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Warren and Elisabeth Lee Piatt

Warren Piatt was born in 1813 in Ohio and died in 1863 in Noble County, Indiana. He might have been the son of Peter Piatt (who appeared in the 1820 census of Coshocton County, OH) or of John N Piatt (recorded in the 1820 census of Licking Co, OH; 1830 census Rush Co, IN).

Warren was married to Elisabeth Lee who was born December 20, 1815 ( calculated using birthdate calculator) in Ohio and who died April 9, 1881, being 65 years, 3 months, and 19 days old. She is buried in the Cosperville Cemetery in Noble County, Indiana, though her marker disappeared sometime after a transcription in 1930.

Warren and Elisabeth had the following known children:

This family was recorded in the 1840 census for Knox County, Ohio.

and On the 1850 census of Union Township, Union County, Ohio:

This family was enumerated #1300/1318 pg 38 ‘subdivision No 196’ image 12/24. Their neighbors were William C Piper, Archibald Irwin, Jesse Porter, Isaac Horton, George Dipple, Conrad Wideman, *, Margaret Woods, John P Woods, William Watson, Maria Gabriel, Richard Gabriel, and James Gabriel.

As early as 1853 Warren had purchased land in Noble County, Indiana, and moved his family there between 1857 and 1858.

The family had grown by the 1860 census of Wawaka, Elk Hart Township, Noble County, Indiana:

This family was enumerated #2021/2020 pg 16 Aug 1860 image 11/26. Their neighbors were John Barry, William Young, Augustus Boss, John Lease, Frank Creigh, ?Hima Hill, and Joseph Stuart. In Jefferson Township, Noble County, Indiana, was a 22 year old John Piatt. I would imagine that keeping him separate from this 21 year old John Piatt might be difficult.

Their oldest daughter, Nancy Jane Watkins, was living in Noble County, Orange Township, Bourie and Northpoint as follows:

The will of Warren Piatt is recorded in Noble County, Indiana.

This deed is found in Noble County, IN, Deed Book 45, page 240-241:
This Indenture Witnesseth That Mary Ellen Piatt(unmarried) in Consideration of the Sum of Forty-five dollars in hand paid by James D Piatt do hereby Remise(?) Release and forever Quit claim unto the said James D Piatt his heirs and assigns forever all my title Interest and Estate legal and equitable in the following premises with appurtenances Situate in Noble county in the State of Indiana and bounded and Described as follows: The East half of the South East quarter of Section Sixteen (16) Township thirty five (35) North Range Nine (9) East and I the said Mary Ellen Piatt do also hereby Sell assign and transfer to said James D Piatt a certain legacy given to me by the last Will and Testament of my father Warren Piatt Deceased of Seventy five Dollars and I authorize the said James D Piatt to receive and collect the same of the Executor of my father's Estate or any other Person who may be liable to pay the same when the same shall become due and I hereby release to said James D Piatt all my right title and Interest in said Legacy under said Will also all my right and title to all real and personal Estate of said Deceased the above Described Real Estate being the lands of which Warren Piatt died seized leaving as his widow Elizabeth Piatt and Eleven Children, viz: Jane Piatt who married Clark C Watkins, Mary Ellen Piatt (the Grantor herein), John H Piatt (now deceased), Deborah Piatt, (now deceased) who married William Steinbarger, Catherine Piatt who married Henry McHenry, Isabell Piatt, who married Edwin Osterhout (he who is now deceased), Elizabeth Piatt who married Emery Shawl, Alexander Piatt, Hugh H Piatt, James D Piatt (the Grantee herein) and Josephine Piatt who married Alvin Billman being all the children and heirs at Law of said Warren Piatt Deceased.
In Witness Whereof the said Mary Ellen Piatt (unmarried) has hereunto set her hand and Seal this 6th day of September 1880.
Attest John Baughman / Mary Ellen Piatt seal
The State of Indiana
Noble County ss Before me John Baughman County Recorder in and for said County this 6th day of September 1880 personally came Mary Ellen Piatt and acknowledged the Execution of the annexed Deed.
Witness my hand and Official Seal John Baughman Recorder
Recorded September 6, 1880 at 4 O'Clock PM
John Baughman, RNC [Recorder, Noble Co?]
Apparently James D Piatt, (and maybe in collaboration with his brother Alexander as indicated by other deeds) was acquiring the home place from the other heirs. Other quit claim deeds establish the residences of some of the other heirs:

Warren Piatt bought the land described above from the State of Indiana on 18 October 1853 (Noble Co Deed Book 10, page 385). The land is north across the road and just a little east of the church cemetery in Cosperville (first called Springfield) where some of this family is buried.

The widowed Elisabeth is found in Ligonier, Elk Hart Township, Noble County, Indiana, on the 1870 census:

This family was enumerated #56/57 10 June 1860 pg 111 image 7/33. Their neighbors were Andrew Cook, Paris White, John Mawhorter, Adam Mawhorter, George Miller, John Stage, *, James Pearson, Fred Arndt, Jesse Minier, and Augustus Boss.

Warren and Elisabeth's son, Alexander, was still living in Wawaka, Elk Hart Township as follows:

This family was enumerated #93/93 (Alexander's separate house number erased and the following family given #94) pg 11 image 12/33.

Warren and Elisabeth's daughter, Deborah Steinbarger, was in Wawaka, Elk Hart County, Indiana, as follows:

This family was enumerated #166/166 pg 118B image 22/33. Were William and Jenny children of Deborah from a previous marriage? She was with her parents in 1860 and would have married before 1862. If so, then Albert would not be her son. Alternatively, William and Jenny could be William's grandchildren or some other relationship (or none at all) and Albert may be Deborah's child if she married soon after the 1860 census.

I did not locate Isabella and Edwin Osterhout or Elizabeth and Emery Shawl on the 1870 census with the spouses that they had in 1880 quit claim deed paperwork.

Warren and Elisabeth's daughter, Nancy J Watkins, was still in Orange Township, Noble County, as follows:

This family was enumerated #134/134 pg image 17/35. I haven't located Warren and Elisabeth's son, John H Piatt, on the 1870 census unless he is the 31 year old born OH with wife Caroline age 25 and son, William H age 3, in Sturgis, St Joseph County, Michigan. John H Piatt is buried in Cosperville Cemetery with a Civil War marker which indicates that he served with Co B, 88th Indiana Infantry. There are no dates on the marker. John H Piatt and his wife sold land on 3 Nov 1874 but both were dead by the time of the quit claim deed of Mary Ellen Piatt in 1880. Next to John's marker is that of his wife, Catherine Steinbarger Piatt, 1843-1877, and in the same row is a marker for their daughter Leana Piatt, (d/o JH & C PIATT), d 12 Nov 1869, 8mo, 15d. Also in the same row is a marker for William Piatt, 1867-1877. If this is a son of John H and Catherine, that fact is yet to be established.

A book of Noble County cemetery inscriptions states that a transcript of the Cosperville Cemetery done by the DAR in the 1930s lists Elizabeth Piatt as being buried in the same cemetery giving her death date as 9 Apr 1881 being 65y, 3m, 19d. (By the printing of the other book in 1996 no stone for Elizabeth could be found.) If Elizabeth is there it would not be difficult to suspect that her husband, Warren, would be in the same cemetery, too, but as yet there is no proof.

By the 1880 census many of the Piatts seem to have moved away. These are the only Piatts left in Noble County on that census:

This family was enumerated #68/69 pg 364 image 7/36 and indexed as 'Platt' in Elk Hart Township. Who is Charlie Piatt? I do not find any 2-year-old that would be a match on the 1870 census. Other Piatts in Noble County: Some clues from these entries indicate that at least two of the families have ties to Michigan indicating that is where the family has moved (borne out by the 1880 deed transaction). Here we see another Steinberger/Piatt link. Was Hattie an orphan? Is that why she came back to Indiana from Michigan? It appears that any school age child is listed as 'schollar'. What Piatt was Maryetta married to c1871 before she married the Shobe? I find it interesting that Alexander is called Ellick. I have found that in one of my Studdard ancestors (Elic Alexander Studdard) and always thought it was part of his name - not a nickname. Now, I am not so sure that it wasn't like John/Jack or William/Bill.

Searching the 1880 census index for married daughters of Warren and Elisabeth, I did find Nancy Jane Watkins and family as follows in Orange Township, Noble County, Indiana (#5/5 dist 650 image 18/44):

Since Deborah had died previous to 1880 and since I find no matching William Steinbarger (who would have been aged 63), I am assuming he is dead as well. Their son, Albert, (age 19) is in Noble County, Indiana, (district 67) with Daniel Minier. I found the Emory and Elizabeth Shawl family in Constantine, St. Joseph County, Michigan (district 191 image 29/46). The image was not readable online to determine whom else might have been in the household and any information not included in the index which was as follows:

Also in this township (image 31/46) was 54-year-old Lucreathy Shawl who was born in Ohio with children Frank B and Mary E. I was unable to locate Catherine or Henry McHenry although the 1880 deed suggests they were still living. I found an 'Anna B Osterhout' in Cedar Springs, Kent County, Michigan with a husband 'Edwin I Osterhout' who was the correct age to be Isabell. They had no children. Did Edwin die between the census and the date of Mary Ellen Piatt's deed in September 1880, or, is this not the right Isabell? Josephine Piatt Billman and family were still in Elk Hart Township, Noble County, Indiana (#53/54 district 67 image 8/36) as follows:

The only William Piatt I find who is age 35 or 36 in 1880 is one in Eddyville, Wapello County, Iowa, who claims to be born in Indiana. Is this Warren and Elisabeth's son? I found no Hugh Piatt using a search for born 1850 in the US and no one of the right age searching with name only or anyone named Hugh in Noble County, Indiana.

Sources: