Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-08-29
TWO AMERICAN POETS.
JOHN JAMES PlATT AND MRS. S. NJ.
3. PlATT AND THEIR WORK.
A Brief sketch of Their Life-The Sue
cessful Experiment OF the Marriage Of
Ireland.


! NEW YORK. Aug u John James Piatt is
western product. as is his cousin, Dom
/ Platt, the well known journalist The family
originally came from France, and came in a
hurry. They were HuguenOts and therefore
not popular with the governing element Of
France in the carly part Of the last century.
They emlrrated tn the island Of st Thomas
i'll the West Indies. From thence John Fiatt
the founder uf the Piatt family in America
came to this country and located in New Jrr-
sey, twenty five or thirty years previous to
the revolutionary war
At the beginning of that war several Of his
sons, Inciullns the grsatgranlfather uf Mr..
John james Piatt, entered the Continental
army and served until its close, each attain
ing the rank of captain. William Piatt,
greatCrandllthrr Of the subject of this
sketch, subsequently became, with his elder
! brother. an original member Of the Society uf
the Cincinnati. Several wears after the close
Of the revolutionary war he raised a company
Of men near Scotch Plains. \. j. his home
for service against the Indians in the North
west territory, and, joining the army Of ten.
st Clair at Fort Washington now Cincin-
natil. was killed at st Clair's defeat i'll No
vember. 1871.
Mr. Piatts greatgrandfather was, there
fore, first Of the name to become associated
with the affairs of Cincinnati, where several
IF the family, sons and grandsons Of his
younger brother, Capt. Jacob Platt, inClud-
ing Col Dom Piatt, Gen. Abram z. Piatt
and Maj. Benjamin NJ. Platt. have taken
prominent parts in its political and military
history during the past half century. The
Piatts had the French love Of arms i'll them
Capt James Piatt, grandfather Of John
James, also raised u company of men ii New
Jersey at the outbreak Of the second war of
Independence, in lSl2, and served until its
close
Mr.. John Piatt, the poets father, settled i'll
Dearborn county, Indiana, a few miles north
of Rising Sun, and there the poet was born in
lS&5. When he WAS years old his parents
went To Columbus, O., where they resided
until 1876, when they removed 10 central
Illinois
Huguenot blood grated on New jersey
stock makes Puritan money -getter. In
John James Piatt the French blood proves
too much for the Jersey traits, and he makes
good poetry instead Of bad money. He at
tended various schools, the most beneficial, it
might he said, being the printing office Of his
uncle, Charles Scott, for many years the pub
Usher of the leading Whig newspaper there,
The Ohio State Journal Later he entered
Kenyon college but did not graduate. Leav-
ing the college with little Latin and less
Greek" in 1853, he began TO write verses.
He rapidly rose TO be an editor and handled
the magic we" with the dexterity Of an old
master. In his uncles printing office, where
both were employed. he made the acquaint-
ancc and won the lifelong friendship of
W. d. HowcllS, who writes such pleasing
though bloodless and eventless novels The
two published in 1850, a volume Of poems en-
titled "Poc ms of Two Friends" 1t quite sur
prised the critics 10y its refined simplicity.
Longfellow said it was the first poetical prod
uct If the west that escaped scarlet fever.