February 9 » American Revolutionary War: The British Parliament declares Massachusetts in rebellion.
June 12 » American Revolution: British general Thomas Gage declares martial law in Massachusetts. The British offer a pardon to all colonists who lay down their arms. There would be only two exceptions to the amnesty: Samuel Adams and John Hancock, if captured, were to be hanged.
July 8 » The Olive Branch Petition is signed by the Continental Congress of the Thirteen Colonies of North America.
July 29 » Founding of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps: General George Washington appoints William Tudor as Judge Advocate of the Continental Army.
August 20 » The Spanish establish the Presidio San Augustin del Tucson in the town that became Tucson, Arizona.
October 27 » King George III expands on his Proclamation of Rebellion in the Thirteen Colonies in his speech from the throne at the opening of Parliament.
Christening day July 5, 1776
The temperature on July 5, 1776 was about 22.0 °C. Wind direction mainly south east. Weather type: zeer betrokken weerlicht. Source: KNMI
January 27 » American Revolutionary War: Henry Knox's "noble train of artillery" arrives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
March 9 » The Wealth of Nations by Scottish economist and philosopher Adam Smith is published.
June 7 » Richard Henry Lee presents the "Lee Resolution" to the Continental Congress. The motion is seconded by John Adams and will lead to the United States Declaration of Independence.
August 31 » William Livingston, the first Governor of New Jersey, begins serving his first term.
September 22 » Nathan Hale is hanged for spying during the American Revolution.
December 26 » American Revolutionary War: In the Battle of Trenton, the Continental Army attacks and successfully defeats a garrison of Hessian forces.
When copying data from this family tree, please include a reference to the origin: Hendrik Dreyer, "Dreyer Tree", database, Genealogy Online (https://www.genealogieonline.nl/dreyer-tree/I530522.php : accessed March 6, 2026), "Jacobus van Zijl (1775-????)".
Copy warning
Genealogical publications are copyright protected. Although data is often retrieved from public archives, the searching, interpreting, collecting, selecting and sorting of the data results in a unique product. Copyright protected work may not simply be copied or republished.
Please stick to the following rules
Request permission to copy data or at least inform the author, chances are that the author gives permission, often the contact also leads to more exchange of data.
Do not use this data until you have checked it, preferably at the source (the archives).
State from whom you have copied the data and ideally also his/her original source.