Chronology of events: 1702--1776

For some events, the year is certain but the month and day are not. Example: We know only the year for the collections of Leeuwenhoek's letters published in Dutch during his lifetime.

For other events, the season or month are certain but the day is not. Example: Leeuwenhoek mentions that someone visited him "last month".

On the other hand, many events did indeed happen on the first day of a month. Example: public appointments to Delft's city offices took effect on January 1 of each year. Thus:

  • A date of January 1 in a given year may indicate that the year is certain but the month and day are not.
  • A date of 1 in a given month may indicate that the year and month are certain but the day is not.

Unless otherwise indicated, for events in England, the date given is Old Style, 10 days behind the Dutch Republic's New Style until 1700 and then 11 days behind.

Date
March 19, 1723 Wrote Letter L-584 of 1723-03-19 to James Jurin about blood, the size of blood globules, the state of his health, and the role of the ovary in reproduction
April 1, 1723 Royal Society read Letter L-570 of 27 June 1721, two years after it was written, about beans and peas
May 31, 1723 Wrote Letter L-585 of 1723-05-31 to the members of the Royal Society about the structure and texture of the diaphragm, the source of his most severe ailment
June 8, 1723 Royal Society read Letter L-584 about blood, Leeuwenhoek's health, and his position on ovaries
July 6, 1723 James Jurin wrote Letter L-586 to introduce Matthew Raper to Leeuwenhoek and continue the discussion about blood globules and generation
July 11, 1723 Philosophical Transactions, vol. 32, no. 377 published, containing Letter L-584
July 15, 1723 Visited by Matthew Raper
August 1, 1723 Wrote Letter L-587 of sometime in August to James Jurin about the similarities between globules in blood and in the lees of wine to argue against Jurin’s hope to discover how blood globules are made
August 1, 1723 Wrote Letter L-588 of 1723-08-00 to James Jurin about his spermist view of the generation of animals and palpitations of his diaphragm, his final letter
August 25, 1723 Requested on his deathbed that his friend Johannes Hoogvliet translate his final two letters into Latin
August 26, 1723 Died in his Hippolytusbuurt home, 90 years old
August 27, 1723 Delft newspaper published notice of Leeuwenhoek's death
August 29, 1723 pastor Petrus Gribius wrote Letter L-589 to James Jurin announcing Leeuwenhoek's death
August 31, 1723 Buried in Oude Kerk
September 4, 1723 Johannes Hoogvliet wrote Letter L-590 to James Jurin accompanying his Latin translation of Leeuwenhoek's last two letters
September 4, 1723 Replaced as wine gauger by Lambert the Greek
October 4, 1723 daughter Maria wrote Letter L-591 as a cover letter for the cabinet with 26 magnifying glasses to the Royal Society (AB 381)
October 4, 1723 pastor Petrus Gribius wrote Letter L-592 to James Jurin about Leeuwenhoek's methods
October 12, 1723 James Jurin wrote Letter L-593 to Peter Gribius about Leeuwenhoek's death
October 20, 1723 Arnout van den Berch wrote Letter L-594 to the Royal Society that Abraham Edens will deliver the cabinet of magnifying glasses to the Royal Society
November 2, 1723 translator John Chamberlayne died
November 11, 1723 Philosophical Transactions, vol. 32, no. 379 published, containing Letter L-585
November 18, 1723 Isaac Newton wrote Letter L-595 to Abraham Edens, a receipt for the cabinet with 26 magnifying glasses
November 18, 1723 Abraham Edens presented a cabinet sent by Maria van Leeuwenhoek with 26 of her father's magnifying glasses to the Royal Society;
November 29, 1723 James Jurin wrote Letter L-596 to Maria van Leeuwenhoek thanking her for sending the cabinet with 26 magnifying glasses
November 29, 1723 James Jurin wrote Letter L-597 to Arnoud van den Berch about the cabinet of microscopes
November 29, 1723 James Jurin wrote Letter L-598 to Petrus Gribius thanking him for the safe delivery of the cabinet with Leeuwenhoek's magnifying glasses
December 2, 1723 Royal Society read Leeuwenhoek's Letter L-587 and Letter L-588 of August 1723, the final time they would read a letter by Leeuwenhoek, and Letter L-592 from Petrus Gribius
December 17, 1723 James Jurin wrote to Peter Gribius in thanks for the cabinet full of "precious treasures"
January 11, 1724 Martin Folkes's article, Letter L-599, about Leeuwenhoek's cabinet of microscopes published in Philosophical Transactions
January 11, 1724 Philosophical Transactions, vol. 32, no. 380 published with final two letters by Leeuwenhoek, L-587 and L-588, and Martin Folkes's article about the bequest of 26 microscopes
June 2, 1724 James Jurin wrote Letter L-600 to Arnoud van den Berch about delivering the Royal Society's gifts to Maria van Leeuwenhoek
June 2, 1724 James Jurin wrote Letter L-601 to Maria van Leeuwenhoek, presenting her with two volumes of Philosophical Transactions and a silver bowl
January 1, 1729 Reinier Boitet's Beschryving der Stadt Delft published; first biography of Leeuwenhoek
April 16, 1729 nephew Anthonij Jans de Molijn buried
January 1, 1730 Published Continuatio Epistolarum (Continuation of the Letters), Letters 53-60 (4th)
February 21, 1730 cousin Adriaen Lambrechts Leeuwenhoek, the notary, had his license suspended by the Heren van de Weth
August 7, 1732 Maria van Leeuwenhoek added codicil to 1721 will
September 23, 1733 Maria van Leeuwenhoek assessed for property tax on the Gulden Hoofd
November 14, 1739 Maria van Leeuwenhoek funded the Oude Kerk memorial for her father
June 24, 1741 Maria van Leeuwenhoek made a will charging the Kamer van Charitate with cleaning and maintaining the Oude Kerk memorial
May 20, 1744 Maria van Leeuwenhoek made her final will
April 25, 1745 Maria Thonis van Leeuwenhoek died
April 30, 1745 Maria Thonis van Leeuwenhoek buried
May 1, 1745 The Leeuwenhoek wills opened by notary Joris Geesteranus in the presence of the heirs
June 26, 1745 Maria van Leeuwenhoek's estate inventoried
August 23, 1745 house on Hippolytusbuurt, het Gulden Hoofd, offered for sale
August 25, 1745 house on Hippolytusbuurt, het Gulden Hoofd, sold to great-nephew Dirk Haaxman
September 25, 1745 Maria van Leeuwenhoek's 1744 will presented to Weeskamer
March 22, 1746 Maria van Leeuwenhoek's heirs agree that the two estates should be considered jointly and divided evenly
September 15, 1746 Maria's van Leeuwenhoek's estate partly distributed to her heirs
March 6, 1747 Auction of Leeuwenhoek's microscopes announced in Leydse Courant
May 22, 1747 Auction of Leeuwenhoek's microcopes announced in cities throughout Europe
May 23, 1747 Andries Voorstad auctioned the books and instruments of a "Liefhebber"
May 29, 1747 Leeuwenhoek's magnifying glasses auctioned
September 26, 1748 Margareta Cornelia Hobus died childless
August 19, 1749 Executors of daughter Maria's estate advertised for heirs
August 14, 1755 niece Margareta Cornelia Hobus's estate
December 1, 1755 Josina van der Sprenkel sold the house on the Oosteinde that daughter Maria had bequeathed her
October 28, 1757 Executors of daughter Maria's estate declared that it cannot be distributed
October 17, 1763 niece Maria's granddaughter Maria Jans Haaxman divorced from Steven Bolland
December 14, 1765 great-nephew Dirk Haaxman sold the Gulden Hoofd
September 23, 1776 daughter Maria, final accounting of her estate

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