I have a formal biography in the works regarding Moses Tryon of Wethersfield, but I should touch on some points here…
Moses was born on 18 November 1750 to Abiel (Abiah) Tryon and Hannah Northway Tryon of Wethersfield, CT. He spent most of his life involved directly with the sea, was married twice, sired eight children, was a veteran of the American Revolution (privateer captain), merchant captain and, later, a Captain in the new United States Navy during its very first conflict – what is called the Quasi-War between the US and France; his involvement was from 1798 through 1801, and NOT in the “US Navy during the RevWar” (there WAS NO US Navy during the RevWar, and what remained of the Continental Navy and individual State Navies were shut down immediately at the close of the RevWar), nor was he in the Navy during the later Tripolitan War as a couple of well-meaning late 19th/early 20th century historical mentions of this man would have the record reflect. The time during the RevWar he was engaged in trade but licensed as a privateer by the Connecticut legislature; he often is cited with returning to relay important information, but he was captured four times by the British and then returned. His peace-time sea-going leading up to his Navy days were spent as a merchant captain between Connecticut and the West Indies, mostly St_Domingue (now Haiti), trading in sugar, coffee, horses, wood, &c. Not slaves.
Moses was a landowner and family patriarch, almost a secular saint for the several generations that followed him. Well respected in his community, he was a member of St-John’s Lodge #4 in Hartford – Freemasons. He was brought in to help mediate various arguments or civil disputes in Wethersfield, and he was a good friend of the Webb/Deane Family in Wethersfield and of the honourable Jeremiah Wadsworth of Hartford, all of whom cite Moses as a worthy, honourable, respectable man and “a good Federalist”.
I have followed his life as closely as I think possible and have a fairly comprehensive genealogy extending into his grandchildren; this includes the family lines of Edwards and Woodward. As for Moses himself, I have far, far more information than I am yet willing to share here, pending the completion of his biography. The book is about finished in its first stage, to be reviewed by some peers for nips and tucks; I will then do a finish write and try to get this thing published for those who are interested in this man; meanwhile, there is a page on Findagrave.com as a memorial to Capt. Tryon. If you have any questions, please send them along to me and I will try to answer them as best I can. If you have any information about Moses Tryon and/or his family members that you might like to share for the sake of this permanent record to be in print, I encourage you to let me know! It’ll also get you a mention in the acknowledgements, but please, please include the source.
I am a descendant of the Treat line & a distant relative of Eunice Treat, Moses’s 2nd wife. Looking for more info on Moses’s Rev. war service & why he & Eunice gave their youngest child such an exotic name. I have a theory–lol! thanks.
Good evening Ms. Lawson!
I am fairly certain that Chiffonnette had been named for the long time personal friend/business associate of Moses but I have entertained other theories as well! I am very interested in opening communication with you… As you have seen, I have a book about to come out regarding Moses Tryon; I have recently viewed an artifact created by his eldest daughter, and I am attempting to make contact with authorities in Cuba in order to obtain a photo confirmation of the grave of Moses Jr. I am away to a performance but I will return this evening and send you a private e-mail.
Joseph
Good morning Candace,
I am typing up the second draft on Moses’ life and the genealogy, and I would like to establish contact with you to discuss some of the points and include your thoughts in the book. Contact me at your earliest convenience? Thanks!
Joseph
I am direct descendant of Moses Tryon, he being my 5X great grandfather. I am curious to hear about the status of the biography and to learn about your source material.
Good morning Shanon,
I had completed a first copy but found that I had new information at hand, plus I had managed to go from a narrative in style to simply giving data later on… This was pointed out by a couple of persons I utilized for a read through and I stepped back to rework the piece as well as reconsider a new first chapter. Not being a writer by trade and holding down two jobs, I find that I often go periods of time when I jot notes but not quite get back to the actual writing. That said, you contacting me has spurred me back into action! I will be very happy to correspond with you about Moses and family if you would like, so please feel encouraged to stay in touch.
Joseph
Have you seen the documents available at the National Archives at Kew, England? There are 11 regarding the British capture of ships under Capt. Moses Tryon. Contact me if you’re interested — I live in England and between my husband and I we visit the archives 3-4 times a year.
Mrs. Keller, I sent you a private e-mail. I hope it got through… I am interested and would like to open a dialogue. Thank you for thinking of me!
Best regards
Joseph
Dear Joseph,
I have recently acquired a handwritten note by Charles Mitchell of Yale College for the newspaper, that is essentially a eulogy more than an obituary, for George Tryon. I don’t know if you are interested in this type of documentation. It is dated November 20th, 1803 and seems authentic, but I am no expert! It just seemed too important to leave it in a group shop.
Please let me know if this is of interest to you. Thank you.
CherylW
Yes, Cheryl, absolutely! I will email you privately.
Jos.
Greetings,
I recently acquired a letter on ebay, written by Moses Tryon Jr to his father on 1 December 1800, apparently relating to a prize ship taken by the Captain.
Let me know if you would like a scan / transcript.
Hello and yes, absolutely! You can contact me at my email – [email protected]
Thank you for thinking of me!
Joseph