| c.1665 | Matthew McClaughry (1.1) born in Co. Longford, Ireland. |
| 1685 | James II ascends the throne of England. |
| 1686 | King James II begins consolidating the colonies of New England into a single Dominion depriving colonists of their local political rights and independence. |
| 1688 | Revolution in England. James II abdicates; William of Hanover and Mary, daughter of James II, jointly take the throne. |
| 1690 | William defeats James II forces in Ireland at the Battle of the Boyne. Matthew (1.1) took part in the battle as a grenadier in William's army. |
| 1692 | Salem, Massachusetts witch trials. Over 150 people accused of consorting with the devil. 14 women and 6 men are executed. Two years after helping William to the throne, the McClaughry family, like most Irish, suffer from the "tyranny and unjust legislation of England." |
| 1697 | In September, King William's War ends as the French and English sign the Treaty of Ryswick. |
| 1700 | The European population in the English colonies in America reaches 275,000. |
| 1702 | Death of William III of Orange, King of England. In March, Queen Anne ascends the English throne. England declares war on France to stop the union of France and Spain. Queen Anne's War, named so in the colonies, lasts the next eleven years. |
| 1706 | January 17, Benjamin Franklin is born in Boston. |
| c.1707 | Thomas McClaughry (2.4) is born. |
| 1714 | Queen Anne Stuart dies; George I Hanover becomes king. |
| 1717 | Pirate Captain Edward Teach captures the French ship Concorde and changes it's name to Queen Anne's Revenge. Thus begins the bloody reign of terror on the high seas of Blackbeard the Pirate. |
| 1720 | The population of American colonists reaches 475,000. |
| 1727 | George I dies; George II Hanover becomes king. |
| 1729 | Matthew McClaughry (1.1) and 24 of his immediate family set sail for America aboard the George and Anne. Due to illness, Matthew, his wife, daughter Sarah and youngest son, Thomas (2.4) disembark and go back to Co. Longford while the rest continue. Epidemics ravage the ship's journey as it takes 5 months to cross. All 21 of the McClaughry family die during the voyage. |
| 1730 | One of Great Irish famines ravages the land as Mathew (1.1), his wife, son Thomas (2.4) and daughter Sarah return to the family home and buy back a small portion of it.. |
| 1732 | February 22, George Washington is born in Virginia. |
| c.1735 | Matthew McClaughry (1.1) dies in Co. Longford, Ireland. Mathew (3.1) is born shortly after. |
| c.1739 | Richard McClaughry (3.2) born in Co. Longford, Ireland. |
| 1742 | Another of the Great famines spread accross Ireland. Andrew (4.3) is born in Co. Longford, Ireland. |
| c.1745 | Mary Ann McClaughry Riggs (3.5) born in Co. Longford, Ireland. |
| c.1747 | Thomas McClaughry Jr. (3.4) born in Co. Longford, Ireland. |
| 1750 | The Iron Act is passed by the English Parliament, limiting the growth of the iron industry in the American colonies to protect the English Iron industry. |
| 1751 | The Currency Act is passed by the English Parliament, banning the issuing of paper money by the New England colonies. |
| 1752 | June, Benjamin Franklin performs famous kite experiment. |
| 1754 | The French and Indian War erupts as a result of disputes over land in the Ohio River Valley. |
| 1756 | England declares war on France and later, Spain, as the French and Indian War in the colonies now spreads to Europe where it's called The Seven Years War. |
| c.1757 | Thomas Jr. (3.4 - about 10 years old) nearly drowns in the "big river". Probably the River Shannon. Then, nearly breaks his neck falling from his brother Matthew's (3.1) mare. |
| 1760 | The population of colonists in America reaches 1,500,000. October, George II dies; George III Hanover, his grandson, becomes king. |
| 1763 | The French and Indian War, ends with the Treaty of Paris. England takes all French territory east of the Mississippi River, except New Orleans. The Spanish give up east and west Florida to the English in return for Cuba. |
| 1764 | The Sugar Act is passed by the English Parliament to offset the war debt brought on by the French and Indian War. This act increases the duties on imported sugar and other items such as textiles, coffee, wines and indigo. Along with the Currency Act, it threatens to destabilize the entire colonial economy of both the industrial North and agricultural South, thus uniting the colonists against it. In August, Boston merchants begin a boycott of British luxury goods. |
| 1765 | George III begins to show signs porphyria, a maddening disease which disrupted his reign. In March, the Stamp Act is passed by the English Parliament imposing the first direct tax on the American colonies. Under the Stamp Act, all printed materials are taxed. March, the Quartering Act requires colonists to house British troops and supply them with food. September - Thomas McClaughry (2.4) and family set sail for America. November, most daily business and legal transactions in the colonies cease as the Stamp Act goes into effect with nearly all of the colonists refusing to use the stamps. In New York City, violence breaks out as a mob burns the royal governor in effigy, harasses British troops, then loots houses. The same night the McClaughry's land in New York and stay the winter in Esopus. |
| 1766 | In January, the New York assembly refuses to completely comply with Gen. Gage's request to enforce the Quartering Act. March, King George III signs a bill repealing the Stamp Act. On the same day, the English Parliament passes the Declaratory Act stating that the British government has total power to legislate any laws governing the American colonies. May, the McClaughry Family move to Wallkill, NY and live on a farm owned by George Monell. August, violence breaks out in New York between British soldiers and armed colonists as a result of the continuing refusal to comply with the Quartering Act. December, the New York legislature is suspended by the English Crown after once again voting to refuse to comply with the Act. |
| 1767 | The English Parliament passes the Townshend Revenue Acts. Items taxed include imports such as paper, tea, glass, lead and paints. The McClaughry family move to Little Britain and live on a farm owned by John Reid. |
| 1768 | February, Samuel Adams of Massachusetts writes a Circular Letter opposing taxation without representation and calling for the colonists to unite in their actions against the British government. May, the McClaughry family buy land near Salem, NY. |
| 1770 | The population of the American colonies reaches 2,210,000 persons. March 5, The Boston Massacre occurs as a mob harasses British soldiers who then fire their rifles pointblank into the crowd, killing three instantly, mortally wounding two others and injuring six. April, the Townshend Acts are repealed by the British Also, the Quartering Act is not renewed. |
| 1773 | May 10, the Tea Act takes effect. It maintains a three penny per pound import tax on tea arriving in the colonies, which had already been in effect for six years. October, three ships bearing tea sail into Boston harbor. December 16, the Boston Tea Party occurs as colonial activists disguise themselves as Mohawk Native Americans then board the ships and dump all 342 containers of tea into the harbor. |
| 1774 | An angry English Parliament passes a series of Coercive Acts in response to the rebellion in Massachusetts, virtually ending any self-rule by the colonists there. June, a new version of the 1765 Quartering Act is enacted by the English Parliament requiring all of the American colonies to provide housing for British troops in occupied houses and
taverns and in unoccupied buildings. September, the First Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia. Congress declares its opposition to the Coercive Acts, saying they are "not to be obeyed," and also promotes the formation of local militia units. A Declaration and Resolves is adopted that opposes the Coercive Acts, and other measures taken by the British that undermine self-rule. The rights of the colonists are asserted, including the rights to "life, liberty and property." |
| 1775 | February, the English Parliament declares Massachusetts to be in a state of rebellion. March 23, in Virginia, Patrick Henry delivers a speech against British rule, stating, "Give me liberty or give me death!" March, the New England Restraining Act is endorsed by King George III, requiring New England colonies to trade exclusively with England and also bans fishing in the North Atlantic. War with American Colonies begins with the Battles of Lexington and Concord, "The Shot Heard Round the World" Matthew (11), Richard (12) and Andrew (13) join the colonial army. Thomas (3.4) stays at home and serves as a minuteman for Salem, NY. |
| 1776 | 4 July - American Declaration of Independence was published in Boston with a reading by Thomas Crafts. |
| 1777 | Surrender of British Gen. Burgoyne at the Battle Saratoga. Thomas Jr. (3.4) walks into one of Burgoyne's camps to gather information for the American army. |
| 1778 | John Reid McClaughry (4.24) born in Salem, NY. |
| 1780 | One of the worst American defeats of the Revolution. British forces take Charleston, SC. |
| 1781 | Last major British defeat to U.S. Cornwallis surrenders to Washington at Yorktown, Va. Seizing on Britain's distraction and weakness, The Spanish capture Pensacola. Spanish re-occupied Florida from the British until 1784.William Harsha McClaughry (4.26) is born in Salem, NY. |
| 1782 | 30 November 1782 - End of American War of Independence. |
| 1783 | Treaty of Versailles (England/U.S.) The Peace of Versailles ensured British acknowledgment of the United States of America. |
| c.1784 | Thomas Jr (3.4) settles in Kortright, NY. Brother's Richard and Andrew follow a few years later. |
| 1787 | The final draft of the Constitution is signed. |
| 1789 | George Washington elected first President of the United States. The French Revolution begins. Mutiny on the Bounty, led by Masters Mate Fletcher Christian, twelve crew members staged the now famous mutiny, capturing the ship, and setting Lt. Bligh and his supporters adrift in the ship's launch. |
| 1790 | Matthew McClaughry (3.1) is born in Kortright, NY. |
| 1791 | Louis XVI tries to flee France, but is arrested, returned to Paris, and forced to accept the new constitution. |
| 1793 | Thomas McClaughry (2.4) dies in Salem, NY. After perfecting his machine Eli Whitney receives a patent on the cotton gin. January - Louis XVI is executed. France declares war on Great Britain, the Dutch Republic, and Spain. Establishment of the Revolutionary Tribunal in France. The Terror begins. October - Marie Antoinette is beheaded. |
| 1794 | With the execution of Robespierre without trial; the Great Terror ends. Between March 1793 and July 1794, 17,000 people were executed in France. |
| 1797 | John Adams elected 2nd President of the United States. |
| 1798 | The Irish Rebellion. 100,000 peasants revolt; approximately 25,000 die. Irish Parliament abolished. |
| 1799 | Bonaparte's Coup of 18 Brumaire: Napoleon overthrows the Directory, sets up a government called the Consulate. He was the first of three consuls. About three years later he made himself first consul for life. |
| 1801 | Thomas Jefferson elected third President. |
| 1803 | The Louisiana Purchace Treaty. France sell from the Mississippi to the Rockies, Canada to the Gulf of Mexico to the United States for $15 million. |
| 1804 | Lewis and Clark begin there journey accross the conitnent. |
| 1809 | James Madison elected fourth President |
| 1810 | Robert Houston McClaughry (5.169) born in Kortright, NY. |
| 1811 | George III, mad with porphyria, loses the throne to his son George, the Prince Regent. George III died blind, deaf and mad at Windsor Castle in 1820. |
| 1812 | The War of 1812. America becomes embroiled in the war between Britain and France. The war ends in 1814. |
| 1817 | James Monroe elected fifth President. |
| 1819 | Richard McClaughry (3.2) dies in Kortright, NY. |
| 1823 | Monroe Doctrine enacted. Asserts that no European power could colonize the Americas. |
| 1825 | John Quincy Adams elected sixth President. The Erie Canal, linking the Great Lakes to the Hudson River, is completed. |
| 1827 | Thomas McClaughry Jr. (3.4) dies in Kortright, NY. |
| 1829 | Andrew Jackson elected seventh President. |
| 1830 | The Trail of Tears. More than 100,000 American natives are relocated to the newly established Indian Territory (now, Oklahoma). |
| 1833 | Ebenezer Rowland McClaughry (6.374) born in Kortright, NY (my great, great grandfather). |
| 1836 | Santa Ana leads 3,000 men in the siege of the Alamo held by 187 men. "Remember the Alamo" becomes a battlecry for Texans in their fight for secession from Mexico. Texans capture Santa Ana at the Battle of San Jacinto. The Republic of Texas is established. Margaret Findley McClaughry (Applegate) (6.375) born in Kortland, NY. |
| 1844 | As the various treaties and conquests open up the continent, westward migration of European Americans multiplies. William Rowland McClaughry (6.379) born in Kortright, NY. |
| 1845 | The United States annex Texas as tensions mount with Mexico. The result is the Mexican War, 1846-48. |
| 1848 | Gold is found in California. One of America's first gold-rushes ensue as thousands go there to seek fortune. |
| 1849 | Robert Findley "Frank" McClaughry (6.381) born in Kortright, NY. |
| 1851 | Treaty of Traverse des Sioux. The Sioux Nation gives up land in Iowa and Minnesota. |
| 1853 | Thomas Clark McClaughry (6.383) born in Kortland, NY. |
| 1855 | Robert Houston McClaughry (5.169) and family settle in Belle Plaine, Iowa. |
| 1860 | November, Abraham Lincoln elected sixteenth President. South Carolina secedes from the United Staes. The Confederate States of America is formed with Jefferson Davis as President. |
| 1861 | February, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas secede from the Union. April, The Confederate Army attack Fort Sumter, SC. The American Civil War begins. Virginia, Arkansas, Tennesse and North Carolina join the Confederate States. |
| 1863 | The Emancipation Proclamation is signed. Lincoln declares that all slaves in the Confederate States are free. July, The Battle of Gettysburg turns the tides of war against the Conderate States. November, President Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address. |
| 1864 | Atlanta is captured by General Sherman. Lincoln is re-elected. John Reid McClaughry (4.24) dies in Kortright,NY. |
| 1865 | April, General Robert E. Lee surrenders his Confederate army to General Ullysis S. Grant at Appomatox, Va. The same month President Lincoln is assinated by John Wilkes Booth and becomes the "last casualty of the war." Claiming he was tired of writing his name accross the page, ex-federal soldier, William Rowland McClaughry (6.379) changes the spelling of his name to "McLaury." His father, Robert Houston (5.169) and some of his family follow suit. |
| 1871 | Charles Darwin publishes The Descent of Man and sparks a debate that lasts to this day. |
| 1877 | Robert Findley "Frank" (6.381) and Thomas Clark (6.383) McLaury buy a ranch in southern Arizona Territory along the Babocamari river, close to Tombstone. |
| 1881 | Frank (6.381) and Tom (6.383) are murdered in the streets of Tombstone, Az. by Virgil, Morgan and Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday. The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral becomes one of the most publicized events in American West history. |
| 1889 | Ebenezer Rowland McLaury (6.374) dies in Humbolt, Co., Iowa. |
| 1914 | William Rowland McLaury (6.379) dies in Texas. |