Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
On June 18, 1884, the “Salt Lake Herald” reported, “Henry C. Tryon, the scenic artist, wrote from Haverhill, Mass., that he is about to perpetuate matrimony, and he sends a photo of the beautiful lady whom he designates as the victim. In gazing at the picture and thinking of Henry, we wonder how he was able to “work the act” (page 8).
Thomas G. Moses, John H. Young and Henry C. Tryon went on a sketching trip in October 1885. Moses wrote, “At this time, Tryon was very much in love with a schoolteacher in Haverhill, Massachusetts, whose name was Hattie. He promised to write her every day and she had promised to reciprocate. So, we spent the evening writing letters to our dear ones.” I have yet to verify his marriage to Hattie. However, there are a few things to consider.
By 1885, Tryon was 38 years old. Twelve years earlier he married Bridget “Bee” Pierce on Nov. 13, 1873. The marriage took place in Cook County, Illinois on November 13. Henry and “Bee” Tryon celebrated the birth of one only son, Henry Tryon, Jr. on August 18, 1874. Little is known of Bridget, little Henry Jr. or Tryon during this time. I have not tracked down a death certificate for Bridget or even a birth certificate for Henry Jr. At this time, their fates remain unknown, and I have to wonder if Bee died in childbirth, with little Henry soon following.
It is difficult to track down nineteenth-century women for so many reasons: their names change, they die in childbirth without death certificates, husbands leave, women leave their husbands, and people do disappear. Additionally, many historical records include information provided by husbands, so pet names can replace legal names and other information is changed. It can get cloudy. especially when there are multiple marriages.
Unfortunately, Moses mentions “Hattie” without providing any last name. “Hattie” was also the nickname for Harriet or Henrietta, throwing in a few more variables to my search. After quite some time, I have yet to track any information about a second marriage. However, while looking for more information about Hattie, I began to focus on her hometown of Haverhill. Interestingly, Tryon worked and died in a neighboring town – Lawrence, Massachusetts. The city centers of Haverhill and Lawrence are only eighteen miles apart; less than a three-hour walk. Haverhill is also just up the river from Boott Mills in Lowell. Keep in mind that Lawrence was also only thirty miles from Boston.
In 1887, the New York Clipper” first reported Tryon as working at the Lawrence opera house. The August 27 article reported, “During the Summer the house has been thoroughly renovated, painted and new carpets added, while six new scenes have been painted by Henry C. Tryon of New York” (NY Clipper, 27 August 1887). At the time of Tryon’s passing in 1892 he was associated with the Bowdin Square Theatre in Boston. This does not mean that he lived in Boston, just that he was scenic artist for the house during 1892. Prior to his passing in Lawrence that August “New York Clipper” included an announcement about his work at the Lawrence Opera House in July:
“Lawrence.-At the Opera House all is business with Manager Grant who intends to add some new features in connection with the stage and scenery. Henry C. Tryon, of the Bowdin Square Theatre, Boston, is painting and retouching the scenes and flies, and everything will be in readiness for the opening Aug. 10, when “The Dazzler” will be the attraction” (July 23, 1892, page 312).
When Tryon passed away on July 27, 1892, he was entered into Lawrence city records. The death record listed Tryon as a scenic artist from Chicago. For years he had been listed as a Chicago scenic artist, especially while first courting Hattie in 1884. Tryon’s cause of death was noted as Bright’s Disease. Bright’s disease was a historical classification for kidney diseases. Here is a link for more information about Bright’s Disease if you are interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bright%27s_disease .
There was additional information in the death record, including his birthplace in Sandusky, Ohio. His parents’ names and birthplaces were also included – Jacob Hornbeck of Oswego, NY, and Anna M. Hammer of Hagerstown, Michigan. The detailed information indicate that it was provided by someone who obviously knew him well. Although a death notice for Tryon was announced in newspapers across the country, it only stated:
“Scenic-Artist Henry C. Tryon died at Lawrence, Mass.”
For someone who wrote so much throughout the duration of his life, Tryon’s own passing was marked with few words. No funeral notice, no tribute, nothing.
To be continued…
