Joseph Tryon (abt. 1672 - 1738)

Born about 1672 in Wethersfield, Hartford, Connecticut

Descendants

Died 4 Apr 1738 at about age 66 in Glastonbury, Hartford, Connecticut

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Biography

He "… chose medicine as his profession (and studied with Dr. Buckley). He was one of the first to vaccinate^[1] for smallpox and because he'd saved the lives of so many of the soldiers of the colony in this manner he was commended by the General Assembly of the colony." (This quote from Rev. Brown.) ^[2] At the age of 20, Joseph came to Glastonbury and married Lydia [maiden name unknown], at Glastonbury, Dec. 5, 1691. Dates of her birth and death were not found. He died at Glastonbury Apr. 4, 1738, in his 67th year. He appears to have been in Glastonbury in 1693, and became a land owner in 1694, when he received a grant from the public lands of the town. The inscription on his tombstone at Wethersfield reads: "Here Lies the Body of Doctor Joseph Tryon who died April 4, 1738 in the 67 year of His Age." (year of birth = 1738-66 = 1672, though given that he died in April, birth year could easily be 1671.)

His marriage to Lydia [surname blank in record] is documented in Glastonbury. The original is somewhat unclear (e.g. the date 1691 could be 1697, but given documented births of children 1691 is almost certainly correct.^[3][4] It is noted in the Barbour collection that Lydia was "of Glasinbury".

Research Notes

For some time Joseph was linked to Lydia Bird as his wife. There is no evidence that she was his wife. His marriage record is blank where his wife's maiden surname should be. Lydia Bird is known, through her father's will, to have been married to Pelatiah Morgan, and she is buried beside him. The link between Joseph and Lydia Bird appears to have arisen out of the known fact that his wife was named Lydia and there is a record in OneWorldTree to the effect that his wife was Lydia Bird. However, Lydia Bird was not "of Glasinbury" and, more importantly, OneWorldTree is not a reliable source of information, so it has been decided to break the link with Lydia Bird.

Similarly, a son James had been previously attached (likely) on the basis of "The genealogy of the Brainerd-Brainard family in America : 1649-1908" and/or "A genealogical register of the descendants of John Harding, of England born A.D. 1567, p. 36" though this was not stated. No other evidence has been found to establish the existence of any son named James. Likewise, he has been disconnected from this family until there is some evidence or convincing argument as to his connection.

Joseph, along with Joseph Hollister, were witnesses to the will of Dr. Ebenezer Hills of Hartford in 1711 [2].

Sources

1. ↑ Strictly speaking, probably the practice of variolation -- see comments.
2. ↑ The Tryon Family in America, 2nd edition, 1980, Wesley Tryon [1]
3. ↑ Connecticut, Town Marriage Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection), Glastonbury Vital Records 1690-1854, p. 258. Original record Glastonbury Vol 1 p 20 (Americanancestry.org)
4. ↑ U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700, page 756 (Ancestry.com)

• Vital Records from The NEHGS Register. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (Compiled from articles originally published in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register.) Vol. 85 (1931), p. 67. [transcription of tombstone]

• Dr. Joseph Tryon's Find a Grave Memorial 24824435

• Tillotson, Edward Sweetser. Wethersfield Inscriptions (William F.J. Boardman, Hartford, Conn., 1899) Page 319