Roots

Fort Erie Roots by Earl Plato U.E.
At our Dec.3rd United Empire Loyalist Annual Meeting at Betty’s Restaurant some of us volunteered to share something about our Loyalist ancestors. I was one. Following is an excerpt from an earlier article of mine. How did I end up in Fort Erie? Want to know more about your family name? Get on the Internet and try to “Dig Up Your Roots”. I used the Yahoo engine and found The Olive Tree Genealogy by Lorine McGinnis Schulze and was amazed to find out new facts about my Fort Erie (Plato) ancestors. Find the Olive Tree Genealogy Homepage and find the title THREE LOYALIST UNITS. Bring it up. You find: BUTLER’S RANGERS, SIR JOHN JOHNSTON’S BRIGADE & KING’S ROYAL REGIMENT OF NEW YORK. I had always believed based on my research that Christian and his son, Peter James Plato were in Butler’s Rangers. They were. But thanks to the Olive Tree I find that Christian started in a different service. Here we read the Canadian version off the Internet: “On Aug. 6, 1777 at Oriskany, then Colony of New York, forces under Sir John Johnston’s command including 150 King’s Royal Regiment, 40 Indian Department Rangers commanded by Major John Butler, 50 German riflemen and many Mohawks and Senecas ambushed 800 rebel militia on their way to relieve Fort Stanwix. 400 rebels were killed. The Internet page headlines: List of Men formerly in Sir John Johnson’s Brigade. Of the 50 Loyalist riflemen we read the list of the men from Sir John Johnston’s “Green” Brigade who joined Joseph Brant’s Volunteers. Two of them stand out for me- William May and Christian Plato - they were brother-in-laws. Christian had married William’s sister, Dorotea May born in 1736 in the Colony of New York. They were married in 1756. Both men became Butler’s Rangers attached to Joseph Brant’s Mohawks. Many years later William May testified in an official government document that he knew Christian’s son and his nephew, Peter James Plato as a loyalist from New York. He gives a good description of his nephew’s history as a Butler‘s Ranger.
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Christian Plato was a loyalist spy with a price on his head - $100 - that’s like $10,000 today. On page 17 of the book listing the Losses of Loyalists in New York we find Christian Plato, yeoman farmer, losing his home and property by an Act of Congress. If captured during the Rebellion by the American rebels I believe he would be shown no mercy. He survived as did his son. After the war Christian received substantial Crown land grants in Niagara - 300 acres . Peter James Plato received 300 acres and married Catharine Bowen, the daughter of loyalist Cornelius Bowen, and received an additional 200 acres. Like other United Empire Loyalist descendants I wonder when the United States government will reimburse us for the forcible loss of property as in the example of Christian Plato and others. Eh?
The real criteria for being a United Empire Loyalist and using the initials , U.E. , I believe, has to do with substantiated military service during the American Revolution, identified loss of lands in the American colonies, and consistent loyalty to the flag and Crown of Great Britain. Get on the Internet and start looking!