| Date | Event |
|---|
| 1790, Nov. 26 | Born near Passaic Falls, N.J. |
| 1800 | Apprenticed to William A. Davis, printer, Bloomingdale, New York, N.Y. |
| 1812-1815 | Private, lieutenant in New York Militia |
| 1813 | Elected president, New York Typographical Union |
| 1815, Nov. | Moved to Washington, D.C. |
| 1818 | Married Hannah Evans of Alexandria, Va. |
| 1818-1827 | Partner in printing firm of Davis & Force |
| 1820-1824 | Compiled and published National Calendar |
| 1828-1836 | Compiled and published National Calendar |
| 1823-1830 | Edited the National Journal |
| 1833, Mar. 2 | Secured contract with Matthew St. Clair Clarke to publish Documentary History of the American Revolution |
| 1836-1840 | Mayor of Washington, D.C. |
| 1836-1846 | Published Tracts and Other Papers, Relating Principally to the Origin, Settlement, and Progress of the Colonies in North America |
| 1837-1853 | Compiled and published American Archives |
| 1840 | Colonel, D.C. Militia |
| 1860 | Major general, D.C. Militia |
| 1867 | Sold his library to the United States government for the Library of Congress for $100,000 |
| 1868, Jan. 23 | Died, Washington, D.C. |
| Date | Event |
|---|
| 1820, Mar. 7 | Born, Washington, D.C. |
| [1840] | Graduated, Columbia College, and read law with Philip Ricard Fendall |
| 1840-1855 | Assisted father in copying and indexing American Archives |
| 1841 | Married Georgianna Lyons (died 1843) |
| 1843-1844 | Edited The Army & Navy Chronicle and Scientific Repository |
| 1850, Feb. 11 | Married Elizabeth A. Stewart |
| 1854 | Active in organizing Young Men's Christian Association |
| 1857, Nov. | Hired by Joseph Henry to work at Smithsonian Institution on Meteorology of North America |
| 1875 | Bought house at No. 1208 K Street and moved from his father's house on Pennsylvania Avenue; apparently during or shortly after the move, he sent additional material to the Library of Congress |
| 1880, Dec. 15 | Died, Washington, D.C. |
