John A. Treutlen
| John Adam Treutlen | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Governor of Georgia | |
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In office May 8, 1777 – January 10, 1778 |
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| Preceded by | Button Gwinnett |
| Succeeded by | John Houstoun |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 16, 1734 Kürnbach, Duchy of Württemberg (now Germany) |
| Died | March 1, 1782 (aged 48) |
| Spouse(s) | Marguerite Dupuis |
John Adam Treutlen, born Hans Adam Treuettlen (January 16, 1734 – March 1, 1782) arrived in colonial America as an indentured servant and rose to become a wealthy merchant and landowner. He was a leader in Georgia of the American Revolution and helped write Georgia's first constitution. In 1777, he was elected Georgia's first (post-British) governor. He was one of Georgia's few governors to die by violence, and much of his life has been surrounded by mystery and controversy. But in recent years, more details have emerged.
Hans Adam Treuettlen was born to Hans Michel Treuettlen, a cooper, and Magdalena Clara née Job in the city of Kürnbach in modern-day Germany, then a condominium of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt and the Duchy of Württemberg. Treutlen's home was located in the part of the city ruled by Württemberg. His parents were married in 1731 after having two illegitimate children. John Treutlen was the second child born after his parents married. This was Hans Michel's second marriage. His first marriage was to Maria Regina and they had seven children. Maria Regina died in 1727.
The Treutlens were Protestants. In parts of the German-speaking lands, Protestants were persecuted by Catholic authorities, and many left for America seeking religious freedom. Clara, however, was a Catholic. Thus, the Treutlens were also very likely persecuted by the Protestant establishment for Clara's religion and because the family had two children outside the marriage bond. This situation probably caused the 56-year-old Hans Michel to take, in late April 1744, his wife and four of their children on the arduous and dangerous voyage to seek a new life in America. The four children who went on this voyage were Friedrich, from Hans Michel's first marriage, Hans Philipp, one of the illegitimate children, and John Adam and Jonathan, the two youngest children.
The Treutlens traveled first to Gosport on the southern coast of Britain. In November 1745, Clara and three of the children left Gosport for Georgia with a group of Lutheran Salzburgers who had been expelled from their Catholic-dominated homeland (see Salzburg#Religious conflict).
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