James Rufus Tryon M.D. (1837 - 1912)

Born 24 Sep 1837 in Coxsackie, Greene, New York, United States

Ancestors

Died 21 Mar 1912 at age 74 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States

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Biography

James Rufus Tryon, born in Coxsackie, New York, attended Union College where he was graduated in 1858 with Phi Beta Kappa honors and membership in The Kappa Alpha Society. He then obtained his M. D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania with additional study at the Ecole de Medecin in Paris, France. He was appointed an Acting Assistant Surgeon (Volunteer) on March 17, 1863. After serving briefly at the United States Naval Hospital in New York City, Tryon spent the last two years of the Civil War at Pensacola, Florida, caring for sick and wounded officers and men of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron.

After duty ashore in Boston and Washington, Tryon served in USS Idaho on the Asiatic Squadron from February 4, 1870, to December 9, 1872. Next came an assignment in New York City from 1873 to 1876. Following two years in USS Swatara on the North Atlantic Squadron, he was transferred to USS Vandalia. Next came duty in New York City for two and a half years, and service in USS Alaska on the Pacific Squadron until 1883. He served on board USS Quinnebaug on the European Squadron and off Africa until 1887, when he was assigned to the Medical Examining Board in New York.

Tryon was promoted to Medical Inspector on September 22, 1891, and served in USS Chicago on the North Atlantic Squadron until 1893 when he was promoted to Surgeon General of the United States Navy with the rank of Commodore. The culmination of his career came on 7 September 1893 when Commodore Tryon became Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery and Surgeon General. He retired on September 24, 1899.

In 1911, Tryon was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral, retroactive to his date of retirement. Admiral Tryon died on March 20, 1912, at the Naval Hospital in New York City where he had begun his naval career almost half a century before.^[1]

Occupation: Physician, allopathic medicine^[2] He served as Inspector General of Naval Hospitals in the Spanish-American War.^[3] He died of sarcoma.^[4]

His last will and testament suggests he never married and had no children. He left his estate to: Jennette C. Tryon, widow of his brother Benjamin; James Owen Tryon, his nephew and sole executor; and should Jennette remarry he left amounts to his nephew Rufus Tryon Lacombe and niece Elizabeth Aimee Lacombe Moses. He left his gold watch and chain, received "from a beloved sister" to C. Henry Lacombe, probably the widower of James's sister Elizabeth.^[5]

Research Notes

A short bio appears in a Pennsylvania Who's Who (1904): https://collection1.libraries.psu.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/digitalbks2/id/8729/show/8632/rec/6

Evidence of Medical Studies

J. Rufus Tryon, M.D. Named as "of New York", a matriculant in the medical class of 1861/2 at the University of Pennsylvania. See the 1859/60 list of matriculants 1859/60 list of matriculants. He is also named in the list of 1862/3 List of matriculants at the Medical School, University of Pennsylvania 1862/3 List of matriculants at the Medical School, University of Pennsylvania 1862/3 page 43 which lists him as of New York, New York, and page 17 which lists him as M.D. and of Philadelphia PA. He is in the 1861-1863 Philadelphia City Directory, variously as Rufus Tryon, James P Tryon and J. Tryon, MD, 1812 Lombard and 270 S 16th.

Sources

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R._Tryon
2. ↑ Directory of Deceased American Physicians, 1804-1929; JAMA Citation: 58:951 (Ancestry.com)
3. ↑ Abstracts of Spanish-American War Military and Naval Service Records, 1898–1902 (Ancestry.com)
4. ↑ Abstracts of Spanish-American War Military and Naval Service Records, 1898–1902 (Ancestry.com)
5. ↑ New York, Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999; Will Books, 1800-1923; Letters Testamentary, 1830-1917; Letters of Administration, 1804-1900; Executors and Administrators, 1831-1879; Decrees on Executors, Administrators, and Guardians Accounts, 1883-1902; Letters of Guardianship, Administrators Bonds,; Author: New York. Surrogate's Court (Greene County); Probate Place: Greene, New York; Wills, Vol U-X, 1910-1921 (Ancestry.com)

• "New York State Census, 1855," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K6S5-S1S : 19 November 2014), James R Tryon in household of Benjamin Tryon, E.D. 1, Coxsackie, Greene, New York, United States; count clerk offices, New York; FHL microfilm 480,076.

• "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MX5Y-CZZ : 18 February 2021), James R Tryon, 7th Ward City Of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1860.

• "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8NQ-483 : 3 January 2021), James R Tryon in entry for Benjamin Tryon, 1870.

• "New York State Census, 1875," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VNJB-WDY : 16 November 2014), Rubus Tryon in household of Benjamin Tryon, Coxsackie, Greene, New York, United States; citing p. 21, line 29, State Library, Albany; FHL microfilm 480,079.

• "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MSFM-4RF : accessed 27 April 2021), James R Tryon in household of Benjamin Tryon, Coxsackie Township (excl. Coxsackie vill.), Greene, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 74, sheet 6B, family 139, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,039. NOTE: living in household of younger brother Benjamin

• 1910 US Federal Census; Census Place: Coxsackie, Greene, New York; Roll: T624_950; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 0102; FHL microfilm: 1374963 (Ancestry.com) NOTE: living in the household of widowed sister-in-law Jennette C. Tryon

• U.S., Newspaper Extractions from the Northeast, 1704-1930 for James Rufus Tryon, Massachusetts, Boston Transcript, image 695/988, "Tryon, James Rufus, d. - - (T. March 22 1912)" (ancestry.com)

• U.S., Register of Civil, Military, and Naval Service, 1863-1959, Vol 1 (Ancestry.com)

• "New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WN4-94M : 20 March 2015), James Rufus Tryon, 20 Mar 1912; citing Death, Brooklyn, Kings, New York, United States, New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,324,249.

• James Rufus Tryon's Find a Grave Memorial 163421327