Joseph Orndorff (1809 - 1868)

Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during Joseph's lifetime.

In 1809, in the year that Joseph Orndorff was born, on May 5th, Mary Dixon Kies (March 21, 1752 – 1837) became the first recipient of a patent granted to a woman by the United States. She had developed a technique for weaving straw with silk and thread to make hats. While her hats were popular at first, fashion changed and she died penniless.

In 1813, he was only 4 years old when on March 29th, in the Mexican War of Independence, the Battle of Rosillo Creek took place. The Republican Army of the North defeated the Spanish Royalist Army in present-day Bexar County, Texas. On April 1st, the Royalists surrendered to the Republican Army. On April 6th, the Republican Army issued a draft declaration of independence.

In 1842, Joseph was 33 years old when in January, William E. Clarke - a medical student at Berkshire Medical College - became the first person to use an inhaled anesthetic. He administered the anesthetic to pull a tooth.

In 1850, at the age of 41 years old, Joseph was alive when on July 10th, President Millard Fillmore - previously Vice-President to Zachary Taylor - became the 13th President of the United States. Taylor had become ill with a still unknown intestinal ailment on July 4th and died on July 9th as a result. He had been a little over a year into his term.

In 1868, in the year of Joseph Orndorff's passing, on May 30th, Memorial Day was observed as a day to decorate the graves of Union soldiers with flowers. General John A. Logan, of the Grand Army of the Republic, had declared the 30th "Decoration Day".