, a known sister of Clarissa.

In "A History of Deerfield" ^[6] a Clarissa Tryon is listed as a child of William and Susanna Tryon. No date of birth is given but she is positioned in the list of children between Calvin and Zebyna. The children of William and Susanna are consistently born 22-25 months apart, while Calvin and Zebyna are 27m apart. To insert Clarissa in there would be a significant deviation from their norm but well within possibility. The author of the History of Deerfield states before the section on the William Tryon family that it is "contradictory and bewildering" and that it "is not all established and is given for what it is worth". Clarissa is the only child who had not already been established as a child of William here on WikiTree (12 Jan 2019). The inclusion of Clarissa with this family appears to be an error, likely due to her being a Tryon in the town records of Deerfield and the family of William being the only Tryon family there.

Sources

1. ↑ Connecticut Town Birth Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection): Litchfield Vital Records 1719-1854, p. 245. Original record Litchfield Vol 1 p. 203. (Ancestry.com)
2. ↑ Connecticut Town Birth Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection): Litchfield Vital Records 1719-1854, p. 245. Original record Litchfield Vol 1 p. 203. (Ancestry.com)
3. ↑ Massachusetts, Compiled Marriages, 1633-1850; Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT, Film Nos 0760648 & 1887384 (Ancestry.com)
4. ↑ Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 (Ancestry.com) NOTE: record says both are of Deerfield.
5. ↑ Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999 for Joseph Tryon, Hartford, Probate Packets, Thompson, W-Tuttle, C, 1743-1880
6. ↑ A History of Deerfield, Massachusetts: The Times when the People by Whom it was Settled, Unsettled and Resettled, Volume 2, George Sheldon, Press of E.A. Hall & Company, 1896 - Deerfield (Mass.)

• A History of Deerfield, Massachusetts: The Times when the People by Whom it was Settled, Unsettled and Resettled, Volume 2, George Sheldon, Press of E.A. Hall & Company, 1896 - Deerfield (Mass.)

• Calvin Tryon, in the Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, from Gemnealogies of Gill, Massachusetts, by Ralph M. Stoughton, comprising vols III and IV of the History of the Town of Gill, Massachusetts, Event Type: Baptism, Baptism Place: Gill, Massachusetts, Residence Date: 4 Jul 1811, Father Name: Clarissa Tryon, Ancestry.com, Actual record: "Tryon, Calvin, son of Clarissa, bapt. 4 July 1811

• "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHT2-GY5 : 4 November 2017), Ebenezer Gates and Clarissa Tryon, 21 Jul 1812; citing Marriage, Deerfield, Franklin, Massachusetts, United States, , town clerk offices, Massachusetts; FHL microfilm 186,146.

Acknowledgements

• Tryon-753 was created by Michael Maranda through the import of Tryon work_2015-11-01.ged on Nov 1, 2015.