A History of New York Colony up to the American Revolution.

A History of New York Colony up to the American Revolution.

The History of New York Colony

Pre-1600's: The Native inhabitants of the area later known as New York State, United States of America, at the time of the arrival of the Europeans, (in the 1600's) were mainly the Delaware, Erie, Iroquois, Mohawk, Oneida and Seneca tribes [there were also other, smaller tribes]. Gradually, as Europeans visited the American continents of the “New World,” the populations of the native tribes dwindled. This was caused by the unwitting introduction of certain diseases which the European explorers and immigrants, who had actually survived multiple plagues in the crowded cities of Europe and Asia, which had spread through centuries by travelers along ancient trade routes, unknowingly brought to the “New World” as “carriers.” There was limited knowledge of balanced nutrition, medicine, sanitation or germs in those days, and illness and disease spread quickly. In some areas, up to 50 percent or more of the natives would die of these “new” diseases in European colonies. This resulted in shrunken populations of the natives in the Americas, and sometimes, almost ‘emptied’ areas of land, when larger groups of Europeans arrived to ‘colonize.’ The remaining natives and colonists would initially live together side-by-side, and trade goods. Over time, as populations of colonists increased, misunderstandings over property and lands would lead to arguments, fighting, and sometimes deaths.

1001- Viking sailor and explorer, Leif Ericson, from Iceland, (of Norwegian descent) sailed the North Atlantic waters, discovering what he called, Vinland (and which likely later became Newfoundland, Canada).

1498- Italian explorer John Cabot (Italian: Giovanni Caboto ) explored the eastern coast of North America for the English.

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1602- The States General of the United Provinces, known as the Netherlands, chartered the United East India Company (the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, called the VOC) with the mission of exploring for a passage to the Indies [the Europeans did not realize that they had found a ‘new’ continent, (North America) and thought they were simply finding a new trade route, or shortcut, to Asia] and claiming any [unchartered?] territories for the United Provinces of Netherlands.

1604- Samuel de Champlain (1567-1635) French explorer and navigator, mapped the eastern coast of North America. Samuel was born in 1574, La Rochelle, Aunis, France. (Lake Champlain, located within the U.S. in Vermont and northern New York state, but partially situated across the border in Canada and Quebec, is named for him.)

1606- English King James I granted a charter [English government permission and authorization] to Plymouth Company (also called Virginia Company of Plymouth, organized 1606 by King James I of England to establish English colonies in America).

On September 3, 1609, the English explorer Henry Hudson, on behalf of the Dutch United East India Company, entered the area now known as New York in an attempt to find a northwest passage to the Indies. He searched every coastal inlet and on September 12th took his ship, the Halve Maen (Half Moon), up the river which now bears his name, as far as Albany and claimed the land for his employer. Although no passage was discovered the area turned out to be one of the best fur-trading regions in North America. Henry established the Dutch colony of New Netherland.

1611-1612- Dutch merchants began trading with the natives of Hudson Bay.

1613- (Kingston) A Dutch trading vessel arrived at Kingston Point, on the Hudson River .

1614- English soldier, explorer and sailor, Captain John Smith (1580-1631) mapped the eastern ‘New England’ coast. Captain Smith had become the leader of the English Virginia Colony, based at Jamestown (Virginia). Smith wrote many books and maps which helped the Europeans in colonization of the ‘New World.’

On October 11, 1614, merchants from the cities of Amsterdam and Hoorn formed The New Netherland Company receiving a three-year monopoly for fur trading in the newly discovered region from the States General of the United Provinces (the government of Netherlands).

In 1615 The New Netherland Company erected Fort Nassau on Castle Island near Albany and began trading with the Indians for furs. The Fort was abandoned after repeated flooding about two years later.

In 1621 the newly incorporated Dutch West India Company (the Westindische Compagnie or WIC) obtained a twenty-four-year trading monopoly in America and Africa and sought to have the New Netherland area formally recognized as a province. Once provincial status was granted in June of 1623 the company began organizing the first permanent Dutch settlement in New Netherland.

1623- The first Dutch colonists arrived in New Netherland to settle at Fort Orange (present day Albany), the mouth of the Connecticut River, and High Island (Burlington Island) in the Delaware River. English colonists were in Virginia and Plymouth, and England was claiming the northeastern Atlantic Coast. They both laid claim to Long Island, where the Dutch took hold of the western end and, later, the English settled on the eastern end.

On March 29, 1624 the Dutch ship, Nieu Nederlandt (New Netherland) departed with the first wave of settlers, consisting of thirty Flemish Walloon families (the Walloons were people who emigrated from Wallonia, Belgium, and were French-speaking Protestants). The families were spread out over the entire territory claimed by the company. To the north a few families were left at the mouth of the Connecticut River, while to the south some families were settled at (Verhulsten Island) Burlington Island on the Delaware River. Others were left on (Noten Eylant) Nut Island, now called Governor's Island, at the mouth of the Hudson River, while the remaining families were taken up the Hudson to Fort Orange (Albany). Later in 1624 and through 1625 six additional ships sailed for New Netherland with colonists, livestock and supplies.

May 1624- About 60 families of Walloon and Dutch Protestant origin arrived in New Amsterdam, New Netherland. They desired to found a settlement where they could practice their Reformed Protestant Christianity without persecution.

1626- Groups of settlers (Walloons and others) were consolidated on Manhattan Island which was purchased for 60 guilders by Peter Minuit from the local natives. Peter Minuit, a Walloon, was born in 1580 in Wesel (now part of Germany). This was during a period of religious tensions between Protestants and Catholics polities following the Protestant Reformation that culminated in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). Minuit's Walloon family, originally from the French-speaking city of Tournai in modern day Belgium, was among those Protestants who migrated away from suppression under the Roman Catholic government of the Spanish Netherlands. In 1580, Minuit's family took refuge in the city of Wesel, which had become a haven for Protestants as early as 1540.

The Eighty Years' War (1568-1648) split the Netherlands into a Catholic South and a Protestant North. The religious wars were concluded by the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. They would leave much of Germany devastated, though Westphalia suffered less than some areas. Protestant refugees from German states and France migrated to sympathetic nations. Some Walloons, such as Peter Minuit, migrated to New Netherlands, and a tiny community was built on the southern tip of Manhattan Island and called New Amsterdam. Fort Nassau was established in 1626 near the southern end of New Jersey (at Gloucester, New Jersey) along the Delaware River, which the Dutch called the South River. New Amsterdam had a population of about 270 people.

1628- Because of the dangers and hardships of life in the new land some colonists decided to return to the homeland in 1628.

1629- In danger of losing their financial investments in the “New World,” the Dutch West India Company began encouraging wealthy Dutch merchants to become Patroons in their company. A Patroon was a wealthy businessman who would be granted a large tract of land in the colony, with the legal right to settle all non-capital cases, similar to a manorial lord. In return, the Patroon would pay to bring settlers to colonize the land, at his own expense.

1630- Kiliaen van Rensselaer became Patroon to the largest and most lucrative fur trading area in New Netherland, that is, the area along the Hudson River near Fort Orange, which he named the colony of Rensselaerswyck.

Under the Patroonship plan, New Netherland continued to expand with more colonists and settlements taking hold. The nerve center of New Netherland was along the Hudson River from New Amsterdam (New York City) northwest to Fort Orange (Albany). The colony of Rensselaerswyck (encompassing the western area beyond the Esopus and up to but not including Beverwyck and Fort Orange) and adjacent areas was the center of the fur trade, while New Amsterdam was the shipping hub for Dutch traders.

By 1630 the total population of New Netherland was about 300, many being French-speaking Walloons. It is estimated about 270 lived in the area surrounding Fort Amsterdam, primarily working as farmers, while about 30 were at Fort Orange, the center of the Hudson valley fur trade with the Mohawks.

*1- Barent Jacobsen Kool, of Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands, immigrated before 1633, when he married another immigrant from Holland, Marritje Leenderts De Grauw in Kingston (Esopus), New York. Barent and Marritje both died (1676 and 1670) in Kingston (Esopus), Ulster, New York.

*2- Cornelius Teunisz Bosch of Westbroeck, Utrecht, Netherlands came to Fort Orange in 1636. In about 1644, he married Maritie Thomas Mingael, in or near [Fort Orange] Beverwijck, Dutchess, New York. Cornelius died in 1666, at Beverwijck, Dutchess, New York. Maritie died in 1689 at Beverwijck, Dutchess, New York.

1637- (Harlem) The first European settlement in the area later named, Haarlem, was by Hendrick (Henry) de Forest, Isaac de Forest, his brother, and their sister Rachel de Forest, Franco-Dutch immigrants in 1637.

1638- Swedish settlement led by Peter Minuet starting the New Sweden Colony at Fort Christina, for the purpose of trading beaver pelts with the local Lenape tribe.

1638- The Dutch West India Company abandoned its trade monopoly, and instead allowed any merchants to trade in the area, if they payed a 10% import tax, a 15% export tax, and all shipping was retained by the company.

*3- Hans Jansen Van Noordstrand, from Noordstrand, Schleswig-Holstein (later part of Denmark or Germany). Hans married Rymerick Volkert in or near Husum, Germany. They immigrated about 1638, to New Amsterdam [Nieuw Amsterdam, later New York City]. Rymerick died about 1645, and Hans then married Janneken Gerrits Van Leeuwen at Kingston, New York, in 1652. Hans died in Nieuw Amersfoort, Long Island, Brooklyn, in 1690.

[Note on Nieuw Amersfoort: Prior to British rule, Flatlands, Brooklyn, New York City was known by the Dutch as Nieuw Amersfoort (named after the Dutch city of Amersfoort) and was established as a farming community when, in 1636, Andreas Hudde and Wolfert Gerritsen bought 15,000 acres of land centered around what is now the intersection of Kings Highway and Flatbush Avenue. Crops typically grown by the farmers in the area were beans, corn, marsh hay, squash, potatoes and tobacco. Oysters and clams were also farmed and harvested from Jamaica Bay, surrounding marshes and basins.]

1639- The Dutch established Swanendael, a whaling village on the southern shore of Delaware Bay, near what is now Lewes, Delaware. A misunderstanding resulted in a raid by the local natives, who slaughtered the 50 settlers.

c.1640- (Kinderhook) - A few scattered Dutch settlers moved into an area later known as Kinderhoek. This later became the village of Kinderhook, Columbia County, New York.

*4- Juriean Westvaal, of Westphalia, Brandenburg-Prussia (later part of Germany). Immigrated aboard the ship ‘den Houttuyn’ from Leiderdorp, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands in 1642, to the patroonship of Rensselaerswyck, New Amsterdam (later part of New York City). Settled first on Papscanee Island, then later moved to Esopus (Kingston/ Wiltwyck), New York, where he married Maretje Hansen van Noordstrand in 1652, died in 1667. Maretje was the daughter of Hans Jansen Van Noordstrand, and his first wife, Rymerick, listed above.

*5-Abraham Willemszen Tietsoort, of Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands, came to New Amsterdam about 1643. Abraham was a seaman (sailor) working for the Dutch West India Company. In 1647, he asked permission to stay in New Netherlands (which later became New York). Abraham married Aechtje Jans Van Noorden, daughter of Jans Albertszen Van Norden and his wife, Aechtje Lambertszyn in 1647, at New Amsterdam (later became New York City). Aechtje and her parents were from Noorden, East Friesland, (a territory sometimes controlled by Netherlands/ sometimes by Germany) Aechtje came to New Amsterdam with her parents about 1642. Abraham died at New Amsterdam, about 1650. Aechtje died about 1697, in New York City (renamed from New Amsterdam).

1646- Peter Stuyvesant (1602-1672) became Dutch Director-General of New Netherlands.

1648- The Dutch built Fort Beversrede in 1648 on the Schuylkill River (at Philadelphia).

1650- By this time, there were about 2,000 English inhabitants of New Netherland, primarily coming from New England, living on Long Island or in communities along the Connecticut border. Half the villages in the vicinity of New Amsterdam (New York City) were English.

1650's - The British and Dutch saw each other as direct competitors, consequently several times during this period they were at war.

1651- The Dutch under Peter Stuyvesant established Fort Casimir at present-day New Castle, Delaware, only 7 miles south of Fort Christina.

1651- The British instituted the Navigation Acts, no longer allowing non-English ships to transport goods from English ports (such as New England and Virginia). This restricted some Dutch business.

1652- (Kingston) European settlers (mostly farmers) gradually began to arrive in the area of Esopus (later Kingston, Ulster, New York).

1652-1654- During the first Anglo-Dutch war of 1652-1654 Oliver Cromwell planned to attack New Netherland with the help of the New England colonists, but the plan was never carried out. Following that conflict the two nations continued to be trading rivals and were suspicious of each other.

1653- New Amsterdam became a city (later New York City).

1654- The Swedes captured the Dutch Fort Casimir.

1654- A group of 23 Jews were brought to New Amsterdam from the Dutch colony in Brazil (which was called New Holland), where the Portuguese had just defeated the Dutch West India Company following an eight-year rebellion.

*6- William Pieterse Van Slyck, of Beverwijck, Netherlands, immigrated to Fort Orange (later Albany) before 1655. In 1658, William married Baertie [last name unknown] at Kinderhook, Columbia County, New York. William moved to Coxsackie, Greene, New York, where he died about 1733.

1655- The Dutch defeat the Swedes on the Delaware River and Stuyvesant took possession of the New Sweden Colony, ending Swedish colonies in America.

1655- New Netherland’s population was estimated at between 2,000 to 3,500. About half of the population was non-Dutch (many were English, Germans, Swedes and Finns)

*7- Jan Willems Van Isselstyn, of Leyden, Holland, probably immigrated about 1655, to New York, and married Mary Van Woglum, probably in Albany, about 1656. Jan and Mary had at least two children. They later had a farm in Bloomingdale, New York. The Dutch surname, “Van Isselstyn” comes from the small village (neighborhood) in Holland, originally spelled, Ysselsteyn, near the town of Venray, Limburg, Netherlands. The Dutch surname, “Van Woglum” means, coming from the small village of Woggelum, near Alkmaar, Noord Holland, Netherlands.

1658- (Kingston) Dutch Governor Pieter Stuyvesant helped the Kingston settlers to erect a stockade, for protection.

1658- (Harlem) Dutch settlement, Nieuw Haarlem (now known as Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City), was formally recognized.

*8- David Du Four with his wife, Jeanne Frances and son, Jean [aka, John] De Voor, Sr. originally from Mons, Hainaut, Belgium (a coal-mining region) then moved to Sedan, Ardennes, France, then moved to Amsterdam, Holland, as French Walloon (or Huguenot/French Protestant refugees), and immigrated later to New Harlem, New Netherlands (which later became the neighborhood of Harlem in New York City) about 1658. David had originally married Marie Boulen, mother of Jean, but Marie died when Jean was two years old. David then married Jeanne Frances, and had four more children in New York. David and Jeanne, and their son Jean, settled on a farm at Turtle Bay, Manhattan, New York.

*9- Theunis Cornelis Swart, of ?Amsterdam? (Unsure of exact location) Holland, immigrated in 1658 to Schenectady, New Netherlands, probably with his father, Cornelijs Jansz Swart. Theunis Cornelis Swart was one of the original patentees (settlers/farmers) of Schenectady, (later New York).

1660- (Hurley) - French Huguenots/Walloons, such as Louis DuBois, Anthony Crispell, and Mathew Blancon began to arrive in New Netherlands. They settled in the new little Dutch community of Nieuw Dorp, (later became Hurley) a few miles from Kingston.

1661- (Schenectady) The area known by the nearby Mohawk tribe, as, "Schau-naugh-ta-da", meaning "over the pine plains” was established as a Dutch community. Settlement was led by Arent Van Curler of Nijkerk in the Netherlands, who was granted letters patent to Schenectady in 1684.

1661- (Kingston) The area of of Esopus was renamed, “Wiltwijck” (and later renamed, Kingston) and was governed by the Dutch.

*10- Adrian Gerritsen Van Vliet, of Utrecht, Netherlands, married Aegie Jans Spruyt, had at least 3 children, and immigrated to New York in 1662. Adrian and Aegie settled in Kingston, Ulster, New York. Adrian died there in 1689, Aegie in 1687. The surname “Van Vliet,” means, living next to water or a brook or stream.

1662- The Netherlands feared an English attack when Charles II was restored to the British throne, so the Dutch made an alliance with France against the English.

1662- In the Spring of 1662, Peter Stuyvesant, Dutch Director-General of Niew Amsterdam, (later New York City) established the village of Nieuw Dorp, later renamed by the British, Hurley.

June 10, 1663- (Hurley, Kingston) The Dutch villages of Nieuw Dorp (Hurley) and part of Kingston were burned by the Esopus Indians, who took 23 women and children captive, and marched them to an Indian stronghold. This was in retaliation for several Esopus hostages captured by the Dutch soldiers and shipped to the tropics as slaves. The Indians intended to hold the captive settlers for ransom or exchange. After three months of searching, a Dutch rescue party, led by Captain Kregier from (New Amsterdam) New York City, found the Indian fort where the captives were held, in Shawangunk, which they attacked, and rescued the captive women and children.

1664- The British captured New Netherland from the Dutch. King Charles II gave the entire country to his brother James, Duke of York, to rule. New York Colony’s European population was about 9,000.

*11- Frederick Hussey [aka, Horsjen], of England, came as a British soldier during the British occupation of New Netherlands, now renamed New York Colony in 1664. He soon after married a Dutch girl, Margaret Bosch of Beverwijck, New Netherland Colony, at Kingston, Ulster, New York. Margaret was a daughter of Cornelius Teunisz Bosch and Maritie Thomas Mingael. Frederick was among the earliest settlers of Marbletown, New York, where he died in 1689. While I currently do not know what part of England Frederick comes from, the surname Hussey first appeared in Kent, England, in 1066, and is of Norman (French) origin. The surname, Bosch, means, from “woods” or a “forest.”

1665-1667- The loss of the New Netherland province led to a second Anglo-Dutch war, ending with the Treaty of Breda, in which the Dutch gave up their claim to New Amsterdam (New York) in exchange for Surinam (just north of Brazil). Part of New York Province became New Jersey Province.

1667- Territories between the Byram River and Connecticut River were split off to become the western half of Connecticut.

1668- The Dutch made an alliance with Britain and Sweden against the French king Louis XIV, who was trying to capture the Spanish-held areas in the Netherlands.

1669- (Marbletown) The area of Marbletown, New York, began to be settled. Marbletown received its’ patent in 1703.

1670- Louis XIV made a secret alliance with Charles II (the Treaty of Dover) and in 1672 he made another separate treaty with Sweden. Louis and Charles joined together in a war on the United Netherlands.

**Jan Willems Van Isselstyn, and his second wife, Willemtia Jans, emigrated from Leyden, Holland, Netherlands in around 1665. Jan Willems and his first wife, Mary Van Woglum, were married in Holland about 1655, and had at least two children that we know of, including Jannetje Van Isselstyn. Mary died, and Jan Willems then married a second time to Willemtia Jans. Jan Willems came to America with Willemtia Jans and two daughters from his first wife: Jannetje and Machtelt.

August 7, 1673- A force of 600 Dutch soldiers under Captain Anthony Colve entered the Hudson River. The next day they attacked Fort James and took the fort on August 9th. As the English governor, Francis Lovelace, was absent, the surrender was made by Captain John Manning. When Lovelace returned on Saturday August 12th, he was seized and put in jail. With the fall of the fort the Dutch had retaken New York. They then took control of Albany and New Jersey, changing the name of the area to New Orange in honor of William of Orange.

1674- New Netherland was restored to the English and became the province of New York as a result of the Treaty of Westminster. The names of cities reverted to English names. The English governor, Major Edmund Andros, arrived in Manhattan on November 1st and gave the Dutch leaders a week to leave. On November 10, the transfer was completed and Dutch Governor Colve and his soldiers marched out of the province.

1674- The British continued the Dutch policy of welcoming dissenting Christian sects, including the Huguenot founders of New Rochelle. The English “Duke's Laws” established a non-denominational state church. Governor Edmund Andros in 1674 said "permit all persons of what religion soever, quietly to inhabit within the precincts of your jurisdiction."

1675-1683- New York City was the premier British military stronghold in America during the Revolutionary War.

1675- 1678- Kings Philip’s War occurred between some tribes of the New England Native Americans and the Settlers of New England (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Maine). The English settlers in New York had just permanently taken the cities and territory there from the Dutch in the Third Anglo-Dutch War (1674) and were in the process of setting up an English settlement controlled by an anti-Puritan government. They offered no support for the mostly Puritan New Englanders. About 3,000 Natives died, and about 600 Colonists.

*12-Hugo Freer Sr., from Herly, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France, was a French Huguenot refugee by 1660, living in a French immigrant congregation at Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. While in Germany, he married Frenchwoman Marie de la Haye, from Douai, a small village, south of Lille, France, on 2 Oct 1660, and had three children. In 1666, very likely due to the bubonic Plague outbreak in the area, Marie and the two daughters died, leaving one son, Hugo Freer, Jr.. In 1667, Hugo married again, to Jeanne Wibau, in Mannheim, Germany, and they had three more children, including our ancestor, Abraham Freer (b.1670). About 1676, Hugo and Jeanne and the four children immigrated to New York City. In 1677, Hugo filed for a land patent [government permission to start a settlement] in Ulster County, with twelve other French Huguenots, founding the town of New Paltz. Hugo and Jeanne had five more children in New Paltz. Jeanne died in 1695, at New Paltz, Hugo Sr. died in 1698, at New Paltz.

1677- (New Paltz) The French Walloon/Huguenot town of New Paltz was founded, when a patent was filed.

1683- A New York Colonial Assembly (or, local legislature, or group of lawmakers) was created. New York was the last of the English colonies to have an assembly. The assembly passed the Province of New York constitution on October 30, the first of its kind in the colonies. This constitution gave New Yorkers more rights than any other group of colonists including the protection from taxation without representation. On November 1, 1683, the government was reorganized, and the state of New York was divided into twelve counties, each of which was subdivided into towns.

An act of the assembly in 1683 naturalized all those of foreign nations then in the colony professing Christianity. To encourage immigration, it also provided that foreigners professing Christianity may, after their arrival, be naturalized if they took the oath of allegiance as required.

1684- (Schenectady) 5th English Colonial Governor of the province of New York, Thomas Dongan, granted letters patent for Schenectady to five trustees.

1685- New York became a British royal province in February when its proprietor, the Duke of York, was crowned King James II of England. James II did not approve the New York constitution and declared it void in October 1685. The charter assembly did not meet after 1685.

1688- New York province was made part of the Dominion of New England.

1688- The town of New Rochelle, New York was settled by French Huguenots.

1689- In April, when news arrived that King James had been overthrown in the Glorious Revolution, Bostonians overthrew their government and imprisoned dominion English Governor Edmund Andros. The province of New York rebelled in May in what is known as Leisler's Rebellion. King William's War with France began during which the French attacked Schenectady. In July, New York participated in an abortive attack on Montreal and Quebec. A new governor, Henry Sloughter, arrived in March 1691. He had Jacob Leisler arrested, tried, and executed.

February 8, 1690- (Schenectady) The town of Schenectady was attacked and overrun by forces of France and their Indian allies, who burned the town and killed all but 60 of the inhabitants. This event is known as The Schenectady Massacre.

By the 1690s, New York City was the largest importer of the colonies of African slaves and a supply port for pirates.

1691- New York's charter was re-enacted and was the constitution of the province until the creation of the State of New York.

1692- A group of French Huguenots founded a neighborhood on Staten Island, New York.

1702-1713- During Queen Anne’s War with France, the province of New York had little involvement with the military operations, but benefitted from being a supplier to the British fleet.

1709-1711- New York militia participated in two abortive attacks on Quebec in 1709 and 1711.

1710- Nearly 2,800 Palatine German emigrants were transported to New York by Queen Anne's government in ten ships, the largest single group of immigrants before the Revolutionary War. By comparison, Manhattan then had only 6,000 people. Initially the Germans were employed in the production of naval stores along the Hudson River near Peekskill. In 1723 they were allowed to settle in the central Mohawk Valley west of Schenectady as a buffer against the Native Americans and the French (making them vulnerable to attack, during times of conflict between the French and English). They also began settlements in areas such as Schoharie and Cherry Valley.

*13- Johann Wilhelm Schneider Sr., from Niderölfen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, married Anna Gerdraut Betzer in Germany about 1702. About 1709, Johann and his wife took their seven children, including Jurg Schneider, and left the Palatinate area, which was repeatedly torn by war, and went to Holland, where they traveled on a ship as war refugees to New York City, in 1710. By 1711, Johann and family were at the Annsberg Camp, at Germantown, Columbia, New York. Looking for a way to support his family, Johann joined the local militia on an expedition to Canada against Montreal. Another daughter was added to the family in 1715, in West Camp, New York. The family moved to Kingston, New York soon after. Johann died in 1748, at Germantown, Orange, New York.

*14- Christina Thunjis, daughter of Stephan Antoni Thonius and Christina Catharina Georgi, apparently came to America from Germany as a young woman, likely as a Palatinate refugee, and married the son of another Palatinate refugee, Johann Wilhelm Schneider, Sr. named, Jurg Schneider, about 1719, in Kingston, Ulster County, New York. Sadly, Christina died two years after bearing her first child, in 1722, at Ulster County, New York.

1712- New York Slave Revolt was an uprising in New York City of 23 enslaved Africans who killed nine whites and injured another six. More than three times that number of blacks, 70, were arrested and jailed. Of these, 27 were put on trial, and 21 convicted and executed. After the revolt, laws governing the lives of blacks in New York were made more restrictive.

1720's-1740's- Thousands of African slaves were imported to New York.

1725- The first newspaper in New York started.

1741- Rumors of a conspiracy by slaves and poor whites arose against a background of economic competition between poor whites and slaves; a severe winter; war between Britain and Spain, with heightened anti-Catholic and anti-Spanish feelings; and recent slave revolts in South Carolina and the Caribbean. After a series of 13 fires erupted in Lower Manhattan, a number of slaves were arrested, who had been accused of being involved. 152 blacks and 20 whites were arrested that year. Many were hanged or burnt. Seventy-two slaves were deported from New York.

1744- War was declared in Europe between France and England. As news of this war spread to the colonies, the French fortress at Louisbourg, on May 3, 1744, concerned about their overland supply lines to Quebec, began preparing to attack the English colonies. They proceeded to attack the British fishing port of Canso, then Annapolis Royal, in Nova Scotia. The French then moved on to the English Fort Anne in Massachusetts.

1745- The British attacked the French, and captured Fort Louisbourg. Communities in Massachusetts were then raided and attacked by the French.

1744-1748- King George’s War, which took place in New York, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire and Nova Scotia. The New York assembly was determined to control expenditures for this war and only weak support was given. When the call came for New York to help raise an expeditionary force against the French fort of Louisburg, (Nova Scotia) the New York assembly refused to raise troops and only appropriated a token three thousand pounds. The assembly was opposed to a significant war effort because it would interrupt trade with Quebec, on the Richelieu River, and would result in higher taxes.

November 28, 1745- (Saratoga) The French raid on English Saratoga, New York, in 1745 destroyed that settlement, killing and capturing more than one hundred persons. After this attack the New York assembly was more generous with their support, and raised 1,600 men and forty thousand pounds, to help defend New York. All the British settlements north of Albany were abandoned.

July 1746- An Iroquois and intercolonial force had gathered for an attack against Canada. The British regulars (English soldiers) expected to assist (the New York colonial militia) never came, so the attack was called off.

1748- (Schenectady) The French and their Indian allies attacked Schenectady a second time.

October 1748- The French and Indian War finally came to an end with the peace Treaty of Aachen. Unfortunately, one of the parts of the Treaty gave Fort Louisburg back to the French. This angered the colony of Massachusetts, which had contributed the most men and funds in the colonial war. Britain responded by giving the colony £180,000 after the war, which the province used to retire its devalued paper currency.

1754- The Albany Congress took place in Albany and discussed a failed plan of union of the British colonies. Upstate New York was the scene of fighting during another French and Indian War, with British and French forces contesting control of Lake Champlain in association with Native American allies. Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet and other agents in upstate New York brought about the participation of the Iroquois.

1756 - 1763: The Seven Years War (French and Indian War) due to disputes over land, is won by Great Britain. France gave England 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.

1756-1760- The New York Assembly passed a Stamp Act to raise money for the French and Indian War.

1757- Three thousand British troops cordoned off the city of New York and impressed [drafted] nearly eight hundred persons they found in taverns and other gathering places of sailors. New York City was the centre for privateering [government sponsored piracy, for the purpose of weakening enemy ships and their commerce]. Forty New York ships were commissioned as privateers in 1756 and in the spring of 1757 it was estimated the value of French prizes [supplies taken from French ships] brought into New York City was two hundred thousand pounds. By 1759, the seas had been cleaned of French vessels and the privateers were diverted into trading with the enemy. The ending of the war caused a severe recession in New York [because now, all of the previously won French goods, was ended].

1763- Proclamation of 1763 and Treaty of Fort Stanwix established new boundaries of the Native American lands.

1765- The British passed The Stamp Act of 1765 a law meant to raise money, through taxation, from the British colonies, to pay for war in Europe. New York Province was already experiencing a severe recession from the French and Indian War, only recently ended. Both New York political factions opposed the Stamp Act of 1765. In October, on the site of what is now Federal Hall in New York City, representatives of several colonies met in the Stamp Act Congress to discuss their response. The New York assembly petitioned the British House of Commons on December 11, 1765 for the Americans' right of self taxation. In August, the intimidation and beating of stamp agents was widely reported. The New York stamp commissioner resigned his job.

New York merchants agreed to boycott all British imports until the Stamp Act was repealed. In November, riots in the streets by the “plebian element” occurred for four days. Two thousand rioters attacked the house of New York Governor Cadwallader Colden, paraded his effigy around town, and built a monstrous bonfire in the Bowling Green, burning the governor’s two sleighs and horse-drawn coach. The crowd then destroyed a warehouse and the home of the commander at Fort George. In January, a ship carrying stamps from Britain was boarded and the stamps destroyed in New York City and Albany. In May 1766, when the Stamp Act was repealed, the Sons of Liberty erected a Liberty Pole.

1766- The New York assembly passed a quartering bill to provide barracks and provisions for British troops stationed in the area. London suspended the Assembly because of incomplete compliance in 1768 and 1769.

1760's- The British viewed New York City and the Hudson River Valley as key strategic locations. After evacuating the patriot stronghold of Boston, Massachusetts in March of 1776, the British concentrated on New York as a base of operations.

20 Apr 1775- A group of New York colonists held a Provincial Convention, with Philip Livingston as its chairman.

Delegates were elected to the Second Continental Congress, which included the delegates to the first congress and also five new members.

10 May 1775- The Siege of Fort Ticonderoga, New York. British Lieutenant General John Burgoyne's 8,000-man army occupied high ground above the fort, and nearly surrounded the defences. These movements precipitated the occupying Continental Army, an under-strength force of 3,000 under the command of General Arthur St. Clair, to withdraw from Ticonderoga and the surrounding defences. Some gunfire was exchanged, and there were some casualties, but there was no formal siege and no pitched battle. Burgoyne's army occupied Fort Ticonderoga and Fort Independence without opposition on 6 July, and advance units pursued the retreating Americans.

The uncontested surrender of Ticonderoga caused an uproar in the American public and in its military circles, as Ticonderoga was widely believed to be virtually impregnable, and a vital point of defence. General St. Clair and his superior, General Philip Schuyler, were vilified by Congress. Both were eventually exonerated in courts martial, but their careers were adversely affected. Schuyler had already lost his command to Horatio Gates by the time of the court martial, and St. Clair held no more field commands for the remainder of the war.(wikipedia)

6 Dec 1775- A Second Provincial Congress was organized in New York City, and continued until May 13, 1776.

January 1776- (American colonial) George Washington ordered Major General Charles Lee, of the Continental Army to prepare New York City for the coming British attack. In February, the Provincial Congress initially refused Lee’s entry into New York, but then agreed and also decided to stop provisioning the British ships in New York harbor.

22 May 1776- A Third Provincial Congress was organized. It continued in session until June 30, 1776. It instructed its delegates to the 2nd Continental Congress to oppose independence. On May 31, 1776, the Continental Congress recommended that each of the provinces establish themselves as states. On June 17, the provincial congress called a new election with the delegates vested with the power to declare independence. In June, Commander-in-Chief of British forces in the colonies, William Howe's forces appeared in New York Harbor.

4 July 1776- After the Declaration of Independence was signed, the 13 American colonies found themselves adrift without any governmental institutions. To remedy this situation in New York, New York patriots chose delegates to a Provincial Congress, which first met in New York City, the old colonial capitol.

9 July 1776- The Fourth Provincial Congress convened in White Plains, New York, on July 9, 1776, and became known as the First Constitutional Convention. It declared the independent state of New York on July 9, 1776. On the same day the Declaration of Independence was read by George Washington on the commons of New York City to the Continental Army and local citizens, who celebrated by tearing down the statue of George III in Bowling Green.

On July 10, 1776, the Fourth Provincial Congress changed its name to the Convention of Representatives of the State of New York, and "acts as legislature without an executive." While adjourned it left a Committee of Safety in charge.

10 July 1776- As the British drew their noose around Manhattan, the New York Congress decided to move their meetings north up to White Plains, where in July, John Jay was named chairman of a committee to draw up a New York State constitution. Calling itself the "Convention of the Representatives of the State of New York," the group was forced to move farther north to safety when Washington's army fully abandoned New York City. Stopping in Fishkill, New York, the delegates decided that the town's lodging's were inadequate--and too close to British forces--and moved even farther up the Hudson River Valley to Kingston, Ulster, New York, in February of 1777.

The New York delegates found Kingston to their liking. A "government on the run" for many months, the city welcomed the delegates, opening several public buildings for the Convention's use. For two months, the delegates met in the Ulster County Courthouse, working deliberately on a New York State constitution.

In July of 1776, shortly after the signing of Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, a huge British fleet of nearly 500 ships and 35,000 men--the largest single armed force in America until the Civil War--appeared off New York. Under the command of General William Howe, the vastly larger British forces began pushing back the smaller and less-organized American Army under the command of George Washington almost immediately.

22 August 1776- The Battle of Long Island (Brooklyn Heights) New York, was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the United States Declaration of Independence, the largest battle of the entire conflict, and the first battle in which an army of the United States engaged, having declared itself a nation only the month before.

After defeating the British in the Siege of Boston on March 17, 1776, General George Washington, Commander-in-Chief [of American colonial forces], brought the Continental Army to defend the strategic port city of New York, then limited to the southern end of Manhattan Island. Washington understood that the city's harbor would provide an excellent base for the British Navy during the campaign. There he established defenses and waited for the British to attack. In July, the British, under the command of General William Howe, landed a few miles across the harbor on Staten Island, where over the next month and a half they were slowly reinforced by ships in Lower New York Bay, bringing their total force to 32,000 men. With the British fleet in control of the entrance to the harbor, Washington knew the difficulty in holding the city. Believing Manhattan would be the first target, he moved the bulk of his forces there.

On August 22, the British landed on the southwest shore of Long Island, across The Narrows from Staten Island, more than a dozen miles south from the East River crossings to Manhattan. After five days of waiting, the British attacked American defenses on the Guan Heights. Unknown to the Americans, however, Howe had brought his main army around their rear and attacked their flank soon after. The Americans panicked, although a stand by 400 Maryland troops prevented most of the army from being captured. The remainder of the army fled to the main defenses on Brooklyn Heights. The British dug in for a siege but, on the night of August 29–30, Washington evacuated the entire army to Manhattan without the loss of materiel or a single life. Washington and the Continental Army were driven out of New York entirely after several more defeats and forced to retreat through New Jersey and into Pennsylvania.

August 1776- By August, George Washington had withdrawn from Long Island, New York, pulling back to Manhattan.

September 1776- In September of that same year, George Washington and his generals, convinced of the weakness of their position in New York City, debated whether they should burn the city upon retreat, or simply leave it to the British. Under instructions from the [American Colonial] Continental Congress to not torch the city, Washington withdrew into New Jersey, where he successfully harassed the British and their mercenary [hired] soldiers. Washington's withdrawal from Manhattan, however, had other, non-military consequences.

28 October 1776- The Battle of White Plains, New York. Following the retreat of George Washington's Continental Army northward from New York City, British General William Howe landed troops in Westchester County, intending to cut off Washington's escape route. Alerted to this move, Washington retreated farther, establishing a position in the village of White Plains but failed to establish firm control over local high ground. Howe's troops drove Washington's troops from a hill near the village; following this loss, Washington ordered the Americans to retreat farther north. (wikipedia)

16 November 1776- The Battle of Fort Washington, Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York. The British Army forces under the command of Lieutenant General William Howe planned to capture Fort Washington, the last American stronghold on Manhattan. General Washington issued a discretionary order to colonial General Nathanael Greene to abandon the fort and remove its garrison of 3,000 men to New Jersey. Colonel Robert Magaw, commanding the fort, declined to abandon it as he believed it could be defended from the British. Howe's forces attacked the fort before Washington reached it to assess the situation.

Howe launched his attack on November 16. He led an assault from three sides: the north, east and south. Tides in the Harlem River prevented some troops from landing and delayed attack. When the British moved against the defenses, the southern and western American defenses fell quickly. Patriot forces on the north side offered stiff resistance to the Hessian attack, but they too were eventually overwhelmed. With the fort surrounded by land and sea, Colonel Magaw chose to surrender. A total of 59 Americans were killed and 2,837 were taken as prisoners of war. (wikipedia)

26 Dec 1776- The Battle of Trenton, New Jersey. The Battle of Trenton took place, after General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River north of Trenton, New Jersey. The hazardous crossing in adverse weather made it possible for Washington to lead the main body of the Continental Army against Hessian soldiers garrisoned at Trenton. After a brief battle, nearly the entire Hessian force was captured, with negligible losses to the Americans. The battle significantly boosted the Continental Army's flagging morale, and inspired reenlistments.

The Continental Army had previously suffered several defeats in New York and had been forced to retreat through New Jersey to Pennsylvania. Morale in the army was low; to end the year on a positive note, George Washington—Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army—devised a plan to cross the Delaware River on Christmas night and surround the Hessian garrison.

Because the river was icy and the weather severe, the crossing proved dangerous. Two detachments were unable to cross the river, leaving Washington and the 2,400 men under his command alone in the assault. The army marched 9 miles (14 km) south to Trenton. The Hessians had lowered their guard, thinking they were safe from the American army, and had no long-distance outposts or patrols. After having a Christmas feast, they fell asleep. Washington's forces caught them off guard and, after a short but fierce resistance, most of the Hessians surrendered. Almost two thirds of the 1,500-man garrison was captured, and only a few troops escaped across Assunpink Creek.

Despite the battle's small numbers, the American victory inspired rebels in the colonies. With the success of the revolution in doubt a week earlier, the army had seemed on the verge of collapse. The dramatic victory inspired soldiers to serve longer and attracted new recruits to the ranks.

3 Jan 1777- The Battle of Princeton, New Jersey. On the night of January 2, 1777 George Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army was able to repulse a British attack due to the British's vastly inferior numbers and cannon [9] [10] at the Battle of the Assunpink Creek in Trenton. That night, he evacuated his position, circled around General Lord Cornwallis' army, and went to attack the British garrison at Princeton. Brigadier General Hugh Mercer of the Continental Army, clashed with two regiments under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood of the British Army. Mercer and his troops were overrun and Washington sent some militia under Brigadier General John Cadwalader to help him. The militia, on seeing the flight of Mercer's men, also began to flee. Washington rode up with reinforcements and rallied the fleeing militia. He then led the attack on Mawhood's troops, driving them back. Mawhood gave the order to retreat and most of the troops tried to flee to Cornwallis in Trenton.

In Princeton itself, Brigadier General John Sullivan encouraged some British troops who had taken refuge in Nassau Hall to surrender, ending the battle. After the battle, Washington moved his army to Morristown, and with their third defeat in 10 days, the British evacuated southern New Jersey. With the victory at Princeton, morale rose in the ranks and more men began to enlist in the army. The battle (while considered minor by British standards)[11] [12] was the last major action of Washington's winter New Jersey campaign.

On April 22, 1777, New York State’s First Constitution- the bells of Kingston's churches announced approval of New York State's first constitution. Largely the work of chairman John Jay, the new constitution provided for the election of a Governor, a Lieutenant Governor, and members of a Senate and Assembly. The governor would be elected not appointed, voting qualifications were reduced, secret ballots were introduced, and civil rights were guaranteed. On July 9, 1778 the State of New York signed the Articles of Confederation and officially became part of the government of the United States of America, though it had been a part of the nation since it was declared in 1776.

In May of 1777, British General Howe detached an army from Boston, Massachusetts, under the command of General John Burgoyne up to Canada. Burgoyne was to bring his troops, approximately 7,000 men, from Montreal down to Lake Champlain, capture the city of Saratoga, New York, and then proceed from there down the Hudson River, meeting Howe's force of some 30,000 men, which was to come north up the Hudson River from New York City. In this manner, the British would secure the Hudson River Valley, which was serving a vital roll as a transportation and supply route for the American armies.

Unfortunately, Howe changed his plans after Burgoyne left for Canada. Trying to force Washington's army out into the open, the bulk of the British army marched on Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, leaving only a small force in New York City under the command of Brigadier General Henry Clinton. Howe would not be able to provide any support to Burgoyne's invasion, but instead vaguely instructed Clinton to "act offensively" and "if you can, make any diversion in favor of General Burgoyne's approaching Albany."

Burgoyne, however, needed far more help than Henry Clinton could provide, for British plans vastly underestimated the difficulty of the terrain in Canada, as well as the ability of the Americans to gather dispersed armies together.

In June of 1777, New York State’s First Governor- the State held its first elections, and George Clinton, a well-known brigadier general of the militia was sworn in at Kingston as New York State's first Governor on July 30, 1777.

6 August 1777- The Battle of Oriskany, New York, was one of the bloodiest battles in the North American theater of the American Revolutionary War and a significant engagement of the Saratoga campaign. Early in the siege of Fort Stanwix, an American relief force from the Mohawk Valley under General Nicholas Herkimer, numbering around 800 men of the Tryon County militia and a party of Oneida Indians, approached in an attempt to raise the siege. British commander Barry St. Leger authorized an intercept force consisting of a Hanau jäger (light infantry) detachment, Sir John Johnson's King's Royal Regiment of New York, Indian allies from the Six Nations and other tribes to the north and west, and Indian Department Rangers totaling at least 450 men.

The Loyalist and Indian force ambushed Herkimer's force in a small valley about six miles (10 km) east of Fort Stanwix, near the present-day village of Oriskany, New York. During the battle, Herkimer was mortally wounded. The battle cost the Patriots approximately 450 casualties, while the Loyalists and Indians lost approximately 150 dead and wounded. The result of the battle remains ambiguous to this day because the advantage of the Loyalist victory was countered when a party sortied from Fort Stanwix and sacked their camp, spoiling morale among the Indians.

This was one the few battles in the war where almost all of the participants were North American: Loyalists and Indians fought against Patriots in the absence of British soldiers. For the Iroquois nations, the battle marked the beginning of a civil war, as Oneidas under Colonel Louis and Han Yerry allied with the American cause and fought against members of other Iroquois nations. (wikipedia)

16 August 1777- The Battle of Bennington, New York, a battle of the American Revolutionary War, part of the Saratoga campaign, that took place on August 16, 1777, in Walloomsac, New York, about 10 miles (16 km) from its namesake Bennington, Vermont. A rebel force of 2,000 men, primarily composed of New Hampshire and Massachusetts militiamen, led by General John Stark, and reinforced by men led by Colonel Seth Warner and members of the Green Mountain Boys, decisively defeated a detachment of General John Burgoyne's army led by Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Baum, and supported by additional men under Lieutenant Colonel Heinrich von Breymann.

The battle was an important victory for the rebel cause, as it reduced Burgoyne's army in size by almost 1,000 men, led his Indian support to largely abandon him, and deprived him of needed supplies, all factors that contributed to Burgoyne's eventual surrender at Saratoga. The victory also galvanized colonial support for the independence movement, and played a role in bringing France into the war on the rebel side. The battle anniversary is celebrated in the state of Vermont as Bennington Battle Day.(wikipedia)

19 September 1777- The Battle of Saratoga (Freeman’s Farm), Saratoga, New York. British General John Burgoyne's campaign to divide New England from the southern colonies had started well, but slowed due to logistical problems. He won a small tactical victory over General Horatio Gates and the Continental Army in the September 19 Battle of Freeman's Farm at the cost of significant casualties.

7 Oct 1777- The Battle of Saratoga (Bemis Heights) Saratoga County, New York. British General John Burgoyne again attacked the Americans in the October 7 Battle of Bemis Heights and the Americans captured a portion of the British defenses. Burgoyne was therefore compelled to retreat, and his army was surrounded by the much larger American force at Saratoga, forcing him to surrender on October 17. News of Burgoyne's surrender was instrumental in formally bringing France into the war as an American ally, although it had previously given supplies, ammunition and guns, notably the de Valliere cannon, which played an important role in Saratoga.[8] Formal participation by France changed the war to a global conflict. This battle also resulted in Spain contributing to the war on the American side.

September of 1777, Start of New York State Government - the new New York State government convened, still using Kingston as the State Capitol. The Ulster County Courthouse was once again put to use, this time for the first session of the New York Supreme Court. John Jay sat as the State's first chief justice, a position he would reprise later as first Chief Justice of the United States in 1789. The Supreme Court's use of the building, of course, forced the Legislature to find other meeting places. A local resident, Abraham Van Gaasbeck, offered a room in his old stone house for use by the Senate, while the larger Assembly met in a local tavern. Known today as the Senate House, the building that held the initial meeting of the New York State Senate is administered as a State Historic Site.

The New York Supreme Court and the New York Legislature stayed in Kingston until October, 1777, when Kingston found itself a small player in much larger military events. Once again forced to flee, the new government hastily adjourned at word that a British force was slowly moving north, plundering the Hudson Valley.

After George Washington had evacuated New York City almost a year earlier, General Howe had remained comfortable in the city, choosing not to campaign during the winter.

Burgoyne captured Fort Ticonderoga on July 5, 1777, but when the army began chopping its way south through the thick forests, Burgoyne's progress slowed considerably. Troops throughout New England and New York, sensing blood, gathered around Saratoga, picking at Burgoyne's army throughout September and October.

In October, 1777, seeking to relieve some of the stress American armies were placing on Burgoyne's invasion force, General Clinton sent out an expedition force north up the Hudson from New York City. It is news of this force moving up the Hudson that forced the New York State Government to flee Kingston.

On October 16, 1777, the British arrived in Kingston. Looking upon Kingston as a "hotbed of perfidy and sedulous disloyalty to King George the Third and His Majesty's Parliament," the British punished Kingston for hosting the revolutionary New York State government, and for generously providing Washington's army with wheat and other food supplies. Under the command of Major General John Vaughan, the British troops moved into Kingston's Stockade area and set fire to every building, largely succeeding in burning the city to the ground. After burning Kingston, Vaughan continued up the Hudson, coming within 45 miles of Albany before encountering an American army of around 5,000 men and returning to New York City.

Simultaneously, Burgoyne's position in northern New York was deteriorating rapidly. With reinforcements from all over New England and New York, an American army under the command of General Horatio Gates--led brilliantly on the field by General Benedict Arnold--managed to surround Burgoyne's army.

On October 17, 1777, just a day after Vaughan's troops torched Kingston, British General Burgoyne surrendered his entire army to Gates at the Battle of Saratoga, easily one of the American army's greatest victories during the American Revolution.

Saratoga, and the events flowing around it, became a turning point in the American Revolution. Although Washington's army, which had been drawn to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by British General Howe, would suffer numerous defeats in the following years, the American victory at Saratoga established the reputation of the American army. Having secured New York City in 1776, General Howe concentrated on capturing Philadelphia, the seat of the Revolutionary government, in 1777.

After repelling a British attack at White Marsh, Washington and his army encamped at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, in December 1777, about 20 miles (32 km) from Philadelphia, where they stayed for the next six months. Over the winter, 2,500 men (out of 10,000) died from disease and exposure. The next spring, however, the army emerged from Valley Forge in good order, thanks in part to a training program supervised by Baron von Steuben, who introduced the most modern Prussian methods of organization and tactics.

British General Henry Clinton replaced Howe as British commander-in-chief. French entry into the war had changed British strategy, and Clinton abandoned Philadelphia to reinforce New York City, now vulnerable to French naval power. Washington shadowed Clinton on his withdrawal and forced a strategic victory at the battle at Monmouth, New Jersey, on June 28, 1778, the last major battle in the north.

July 1778- Clinton's army went to New York City in July, 1778, arriving just before a French fleet under Admiral d'Estaing arrived off the American coast. Washington's army returned to White Plains, New York, north of the city. Although both armies were back where they had been two years earlier, the nature of the war had now changed.[64]

American colonist, Benjamin Franklin, serving as the diplomat to France, convinced the French to form an alliance with the fledgling republic of the United States, against France's enemy, Britain. With Britain fighting on two sides of the Atlantic, the country's resources were stretched to the limits.

From 1778 to 1783, France provided the Americans with large sums of money, immense amounts of equipment, about one-half of America's armed forces, and a powerful navy. With newfound resources, the Americans carried on the revolution until the British were forced to simply give up. In essence, the Battle of Saratoga helped America become an independent country.

Kingston, however, paid a large price for its role in the American Revolution. With many of Kingston's Dutch buildings made of stone, numerous buildings were simply gutted and not completely destroyed by the fire, but reconstruction was slow and painful. As the years passed Kingston slowly rebuilt, and by the beginning of the 19th century was once again the largest, most dominant town in the Hudson River Valley area. It would not relinquish its dominance until the 1850s, when the Hudson River once again played a major role in the area's development.

1775 - 1783 - The American Revolution resulted in the United States of America. The Revolution was due to the British burden of taxes and total power to legislate any laws governing the American colonies. George Washington led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War (American War of Independence).