1750
Jan 29
New York City coroner Anthony Rutgers dies, in his mid-twenties
February
John Cannon is awarded a water lot grant in Manhattan, with the stipulation that he widen Water Street out to the East River.
Feb 24
Margaret Rutgers, sliding down a banister at the New York City home of Rachell Anderson, falls off and is killed.
Mar 5
The actors on Nassau Street open with a play announced as The Historical Tragedy of Richard III: Wrote originally by Shakespear, and altered by Colly Cibber”, starring Walter Murray and Thomas Kean.
Apr 25
Jeremiah Smith drowns while boarding the HMS Greyhound, anchored in Turtle Bay.
Jun 8
New York City coroner John Burnet concludes an inquest on the death of a woman Abigail Stibbins aboard a Hudson River boat, shot by lieutenant John How and gunner’s mate James Parks yesterday aboard the HMS Greyhound. Parks is arrested; How escapes back to England aboard the HMS Hector.
July
The Nassau Street drama company disbands and actor Robert Upton takes over, resuming performances six week later in a production of Othello. Shakespeare’s name is never mentioned in the advertisements.
Jul 25
John Carr, in prison for debt in the City of New York, assaults an Edward Pendergast, fatally punching him in the stomach.
Aug 1
Cape May, New Jersey, boatman Jacob Golder physically assaults Thomas McCarty in New York City, leaving him seriously injured.
September
Swedish scientist Peter Kalm visits the lower Manhattan gardens of royal governor George Clinton, is shown a watermelon weighing 47 pounds.
Sep 3
Thomas McCarty dies of his wounds.
Sep 6
A coroner’s jury finds Jacob Golder guilty of murder.
Sep 20
Benjamin Franklin prints Peter Kalm's account of his visit to Niagara Falls in the Pennsylvania Gazette.
Sep 24
Alexander Roy falls out of a pirogue into New York’s East River, drowns.
Sep 29
John Burnet notes that Governor George Clinton has replaced him as coroner with Anthony Rutgers over a disagreement with Burnet’s pursuit of Abigail Stibbin’s English murderers, which Clinton opposed for political reasons.
Oct 14
Recently-arrived Dutch Reformed Church domine (reverend pastor) Lambertus De Ronde delivers his inaugural sermon in New York City.
Dec 3
John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera has its New York City debut. Nearly 300 attend, paying 3 shillings for the gallery and 5 for the pit. It will be given five performances, running into next year.
City
Population: 13,000; 2500 of the number are blacks. ** John Watts builds a residence at Broadway and Battery Park, adjoining that of Archibald Kennedy. ** Thirty-year-old Dutch minister Lambertus De Ronde arrives while voyaging from Surinam to the Netherlands.
Staten Island
Further additions are made to the former home of Captain Thomas Stillwell. The house, on the future Richmond Road, will later be known as the Billiou-Stillwell-Perine House.
1751
Feb 25
The first performing monkey exhibited in America is shown in New York City.
Sep 25
Dominie (Reverend) Gualterus du Bois preaches what will be his last sermon before the Dutch Reformed Church in New York City. Planning to leave tomorrow for Bergen, New Jersey, he is stricken that evening by illness and forced to cancel his plans.
Oct 5
Gualterus du Bois dies in New York at the age of 80.
City
Immigrant Theophylact Bache arrives from England and forms a business with an uncle by marriage and another partner. ** Vice-Admiral and investor Sir Peter Warren has his portrait painted by Thomas Hudson. ** Robert Upton, an advance agent for England’s Hallam dramatic company, arrives to prepare for a visit for the group set for next year. Locals are wary of the newcomer. Upton meanwhile appears in series of British dramas, including some of Shakespeare’s, on into next year.
1752
Jan 1
Great Britain and the colonies officially adopt the Gregorian Calendar, making January and February the beginning months of the year, rather than the final months.
Jan 2
Poet, newspaper editor and sea captain Philip Freneau is born in New York City to wine merchant Pierre Fresneau and his Scottish wife Agnes Watson Fresneau.
Jan 31
Founding father Gouverneur Morris is born in the Morrisania neighborhood of the Bronx to Westchester County manor holder Lewis Morris and his wife Sarah Gouveneur Morris.
May 23
Printer William Bradford dies in New York City at the age of 92.
City
A public well and water pump are installed in the street in front of St. Paul's Church on (then) upper Broadway. ** Sperry’s Botanical Gardens (later Vauxhall Gardens) opens on the Bowery. ** Trinity Church opens its first ‘chapel of ease’ near Cliff and Beekman streets. ** A new combination Royal Exchange and coffee room opens. ** English actor-manager Lewis Hallam arrives in the city, finds that his advance agent Robert Upton has joined forces with a group of Philadelphia actors and brought them to New York. Upton’s group has appeared in Shakespeare’s Othello and Richard III, John Vanbrugh’s Provoked Husband, Thomas Otway’s Venice Preserved, David Garrick’s Lethe, and Robert Dodsley’s The King and the Miller of Mansfield. ** The city has approximately 7,000 inhabitants.
1753
Jan 11
James Parker, in his Independent Reflector, calls for a city fire engine powerful enough to reach a high structure such as the steeple of New York's Trinity Church, almost destroyed in a recent fire.
Jan 31
William Tuckey is appointed choirmaster of Trinity Church.
October
George Clinton is replaced as Royal Governor of New York, by Sir Danvers Osborne.
City
A theater opens on Nassau Street, designed for the presentation of ballad opera. ** The city begins purchasing brass pumps for public wells. By 1764 they will have spent almost £100 for 30 of them. **
1754
Jan 21
Richard Pomfret, along with two other men from New York City, drown when their ‘perriauger’ (pirogue, oyster boat) sinks in a storm in the lower New York harbor.
Jan 31
State lieutenant governor James De Lancey reinstates John Burnet as Coroner of the City of New York.
Apr 25
Mariner Martinus Creiger gets into a fight in New York City with Patrick Creamer, who strikes the sailor with a pole, killing him.
Apr 26
An inquest is called in New York City on Crreiger’s body. The coroner’s jury is sworn in, then the inquest adjourns until tomorrow morning.
Apr 27
Witnesses in the Creiger death are sworn in. All but two members of the jurors find that Patrick Creamer assaulted Creiger, killing him. The dissenting jurors declare the incident a manslaughter.
May 18
Sailor Donald Magrah falls overboard while maneuvering a sloop at New York City’s Furman’s Dock, drowns.
Jul 17
King's College opens in New York City.
August
John Burnet moves out of the city, to a location undisclosed by him.
Sep 29
John Burnet is reappointed coroner for the City of New York. Since he now lives out of town he is replaced by Dutchess County lawyer Bartholomew Crannell, currently maintaining offices in Manhattan.
Oct 4
New York City merchant John Long dies of a gunshot wound – apparently self-inflicted – in a lower Manhattan orchard.
Oct 31
A royal patent is granted changing King's College to Columbia.
Dec 22
City of New York coroner John Burnet is named a notary public.
City
The Society Library is founded by the New York Society. ** Tavern keeper Edward Willett, owner of the Horse and Cart Inn, rents the mansion of Lieutenant-Governor James De Lancey on Broadway north of Trinity Church, and opens a new business – The Province Arms Tavern.
Transportation
James Wells opens a stage-and-boat line, running twice a week between New York City and Philadelphia.
© 2011 David Minor / Eagles Byte
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