| Notes |
Robert Treat
Governor of the Colony of Connecticut, 1683-1698
Born: ca. 1624, Pitminster, Somerset, England
College: None
Political Party: None
Offices: Surveyor of Milford Lands, 1639-1640, 1652
Tax Collector, Wethersfield, 1647
Deputy, New Haven Colony General Court, 1653,1655-1659
Chief Military Officer of Milford, 1654
Magistrate, New Haven Colony, 1660-1664
Town Clerk, Newark, New Jersey, 1666-1667
Newark Delegate to New Jersey Legislature, 1667-1672
Assistant, General Court of the Colony of Connecticut, 1673-1676
Deputy Governor, Colony of Connecticut, 1676-1683, 1699-1709
Governor, Colony of Connecticut, 1683-1698
Died: 12 July 1710, Milford, Connecticut
Robert Treat was baptized February 25, 1624/5 at Pitminster, Somerset, England, the son of Richard and Alice (Gaylord) Treat, and was one of ten children. His family immigrated to Watertown, Massachusetts about 1638, and by 1639 was in Wethersfield, Connecticut. Robert, then 16 years old, had moved on to Milford by November 1639 and is listed in the town records as one of those designated to survey lands, an unusual honor for his age. He returned to Wethersfield after the survey and was elected ratemaker (tax collector) there in 1647. In that same year, he married Jane Tapp, the daughter of Edmund Tapp. According to tradition, they were married at the Tapp house at a spinning bee on Christmas night. However, no record of the marriage appears in the State Library's Barbour Collection of Connecticut Vital Records or Church Records Index.
By 1649 the couple had moved to Milford, which was part of the New Haven Colony. There, with the lands he had purchased and with lands received from his father-in-law, Robert Treat became a holder of extensive properties. The residents of Milford elected him, on several occasions, to buy and divide public lands. He became known as a person who had a talent for settling boundaries and other disputes between people. He also served as a trustee, an executor of wills, and an appraiser of property, with his name in many of the early probate records.
Robert Treat was a Deputy from Milford to the General Court of the New Haven Colony in 1653. He served as chief military officer of Milford in 1654 and then four more years as Deputy, 1655-59. In 1660 he was appointed as a Magistrate of the New Haven Colony. Robert and Jane Treat's seven children were born in Milford.
Charles I, King of England, had been condemned and beheaded in 1649 during Oliver Cromwell's rule. The judges of the Parliamentary Court that passed the king's death sentence were known as regicides. Charles II, Charles' son, was restored to power in 1660. He received information that two of the regicide judges, William Goffe and Edward Whalley, were hiding in the New Haven Colony. Charles II sent an order to the New Haven Colony in 1661 to find and arrest these judges. The New Haven colonial legislature ordered all officials of the colony to comply and make thorough searches in their home areas. Robert Treat ordered the Milford search, but Goffe and Whalley were not found. They did, however, stay there for some time afterward, and were reported to have had Robert Treat as a friend.
Settlement of both the Colony of Connecticut and the New Haven Colony had started without official charters, at a time when there was much political upheaval in England. Conditions stabilized when Charles II was restored to the throne. Charles II began to interest himself matters concerning the American colonies, one issue being the legality of the Colony of Connecticut. Connecticut realized that if it did not send a representative to the king, penalties and unfavorable conditions could be imposed upon it. In 1662 the Colony of Connecticut sent John Winthrop, a consummate diplomat, to England to obtain a charter. The New Haven Colony did not send anyone. The king, in listening to Winthrop, decided to grant a charter, but merged the New Haven Colony with the Colony of Connecticut.
The merger came as a surprise to most inhabitants of the New Haven Colony, and many of them were unhappy with the situation. Robert Treat, although upset, continued serving in his position as magistrate for four more years. Treat served briefly in the General Court of the newly-merged Colony of Connecticut but in 1666 moved to New Jersey, where he and several others purchased land for what became the town of Newark. He served as the Newark town clerk for a year and as Newark's delegate to the New Jersey colonial legislature from 1667 until 1672.
In 1672, Robert Treat returned to Connecticut. He was immediately made second-in-command of the New Haven forces that were mustering for a war with the Dutch. From 1673-1676, he was elected as an Assistant to the General Court of the Colony of Connecticut. The year 1675 saw an uprising of Native American tribes throughout New England, known as King Phillip's War after the English name for the Wampanoag Indian chief, Metacomet. Robert Treat was made Major and Commander-in-Chief of the Connecticut forces, which, under his leadership, helped save the town of Springfield, Massachusetts from destruction.
The war ended in August of 1676, when King Phillip was killed. Treat was then elected as Deputy Governor of the Colony of Connecticut, filling in the remainder of the term of the preceding Deputy Governor, William Leete, who had been advanced to the governorship when Governor John Winthrop had died. Governor William Leete died in April of 1683. Robert Treat became acting governor, and then was elected to the post annually for the next fifteen years.
One major problem that Robert Treat inherited as a new governor in 1683 was Sir Edmund Andros. Governor of New Jersey and New York until 1683, Andros had claimed since 1675 that his jurisdiction included much of Connecticut. He had sent armed forces to enforce the claim, but Connecticut turned them back. Connecticut appealed to England, but nothing was settled.
By 1683, Andros had been made Governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony and Thomas Dongan was the new governor of New York. Dongan continued Andros' policies by claiming all lands west of the Connecticut River for New York. Governor Treat and members of the Court of Assistants met with Dongan and, through diplomacy, were able to settle the matter with only the loss of the town of Rye to New York. However, the following years saw several writs issued against the Connecticut Colony in an attempt to divide Connecticut between New York and Massachusetts.
Charles II died in 1685 and his brother, James, no friend of Connecticut, came to the throne. It was James' plan to unite all the New England colonies, and he appointed Andros as Governor of the Dominion of New England. Andros demanded that Connecticut give up its Charter.
The Connecticut General Assembly was alarmed, for the Charter of 1662 was a generous one, and members of the Assembly feared that Andros would take away some of the liberties of the citizens of Connecticut. Governor Treat responded by diplomatically delaying the legal proceedings, over many months, on the grounds that some legal processes had not been done correctly and that Connecticut's appeal to the king should receive a response. But on October 31, 1687, Edmund Andros came to Hartford in person to receive Connecticut's Charter.
An afternoon meeting was the main feature of Andros' visit. Governor Treat took the opportunity to speak of how the Colony of Connecticut had been built with hard work and sacrifice and what the Charter meant to the citizens. It was an era when speeches of several hours were not uncommon. According to legend, Treat spoke throughout the afternoon and into the evening, when the candles were lit. The Charter was on the table. Suddenly there was a rush of wind from a door, blowing the candles out. By the time they were relit, the Charter was gone, hidden in an oak tree (later known as the Charter Oak) until the danger was past.
Andros never physically possessed the Charter of 1662, but still took control of Connecticut. Governor Robert Treat was made one of fifty advisors to Andros, and did what he could to maintain favorable conditions. King James was deposed in 1688, and Andros was thrown out of power in 1689. The Colony of Connecticut resumed its former government, with Robert Treat as governor. However, in 1692 a political crisis for Connecticut arose when the new governor of New York, Benjamin Fletcher, arrived with an appointment that gave him full power to command Connecticut's militia as well as the military forces of New York. Robert Treat refused to transfer command. The General Assembly of Connecticut voted to send Fitz-John Winthrop, the son of John Winthrop, Jr., to England to obtain a decision as to whether the Charter of 1662 was still valid, and 2,200 of 3,000 freemen backed up that vote. Winthrop left for England late in 1693 and made his case before the King and Queen early in 1694. A report prepared by the royal attorney and solicitor-general confirming the validity of the Charter of the Colony of Connecticut was ratified by the crown on April 19, 1694. The Charter formed the basis of Connecticut's government until a new state constitution was written in 1818.
Robert Treat was seventy-six in 1692, and ready for someone else to serve as governor. Fitz-John Winthrop was elected in 1693, and Robert Treat was elected to the position of Deputy Governor, where he served for the next ten years.
Robert Treat died July 12, 1710 in Milford and is buried in the Milford Center Cemetery. His first wife, Jane, died October 31, 1703. He had married again on October 24, 1705, to Mrs. Elizabeth (Powell) Bryan, the daughter of Elder Michael and Abigail Powell of Boston. She was twice widowed before marrying Gov. Treat. She died January 10, 1706.
The grandson of Governor Treat's oldest son, Samuel, was Robert Treat Paine, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Bibliography
Champion, Henry. "Life and Character of Robert Treat," in Fish, Stuyvesant, ed. Anthon Genealogy. New York: privately printed, 1930 [CSL call number CS 71 .A62 1930].
Ford, George Hare. "Robert Treat: Founder, Farmer, Soldier Statesman, and Governor." Papers of the New Haven Colony Historical Society 8 (April 1914): 162-80 [CSL call number 974.62 N445p].
National Cyclopedia of American Biography. New York: James White & Company, 1900, s.v. "Treat, Robert", vol. 10, p. 323 [CSL call number E 176 .N27].
Norton, Frederick Calvin. The Governors of Connecticut. Hartford: Connecticut Magazine Co., 1905 [CSL call number HistRef F 93 .N 88 1905].
Raimo, John W. Biographical Dictionary of American Colonial and Revolutionary Governors, 1607-1789. Westport, CT: Meckler Books, 1980 [CSL call number E 187.5 .R34].
Scully, Charles A. Robert Treat, 1622-1710. Philadelphia, 1959.
Treat, John Harvey, A.M. The Treat Family: A Genealogy of Trott, Tratt, and Treat. Salem, Massachusetts: The Salem Press & Printing Company, 1893 [CSL call number 929.2 T712t].
World Book Encyclopedia. 1994 ed. Chicago: World Book, Inc., 1994, s.v. "Charter Oak" [CSL call number AE 5 .W55 1994].
Portrait
There is no known portrait of Robert Treat.
Prepared by the History and Genealogy Unit, Connecticut State Library, April 1999.
From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 5 JAN 1998.
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In August 1675, King Philip's War being in progress, he was appointedcommander-in-chief of the CT coucil of war and saved Springfield,Northfield, and Hadley from the flames, at Hadley routing 800 Indianwarriors.
Served the Connecticut Colony as governor or lieutenant governorcontinuously from 1676 to 1707.
Robert Treat, son of Richard and Alice and brother of Joanna, was 13 whenthe family emigrated. From 1683 to 1693 he served as Governor ofConnecticut.
- "The Ancestors of Walter Childs Wood and Lyman Parsons Wood: A NewEngland Story", by Ellen Thomsen Weiss
[Br
!FAMILY GROUP RECORDS ARCHIVES
?? Line 929: (New PAF RIN=194) 1 DEAT 2 DATE 12 JUL 1710 AGE 88
!NAME: Governor Robert TREAT
[Woodmerge.FTW]
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!Sources: "Founders of Early American Families," "Moore and Alliedfamilies"
Governor of CT
Lt. Gov. and then Gov. of Colony of Connecticut.
Line 15460 from GEDCOM File not recognizable or too long: NAME Governor Robert /Treat/ GIVN Governor Robert Line 15461 from GEDCOM File not recognizable or too long: NAME Governor Robert /Treat/ SURN Treat Line 15462 from GEDCOMFile not recognizable or too long: NAME Governor Robert /Treat/ NSFX Gov. Line 4209 from GEDCOM File not recognizable or too long: BURI DATE EST JUL 1710 Line 4215 from GEDCOM File not recognizable or too long: SOUR @S01@ Line 1898 from GEDCOM File not recognizable or too long: BURI DATE EST JUL 1710 Line 1904 from GEDCOM File not recognizable or too long: SOUR @S01@ Line 15476 from GEDCOM File not recognizable or too long: SOUR @S15@ Line15477 from GEDCOM File not recognizable or too long: SOUR @S14@
PED OF LAWRENCE RAY SILER.
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EDUCATION: Well-educated but not at college. IMMIGRATED: Came to Wethersfield, CT. MILITARY: 1654 Milford's Lieutenant, confirmed by the Gen. Ct. by 1661 Captain of the Militia. 1672 Commanded military forces of New Haven County inpendingconflict with Dutch, second in command of the CT forces. Peace of 1673. 1675 Commissioned Major to command the CT quota in the army raised by the united colonies for King Philip's War. Drove Indians from Northfield and Springfield, put them to flight in his assault upon Hadley. 19 Dec 1675 Displayed gallantry at the storming of the Narragansett fort at Pettyquamscott, RI. OCCUPATION: "Gov. Treat was as well skilled in the mysteries of plowing a cornfield or mowing a hay field, as in fighting the battles of the xolonyor defending her charter." OFFICES: 20 Nov 1639 Helped survey purchase Milford, CT 1647 Elected ratemaker Wethersfield, CT. 1653 to 9 Deputy to the Gen. Court from Milford, CT. 1661 Officiallycomplied with King Charles II's orders to search Milfordfor the "regicide judges" Golfe and Whalley, but was actually their friend and well-wisher. 1663-4 Active in opposition to unification of New Haven and Conn. 1666 One of the Commission sent by Milford and other former New Haven towns--who disliked the union which had been forced upon them--to preparethe founding of a new town in the Colony of NJ where they could have theparticular form of mixed ecclesiastical and civil govt. which they preferred. They selected land at the presant Newark. There he was the first town clerkand a rep to the Colonial Assembly of NJ 1667-72. 1673 to 1708 Served as oneof the Magistrates who constituted the upper house of the Assembly and in earlytimes the Supreme Court. Member of the Governor's Council. 17 years between 1676 and 1708 Deputy or Lt. Governor. 1683-87 and1689-98 Governor. 1683 As Governor negotiated dispute with the Gov of NY who claimed Rye, Greenwich and Stamford. Compromise gave Rye to NY. 1687-8 James II determined to withdraw the coonial charters and appointhis own governors. Treat tried to delay loss of the colony's liberties, parryingthe Royal Governor Andros' attempts toobtain the old charter. 31 Oct 1687 Itis said Treat connived at the ruse by which the document was taken from under Andros' nose and secreted in the old Wadsworth Oak. 1 Nov 1687 He becamea member of Gov. Andros' Council. Andros was deposed 9 May 168? after a rebellion, and Gov. Treat and the old carter magistrates resumed office. Treat's petition to the new sovereigns William and Mary secured thecolony's civil rights. RESIDENCES: about 1648 Moved to Milford, New Haven Co., CT permanently. by 1665 he had become an extensive land holder. 1669 and several yearslater Granted priviledge of sharing in the distribution of some public land inbehalf of his children, an honor granted no one else. 1666-1672 Pioneeredthe establishment of a new town at what is nowNewark, NJ Granted a home and 8 acres there. Returned to CT 1672 leaving a son and a married daughter in NJ. WILL: 5 Jan 1707 mentions 7 children.
REFERENCES: Treat, The Treat Family The History of Conn.
!NOTE: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ancestral File (R); ; Copyright (c) 1987, June 1998, data as of 5 January 1998; ; , Family History Library, 35 N West Temple Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84150 USA
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TITL GOVERNOR OF CONNECTICUT
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From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 2 January 1996.
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REFN: 19170 TREAT, Robert, Governor of Connecticut 1683-1687, 1689-1698 B o rncirca 1622 in Pitminster, Somerset, England, the second son of Richa r d and Alice (Gaylard) Treat (or Trott). A Congregationalist. Brother o f R ichard, James, Honor, Joanna, Sarah, Susanna and Catherine. Married c i rca 1647 to Jane Tapp, by whom he was the father of Samuel, John, Mary , R obert, Sarah, Hannah, Joseph and Abigail; after his first wife's dea th i n 1703, remarried on October24, 1705 to Elizabeth (Powell) Hollings wor th Bryan; no children by his second wife. Immigrated with his parent s t o America, probably late in the 1630's; later became one of the earl y s ettlers of the town of Milford in New Haven Colony. Was serving as a D e puty in the New Haven General Court by 1653, representing Milford; als o n amed Lieutenant and Chief Military Officer of Milford in 1654. Selec te d as a Magistrate of New Haven Colony in 1659, a position which he he l d until he declined to serve in May 1664. Following the formal mergero f N ew Haven with Connecticut in 1665, acted briefly as a member of the C o nnecticut General Assembly, but soon moved to Newark in East Jersey; s e rved asa Deputy in the East Jersey Assembly from 1667 to 1672; also he l d office as Magistrate and Recorder of Newark. Returned to Connecticut e a rly in the 1670's, and became an Assistant of that colony in 1673. Fro m 1 675 to 1676 played amajor military role during King Philip's War, se rv ing as Commander-in-Chief of the Connecticut forces deployed against t h e Indians. Elected Deputy Governor of Connecticut in May 1676, a posit i on he retained until he succeeded the deceased Governor William Leete i n A pril 1683. Except for the period betweenNovember 1687 and the spring o f 1 689, when Sir Edmund Andros governed the colony as part of the Domin io n of New England, Treat served as chief executive of Connecticut from 1 6 83 to 1698. A political moderate, Treat agreed to serveas a member of A n dros' Council during the eighteen months of Dominion rule, but he also w i shed to avoid unnecessary encroachment by Crown officials. Consequentl y , after the demise of Andros, Treat advocated resumption of government u nder Connecticut's old charter, a charter which had never been legally i n validated. The impressive victory by Treat in the gubernatorial electi o n of May 1689 was a major triumph over both the conservative Gershom B u lkeley, whoclaimed that the overthrow of Andros had been illegitimate, a n d the popular James Fitch, who attacked Treat's complicity with the Do m inion government. Following his tenure as chief executive, the aged Tr e at continued to serve as deputy governor until 1708. He died on July 1 2 , 1710.
Robert Treat - New Haven Colony, was elected assistant in 1659, ofConnecticut Colony1673, one of Sir Edmund Andros council 1687, governour1683-1697, fifteen years, d. 12 July 1710, in his 89th year. Dr. Holmes[:.Annals 504] says he had been governour or deputy-governour ofConnecticut 32 years.
"(VI) Governor Robert (2) Treat, son of Richard (2) Treat, was born inPitminster, Eng, about 1624-25, baptized February 25, 1624-25, died July12, 1710 (gravestone at Milford, CT). He married (first) Jane Tapp, whodied the last of October, 1703, aged seventy five, daughter of EdmundTapp. He married (second) Elizabeth (Hollingsworth) Bryan, born June 16,1641, died January 10, 1706, aged sixty-eight, a daughter of ElderMichael and Abigail Powell, of Boston, and had married (first) August 23,1659, Richard Hollingsworth and (second) Richard Bryan. Children:Samuel, October 20, 1650; Mary, born May 1, 1652; Robert, born August 14,1654; . . Sarah, October 9, 1656; Abigail, died December 25, 1727;Hannah, born January1, 1660-61; Joseph, September 17, 1662. Robert Treat was among the early settlers of Milford, CT, comingfrom Wethersfield, and at the first meeting of the planters, November 20,1639, was one of nine appoined to survey and lay out lands. . . . . ..(Detailed History). . . .In 1683 he was elected governor, . . . ." Genealogical And Family History of the State of CT; Vol I; p 136; LewisHistorical Pub. Co.; 1911; Rosenberg Library, Galveston, TX
?? Line 3561: (New PAF RIN=260) 1 DEAT 2 DATE 12 JUL 1710 AGE 88
Robert Treat served as Governor of New England State of Connecticut sometime i n late 1600's. Robert Treat was the British Military Governor of Connecticut from 1683 to 1698.
Governor of Conn.
Name Prefix:<NPFX> Gov
BIR-CHR-MAR-DEATH: Ancestral File (AFNs: 8JR9-PL and LV69-TK). alsorecorded as having occured in Milford, New Haven Colony. OCCUPATION:Governor of the colony of Connecticut 1683-1687 and RELIGIOUSPERSUASION: Almost certainly Puritan sincehe was among the settlers of New Haven Colony. HISTORICAL NOTES: NewHaven Colony was settled by Puritans from beginning in 1638; itsgovernment was theocratic in character and the franchise to churchmembers (Puritans). It was absorbed into the of Connecticut in 1665. ADD HISTORICAL NOTE: Robert also foundedthe city of Newark, N.J. MISC: (From "History of Newark, NJ" byJoseph Atkinson, 1878): "He TREAT) was twice married, his first wifebeing Jane TAPP, a daughter the 'seven pillars' of the Milford church. Like brave men generally, appears tohave been exceedingly timid and backward in the presence of fair sex.That is to say, he was extremely backward in coming to the point - aproposal of marriage. There is good authority for saying while familiarly dancing his future wife onhis knee, as was their disparity of age and long intimacy, the damselbrought her lover prompt decision by the suggestive expostulation:"Robert, be still rather be Treattedthan trotted." The History of Ancient Wethersfield, Vol 1, page 56.List TREAT, Deputy (Milford) to N.H. Leg., May 1653, May 1654, May1655, May 1656; Assistant, N.H. Col., May 1659, May 1660, May 1661,May 1662, May 1664 (declined); Assistant (provisional appointment, Conn. Col.), Oct. Deputy (Milford) to Conn.Leg., Oct 1665. Lieut. (chief military Milford Train Band, May 1654;Captain of same, May 1661, confirmed Assistant, 1673, 1674, 1675; Dep.Governor, 1676, 1677; Second Officer, New Haven Coumty, June 1672; Capt., New haven County Troop,1673; Major, New Haven County, Aug. 1673; Second Commander, vs. N.Y,1673; member of War Council, Nov 1673, July 1675, May 1676; Aug 1675,confirmed Oct. 1675; Committee on Indian Complaints, May Granted 300 acres May 1673. The BiographicalCyclopaedia of American Women, Vol.2, p. 24, by Gail Captain RobertTREAT came to America, founded Newark, New Jersey and Connecticut. Hewas governor of Connecticut during the "Charter Oak when he hid the colonial charter in a hollow oak toprevent its being destroyed by Governor ANDROS when England took thegovernorship from For 32 years he was Royal Governor and DeputyGovernor of the Colony Connecticut, Presidentof the United Colonies of New England, 1684. Robert TREATheld the highest military and civil offices in that The 20th CenturyBiographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Vol 10, 185. List Robertas settling in Watertown Mass in 1635 with his moving to Wethersfield Conn in 1637. He moved to Milfordin 1639 where became active in laying out the town. He was Lieutenantand Captain of Train-band, a delegate to the general assembly of Newhaven Colony, and a member of the Governor'scouncil 1659-64. He was elected Milford and a substitutefor one of the commissioners to the colonial He was a member of hecommittee to settle difficulties between New Haven and Connecticut.Robert removed to Newark, NJ in 1666 and town clerk and deputy to the general assembly. He returned to MilfordHe was Major of a company of Connecticut dragoons. In 1675 he wascommander-in-chief of the colonial troops on the outbreak of King Healso took part in the Narragansett war, engaging in the "fort 19, 1675. He was appointed Deputy Governor onMay 11, 1676 and on the Gov. William LETTE in 1683, succeeded to theGovernors seat. He was during the famous "Charter Oak" affair. He waslater appointed Colonel Haven county militia and on May 9, 1869, on the deposition of ANDROS, continued inthe office of Governor, serving until 1698, when he Governor of whichhe held until 1708. Robert TREAT was twice married, Jane and then toElizabeth. Robert was christened on February 25, 1624/25 at Pitminister, Co. England. He is buried at theOld Burying Ground in Milford, "The TREAT Family," by John HarveyTREAT, 1893, pages 31 and 130 The Public Records of the Colony ofConnecticut, by J. H. Trumbull, pages 21, 206, 218, Vol III pages 1, and 391.--8th Great-GrandfatherBIR-CHR-MAR-DEATH: Ancestral File (AFNs: 8JR9-PL and LV69-TK). alsorecorded as having occured in Milford, New Haven Colony. OCCUPATION:Governor of the colony of Connecticut 1683-1687 and RELIGIOUS PERSUASION: Almost certainly Puritan since hewas among the settlers of New Haven Colony. HISTORICAL NOTES: NewHaven Colony was settled by Puritans from beginning in 1638; itsgovernment was theocratic in character and the franchise to church members (Puritans). It was absorbed intothe of Connecticut in 1665. ADD HISTORICAL NOTE: Robert also foundedthe city of Newark, N.J. MISC: (From "History of Newark, NJ" byJoseph Atkinson, 1878): "He TREAT) was twice married, his first wife being Jane TAPP, a daughter the 'sevenpillars' of the Milford church. Like brave men generally, appears tohave been exceedingly timid and backward in the presence of fair sex.That is to say, he was extremely backward in coming to the point - a proposal of marriage. There isgood authority for saying while familiarly dancing his future wife onhis knee, as was their disparity of age and long intimacy, the damselbrought her lover prompt decision by the suggestive expostulation: "Robert, be still rather be Treattedthan trotted." The History of Ancient Wethersfield, Vol 1, page 56.List TREAT, Deputy (Milford) to N.H. Leg., May 1653, May 1654, May1655, May 1656; Assistant, N.H. Col., May 1659, May1660, May 1661, May 1662, May 1664 (declined); Assistant(provisional appointment, Conn. Col.), Oct. Deputy (Milford) to Conn.Leg., Oct 1665. Lieut. (chief military Milford Train Band, May 1654;Captain of same, May 1661, confirmed Assistant, 1673, 1674, 1675; Dep. Governor, 1676, 1677; SecondOfficer, New Haven Coumty, June 1672; Capt., New haven County Troop,1673; Major, New Haven County, Aug. 1673; Second Commander, vs. N.Y,1673; member of War Council, Nov 1673, July 1675, May 1676; Aug 1675, confirmed Oct. 1675; Committee on IndianComplaints, May Granted 300 acres May 1673. The BiographicalCyclopaedia of American Women, Vol.2, p. 24, by Gail Captain RobertTREAT came to America, founded Newark, New Jersey and Connecticut. He was governor of Connecticut during the"Charter Oak when he hid the colonial charter in a hollow oak toprevent its being destroyed by Governor ANDROS when England took thegovernorship from For 32 years he was Royal Governor and Deputy Governor of the Colony Connecticut, President ofthe United Colonies of New England, 1684. Robert TREAT held thehighest military and civil offices in that The 20th CenturyBiographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Vol 10, 185. List Robert as settling in Watertown Mass in 1635 with hismoving to Wethersfield Conn in 1637. He moved to Milford in 1639 wherebecame active in laying out the town. He was Lieutenant and Captain ofTrain-band, a delegate to the general assembly of New haven Colony, and a member of the Governor'scouncil 1659-64. He was elected Milford and a substitute for one ofthe commissioners to the colonial He was a member of he committee tosettle difficulties between New Haven and Connecticut. Robert removed to Newark, NJ in 1666 and town clerkand deputy to the general assembly. He returned to Milford He wasMajor of a company of Connecticut dragoons. In 1675 he wascommander-in-chief of the colonial troops on the outbreak ofKing He also took part in the Narragansett war, engagingin the "fort 19, 1675. He was appointed Deputy Governor on May 11,1676 and on the Gov. William LETTE in 1683, succeeded to the Governorsseat. He was during the famous "Charter Oak" affair. He was later appointed Colonel Haven countymilitia and on May 9, 1869, on the deposition of ANDROS, continued inthe office of Governor, serving until 1698, when he Governor of whichhe held until 1708. Robert TREAT was twice married, Jane and then to Elizabeth. Robert was christened onFebruary 25, 1624/25 at Pitminister, Co. England. He is buried at theOld Burying Ground in Milford, "The TREAT Family," by John HarveyTREAT, 1893, pages 31 and 130 The Public Records of theColony of Connecticut, by J. H. Trumbull, pages 21,206, 218, Vol III pages 1, and 391. Father of Newark, New JerseyCommander in Chief / King Philip's War Governor of Connecticut RobertTreat's signature, seal and his home in Milford, Connecticut Name: Gov. Robert TREAT Birth Date: 1623/1624Birth Place: Pitminster, Somerset, England Death Date: 12 Jul 1710Death Place: Milford, New Haven, Connecticut Burial Place: Old BuryingGround, Milford, Connecticut Father: Richard TREAT (1584-1669) Mother: Alice GAYLORD (1594-1670) 1stSpouse: Jane TAPP 1st Marriage Date: 25 Dec 1647 Children: Mary,Samuel, John, Robert, Sarah, Abigail, Hannah, Joseph 2nd Spouse:Elizabeth POWELL 2nd Marriage Date: 24 Oct 1705 From "Biographiesof American & Colonial Governors" by Meckler TREAT,Robert, Governor of Connecticut 1683-1687, 1689-1698 Born circa 1622in Pitminster, Somerset, England, the second son of Immigrated withhis parents to America, probably late in the 1630's; Except for the period between November 1687 and thespring of 1689, Following his tenure as chief executive, the agedTreat continued to Bibliography: John Harvey Treat, the Treat Family(Salem, Mass., From the "History of Newark, NJ" by Joseph Atkinson (1878): FOUNDER OF NEWARK Robert TREATis described as "the flower and pride of the whole GOVERNOR OFCONNECTICUT He remained in Newark after its settlement only some sixyears, SHE'D RATHER BE TREATED THAN TROTTED! He was twice married, his first wife being Jane Tapp, adaughter of MISCELLANEOUS Gov. Treat left Newark a rich legacy in thepersons of several Judge of the local court; and in 1731, held themilitary title of TIMELINE OF GOV. ROBERT TREAT (compiled by JTR from sources shown below) Abt 1621 - born inPitminster, Somerset, England 154 Late 1630s - immigrated with hisparents to America 171 One of the early settlers of the town ofMilford in New Haven Colony c. 1647 - married to Jane Tapp and they had children: Samuel, John, 1649 -married to Jane Tapp 154 1653 - was serving as a Deputy in the NewHaven General Court, 1654 - Lieutenant and Chief Military Officer ofMilford 171 Commander in Chief of the Connecticut troops in King Philip's War 69 1659 to May 1664 -Magistrate of New Haven Colony 171 1665 - following the formal mergerof New Haven with Connecticut in 1667 to 1672 - was Deputy in theAssembly of East Jersey 69 also Early 1670s - returned to Connecticut 171 1673 - served as Assistant ofConnecticut Colony 171 1676 - he was made Deputy Governor of theProvince of Connecticut 154 1682 - Robert Treat Sr. of Milford, CTdeeded to his son-in-law Robert's son John Treat, whose property abuts two of these tracts, 1683-1698/1701 - Governor ofConnecticut (except the period between 1702-1708 - served as deputygovernor 171 1703 - death of wife, Jane (Tapp) Treat 24 Oct 1705 -married Elizabeth (Powell) Hollingsworth Bryan 171 12 Jul 1710 - died in Connecticut and wasburied in the Old Burying
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1623 - 1710 (~ 87 years)
