Robert Treat Paine was born in Boston Massachusetts on March 11, 1731. He was then baptized by Reverend Thomas Prince. Thomas Prince was a pastor of the Congregational church at Weymouth, Massachusetts. Robert was a statesman, patriot, judge, and signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was a representative of Massachusetts when he signed the Declaration of Independence. The signers of the Declaration were not a group of heartless, morally inactive people. They were smart people with more virtuous than most people would have guessed back then. The signers would basically risk their lives and their families to put forth effort into what they believe in.
Robert had a middle name which was very unusual in the time period that he lived in. He was named after his great grandfather, Samuel. Samuel was governor of Connecticut and was a founder of Newark, New Jersey. Reverend Samuel Willard was also the second minister of the Old South Church. He was also known as the president of Harvard College. Paine came from a long line of descendants. He was six generations in front of Stephen Hopkins. Hopkins was the only passenger on the Mayflower that had lived some of his life in Jamestown, Virginia. Hopkins also signed the Mayflower Compact.
Paine…show more content… He went to Lunenburg, Massachusetts in the beginning to teach but then moved back to Boston. During his time in Boston, he made around three trips to North Carolina. These voyages took place around the time of 1751 through 1754. He went to North Carolina so that he could work as a master of sorts and continue the work that he began. In the midst of his trips, he began to yearn for more in his life. After this, he wrote to Harvard College and asked that he be given his degree in the Masters of Arts in absentia. Harvard graciously awarded him with this degree. By 1755, Paine started to study law with his friend Judge Samuel Willard. Willard practiced law in Lancaster,