Nathaniel Rochester

Nathaniel Rochester (February 21, 1752, – May 17, 1831) was an American Revolutionary War soldier and land speculator, most noted for founding the settlement which would become Rochester, New York. Early life Nathaniel Rochester was born to John and Hester Thrift Rochester in Westmoreland County, Virginia on February 21, 1752, the fifth of six children. His father, who owned Rochester House, died in 1756. Five years later, Hester married Thomas Crusher. Cricher moved the family to Granville County, North Carolina in 1763, where Nathaniel attended the school of the Reverend Henry Pattillo. At age 16, he found a job with a local Hillsborough merchant, signing a two-year contract to be paid £5 per year. At the end of six months, his contract was revised to pay him £20 per year, and Rochester would become a partner in the business within five years. In his early working years, Rochester also served as a clerk for the vestry of St. Matthew's Parish, as a committee member for a civic organization, and, most notably, as a delegate to North Carolina's first Provincial Congress. Career