Robert Breck was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts on December 7, 1682. He was appointed pastor of Newtown's church in 1701. A year later, Edward Hyde (Lord Cornbury) was appointed governor of New York. Determined to establish the Church of England in the American colonies, Cornbury and Breck soon became enemies. Breck faced threats and ill treatment at the hands of colonial authorities. Growing weary of the strife, and probably being silenced by the governor, Breck resigned in 1704 and became pastor at the church Marlborough, Massachusetts, where he died on January 6, 1731.

After Breck resigned in 1704, Cornbury put William Urquhart, an Anglican minister, in charge of the Newtown church. Urquhart preached at Jamaica and came to Newtown only once a month. Cornbury was recalled as governor in 1708, paving the way for the Newtown church to appoint a minister of their own choosing.