Donald McKay | Timeline

McKay, aged 54

Donald McKay (September 4, 1810 – September 20, 1880) was a Canadian-born American who designed and constructed many of the world's great clipper ships that set numerous transoceanic speed records.

September 4, 1810 - Jordan Falls, Shelburne County, Nova Scotia, Canada - Donald McKay is born

October 1(?), 1826 - East River, New York - 16-year old McKay moves to New York and finds work as a sort of day laborer in Isaac Webb's yard

March 24, 1827 - East River, New York - After 5 months of temporary work, McKay signs a contract for an apprenticeship with Isaac Webb

January(?) 1(?), 1832 - Jordan Falls, Shelburne County, Nova Scotia, Canada - 21-year old McKay becomes a "free lance" shipwright of locally established reputation and returns home

January(?) 1(?), 1833 - New York - Donald McKay marries Albenia Martha Boole

February 1, 1834 - East Broadway, New York - Fist son, Cornelius Whitworth, is born

April 3, 1836 - East Broadway - Daughter Frances Jean is born

November 12, 1837 - East Broadway - Second daughter Anne Jane is born
January(?) 1(?), 1839 - Wiscasset, Maine - McKay is commissioned to finish a ship at Wiscasset, Maine

McKay, aged 20

January(?) 1(?), 1840 - Newburyport, Massachusetts - McKay visits John Currier's shipyard and finishes the 427-tons ship "Delia Walker"

October 29, 1840 - Newburyport - Second son Dennis Condry is born
January(?) 1(?), 1841 - Newburyport - McKay and Currier launch the ship "Mary Broughton" (323 tons). Opens his first yard in Newburyport
January(?) 1(?), 1842 - Newburyport - McKay and Currier launch the ship "Ashburton" (449 tons). The trading ship "Courier" (380 tons) is launched
May 3, 1842 - Newburyport - Third son Donald is born
January(?) 1(?), 1843 - Newburyport - The packet ship "St.George" (845 tons) is launched
January(?) 1(?), 1844 - Newburyport - The packet ships "John R. Skiddy" (930 tons) and "Joshua Bates" (620 tons) are launched
October(?) 1(?), 1844 - East Boston - Moves to a family house he builds in East Boston
December 11, 1844 - East Boston - Fourth son John Boole is born
September 15, 1845 - East Boston - The packet ship "Washington Irving" (751 tons) is launched
September 5, 1846 - East Boston - The packet ship "Anglo Saxon" (894 tons) is launched
September 9, 1846 - East Boston - The packet ship "New World" (1,404 tons) is launched
September 20, 1846 - East Boston - Third daughter Albenia is born
July 1(?), 1847 - East Boston - The packet ship "Ocean Monarch" (1,301 tons) is launched
October 1(?), 1847 - East Boston - The packet ship "A.Z." (700 tons) is launched
February 1(?), 1848 - East Boston - The packet ship "Anglo American" (704 tons) is launched
May 1(?), 1848 - East Boston - The packet ship "Jenny Lind" (533 tons) is launched
December 1(?), 1848 - East Boston - The packet ship "L.Z." (897 tons) is launched
December 10, 1848 - Boston - Albenia Boole McKay dies
January(?) 1(?), 1849 - Boston(?) - Donald McKay marries Mary Cressy Litchfield
February 13, 1849 - East Boston - The packet ship "Plymouth Rock" (960 tons) is launched
May 1(?), 1849 - East Boston - The Clipper "Helicon" (400 tons) is launched
June 1(?), 1849 - East Boston - The ship "Reindeer" (800 tons) is launched
December 1(?), 1849 - East Boston - The packet ship "Parliament" (998 tons) is launched
March 1(?), 1850 - East Boston - The Extreme Clipper "Moses Wheeler" is launched
June 1(?), 1850 - East Boston - The packet ship "Cornelius Grinell" (1,118 tons) is launched. The Extreme Clipper "Sultana" is launched
September 1(?), 1850 - East Boston - The packet ship "Antarctic" (1,116 tons) is launched
October 1(?), 1850 - East Boston - The packet ship "Daniel Webster" (1,187 tons) is launched
October 31, 1850 - East Boston - Son Lauchlan is born
December 7, 1850 - East Boston - The 1,535 tons clipper "Staghound" is launched, 60 days after the laying down of her keel
April 15, 1851 - East Boston - The "Flying Cloud" is launched at the shipyard of Donald McKay, for Enoch Train, Boston. Purchased by Grinell, Minturn & Co, New York, for $ 90.000.
June 17, 1851 - East Boston - The extreme clipper "Staffordshire" (1,817 tons) is launched
September 1(?), 1851 - East Boston - The extreme clippers "Flying Fish" (1,505 tons) and "North America" (1,464 tons) are launched
June 19, 1852 - East Boston - The extreme clipper "Sovereign of the Seas" (2,421 tons) is launched
September 24, 1852 - East Boston - The extreme clipper "Westward Ho!" (1,650 tons) is launched
November 25, 1852 - East Boston - The extreme clipper "Bald Eagle" (1,704 tons) is launched
January(?) 1(?), 1853 - East Boston - Daughter Crissy Bliss is born
January 14, 1853 - East Boston - The extreme clipper "Empress of the Seas" (2,200 tons) is launched
May 1(?), 1853 - East Boston - The extreme clipper "Chariot of Fame" (2,050 tons) is launched
June 18, 1853 - New York - Donald McKay and his wife Mary, both book passage on the "Sovereign of the Seas" to Liverpool
July 2, 1853 - Liverpool, England - McKay and wife Mary arrive in Liverpool in 13 days, aboard the "Sovereign of the Seas"
September 4, 1853 - East Boston - The "Great Republic" (4,555 tons), the largest wooden ship ever built, is launched. Between 30,000 to 50,000 people attend the launch, made a public holiday by the City of Boston
November 15, 1853 - East Boston - The extreme clipper "Romance of the Sea" (1,782 tons) is launched
January(?) 1(?), 1854 - East Boston - The extreme clipper "Blanche Moore" (1,787 tons) is launched. The medium clippers "Commodore Perry" (1,964 tons) and "Japan" (1,964 tons) are launched. The schooner "Benin" (692 tons) is launched
January 3, 1854 - East Boston - The extreme clipper "Lightning" (2,083 tons) is launched
April 12, 1854 - East Boston - daughter Frances is born
April 18, 1854 - East Boston - The extreme clipper "James Baines" (2,525 tons) is launched
September 5, 1854 - East Boston - The medium clipper "Santa Claus" (1,256 tons) is launched
January 1(?), 1855 - East Boston - The extreme clipper "Donald McKay" (2,594 tons) is launched. The medium clipper "Zephyr" (1,184 tons) is launched
July 28, 1855 - East Boston - The medium clipper "Defender" (1,413 tons) is launched
January(?) 1(?), 1856 - East Boston - The medium clippers "Abbott Lawrence" (1,497 tons) and "Amos Lawrence" (1,396 tons) are launched. The barque "Henry Hill" (568 tons) is launched
January 4, 1856 - East Boston - Daughter Mary Cressy is born
February 1(?), 1856 - East Boston - The medium clipper "Mastiff" (1,030 tons) is launched
March 22, 1856 - East Boston - The medium clipper "Minnehaha" (1,695 tons) is launched
October 1(?), 1856 - East Boston - The medium clipper "Adriatic" (1,327 tons) is launched
October 13, 1856 - East Boston - The medium clipper "Baltic" (1,372 tons) is launched
November 14, 1856 - Boston - Ann McPherson, his mother, dies
January(?) 1(?), 1858 - East Boston - The medium clipper "Alhambra" (1,097 tons) is launched. The Schooner "R.R. Higgins" is launched
January(?) 1(?), 1859 - East Boston - The ship "Benj. S. Wright" is launched
January(?) 1(?), 1860 - East Boston - The Schooners "H. & R. Atwood" and "Mary B. Dyer" are launched
January 5, 1860 - East Boston - Son Lawrence Litchfield is born
January(?) 1(?), 1861 - East Boston - The ship "General Putnam" is launched
December 6, 1861 - East Boston - McKay sends a long communication to the powerful "Star and Dial" of London, which was published , copied, and widely commented upon throughout the United Kingdom. In it he corrected some of the misstatements being bandied about the english press, frankly set out the naval strenght of the Northern States"
November 14, 1863 - East Boston - The "New South Newspaper" publishes that McKay was going to build an ironclad for the Navy
January(?) 1(?), 1864 - East Boston - The iron side-wheel double ended ship "Ashuelot" (1,030 tons) is launched. The wooden screw propeller ships "Trefoil" (370 tons) and "Yucca" (373 tons) are launched
June 17, 1864 - East Boston - Twins Anna Cushing and Nichols are born
April 26, 1865 - East Boston - The ironclad Monitor "USS Nausett" is launched
August 10, 1865 - East Boston - "USS Nausett" is commissioned
June 25, 1866 - East Boston - The wooden screw propeller ship "Geo. B. Upton" (604 tons) is launched
July 4, 1866 - East Boston - The wooden screw propeller ship "Theodore D. Wagner" (607 tons) is launched
October 4, 1866 - East Boston - Son Guy Allen is born
January(?) 1(?), 1867 - East Boston - The Medium clipper "Helen Morris" (1,285 tons) is launched. The brig "North Star" (410 tons) is launched
January(?) 1(?), 1868 - East Boston - The ship "Sovereign of the Seas" (1,502 tons) is launched
October 6, 1868 - East Boston - Son Wallace is born
January(?) 1(?), 1869 - East Boston - The Schooner "Frank Atwood" (107 tons) is launched. His moderate success in building steamships lead him to dispose of his yard
November 1(?), 1869 - East Boston - The Medium clipper "Glory of the Seas" (2,102 tons) is launched
December 30, 1871 - East Boston - Hugh McKay, his father, dies
January(?) 1(?), 1874 - East Boston - The sloops of War "Adams" (615 tons)  and "Essex" are launched
January(?) 1(?), 1875 - East Boston - Repairs to the schooner "America"
January(?) 1(?), 1877 - Hamilton, Massachusetts - McKay retires due to ill health and moves to a farm in Hamilton, Massachusetts
September 20, 1880 - Hamilton, Massachusetts - Donald McKay dies, aged 70 =(END)

Bibliography
McKAY, RICHARD C. - Donald McKay and his famous sailing ships