Our history

Around 1660 a branch in the family tree from the United Kingdom headed to America and purchased a swath of prime farm land in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Their estate, Tryon Farm, encompassed the majority of riverfront property in Glastonbury. They were successful stewards of the land and their roots grew deep in the community. To this day, Tryon Farm is still owned and operated as a self-sustaining estate.

Over the next few centuries, the Tryon family grew. While much of the family lived in Glastonbury and Wethersfield, Connecticut, one branch in the family tree ventured west and settled in Dutchess County, New York. Similar to what the family did in Connecticut, they bought prime farm land and made a successful career in farming. Further down the line, some descendants ventured a bit further north and settled in Coxsackie, Greenville, and Rensselerville, New York. Just like earlier members of the family, their careers were in farming.

A few of the most notable members of the Tryon family include former Royal Colonial Governor William Tryon of North Carolina and then later of New York, American painter Dwight William Tryon, author and actor Thomas Tryon, Surgeon General James Rufus Tryon, and General Benjamin Tryon. These members of the Tryon family were part of our strong ancestral German and Dutch roots. 

Throughout the centuries the Tryon's married into some notable families thus passing down strong family values and responsibilities. Many branches exist in the family tree and include the Van Rensselaer, Schuyler, Beekman, Livingston, Roosevelt, and Vanderbilt families. The main bloodline has remained strong and includes the Van Buren, Schermerhorn, and Astor families, just to name a few. 

Much of our family legacy is dotted across the east, most notably in North Carolina, Connecticut and New York.  From the town of Tryon and Tryon Peak in North Carolina, to the former Tryon County in New York,  plus numerous street names and historic sites such as Tryon Palace in North Carolina, Fort Tryon Park in New York City, Tryon Farm in Connecticut, and ties to numerous charities. Our legacy will continue to live on as it has endured for hundreds of years.