Scope and Contents:
James Andrew Piatt, Sr., the first permanent settler of present day Monticello, Ill., and the namesake of Piatt County, was born Apr. 21, 1789 in Potter Twp., Penn., to Abraham and Annabella Andrew Piatt. By 1814 Piatt was the owner and operator of the Piatt Store in Brookville, Ind., conducting business with customers from as far away as Cincinnati. On Dec. 15, 1815, Piatt married Jemina Ford in Cincinnati; they eventually had seven children together. Piatt later owned a mill at Little Cedar Lake, Ind., worked as a hog trader in Cuba, managed a hotel in Lawrenceburg, Ind., and opened a tinning business in Indianapolis. In 1829, he moved to Monticello. There he developed a reputation as a hospitable host to travelers and a terror to horse thieves. He died on Oct. 22, 1838.
This collection contains financial receipts, legal papers, and correspondence related to Piatt and his son, William H. Piatt. Some of the materials in this collection were damaged by fire prior to donation, but the damage only impairs the legibility of the materials in Folder 15.
Utah State University donated the collection to the Library in 2006.
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