Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-08-31
TWO AMERICAN POETS.
JOHN JAMES PiATT AND MRS. S. NJ.
8. PlATT AND Their WORK.
a Brief Sketch of Their r.ife--rhe Sue
oessfui Experiment of the Marriage {.
Two Poets-rheir Home In Queenstown,
Ireland.
[speclaI correspc 1ence.1

NEW York, Aug. 23.-John James Piatt is
O western product, as, is his cousin, Dom
Piatt, the well known journalist. The family
originally came from France, and came in Il
hurry. They were Huguenots, and therefore
not popular with the governing element Of
Franco in the carly part of the last century.
They emigrated to the island OF st. Thomas,
In the West Indies. From thence John Piatt,
the founder of the Piatt family in America,
came to this country and located in New Jer-
sey, twenty-five or thirty years previous to
the revolutionary war.
AT the beginning Of .saat war several of his
sons, including the greatgrandfather of Mr..
John James Fiatt, entered the Continental
army and served until its close, each attain
ing the rank of captain. William Piatt,
greatgrandfather OF the subject of this
sketch, subsequently became, with his elder
brother, an originalmember of the Society Of
the Cincinnati. Several years after tine close
otthe revolutionary war he raised a company
of men near Scotch Plains, N. j., his home,
for service against the Indians in the North
west territory, and, Joining the army of Gen.
st. Clair ut Fort Washington now Cincin-
natl, was killed at st. Chairs defeat in No
vember, 1901.
Mr.. Piattths gi~eatgrandfather was, there
NNNf hA2p hAS hiiiiO W ptItIll0 GlsAptitBGi
with the affairs of Cincinnati, where several
of the family, sons and grandsons of his
younger brother, Capt. Jacob Piatt, includ-
ing Co. Dom Piatt, Cen. Abram S. Piatt
and Mai. benjamin NJ. Piatt, have taken
prominent parts in its political and military
history during the past half century, The
ilatts had the French love of arms in them.
Capt, James Piatt, grandfather of John
James, also raised y company of men II New
Jersey al the outbreak of the second war OF
Independence, in 1872, and served until its
close.
MIR. John Piatt, theipoet's father, settled in
Dearborn county, Indiana, a few miles north
OF Rising Sun, and there the poet was born in
1880. When he was Q years old his parents
went to Columbus, O., where they resided
until 1856, when they removed to central
| Illinois.
Huguenot blood grated on New Jersey
stock makes a Puritan money-getrer. In
John James ioiatt the French blood proves
too much for the Jersey traits, md he makes
| good poetry instead of bad money. He at
tended various schools, the most beneficial, 1t
might be said, being the printing office Of his
uncle, ChGsles Scott, for many years The pub
Usher Of the loading Wing 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 1858, he began to write verses.
He rapidly rose to be an editor and handled
the magic agen witt the dexterity of an old
master. In his uncle's printing office, where
bbteasi were employed, he made the acquaint.
ance and o tho. lifelong friendship of
w. D. Howells, who writes such pleasing
though blaoaless and eventless novels. The
49, - 1 - 1npA -ELEL,