Isaac Van Houten–June 4, 1776

Isaac Van Houten–June 4, 1776

Cover art for June 4, 1776: aerial view of Clarkstown in 2010, looking south. via Wikimedia Commons. [https://250andcounting.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/1776-06-04-Cover-1024x1024.jpg] The Rockland County area of New York State is some lovely country. It’s just north of New York City and, along with adjacent Duchess and Westchester Counties, could be considered the heart of the area where the Dutch settlers came and stayed. As a result you’ll find many place names that have Dutch origins. This is why so many places in the downstate New York area (the triangle above NYC) end in “-kill”, because “kill” is dutch for “creek.” Thus, “Fishkill” means “fish creek”. At any rate, while not a lot is known about Isaac Van Houten, it’s clear that he almost certainly has Dutch ancestry, given both his name and his hometown along the lower Hudson River. The post Isaac Van Houten–June 4, 1776 [https://250andcounting.com/2026/06/04/isaac-van-houten-june-4-1776/] appeared first on 250 and Counting [https://250andcounting.com].

Congressional Mail–June 3, 1776

Cover art for June 3, 1776: portrait of Josiah Bartlett. Painted by Edwin Tryon Billings, mezzotint, after a portrait by John Trumbull. The original by Trumbull hangs in the State House in Concord, New Hampshire [https://250andcounting.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/1776-06-03-Cover-1024x1024.jpg] Josiah Bartlett was, in fact, the inspiration for the presidential character who appears in the TV show The West Wing. The modern day president, Jed Bartlet only spelled his name with a single T at the end, but it was only around this time that the spelling of English words was starting to standardize, so Bartlett gets a pass. Bartlett, of course, was involved in the creation of the state constitution, and while he declined the position of US Senator in 1789 despite the vote, he accepted the position of Chief Executive in 1790. When New Hanpshire adopted a constitution and became a state, Bartlett’s title changed to Governor. In 1794 he resigned because of his health, and in 175 he died. The post Congressional Mail–June 3, 1776 [https://250andcounting.com/2026/06/03/congressional-mail-june-3-1776/] appeared first on 250 and Counting [https://250andcounting.com].

RIP John Thomas–June 2, 1776

Cover art for June 2, 1776: Portrait of John Thomas. Stipple engraving based on a 1775 pastel portrait by Benjamin Blyth. By Scan by NYPL - https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47db-92db-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52899662 [https://250andcounting.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/1776-06-02-Cover-1024x1024.jpg] John Thomas was a doctor and a soldier from Massachusetts who was in Quebec during the attempted invasion and was in charge of the withdrawal until he got smallpox and died on this day in 1776. Thomas discovered he liked military service about as much as he liked being a surgeon, so in 1747 he became a lieutenant in the British army. A few years later he served as a surgeon for a different regiment. In the early days of the Revolution, Thomas nearly quit the Continental Army because he wasn’t named as a major general. At the time, Congress was trying to avoid having all its generals come from the same place, and Artemis Ward got the nod instead. It was only because both George Washington and Charles Lee both talked him into staying that he remained in the army and returned to service. Shortly thereafter he was assured that he would get top priority for advancement. It was that which led directly to his being assigned to command in Canada when Richard Montgomery was killed. Unfortunately for him, what he found when he arrived in Quebec was a mess: the army was far outnumbered (plus the city had walls), about a third of the Continental soldiers were due—or overdue—for discharge, and smallpox was making its way through the camp. Also unfortunately, as the smallpox moved through the camp, it made a stop at Roberts’ tent, and he died just a few weeks after arriving in Canada. The post RIP John Thomas–June 2, 1776 [https://250andcounting.com/2026/06/02/rip-john-thomas-june-2-1776/] appeared first on 250 and Counting [https://250andcounting.com].

George Schetky–June 1, 1776

Cover art for June 1, 1776: Logo of the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia. We do hope they get some extra attention and don't hold it against us for swiping this off their website. [https://250andcounting.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/1776-06-01-Cover-1024x1024.jpg] George Schetky came from a very musical family. As we mention in the episode, his father was also a cellist and composer who was originally from Vienna. As a result his home always had plenty of music present and was a regular hub of performances. In fact, one could say that the Schetky family was a musical dynasty, between George, his father, his uncle on his mother’s side (Alexander Reinagle) amd others. Thus, he was a virtuoso on the cello before he ever set foot in America. George came to America to stay with his uncle Alexander in Philadelphia, who was already well established there, and got himself into the local music scene as a performer and a teacher. This penchant for teaching also led him to theater programs including educational pamphlets so that patrons would understand the importance of the piece they were about to hear. And, of course, Schetky was important in the founding of the Musical Fund Society of Phladelphia [https://www.musicalfundsociety.org/], which is dedicated to artistic advancement and musician welfare even now, over 200 years later. The post George Schetky–June 1, 1776 [https://250andcounting.com/2026/06/01/george-schetky-june-1-1776/] appeared first on 250 and Counting [https://250andcounting.com].

José Antonio de la Garza–May 31, 1776

Cover art for May 31, 1776: Closeup of each side of the coins minted by José Antonio de la Garza. Image reportedly came from KVUE-TV in Austin but we can't pin it down as definitively their image. [https://250andcounting.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/1776-05-31-Cover-1024x1024.jpg] José Antonio de la Garza was born in what we now call San Antonio. They may have called it that back then as well, but the area was called San Antonio de Béjar at the time, and was a mission around which the eventual city grew. Texas was still a territory belonging to Mexico (i.e., Spain), and in the early 1700s the popular thought was that building these missions would strengthen Spain’s claims to the territory. That…sort of worked for awhile, until disputed territories were locked into treaties, or ceded one way or another, or occupied by a military force. At any rate, once you’ve listened to the episode, you’ll have a better understanding of how Texas got its nickname. The post José Antonio de la Garza–May 31, 1776 [https://250andcounting.com/2026/05/31/jose-antonio-de-la-garza-may-31-1776/] appeared first on 250 and Counting [https://250andcounting.com].