ABSTRACT
Sarah Jay’s decision to accompany her husband John to Spain in October 1779 made her America’s “first diplomatic spouse” while he served as the nation’s first envoy in Madrid. The facts of Sarah’s earlier life make the sad outcome of her years in Spain seem all the more puzzling. Few American women could have seemed as surely destined for a brilliant and happy residence in the Spanish capital. The mere fact that Sarah spent nearly four and a half years in Europe is one of the most remarkable parts of the tale. Sarah was determined to oblige them with accounts of her life as a visitor and observer of the Bourbon kingdoms of France and Spain, beginning with her descriptions of the first leg of her voyage to Europe. By itself, the tale of Sarah’s experiences with the Spanish kingdom and its subjects may seem of only narrow significance.
