The other day as I was driving down Mary’s Pond Rd., I saw a mother goose and her goslings. Later in the day on another road, I saw two swans. This reminded me that I was told swans and geese don’t get along, but I have often seen them sitting companionly side by side at Leonard’s Pond.
All of this got me thinking about the divides in this country that make it impossible for some of us to converse or even to sit side by side. As alarming as these divisions are, history tells us that they aren’t new. In the 18th century Rochester had more taverns than today. As the colonies moved slowly towards a split with England, the divisions between those who believed in loyalty to the king and those who questioned his treatment of his colonists in America were reflected in Rochester Center having two taverns in close proximity to each other with one for Tories and one for Rebels/Patriots.
These divisions also began to show up at Town meeting amongst those active in town government. Samuel Sprague, a member of a prominent family who along with Noah and Nathaniel Sprague, held important town offices at various times, had been the town representative to the General Court for several years, but in 1772 he was not re-elected as some suspected him of having Tory sentiments.
This led Town Meeting to vote “if our representatives or any other person in this Town that either has or shall hereafter basely Desert the Cause of Liberty” that they “be treated with that Neglect and Contempt that be justly deserved”. Not long after this Rochester formed a “committee of inspection” to call out any who spoke favorably about Tory sentiments.
Again, in 1776, Samuel Sprague was on the hot seat. This time Isaac Snow who was the chairman of the Inspection Committee accused him of being “unfriendly” to the colonies’ cause. He was accused of saying “he was not convinced of the justice of the Cause of the Colonies” and he “utterly refused to take up arms in defense of the Common Cause of the Colonies”. Sprague never became an “out-and-out Tory”, but he sold his home and moved to Fairhaven.
Another, whom Isaac Snow in his role as chairman accused was Nathaniel Sears. There is no mention of why and the list of Rochester’s Revolutionary soldiers shows a Nathaniel Sears. As with all such committees, the judging of others often goes too far. Isaac Snow accused the Rev. Thomas West who was preaching at a religious service in North Rochester of being an “Old Tory”. That led to Snow being disciplined by the First Church of Rochester.
However, the committee wasn’t disbanded, but Snow was replaced by Earl Clap in 1779 “to take evidence against those that are Enemical to the American States”. So maybe opinions on governments always lead to divisions in society and swans and geese are able to get along because they have no concern for politics or maybe it’s because they’re Canada Geese.
By Connie Eshbach