Priscilla Ann Hutton (1809 - 1863)

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

In 1809, in the year that Priscilla Ann Hutton 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 1814, at the age of only 5 years old, Priscilla was alive when on December 24th, the Treaty of Ghent was signed, officially ending the War of 1812 between Great Britain and the United States. It took 2 months for the news of the Treaty to reach the United States - in the meantime, the Battle of New Orleans was fought.

In 1834, by the time she was 25 years old, on July 15th, the Spanish Inquisition - which began in the 15th century - was abolished by the royal decree of Isabella II. The last known person to be hung by the Inquisition was Cayetano Ripoll - in 1826 - who was a school teacher. He was accused of teaching "deist principles" - which posits that God does not interfere directly with the world.

In 1856, Priscilla was 47 years old when on January 26th the Battle of Seattle occurred. Marines from the ship the USS Decatur, stationed in Elliott Bay, along with about 50 Seattle settlers, fought Native Americans in the area. Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens had declared a "war of extermination" on Native communities 5 days before.

In 1863, in the year of Priscilla Ann Hutton's passing, on January 1st, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The Proclamation made the abolition of slavery in the Confederate states an official war goal. It also immediately freed 50,000 slaves, with the rest freed as Union armies advanced into Confederate states. The Proclamation wasn't a Congressional law - it was an Executive Order.