Lucy Knox

Lucy Flucker Knox (1756–1824) was born into a life of wealth and privilege in Boston, Massachusetts. Her father, Thomas Flucker Sr., was Royal Secretary of the Province of Massachusetts and the third highest-ranking crown official in the colony. Lucy was known as a highly educated, strong-willed, and dynamic woman. At the age of seventeen, Lucy gave up her position in society and was disowned by her family when she married Henry Knox, a poor bookseller. In 1776, most of her family left Massachusetts for England, while her brother remained to fight with the British army. Lucy never saw her family again.

The daughter of a loyalist and the wife of a patriot, Lucy is an important witness to history because her family was divided by war. As her husband climbed the military ranks and became one of George Washington’s most trusted friends, Lucy traveled in influential patriot circles and was not reluctant to discuss affairs of state in a frank and forthright manner with her husband. After the war, the Knoxes took possession of the vast Flucker estate and built their home in Thomaston, Maine. Although only three of their thirteen children survived to adulthood, Henry and Lucy had a long and apparently happy marriage. No reliable images of Lucy Flucker Knox exist. This silhouette is the only know "image" of Lucy.