HIS EXCELLENCY’S DAUGHTER

Any young lady who lived in a palace would have had an interesting life. That was certainly true for young Margaret Tryon, daughter of Governor William Tryon. Her life had many exciting moments before, during, and after her time at the Palace in New Bern.

Margaret Tryon, named after her mother, was born in England in 1761. She was only three years old when she and her parents sailed for North Carolina, where her father was going to take the place of Governor Arthur Dobbs. Imagine a busy toddler cooped up on a ship for several weeks! When Governor Tryon wrote to his uncle in England about his new home in Brunswick, North Carolina, he was glad that the porch had a railing "four feet high, which is a great Security for my little girl." Even the governor of the colony of North Carolina worried about his toddler getting into mischief.

Many people who came to the colonies from England had trouble getting used to the climate. Those early settlers often suffered from fevers or stomach troubles on and off for the first year or so.

Margaret seemed to adjust well to her new environment, perhaps better than her father did. The governor wrote, "As to health Mrs. Tryon and the little girl have enjoyed a very happy share of it. As to myself I cannot say so much..."

When Margaret was seven years old her baby brother was born, but he died when he was only a few months old. In the 1700s, there were many childhood diseases that doctors couldn’t cure. Many families had children who died very young. It must have been a sad time for Margaret and her family.

There were some happier times ahead, though. In 1769 eight-year-old Margaret traveled with her parents to visit Virginia’s governor in Williamsburg--a carriage ride of several days. A letter from Anne Blair, a lady who met the Tryons in Williamsburg, hints that Margaret had to be on her best behavior during the visit. Miss Blair wrote, "this poor thing is stuck up in a Chair all day long with a Coller [probably a bib or pinafore] on, nor dare she even to taste Tea, fruit Cake, or any little Triffle [trifle] offered her by ye Company." It must have been hard for Margaret to sit still and pass up the goodies!

By June 1770 nine-year-old Margaret and her parents had moved from Brunswick to their new home at the Palace in New Bern. The architect John Hawks was thinking about the governor’s daughter when he drew the plans for the Palace. Mr. Hawks labeled one of the upstairs bedrooms "Miss Tryon’s Room" and the room next to it "Miss Tryon’s Closet." Today we think of a closet as a place just big enough to hang clothes, but in the 1700s the word "closet" meant a small private room. Perhaps Margaret used her "closet" as a dressing room.

The Tryons lived at the Palace only about thirteen months before Margaret’s father was given a new job. He became the governor of New York in 1771. Margaret’s new home was a house inside a fort--Fort George, New York.

Margaret’s life at Fort George continued to be eventful, to say the least. She had a narrow escape one winter night in 1773 when the house at Fort George caught fire. Her mother’s maid, Ann Patterson, slept in a bed in Margaret’s room. Mrs. Patterson woke Margaret up and carried her downstairs as far as the dining room. But smoke was rushing up the staircase, and they couldn’t go any farther! Margaret was frightened and "was running about the room in great distress," according to Mrs. Patterson. Mrs. Patterson opened the dining room window. The people standing outside told her to jump, so Mrs. Patterson pushed Margaret out the window first and then jumped out after her. They landed in the snow and were safe.

By 1775 Governor Tryon was worried for his family’s safety once again. Many of the colonists were now unhappy with the king of England, and there was talk of fighting.

Governor Tryon decided to send Mrs. Tryon and Margaret back home to England. It was five years before Margaret saw her father again; he came back to England in 1780.

Margaret was now a young woman thinking about marriage. She turned down one gentleman because he was sixteen years older than she. She fell in love with another young man, but he did not return her affections. In 1791 Margaret decided to elope with a military officer. She fell as she was climbing out her window on a rope ladder and was so badly injured that she died.

Margaret was only thirty years old when she died, but in her life she had seen and done more things than many young ladies of her time. Even though her story has a sad ending, it gives us a fascinating glimpse of what life was like for a colonial "first daughter" of North Carolina. Next time you visit Tryon Palace and walk through its gracious rooms, remember that you are tracing the footsteps of the little girl who lived there long ago.