A ceremony took place in a Brockport cemetery on Monday that has ties to the American Revolution.
It was to honor the memory of Joseph Roby, a Massachusetts native who took part in the Boston Tea Party, but who later moved to Brockport, where he died in 1836, and he’s buried at the High Street Cemetery.
A commemorative plaque was placed on his gravestone on Monday, with the help of organizations that are involved in marking the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. Representatives of Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum and Revolution 250.
Evan O’Brien is Creative Manager of the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, and told those who gathered at the cemetery in Brockport Monday that it’s important to honor people like Roby for what they represent.
“Joseph Roby, of course, was quite the revolutionary spirit. And this revolutionary spirit of Joseph Roby can still be found in the town of Sweden, and of the community of Brockport and across New York State, and in many communities across the across the country, as the actions of the Tea Party participants reverberate as strongly today, as they did in 1773.”
Jonathan Lane, Executive Director of Revolution 250, said that while a lot of Americans like to talk about the Tea Party and the historic battles of the American Revolution, it’s also important to remember how those who were part of that history and brought those ideals to other parts of the new nation.
“The real revolution was what took place in the hearts and mind of the people in America during that period, and that they carried with them. When they came in, they settled places like Sweden and Brockport,” said Lane.
The Town Supervisor of the Town of Sweden, Kevin Johnson, said he has often walked through cemeteries in the town, as have a number of volunteers, placing flags on veterans’ graves. But he had not been aware that there was a veteran of the Boston Tea Party buried in Brockport.
“He was involved from the very start, and it's a pretty amazing thing if you think of there only being about 150 participants overall, one of them very great here in Brockport is a remarkable thing,” said Johnson.
There was a descendant of Joseph Roby at Monday’s ceremony, his name is also Joseph Roby and he’s from Philadelphia. He said that his family has done a good job documenting his namesake, who he describes as a great grandfather, going back four generations.
“We have tons of paperwork, my grandfather and great grandfather spent decades doing research, and I think that’s just how we honor him, just keeping our ancestor’s memory alive,” said Roby.
This was the 127th commemorative plaque to be placed at the gravesites of Boston Tea Party participants.
The year-long activities commemorating the Boston Tea Party will culminate on December 16 with various events including a large-scale re-enactment.
