The pioneers who rushed to clear and develop the rich frontier were all hoping to improve their lot. Some would turn back. Some would be struck by Genesee Fever, a form of malaria. Some would move on to Ohio and Michigan. But many would stay.
In 1801, Colonel Nathaniel Rochester (1751-1831) left his comfortable circumstances in Hagerstown, Maryland, to move north to 155 acres in Dansville, New York, that had been bought on his trip to the Genesee Country in September 1800. The perilous 275-mile journey north through almost impassible mountains took three weeks.
On horseback the Colonel led a procession of carriages bearing the younger children and women of the household and three great Conestoga wagons with household goods, his ten slaves and some of his neighbors who came along to help. The Colonel moved north, he said, "to escape the influence of slavery, to set his slaves free and to rear his family in a free state."
In Dansville, Colonel Rochester purchased from David Scholl a plank house, believed to have been built around 1797 - and once settled in Dansville, he purchased most of the water rights at Canaseraga Creek. Colonel Rochester erected a large paper mill and a gristmill. In the meantime, he began to survey the 100 acre-tract at the falls of the Genesee River that he and his colleagues had purchased in 1803.
After five years in Dansville, Colonel Rochester moved to a large farm in East Bloomfield, New York, and continued his work laying out what would become the Village of Rochester. In 1818, he and his family finally moved near the falls into a house with a large garden and grounds sloping down to the river. In 1824, he erected a brick house on higher ground where he resided for the rest of his life."
As I have recently noted, Rochester also offered some of his property in the Village in 1818, to be used as a pottery; he was not the potter himself, but the business is known by his name today. The potter or potters who worked at the Rochester Pottery produced some of the earliest wares in this region. Although, to my knowledge, the name is not known of the potter or potters employed here, but they were clearly skilled in their craft by what is known about this pottery from both archaeology and surviving objects.
While the pottery produced on Rochester's property is considered some of the more accomplished red earthenware manufactured in Western New York, it may not be widely known today that a portrait of Rochester is owned by the Memorial Art Gallery at the University of Rochester. According to the museum, "This formal gentleman is the founder of the city of Rochester, New York. His portrait was originally thought to have been painted by James John Audubon (1785-1851), but current scholarship has weighed in against that opinion.
Nathaniel Rochester was an enterprising individual, which was a characteristic of many early settlers. He founded businesses and churches, and held governmental positions. He was the first president of the Rochester Anthenaeum, the precursor to the Rochester Institute of Technology, and was instrumental in the organization of Monroe County and the building of the Erie Canal. His practical and inventive bent may have led him to wear four-lens spectacles, which allowed him to read small print and see at a distance using the same pair of glasses."
Portrait of Nathaniel Rochester (1751-1831)
19th Century Portrait of Nathaniel Rochester (1751-1831)
Artist Unknown
Previously Thought to Have Been Painted by James John Audubon
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Photo Courtesy: Memorial Art Gallery at the University of Rochester
Nathaniel Rochester Pottery Slip-Decorated Jar
19th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Jar
Attributed to the Nathaniel Rochester Pottery in Rochester, NY
Circa 1818-1831
Stands 10" Tall
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Photo Courtesy: Sam Herrup
Another View of the Jar
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Photo Courtesy: Sam Herrup
View of One Handle
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Photo Courtesy: Sam Herrup
View of the Other Handle
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Photo Courtesy: Sam Herrup
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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