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- HON. CORNELIUS MORTIMER TREAT. A splendid specimen
- of what for some years has been called the "old school"
of gentlemen may be found in the personality of Mr. TREAT, for
many years a prominent citizen of Clinton, Rock county. He embodies
those traits of dignity, broad- mindedness and kind-heartedness
which command universal esteem and respect. Mr. TREAT is self-educated,
in the same sense that his school days were limited to a few
terms' attendance at the district schools of his youth, but the
broader education of worldly experience has been his, supplemented
by application to books by his own fireside. The thoroughness
of his education thus attained is amply attested by his long
and successful career as county superintendent of schools, and
by his entire life work. Mr. TREAT was born in Angelica, Allegany
Co., N.Y., April 25, 1817, son of Amaziah and Sallie (COLVIN)
TREAT, natives of Massachusetts and Vermont, respectively.
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- Cornelius TREAT, his grandfather, was a native of Massachusetts,
of English and Scottish
- descent, and for seven years was a soldier in the Revolutionary
war, being present at the surrender of Gen. BURGOYNE. He participated
once in an expedition against the Indians, and had a thrilling
narrow escape from death. Joining Capt. WOODWARD's Company of
Rangers, in New York State, he marched with them to Fort Schuyler,
where Utica now stands, and thence proceeded in a northwesterly
direction in search of hostile Indians. They numbered sixty-two
men, rank and file, and were guided by a faithful Indian who
forewarned them of danger. Heedless, the captain advanced, until
finally, surrounded by the savages in greatly superior numbers,
they were ambushed and the entire party killed except Mr. TREAT,
who fled and secreted himself in a fallen tree that was partly
split open. Into this log he crawled, feet foremost, with his
rifle at command, intending to sell his life as dearly as possible.
The Indians in pursuit stood upon the fallen tree and there convened,
then continued onward in their search without discovering him.
He lay there all night, and in the morning started for Fort Schuyler,
which he reached twenty-four hours later. Cornelius TREAT followed
farming in New York State, and for many years was a justice of
the peace. He reared a large family, and lived to the age of
eighty years. The maternal grandfather of our subject, Rufus
COLVIN, was a native of Vermont, of Scottish and English extraction.
He followed farming, reared a large family, and died in Monroe
county, N.Y., only a half mile distant from the home of our subject's
paternal grandfather.
- Amaziah TREAT, the father of our subject, was born in 1784.
He served in the war of 1812,
- and was at Fort Erie when it was blown up. He was a farmer
and millwright, and in 1818 removed from Angelica, N.Y., to southern
Illinois, where he died of malarial fever the following year,
aged thirty-five. His wife survived him many years. She removed
from New York to Ohio, and thence, in 1847, to Wisconsin, locating
in the town of Turtle, Rock county, where she died when over
seventy years of age. In religious faith she was a devout member
of the Baptist Church. To Amaziah and Sallie TREAT were born
four children, three daughter and one son, of whom two are now
living: Cornelius M., our subject; and Adeline, wife of Joel
MINER, of Turtle township, Rock county.
- Cornelius M. TREAT, our subject, when three years old was
taken by his widowed mother to
- Monroe county, N.Y., where he was reared on the farm, receiving
his education in the district schools. When nineteen years old,
in 1836, he removed with his mother to a farm near New London,
Huron Co., Ohio, where for nine years he taught school in winters
and worked on the farm in summers, also making brick for two
seasons.
- On Aug. 29, 1841, at Ruggles, Ohio, Mr. TREAT married Miss
Phebe Alvira CURTIS,
- daughter of Charles and Jemima (TREAT) CURTIS. In 1847 Mr.
TREAT removed with his family and mother to Rock county, Wis.,
making the journey by team, and consuming sixteen days on the
trip, which cam now be made by rail in eleven hours. Mr. TREAT
purchased eighty acres of land in Turtle township, which he improved
and occupied. In 1849 he leased a hotel at Belvidere, Ill., which
he kept between three and four years, removing in 1853 to Janesville,
Rock Co., Wis., where he bought property, and operated for three
years an express between Janesville and Belvidere, at the latter
place connecting for Chicago with the newly built Galena &
Chicago Union railroad (now the Northwestern). Mr. TREAT hauled
many loads of goods between the termini of his express route,
the round trip requiring three days. In 1856 he sold out this
business, and purchased in Turtle township a farm of 100 acres,
to which he removed from Janesville. Here for eight years he
farmed in summer, teaching school in winter. He was for nine
years town superintendent, and county superintendent for eight
years; while serving in the latter capacity he examined both
the present State supply and his immediate predecessor for a
certificate to teach.
- On Dec. 24, 1868, Mr. TREAT removed with his family to the
village of Clinton, having erected
- his present attractive home, his wife planting the seeds
for some of the large trees which now adorn the lawn. Since coming
to Clinton, Mr. TREAT has engaged in the fire insurance business.
To Mr. and Mrs. TREAT were born two children, Emily Diadama and
Curtis Mortimer. Emily Diadama married Oscar C. GATES, who is
now deceased; she has three children, Cyrus Mortimer, Allee and
Volney Curtis. Curtis M. married Miss Jennie FARRINGTON, and
they have two children, Lillian Gertrude and Leona Farrington;
they reside at Buffalo, N.Y., where he is secretary of the Merchants
Exchange, the fore-runner of the Pan-American Exposition.
- Politically our subject is independent. He served as a member
of the State Assembly in 1862-63.
- Mr. TREAT is a prominent Mason, a member of Good Samaritan
Lodge, No. 135, F. & A.M., Beloit Chapter, no. 9, R.A.M.
and Beloit Commandery, No. 6, K.T. In all his successes his amiable
and good wife has done her part, and they deserve mutual credit
for the sunshine which they have scattered about them in the
pathway of life. This aged couple have won the kindest regard
and the deep affection of all who know them, by their charitable
words and many good deeds.
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-
- Taken from "Commemorative Biographical Record of
the Counties of Rock, Green, Grant, Iowa and Lafayette Wisconsin"
(c)1901, pp. 220-221; lithograph from same book.
-
- Courtesy of Carol
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