Individual Details
Joseph Roby
(12 May 1724 - 31 Jan 1803)
The following article regarding Joseph Roby was published in the Essex Institute Historical Collection in 1889.
REV. JOSEPH ROBY AND HIS TIMES.
" 'Tis greatly wise to talk with our past hours And ask them what report they gave to Heaven."
To even wander in thought along the Saugus River of the past, and not to largely mention Parson Roby, would be as absurd as is the trite saying in reference to playing the story of Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark, — for he was the spiritual guide of the people of the West Parish of Lynn for more than fifty years.
When Mr. Roby came to Saugus, the strictness, though not the influence, of Puritanism had relaxed. He was better fitted to the new than to the old. He was born in Boston in 1724, graduated in 1742, and ordained minister of the Third Parish in 1752. He served this parish fifty-one years.
He was an excellent scholar and was highly esteemed for his social virtues. He was not disputative nor combative like many of his creed. He was the benevolent father rather than the austere teacher of his people. We find two published Fast Day sermons of his, one in 1781, the other in 1794. His first wife was Rachel Proctor, of Boston, and they had seven children.
Parson Roby's tombstone is in the old churchyard just by the spot where the meeting-house stood. It is by the roadside in the centre of a group that is a touching re minder of the closeness of our ancestors' family relations. The inscription of the stone at Mr. Roby's grave reads as follows :"Sacred to the memory of the Rev. Joseph Roby, who departed this life January 31st, 1803, in the 80th year of his age and 53d of his ministry in this parish.”
This is a link to his wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Roby
REV. JOSEPH ROBY AND HIS TIMES.
" 'Tis greatly wise to talk with our past hours And ask them what report they gave to Heaven."
To even wander in thought along the Saugus River of the past, and not to largely mention Parson Roby, would be as absurd as is the trite saying in reference to playing the story of Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark, — for he was the spiritual guide of the people of the West Parish of Lynn for more than fifty years.
When Mr. Roby came to Saugus, the strictness, though not the influence, of Puritanism had relaxed. He was better fitted to the new than to the old. He was born in Boston in 1724, graduated in 1742, and ordained minister of the Third Parish in 1752. He served this parish fifty-one years.
He was an excellent scholar and was highly esteemed for his social virtues. He was not disputative nor combative like many of his creed. He was the benevolent father rather than the austere teacher of his people. We find two published Fast Day sermons of his, one in 1781, the other in 1794. His first wife was Rachel Proctor, of Boston, and they had seven children.
Parson Roby's tombstone is in the old churchyard just by the spot where the meeting-house stood. It is by the roadside in the centre of a group that is a touching re minder of the closeness of our ancestors' family relations. The inscription of the stone at Mr. Roby's grave reads as follows :"Sacred to the memory of the Rev. Joseph Roby, who departed this life January 31st, 1803, in the 80th year of his age and 53d of his ministry in this parish.”
This is a link to his wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Roby
Events
| Birth | 12 May 1724 | Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts | |||
| Education | 1742 | Master of Arts - Harvard, Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts | |||
| Marriage | 23 Feb 1751 | Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts - Rachel Proctor |  | ||
| Marriage | 7 Aug 1792 | Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts - Zeruiah Ingolls | |||
| Will | 20 Feb 1801 | Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts |  | ||
| Death | 31 Jan 1803 | Saugus, Essex, Massachusetts | |||
| Occupation | minister of Third Parish of Lynn for 51 years |
Families
| Spouse | Rachel Proctor (1725 - 1792) |
| Child | Joseph Roby (1752 - 1836) |
| Child | Rachel Roby (1753 - 1809) |
| Child | Mary Roby (1755 - 1807) |
| Child | Henry Roby (1757 - 1847) |
| Child | Thomas Roby (1759 - 1830) |
| Child | Elizabeth Roby (1763 - 1838) |
| Child | Sarah Roby (1767 - 1818) |
| Spouse | Zeruiah Ingolls ( - 1820) |
| Father | Joseph Roby (1693 - ) |
| Mother | Priscilla Grafton (1698 - 1730) |
| Sibling | William Roby (1719 - 1727) |
| Sibling | Joseph Roby (1721 - 1724) |
| Sibling | Henry Roby (1722 - ) |
| Sibling | Hannah Roby (1725 - ) |
| Sibling | William Roby (1727 - ) |
| Sibling | Ebenezer Roby (1728 - ) |
Notes
Will
The will of Joseph Roby mentions his second wife Zeriah, and his seven children: Joseph, Rachel, Mary, Henry, Thomas, Elizabeth, and Sarah. Executors are sons Joseph and Henry and Thomas Mansfield.Endnotes
1. Ancestry.com, Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011).