Title Page | Collection Summary | Biographical/Organizational Note | Scope and Content | Arrangement
Biographical Note
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1759, May 20 | Born, community of the Society of Friends, Jost van Dyke Island, Tortola, Virgin Islands |
| 1764 | Immigrated to England |
| 1778-1790 | Involved with John Fitch in experiments with paddle steamboats |
| 1784 | M.D. degree, Aberdeen University, Aberdeen, Scotland |
| 1787 | Immigrated to the United States |
| 1788 | Became an American citizen |
| 1789 | Awarded a share in the Library Company of Philadelphia for submitting the building design chosen for the new library |
| 1790 | Married Anna Maria Brodeau |
| 1790-1792 | Returned to Tortola, Virgin Islands |
| 1792 | Moved to Washington, D.C. Submitted design proposals for the United States Capitol |
| 1793 | Design for the United States Capitol accepted Published Cadmus: or, a Treatise on the Elements of Written Language. Philadelphia: Aitken & Son; awarded the Magellanic gold medal of the American Philosophical Society for this publication |
| 1794-1802 | Commissioner, City Board of Commissioners, Washington, D.C. |
| 1798-1802 | Built Octagon House in Washington, D.C., for Colonel John Tayloe |
| 1802-1828 | Superintendent of patents |
| 1804 | Published Political Economy: Founded in Justice and Humanity. Washington, D.C.: Samuel Harrison Smith |
| 1812 | Tudor Place, Georgetown, Washington, D.C., built from his designs |
| 1814 | Helped prevent the destruction of the United States Patent Office by British troops |
| 1828, Mar. 28 | Died, Washington, D.C. |