History of Piatt Family—Written in 1886
J. B. Piatt, C. Snyder
It was during the persecution of the Huguenots in France during the Eighteenth Century, and after the revocation of the Edict of Nantz that John Piatt, a member of the persecuted race of Huguenots, was forced with many others to flee from their country to save their liberty and their lives. He made his escape to Holland. This was early in the 18th Century, (the particular date not being known).
After being established in Holland, he married a widow Wycoff, (formerly Frances Bliett), and soon after he emigrated to America and settled in New Jersey. Being a man of means, and seeing in St. Domingo in the West Indies, an opening for establishing a sugar plantation in that island, he went there and started a business in that line and followed it with success for a number of years. He at first left his family in New Jersey, but afterwards removed them to St. Domingo where were born five sons, John, William, Jacob, Abraham, and Daniel.
After running this Plantation successfully for a time, he moved his family again to New Jersey, his sons all going to America with him. It was necessary for him to return to St. Domingo to settle his affairs. He went back there and while there was taken sick. The family hearing of his illness sent John and Will, the oldest boys, to see him. They found on their arrival that their father had died.
So they secured what they could of their father's property, which was but a small part of it, for it was a time of trouble there, and a time of an insurrection of the negroes, so that much of it was lost. They then returned to their home in New Jersey. While on their return, one night at sea, William was knocked overboard by the boom, but his friends exerted themselves to save him. The vessel was laid to, and many things were thrown overboard for him to cling to, among other things a hen coop, which he had the good fortune to find and hold on to till they found him.
They arrived safely at home in New Jersey a week later. I think they lived at first at Scotch Plains or Plainsfield in Essex County as my grandfather William did. This was before the revolutionary war; it was probably about 1765 or 1770. William and Jacob served through the Revolutionary War, and were officers. William was a captain. I don't know the grade held by Jacob, but they both held Diplomas of the Society of Cincinnati, (which are still in possession of their families).
William married Sarah Smith, widow of Ralph Smith and daughter of John and Grace Shotwell, in December, 1778. Their children were: James (My father) born at Scotch Plains, Nov. 1779. Jemima, born at Scotch Plains, Sept. 14, 1785, Fanny, born at Scotch Plains, Feb. 18, 1782. (Died 1783) William F. Piatt, born at Scotch Plains, Oct. 9, 1788.
Capt. Wm. Piatt was born, according to the Society of Cincinnati, the island of St. Domingo in the year of 1745. On his return home (from the Revolutionary War, he was poor and discouraged, out of means, out of health, out of spirits, and had no employment to make a living at, so was at a loss as to how to make a living for his family.
In 1791 he raised a company of volunteers at Scotch Plains to serve in the Indian War and marched on foot to Cincinnati and joined the array Gen. St. Clair, who was marching against the hostile Indians. He was in the battle where St. Clair's army was defeated November 4, 1791, with a loss of 900 men.
My grandfather Piatt was killed in that battle. On the retreat, he was seen by some of his friends sitting by a tree wounded. They were close pressed by the Indians, and his friends offered to assist him along. But he told them to go on and leave him, to save themselves for he was so badly hurt that they could not escape and save him. So they left him and made their escape, leaving him to his fate.
My grandmother Piatt afterwards married a Mr. Murray who died before her.
She drew a pension from the United States for many years for my grandfather's services in the wars as Captain. She lived to be 95 years old and was quite helpless a number of years before her death. She was taken care of by her daughter, Jemina Shotwell. She died May 30, 1850.
My father, James Piatt, eldest son of Capt. Wm. Piatt, was born at Scotch Plains, N. Y. and was twelve years old when his father was killed in the Indian War (mentioned above). He learned the trade of a mason and followed brick-laying and plastering until the War of 1812 broke out with England, at which time he joined the army.
He married Rachel Bear of Pa., May 13, 1802. They had four children:
William, born at Scoys, N. Y. in 1803.
John B., born at Scoys, N. Y. in 1805.
Samuel, born at Scoys, N. Y. in 1808.
Fanny, born at Seneca, N. Y. in 1811.
William lost his life at the burning of a printing office in 1835 in trying to save a woman and child in the burning building. He was a printer and never married.
Samuel lives at Petersburg, Ohio. Fanny married in Pa. to Philip Swisher, moved to Petersburg, Ohio many years ago and raised a large family, but only three are living in 1886. One son, Byron was killed in a rebellion of 1886. One son, O. P. Swisher, lives at Oil City, Pa. and one daughter married a Mr. Rogers and lives at New Bedford, Pa., and they raised a large family.
Fanny died in 1880 from a hurt by a splinter under a nail of her finger which inflamed and ran into erysipelas. Since her death her husband also died at New Bedford, Pa. and was buried at St. Petersburg, Ohio by the side of his wife.
Samuel Piatt came to the west about 1833 and lived in Kentucky and Indiana a number of years. He married and went to Ohio and lived near his daughter who married Charles Winters; she has a large family of children. Samuel is quite infirm and afflicted with rheumatism. When my father went into the army in 1812, he took his son, William, with him to New York and aporenticed him to a Printer where he learned the printing trade.
He afterwards returned home several times, but he was a wanderer all his life and never settled long in one place. My father served in the army until the end of the war. He was stationed at one time on an island in New York harbor, where my mother once visited him. She had moved her little family to Pennsylvania, where she lived near her mother (who had married John Piatt, son of John Piatt the Huguenot, after the death of her first husband, John Bear, my grandfather) who lived in White Deer Valley, Sycoming Co., Pennsylvania. Here my mother lived several years. In the meantime, she put me, at seven years of age, to live with my mother's sister, Esther (who lived in Buffalo Valley) whose husband, Uriah Silsby, was a farmer and where I was to work as soon as I waS big enough. I was allowed to visit my mother in the valley walking 20 miles about twice a year.
Dr. W. F. Platt, son of Capt. William Piatt was born October 9, 1780. He married Eliza L. Littell March 19, 1810, in New Jersey. She died December 1827. He married. a second time, Caroline Hempton in 1828,and she died in 1841, in New York. He died in 1648 in New York. Maria M. Piatt was born October 1812 of the first wife, died in 1834. J. L. M. Piatt of first wife, born in 1830; married Joseph L. Burgess March 4, 1857. Their children, Wm. Piatt Burgess born January 24, 1852, and Clara born January 7, 1854. They lived in Rochester, N. Y. Capt. Wm. Piatt's daughter, Jemina, married Elizah Shotwell at Plainsfield, N. Y. They had two sons, W. P. Shotwell and Greenleaf Shotwell. Wm. was born March 1802 and died Sept. 30, 1841. He married Harriet Parse April 5, 1824 at Scotch Plains, N. Y.
Greenleaf was born August 5, 1824 and died May 30, 1849. Caroline Shotwell born November 24, 1828, Ellen. J. Shotwell born November 16, 1831, Wm. P. Shotwell born November 6, 1841, nearly six weeks after his father's death. John Piatt, son of John Piatt the Huguenot, had two sons, John and William, and three daughters, Jane, Frances, and Catherine. Jane married John Sedam, Frances married Wm. M. Kinney, and Catherine married. Abraham Senbrook. They all lived in White Deer Valley, Sycoming Co. Pennsylvania.
John the son of John the son of John the son of (France) had two sons -- John and William. They were tourers and followed the business of farming. Wm. was elected to the Pennsylvania legislature several times from Sycoming Co. John and William had several sisters who married and settled down in the valley. William McKinney, who married Frances (one of the sisters) exchanged his property in Pennsylvania for a large tract of land in Wood Co., Va. and moved there. They had a large family of sons and daughters. His lands were so extensive that he could give each of his children a good farm and they farmed a settlement known as the McKinney settlement. It was on the Hughes river which erupted into the little Kenawha which in turn emptied into the Ohio river at Parksburg. The McKinneys were mighty respected wherever they were known. The sons were William, John, James, and Jacob. The daughters were all married and settled down in the neighborhood with the exception of one, the eldest married to John Marshall who moved to Pennsylvania.
Abraham Senbrook, or Lincoln as he was often called, lived in White Deer Valley. He married Catherine. This was about 1820. He was an honest blacksmith and a fine lovable fellow.
William, son John son of John of (France) lived in the valley also and had a number of children and we all went to a little log school house in the woods to the east of the village of Somerset. My mother lived here in this village in a house which my grandmother had built and where she lived with my mother who took care of her after her husband, John Piatt died. John Piatt Jr. married a Miss Brady, a sister of the Brady who made the wonderful leap across a creek to escape from Indians, who closely pursuing him, had him hemmed in a narrow bend in the creek. They thought they had him, but he ran to a narrow place with high banks, and clearing the chasm escaped them.
The husband of Frances, Mr. Hammond, was an operator and owner of a flour mill, oil mill, saw mill and many other properties in the city of Buffalo Valley, Pa.
--J. B. Piatt
Rachel Bear was my mother. Soon after my parents were married, they moved to Scogo, Seneca Co., N. Y. where I think they first began housekeeping and where my brother William and I were born. My father was always a rolling stone and always poor. He followed his trade, when he had work. He moved to Geneva and lived there a while (only a year). I think he tried farming and then milling, rented a mill and moved to Seneca Falls. Here Samuel was born; lived here a short time, then moved to New Jersey, then to Scotch Plains, N. Y.
We moved in a wagon to the Hudson river, thence down that river to N. Y. in a sloop. Here we crossed to New Jersey where Uncle Elizah Shotwell met us, and the family went from there in his Quaker carriage to his home in Plainsfield. From there we went to Scotch Plains to Grandmother Piatts; this was about 1810. Here was where my father spent his early life, and here the same restless disposition followed him. The war of 1812 soon followed which seemed to be a promise of something that he thought would suit him. He soon got business as a recruiting officer which seemed to put him in his elements. In mustering men for soldiers, paying them their bounty money, marching them to New York and hunting up more was the business.
This was soon changed for more active duty in the army. In the meantime, my mother and her little children lived in the house with grandmother Piatt which was not a very agreeable situation since the old lady owned everything except a few household goods, and she was not very agreeable in her disposition. My father when he left for the army took William with him and put him to the printing trade in New York and about this time sister Fanny was born. Mother finding this life not very agreeable soon made arrangements to move to her mothers in Pennsylvania. She hired a man to load our things in a wagon and take us to Uncle Isaac Bears. Here we stayed until spring. This was in the fall.
Suzan Bear married a man named Simeon Bacon; they lived near Bath, N. Y. I knew but little of Uncle Sim, as we called him. I have seen him and been at his house. He was a farmer, but he had some had habits which kept him poor. I have not heard from him for many years. When we lived at Water Loo, mother and Aunt Leah went to see his wife--that was about 65 years ago. I think her life was an unhappy one while she lived unless he reformed or unless in mercy she was taken away from him.
Esther Bear married Uriah Silsby in White Deer Valley. He was a farmer, a good industrious, religious man. He moved to Buffalo Valley soon after they were married and this is where I went to live the winter I was seven years old.
They lived in a cabin on rented land, but Uncle bought a farm that winter and moved on it in the spring of 1813. I lived with them until the winter of 1817. Then my uncle sent me on horseback to my father's at Scoys, N. Y., where my father had gathered his little family together again and was starting the world over. My Aunt Esther and Uncle Silsby raised a large and worthy family, four girls and two boys. Aunt and Uncle were as kind to me as a mother and father and I shall always remember them with gratitude and respect. Uncle Silsby lost his life in an accident by being run over by a wagon, receiving fatal injury. He was about 50 years old.
Aunt Esther lived to be 85 years of age. She and her daughter, Julia lived many years in Milton, Pa. Her eldest daughter, Elizabeth, married a Mr. Hayes and lived near, and her daughter, Elizabeth, Married a Mr. Cadwell in Union Co., Pa.
Father's old restless disposition still followed him and in the spring of 1820, in company of John Bear, a cousin of mother's, he went on a surveying expedition and mother and family were again left to their own resources.
I was an apprentice to a cabinet worker, Mr. Parsons, for a number of years. In the winter of 1822-23, I worked for a Mr. Dale at $5 a month. He was a member of the legislature, and I had a busy winter, having all his farm work to see to for him for he was thriving farmer. The work was threshing, taking care of a number of horses, and other stock, hauling grain to mill and hauling the flour to town, hauling wood and overseeing all the work, and seeing that all the stock was taken care of and fed. The threshing had to be done by tramping it out by horses, which made a big job of 400 or 500 bushels of wheat, and you seemed never to have done tramping out a few bushels of clover seed. When spring came, I hired to him for $7 a month for the summer. In the fall I went down the Susquehannah to work on the shoals to improve the navigation of the river. Here I got $1.00 a day and I also got fever and ague which I had off and on till the next spring, working just when I was able.
The cure for ague was wine and Perenvian bark. This was before the days of quinine. Then I went on the river as a keel-boatman, boating wheat from Milton to Columbia. This was before the railroad and the wheat had all to be shipped by water in boats or in arks. I followed the river until 1824 when I went up the river to work for Mr. Burroughs who was building a grist mill and a dam and had a good many hands employed. I want to say here that when I left Water Loo for Pa., I had to go on foot for there was no other way; and it was 160 miles and a great part of the way was unbroken wilderness with very few settlers on the way.
From the head of Seneca Lake to Williamsport on the west branch of tale Susquehannah was a wild region, very poor roads, no bridges over the numerous creeks, very few houses and often many miles apart. One creek that empties into the Susquehannah is called Tycoming Creek. It is very large and this creek had to be forded between 25 and 30 times on this trip.
Now this route is improved by railroad and other roads, the streams are all bridged, farms opened and improved and the homes of numerous and thriving popularity.
In the year of 1822, mother and grandmother moved to Buffalo Valley and lived in a house near Uncle Silsby. Here they lived until 1823, then grandmother, being very old and feeble, died. She was buried in Buffalo Valley by the side of her first husband John Bear.
Their oldest son, Samuel Bear, after settling the estate, moved to Seneca Co., N. Y. to the little town of Scoys. Here he built a number of mills, flour, saw and oil mills. This was his father's business, and Samuel had learned it from him.
Other Bear families soon settled there. Susan, who married Simeon Bacon, and Leah, who married Marten Kendig with their families, and my father and mother soon settled there because the others had.
Mother had many relatives named Bear, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
One uncle whose family after his death lived in Black Hole Valley on the west branch of the Susquehannah, was a large family and very wealthy, owned large farms along the river. Mother always spoke of them as Aunt Bear's family. There were many sons and daughters in the family, and another aunt of Mother's married Gov. Snyder of Baltimore, Pa. who was also very wealthy.
I come now to the fall of 1824, when with my father, I came to the west. We crossed the Alleghenies on foot, after a toilsome journey in the snow, and arrived at Pittsburg about Christmas. It was cold, and the Ohio River was nearly frozen up. Here I saw my first steam ship. It lay at the landing. We took our chance to work our passage down the river on a flat boat. We intended to go to McKinneys in Wood Co., Va. The ice was running in the river and after nearly freezing and starving for four days, we left the boat at Steubenville and went on foot to Wheeling. Here we found a man putting up a keel boat and loading for a trip to the Salt Works on the big Kenawha River. He agreed to take us to Marietta and to board us for our help on the boat which we at once agreed to. We left Wheeling in the evening and the next day had to land as there was so much ice running we could not go on with safety. We set out again soon, and I hired out to keelboatman to go to the Salt Works with him. Father left me at Marietta to go to McKinneys where he stayed until 1825. I never saw my father again, and wandered up and down the river for some time blowing rock, teaching school, bricklaying, and store keeping.
I married Emily Scott September 3, 1829 after an acquaintance of over two years and then I studied medicine. I ran a drug store for some years for Col. Pinkney James.
Then I had various other business deals and jobs which got me nowhere and finally took up printing.
A Mr. Prince and I bought a steamboat and ran it on the Ohio for teo years and then sold it for $17,000---$5000 of which we lost entirely by false swearing.
Mother lived a great many years. She visited us at Rising Sun about 1841 or 42 and stayed for several months. Then she went back to Petersburg where she died August 14, 1848. Sister Fanny and her family lived there many years and after losing all her children but three, she died there in 1881 from erysipelas brought on by an inflamed finger from a splinter under the nail. Her husband also died soon. O. Piatt Swisher lives at Oil City, Pennsylvania. He was Fanny's only son after her son Byron was killed in the war.
(Record of Scott Families) Omitted
Now comes J. B. Piatt and Family. John B. Piatt born Nov. 11, 1805 at Scoys, N. Y. Emily Scott born Dec. 16, 1811 at Philadelphia, Pa.
Their children were:
Caroline Scott Piatt, born July 7, 1830, Union Tp., Iowa
Catherine Gray Piatt, born Mar. 21, 1832, Union Tp., Iowa
John James Piatt, born Mar. 1, 1835, Union Tp., Iowa
Fanny Piatt, born August 29, 1837, Union Tp., Iowa
Wm. Pinkney Piatt, born August 1, 1839, Rising Sun, Iowa
Mary Ann Piatt, born August 14, 1842, Rising Sun, Iowa
Geo. Henry Piatt, born July 25, 1845, Columbus, Ohio
Charles Carroll Piatt, born April 12, 1848, Clinton Tp., Ohio
Ben Franklin Piatt, born Nov. 27, 1850, Clinton Tp., Ohio
Guy Piatt Piatt, born June 18, 1853, C. Tp. Franklin, Ohio
Robie Piatt Piatt, born March 20, 1856, Shelby Co., Illinois
Caroline Piatt married Wm. S. Travis. He enlisted and while in the army, his wife died at home, April 19, 1863 in Rural township, Shelby County, Illinois.
Catherine Gray Piatt married Joseph Milton Smith Sept. 26, 1851, in Clinton Tp. Franklin County, Ohio. They lived on a farm four miles north of Columbus, Ohio where they raised a large family. They had seven children: Joseph, Milton, Ida, Ada, Charles, Paul, Rose and John F. Ida died when she was quite young. Joseph Milton Smith, their father, died August 28, 1868 at Clinton Tp., Ohio. All the children were born at or near Clintonville, Ohio.
Joseph Smith is married to a Miss Hunt and they have five children. Ada is also married--to a Mr. Hall, and they have one daughter. Charles is in Montana. He is a civil engineer and finds profitable employ among the railroads. Paul, John and Rose live with their mother on the farm.
John James Piatt married Miss Sallie M. Bryan at New Castle, Kentucky. He formed an acquaintance with her while he had a place in the treasury department and lived there a number of years. He had some good friends at Washington who lent him a helping hand, among them was Mr. Chase and - his relative Col. Donn Piatt who were always ready to speak a good word for him. He was assistant librarian at Washington, D. C. for a while and is now consul at Cork.
John and his wife have poetic talent and have written and published number of interesting books, both at home and while they have been in Ireland.
Their poems often appear in magazines and papers. They have a very interesting family of children who have had much opportunity to travel in England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, France, and Belgium. Their situation was a pleasant one and they enjoyed it. But one of the young men was unfortunately drowned and another while very young was blown up by a toy cannon one Fourth of July, while amusing himself with some other boys.
Fanny Platt married Chester M. Travis in Oct. 1859 in Shelby County Illinois. After farming a few seasons they became well off, and they lived well. But he died by injuries received in a runaway. Fanny has four sons to depend on, and they are very promising youths.
Wm. Pinkney Piatt died at home at the age of 21 years.
Mary Ann Piatt died at Chicago, November 3, 1867. She was taken sick suddenly with heart disease and was sick but a short time. She visited her brother John in Washington; visited our Army in Virginia with Ben Piatt a relative. She also visited friends in Petersburg, Ohio and lived some months at New Bedford, Pennsylvania at her cousin's, Mrs. Rogers. She kept school several seasons in Illinois, and when we moved to Chicago in 1886 went with us and lived at home till her last sickness. She was buried in Shelby County, Illinois at Prairie Bird near mother.
Geo. Henry Piatt lived at home till 1866 and went with us to Chicago. He served in the army in 1864-65. He lived in Chicago till 1869 and then went west to Nevada. He left there soon and moved to Helena, where he has lived ever since. He married Sadie Sendall of Chicago and took her to Helena. They have three children: Maude, Guy and Madge. He is quite prosperous and lives happily.
Charles Carrol Piatt, when we sold the farm in Illinois, went to Kansas, bought a quarter of Government land and sold it again soon. He spent a winter in Illinois and came back to Kansas where he bought school land in Howard County. He farmed one season. He married Charlotte Millard November 20, 1872 in Howard County. They had five children in Kansas and lost three of them before they left Kansas. The eldest son, Chester, still lives. He was born Sept. 15, 1873. They sold part of their land in Kansas in 1881 and moved to Dakota to Tower City in the spring of 1882 and settled on a homestead and tree claim. They bought a farm from the N. P. Railroad and farmed the same in wheat after breaking the sod, raising some years more than 7,000 bushels of wheat. It is a good country for wheat and vegetables, but it is too cold for fruit and Charles still thinks of selling and coming back to Kansas.
They have had seven children: Chester Carrol Piatt; Fanny, who died in Kansas--age about four years; and two who died in early infancy in Kansas; Mary Lillie born in Griggs County, Dakota in 1882: Lottie May born Jan. 20, 1885 in Dakota; Charles, Ada and the baby Paul. Charles Carrol Piatt served in an Indian War in Western Kansas and was in one battle where his scouting party were surrounded by Indians on a small island. The Indians shot all their horses and many of Charles' companions, but they beat them back from the rifle pits in the sand. They were in a tight place and had to live on dead horses for several days until they got help from their camp by two men slipping out in the night and going for help, when they were relieved and the Indians driven off. They were commanded by Col. Forsythe of the army who had his 50 scouts and were attacked by Chief Roman Nose and 800 warriors. Charles was very lucky in this battle as he was one of the three scouts who did not get wounded.
Ben Franklin Piatt lived in Chicago after he sold our farm and worked in a book store about a year. Then he went into a hardware store, Sickles and Preston. Here he worked for some years and was promoted to keeping their books. He was but a boy, but he stayed with them for many years. In 1880 with his wife, Mattie Gartsides, he moved to Tower City where he farmed one year, but was not very successful for with grasshoppers and want of rain his crop was poor.
He then accompanied his brother, Charles, to Griggs County where he took up Government land and railroad land. He raised a few crops but was not very successful as he hired people to work the land for him while he was clerking in a lawyer's office in Fargo. He was admitted to the bar and sold his land in Griggs County and was living prosperously. They have three children but lost the two younger children when very young.
Guy Piatt, the youngest, was an editor and published a paper in Charryville, Kansas and after several years, came west to Helena. After several years, he went to Butte where he got employment in the Inter-mountain where he still remains in 1886.
Jacob lived in Kentucky nearly opposite Lawrenceburg in Indiana on the river Hill. He had five sons that I remember: B. H. Platt, John F. Piatt, Benjamin M. Piatt, Jacob Wycoff Piatt, and Abraham Platt. John T. Piatt lived in Cincinnati and was a man of wealth and a banker there. He made many improvements and built many houses there. He did a heavy business as a contractor for the northwestern army. The Government owed him a large sum for many years and for which he never received the amount due him. He became much involved in debt in consequence of not getting his dues. He took sick and died at Washington about 1825 and it was never paid, so I understood a large amount of his property was lost to his descendants.
Benjamin M. Piatt was a lawyer and lived in Cincinnati. He was a man eminent in his profession. He lived there many years, accumulated wealth and in his old age retired to Mac-a-Cheek Valley in Ohio where he owned a large tract of valuable land and an extensive mill property. He died about 1870. One of his sons, Andrew Sanders Piatt lives there or did a short time ago. He raised a large family, was wealthy, a man of eminence and a politician. He has been in the legislature and has held important offices. He served in the War. Another of his sons, Donn Piatt, is well known in the political world. He for many years published an influential and political paper called "The Capitol" in Washington. He has been a member of the Ohio Legislature, has been a consul at Venice many years ago, and had other places in the diplomatic world of Europe. His wife was a very talented writer and published several interesting works of fiction in her day. He also has retired to a fine farm in Mac-a-Cheek Valley in Ohio after his health began to fail, but he occasionally writes spicy articles for publication which are noted far and wide with approved commendation. He has a fine dwelling at Mac-a-Cheek where he lives. Another son of Benj. M. is Jacob Wycoff Piatt who died in 1857.
Robert Platt married a Miss Jones and raised e fine family. The eldest daughter married a Dr. Canby of Madison, Indiana. She raised a number of children, but I knew none but the oldest boy. Richard, who went to West Point and in due course became a soldier. I knew him when a boy, and in the course of promotion he became a General and was engaged in the west in an Indian War against Captain Jack. One day, being hard pressed, he was invited to parley and a conference and Canby, not expecting treachery, fell into a trap and was treacherously shot by order of Captain Jack who was afterward taken, tried for murder and hung for the deed.
Of the descendants of Daniel Piatt, son of John of France, I am not certain that I knew any of them; but I think that James A. Piatt and a Mrs. Hart are two of them. James A. was a merchant who kept a store at Hartford, Iowa about 1820 or 1830. Mrs. Hart, who lived on Laughery Creek in Reply County, Iowa, was another of them I think. I knew them both and have been at Mrs. Hart's home. Mr. Hart had mills on the creek. They raised a large family, and her sons were very prominent men about Rising Sun, Iowa. They were very active men as river traders and millers while they did business there. James A., soon after I knew him at Hartford, Iowa, left there and went west to settle in Ill., later named Piatt County as his name was given to it. Here he became possessed of a large amount of land, and raised a large fine family of children and is the founder of an extensive connection, many of them eminent and wealthy.
There were many of the name whom I have afterwards heard of in different parts of the country, some in Cincinnati, Lawrenceburg, Iowa, in Kansas, Chicago and elsewhere, and as nearly as I know or can learn, all sprang from the five brothers, sons of John the Huguenot of France.
Here follow some personal reminiscences of J. B. Piatt, the author of this history. These reminiscences I will not take time to write as they are unimportant. J. D. Piatt lived and worked land in Kansas until the year of his death, about 1885.
The following written by Charles Snyder, 1926.
Charles Carol Piatt, (my grandfather), lived in North Dakota about seven miles east of Cooperstown on a farm. He built three houses in Cooperstown and owned a good deal of farm land. He died at his horn in Cooperstown, June 10, 1910, after a short ailment of the heart.
Ada Piatt married a Mr. Nichols and now lives on a farm in Jim Falls, Wisconsin with her family of eight children.
Paul Piatt married a Miss Cleveland and now lives in Oregon, California, and Washington as the work he and his family make a living at is fruit picking and packing. They have a large truck and live in the open most of the time as Paul is consumptive. HiS children are: Locke, Cleveland, Charlotte and Zina.
Charles Hiatt lives in New York City and follows the trade of a mechanic. He married a Miss Denum. His children are: Marion, William, Geirge, Edna and Francis.
Lottie May married a Mr. Simpson who is also a skilled mechanic. They now live in Toad River, Oregon. Their children are Madge, Olive, Aleen, Carol and Catherine.
Madge married a Mr. Boalby and they live in Hood River, Oregon also.
Catherine Piatt married a Mr. Mason, a real estate agent, and live in Hollywood, California. They have no children.
Mary Piatt, my mother, married a Mr. Snyder who was also a mechanic by trade. She now lives in Cooperstown, N. D. with her children, Evelyn, Florence, Hazel, Charles, myself, Paul, Grace, Marian, Clarence, and Woodrow Wilson Snyder.
Hazel married a Mr. Aaker of Cooperstown and now lives in Valley City where her husband works with the Northwest Nursery Company. They have one child, Louise Jr.
Chester Carrol married a Mrs. Eva Pratt. They also live in Cooperstown, N. D. Chester was prominent in the upbuilding of Cooperstown in a number of ways. He built and maintained a light plant in the city, but he sold it after a number of years to C. S. Christianson. He built a house in Cooperstown, bought a farm near his old home east of Cooperstown and runs it in conjunction with the farm of his widowed mother. He was at one time in partnership with Fred King in a garage in Cooperstown, but he sold his share to Mr. Bruns. He now owns the elevator formerly belonging to R. C. Cooper. He also owns two other houses in towns nearby. He has one son, Donald, about twelve years of age. Chester had one of the first automobiles that were seen in Cooperstown, and it caused quite a number of sensations, such as run-aways, ah's and oh's, and a great deal of noise. He also spilled a number of nice young ladies who paid more attention to his car than their bicycles and hence the tumble.
Mrs. C. C. Piatt (my grandmother) lived for many years in Cooperstown after the death of her husband, with her younger children, but after their marriage, she moved to California for one winter. She then came back and forth winter and summer for three years, but she has made it her permanent home. She is in fairly good health and lives near the home of her daughter, Catherine Mason, in Hollywood, California.
Charles m. Snyder, who married Mary Piatt, farmed near Cooperstown for a number of years. He then moved from there to Fargo where he worked for the Rumly Oil Pull Co. as a road agent for a number of years. Then he was a mechanic for different garages in various towns in North Dakota. He served in the Spanish American War and also the World war along with eight brothers, four of whom were in active service across.
Charles Carroll Piatt
From Old Settlers Association records.
Charles Carroll Piatt, son of John B. and Emily Scott Piatt, was born on Apr.12th 1848 in Clinton township, Franklin County, near the city of Columbus Ohio. Mr Piatt was one of a large family, there being born to his parents eleven children. After a few years residence at this place, Mr. Piatt's parents moved to Shelby County Illinois. Upon selling their farm in Illinois Mr. Piatt went to Kansas and purchased Government land in Howard County.
While a resident of Kansas he became acquainted with Miss Charlotte Willard, with whom he was united in marriage on Nov 20 1872.
In Howard County, while a resident of Kansas, Mr. Piatt saw some service in the Indian wars then being fought in the western part of Kansas. Mr. Piatt saw some very hard service in these wars and barely escaped with his life from the Indians.
In 1881 Mr. Piatt removed with his family to Tower City, Dakota Territory, and in the spring of 1882 removed to what was then Griggs County. Here he settled on a homestead, and took a tree claim, and also purchased land from the Northern Pacific Railroad Company. Through the untiring industry and devotion to his work, Mr. Piatt became a very successful farmer, and was one of the highly respected members of the community in which he lived.
A few years ago he removed his family to Cooperstown, and resided therein until his death. To Mr. and Mrs. Piatt were born twelve children, seven of whom survive their father. Mr. Piatt, at the time of his death was 62 years, l month, 27 days old. Charles Carroll Piatt became a member of this Association at its organization in 1906. He died on June 9th 1910