The 2010 U.S. Census recorded 259 black Americans with Platts as their last name. That represented 19% of the total of 1,329 entries.
This article tracks their numbers in the census since the Civil War. We also look at historic African American people named Platts.
We end with a review of early records of black military service in the United States.
After The Civil War
The 1870 census was the first survey after the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1850 and 1860, only free African Americans were recorded in the census. The many enslaved were omitted.
From 1870 onward, all black Americans were included.
12 people named Platts were recorded in the 1870 census as black.
There was a total of 397 people with the name.
Platts In The 1900 And 1940 Census
The 1900 census recorded 77 people with the last name Platts as black within a total of 754 that year.
The 1940 census recorded 98 people named Platts as black within a total of 898.
Historic Black Figures With The Platts Surname
Here are some notable African Americans in history with Platts as their last name.
Amelia Boynton Platts Robinson
- Born: 1911
- From: Savannah, Georgia
- Died: 2015
Amelia Platts graduated from the Tuskegee Institute in 1927 with a degree in home economics. She moved to Selma to teach homemaking and food production for Dallas County.
Amelia survived three husbands, Samuel Boynton, Bob Platts, and James Robinson. She is remembered as Amelia Boynton Robinson.
Amelia’s home in Selma became a center for civil rights activists in the 1960s. She helped organize the 1965 march to Montgomery and was brutally beaten as the marches crossed Edmund Pettus Bridge.
The photograph of Amelia lying unconscious galvanized public opinion. Despite the dangers, she joined the subsequent marches.
Platts In Black Military Records
Military records are a rich resource of information for family history research. Here are examples of the Platts surname from military service.
Buffalo Soldiers
Five regiments for black soldiers were formed during the Civil War. They were known as the Buffalo Soldiers.
Their records are part of the national archive of military monthly returns. The information includes the year and place of birth, where they enlisted, their occupation, and their height.
One of the earliest military entries for Platts was in December 1898. Jerry Platts was a Private in the U.S. Ninth Cavalry. He was stationed in December 1898 at Fort Douglas, Utah.
Platts In The Freedmen’s Bureau Records
The Freedmen’s Bureau was established after the Civil War to help newly freed African Americans. You can read more in our article on researching the Freedmen archives.
There are over 18 records for Platts in the archives. Here are some of the first names:
- George
- Eliza
- Samuel