In his letter to JJ of 29 November 1783, Robert R. Livingston ended his report of family business with the following account:
I had hardly finished the last line when I was alarmed by a very loud rumbling noise accompanied by a quick tremulous motion of the earth the family are too much alarmed to permit me to add more adieu–
R R Livingston
PS: 30th. We have two small tremours in the course of the night and accompanied with the same kind of noise tho’ not louder than very distant thunder– I shall answer your Letters more at large by the packet
Livingston had indeed experienced an earthquake. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, this earthquake was centered in New Jersey, and measured 5.30 (or level 6) on the modified Mercalli scale. The following aftershock was felt in New York and Pennsylvania.
Livingston’s closing to his draft of this letter gives an even more dramatic account, and reflects the fear many must have felt, especially in light of reports of earthquakes elsewhere in the world:
I had hardly finished the last line when my table was shaken by a pretty smart shock of an earthquake accompanied with a very loud noise like the rumbling of thunder at no great distance the noise continued about 8 seconds with a quick tremulous motion. My mother and sisters [rushing?] Downstairs you will easily believe it are all in my room and very much alarmed. Mrs. Li It is impossible to add any thing more. Adieu– P.S. You shall hear from me by the packet which sails in a few days. In every circumstance and situation be assured my dear John of my unalterable friendship–
The earthquake was also felt in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. The 6 December Providence Gazette reported that shocks were felt in Newport and that in New York “many People there rose from their Beds, and ran into the Streets.” The 12 December Connecticut Gazette remarked “How grateful ought this city to be, that it has escaped such dreadful calamities, as were experienced, on the occasion in Sicily and China, where 100,000 of the human species were hurried into eternity, with all their imperfections on their heads.” The 1782 South China Sea tsunami that occurred after an earthquake killed approximately 40,000. Calabria experienced a series of five strong earthquakes in February-March 1783, which killed 50,000. Fortunately, it appears that only sleep was disturbed in the earthquake Livingston describes.
While earthquakes might not seem common to the North East, quakes of this scale occurred in 1783, 1884, 1944, 1983, and 2002, with others of lesser scale occurring more frequently.