The marriage license for Benjamin and Ann was in Vol. 2 pg. 25 Bartholomew IN Marriages 1821-1844. The license date was Jan 25, 1833 [on index as Sep 2, 1833]. But the license was not found by one of the researchers. Dee read somewhere that they were married in the church that Ann's parents belonged to. This would be Nathan's church which was not in Bartholomew County, Indiana.
Benjamin Piatt was a farmer. Benjamin and Ann are thought to both be buried in Mt Pleasant Cemetery in Shelby Co, Indiana, with Benjamin dying first in Shelby County and Ann dying later in Bartholomew County, Indiana. After Benjamin's death, Ann lived with one of her children in Bartholomew County, but, was then probably removed to Shelby County to be buried with her husband. The town Edinburg is in Shelby Coounty but on the Bartholomew County line. Johnson County, Indiana, borders both of these counties near Edinburg and Benjamin and Ann were there in Blue River Township in 1850. In this area a move across the road could constitute a move to a different county.
The main piece of evidence so far that identifies William Piatt as the father of Benjamin F. Piatt is found in the Augusta County, VA, personal property tax lists for 1830 and 1831. There are two Benjamins listed: "Benjamin Pyatt (of William)" is distinguished from "Benjamin Pyatt (of James)." The first Benjamin must have been the son of William Piatt, who was the only William in the vicinity old enough to be this Benjamin's father. The second Benjamin (born ca 1807 in Rockbridge VA, died 1863 St. Louis MO) was the son of James Peatt and Mary Donaghoe, who were married in 1805 in Rockbridge County, Virginia. The Piatt extracts from these tax lists were published in the Piatt Family Newsletter, vol. 5, page 103-105. It is hard to disentangle these two Benjamins: they were both about the same age, they both lived in Augusta County, Virginia, and later they both lived concurrently in Bartholomew County, Indiana.
Also, from a manuscript written by Benjamin's granddaughter, Daisy Piatt Warner and published in the Piatt Family Newsletter 8:72. "What I know about our ancestors. I do not know the year Grandpa Piatt came out from Virginia to Ind. with only his clothes and an ax. He left home at 16 years because of a stepmother. He had a younger bother and an older sister that married a well to do Englishman and was disowned..."
That Benjamin had a stepmother seems to be supported by the 1810 census which could be William Piatt and his first wife and children and the later census which could be William Piatt and his second wife Mary Smith, Benjamin's stepmother, and various children. Further The West Virginia Heritage Encyclopedia, edited by Jim Comstock, Vol 22, pp 4848-4851 gives an account of a John C Ward, "an early settler of what became Nicholas County, [who] was born in England. He came to America in the early 1820's...[first to Augusta Co Va, then Greenbrier Co VA, and in 1840 to Craigsville, Nicholas Co VA]...[he] married Mary Elizabeth Peyatt, Peatt, Pyatt or Piatt of Virginia around 1826, whose parents came from New Jersey." It is possible that this Mary was Benjamin's sister and William's daughter, indicating that William came from New Jersey. Again, this is just more circumstantial evidence which needs hard evidence to back it up.
According to Ann's death notice, she and Benjamin had 13 children with only 6 living to maturity. Benjamin and Ann had the following known children:
Laverne Piatt took these inscriptions from the Carter Chapel Cemetery in Bartholomew Co, IN, (Lowell Station Road on the NW edge of Columbus) in 1998. The children of Benjamin and Ann were in Section 11:
It would be interesting to know if the the last two died of an epidemic. The Carter Chapel and cemetery are on land owned by Nathan Carter and presumably given or sold to the church. There is also a mention in the records of the "Carter Settlement."
From a DAR Typescript, Bartholomew Co IN: From "Daily Evening Democrat" Friday 6 May 1881, page 2: Mrs Ann Piatt, b 3 Dec 1814, NJ (d/o Nathan & Elizabeth Carter, who came to IN in 1820, settling near Columbus) m 27 Jun 1833, Benjamin F Piatt; had 13 children, 6 lived to maturity, 4 sons and 2 daughters. Joined ME Church at age 15, Carter's Chapel. Husband was buried 27 Jul 1875. Oldest daughter died last September; younger daughter died 23 Apr. Mrs Piatt died 28 April.
To confuse matters a bit further, the other Benjamin Pyatt (and wife Rachel McWilliams) are buried to the west of Columbus in Section 28 and listed as Mt Pleasant Cemetery (also known as the Christian Union Chapel Cemetery). Laverne Piatt reports that in the records of Batholomew County, IN, she found where the Sheriff had tried to serve a warrant on one Benjamin Piatt who claimed that the Benjamin Piatt named in the warrant was not he. The Sheriff then sought out the other Benjamin Piatt who made the same claim. The Sheriff returned the warrant undelivered. Ah, the advantage of having the same name.
Benjamin F Piatt appeared in Bartholomew Co, IN, on the 1840 census.
Benjamin and family appeared on the 1850 census of Blue River Twp, Johnson Co, IN, as follows:
Benjamin and family appeared on the 1860 census of Shelby Co, Jackson Twp, Indiana:
On the 1880 Shelby County, Hendricks Township, Indiana, census:
According to Dee Mitchell, William Carter Piatt attended Rush Medical School in Chicago with Samuel McCrea. One Christmas Sam took William home for break. He met Harriet, Samuel's sister, and he married her a year later. William Carter Piatt left Shelby County Indiana for Kansas after his father's death.
Sources:
Back to Home
Back to Pyeatt Family History Links
