They offered him a house and barn, sixty pounds, a "loose collection", and "pasturing and sufficient winter meat for two cows and one horse, and to put the hay, or winter meat into the barn - the improvement of two acres of land suitable to plant, and to be kept well fenced."
As the Revolutionary War approached, Roby worked strenuously to strengthen the feeling of independence in his parish.
[4] Historian Horace H. Atherton describes Roby as being "instrumental" in seeing that Saugus sent a large representation to participate in the war.
Four days after the conflict, a Lynn town meeting voted to create a Committee of Safety.
[2] When peace was established between the United States and Great Britain, Roby was one of the first to advocate for cordial relations between the two countries.
The Robys had four daughters – Rachel, Mary, Elizabeth, and Sarah, and three sons – Joseph, Henry, and Thomas.
He would regularly converse with Samuel Phillips Payson, Peter Thacher, and David Osgood on theology, literature, and natural philosophy.