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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
History of The Western Reserve
- Vol. III -
by Harriet Taylor Upton
Publ. 1910
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HENRY
A. PLATO, residing at St. Cloud, Florida,
formerly a prominent citizen of Amherst, Lorain
County, and a veteran of the Civil war, was born in
Seeburg, Hanover, Germany, Dec. 28, 1845, a son of
John and Wilhelmina (Bodman) Plato, also
natives of Germany. The grandparents,
Casper Plato and Gregory Bodman were also of
Germany. John Plato and his wife came
to Ohio in 1857 and settled in Vermilion, a year
later settling in Amherst township. He was a
musician, and died Dec. 5, 1890, at the age of
seventy-six years; his widow died June 21, 1907,
aged eighty-two years. Their four children
were: Henry A., John E., of Amherst,
Matilda wife of Joseph Wesbecher, and
Harmon J., also of Amherst township.
Henry A. Plato was reared on his father's farm,
and attended the common school. Dec. 24, 1863,
he enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and
Twenty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was
assigned to Johnson's Island, near Sandusky, Ohio,
to guard prisoners of war. He was discharged
at Columbus, July 16, 1865, and then returned to
Amherst. He worked at various things until
1869, when he and his brother John E. engaged
in the grocery business in Amherst, which they
continued until 1881. They then purchased an
interest in a hardware store, and Henry went
to work in this store, while his brother continued
in charge of the grocery business. They were
associated together in various enterprises until
1894, and then dissolved partnership, John E.
Plato taking the hardware business and Henry
the grocery business, and in addition the dry goods
trade which they handled in connection. He
made various changes in the store, and in 1898 the
building burned, after which Mr. Plato and
his son-in-law rebuilt, erecting a large brick
building, where they established a general store,
since which time the son-in-law has conducted the
business and Mr. Plato has retired from
active life, and now lives in Florida. He was
a leading man of Amherst, and is a director of the
Amherst Banking Company; in politics he is a
Democrat, and he served twelve years as a member of
the board of education, and ten years as township
clerk. Mr. Plato took an active
interest in public affairs, and is widely known and
respected. In religious views he is a devout
Catholic.
Mr. Plato married, in 1867, Elizabeth E.
Hildebrand, born in Black River township,
daughter of Bernhardt and Elizabeth (Appeman)
Hildebrand, and they have been blessed with
seven children, namely: Mary who died at the
age of three months; Matilda, wife of
William J. Bodman, her father's partner;
Albert A. manager of Crystal Rock Ice Company,
of Lorain; Wilhelmina wife of George A.
Menz, of Amherst township; Cecilia, wife
of H. A. Finegan, of Amherst; Louisa
who keeps house for her father; and Florence,
wife of J. J. Mahoney, of Cleveland.
Mrs. Plato died June 6, 1908. In 1909
Mr. Plato removed to St. Cloud, Florida.
Source: History of The Western Reserve - Vol. III by
Harriet Taylor Upton - Publ. 1910, page 1825 |
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JOHN
E. PLATO, a prominent citizen of
Amherst, born in Hanover Germany, November 11, 1848,
a son of John and Wilhelmina (Bodman) Plato
both natives of Germany. The father was a
professional musician in Germany; he came with his
family to the United States in 1857, and spent a
short time in New York, after which they located in
Vermilion, Ohio. A few months later they
removed to Amherst and settled on a farm.
Three years later they moved to the village of
Amherst, where the father died in 1890, at the age
of seventy-five years; his widow died in 1907, aged
eighty-two years. They had four children,
mentioned in connection with the article on Henry
A. Pluto, found elsewhere in this work.
John E. Plato lived with his parents until he
was twenty-three years of age, and then went into
the grocery business with his brother Henry
in Amherst, and later they also had an interest in a
hardware business. In 1897 the brothers
dissolved partnership and John Plato
continued in the hardware business five years
longer, and then sold out to his brother-in-law.
He then started into clothing and gents' furnishing
business, and March, 1909, took his son, John A.,
into partnership with him. Mr. Plato
has for years been one of the leading business men
of the town, and he is one of the organizers of the
Amherst Banking Company, of which he has always been
a director, and of which he was elected president in
1905, having since served in that capacity.
Mr. Plato is a man of good education and when a
young boy attended Catholic parochial schools in New
York City. He is a Democrat, and has served
many years as a member of the Amherst council.
He belongs to the Catholic Mutual Benefit
Association and to the Knights of Columbus of
Elyria, Ohio.
On November 27, 1877, Mr. Plato married
Elizabeth N. daughter of Peter and Matilda (Holderid)
Menz, born in Wisconsin. They became the
parents of five children, namely: Lenora,
wife of Albert C. Walsh, of Amherst; Agnes
M., wife of William Baker, Jr., of
Amherst; John A. and Henry L. of
Amherst and Ruth, also at home.
Source: History of The Western Reserve - Vol.
III by Harriet Taylor Upton - Publ. 1910, page
1274 |
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