1767 - worked as a silversmith in Trenton, New Jersey. 1775-1783 - served in the United States War of Independence. 1785 - settled in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and later received exclusive rights to build and operate steamboats. 1787 - built a 45-foot craft and then a larger steamboat propelled by paddle wheels. 1791 - was granted a U.S. and a French patent for steamboats. 1793 - failed in an attempt to interest the French government in steam navigation. 1798 - depressed and in poor health, died the same year.