Playterville Update (Plater Drive, Oxford)

UPDATE: Google Maps has added "Street View" to the Plater Drive area of Oxford, UK. This information has been added to Issue No. 5 of Playterville. Go to the original article for a link to Plater Drive on Google Maps, and select "Street View".
Link: Plater Drive Article

Mount Playter, British Columbia (Canada)

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that there is a Mount Playter in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia (Canada). It is located at N 51°53' 12.1" W 126°55' 27.8" and has a height of 2137 m (7011 ft). It's relative location is north of the head of Chuckwalla River, north east of the community of Rivers Inlet. In a bigger picture, it is 400 km (250 mi) north west of Vancouver. And it is named after Ross Playter.

On February 8, 1918, Earl William and Edith May (nee Alexander) Playter gave birth to their fifth child, Ross Alexander Playter. Ross later married Mary Isabella Bell of Moosehorn, Manitoba, and enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and served overseas during World War II.

On February 3, 1945, 26 year old Ross Playter was serving as an Air Gunner with 428 Squadron (6 Group) when his Lancaster KB-725 crash landed at Sandy Tees, England, shortly after take-off. Both gunners were killed in the crash. The photo below is one of a Lancaster similar to the one in which Ross Playter was killed.

Pilot Officer Ross Playter was buried at Stonefall Cemetery, Harrowgate, UK, section H, row F, grave 13. He was survived by wife and parents.

On March 28, 1967, Mount Playter was named to remember Royal Canadian Air Force Pilot Officer Ross Alexander Playter, J92187.

Links:

Candian Mountain Encyclopedia

Google Map of Mount Playter

RCAF Report on P/O Playter's death

P/O Playter's grave site

Mayor of Oakland, California (USA)

On October 6th, 1819, Eli Welding Playter was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Little Eli was the son of Eli Playter and Sophia Beman, and grandson of patriarch Captain George Playter. In 1826 Eli Sr. moved his family to Buffalo area, New York, USA. It was likely the involvement of his father and grandfather in local politics that enamoured the young Eli with that profession for on March 9th, 1885, Eli was elected mayor of the city of Oakland, California, USA, a post he held until March 14th, 1887.

The following biography was included in "History of Alameda County" p492-3.

ELY WELDING PLAYTER

Among the men of courage, strength and enterprise to whom Oakland owes its prosperity and greatness none filled a more important part in the life of the city than Ely Welding Playter, who was a true type of the California pioneer, and although many years have elapsed since his death, his memory is still fresh in the hearts of those who knew him.

A native of Canada, he was born October 6, 1819, in the city of Toronto and was a son of Ely and Sophia (Beaman) Playter. He traced his lineage in England to the year 1400. In the War of the Roses one of his ancestors fought under the banner of the Yorkists and in recognition of his valor was given the Sotterly estate. Captain George Playter, the grandfather of Ely W. Playter, was a member of the Canadian parliament and a distinguished representative of the family. As a young man he was midshipman on a vessel which touched at American ports. Deciding to establish his home in the new world he retired from the navy and resided in Philadelphia, where he married and lived for some time. Later he moved to Toronto, Canada.

The father of our subject was born in New Jersey, but moved to Toronto, Canada, where Ely W. Playter was born. When the latter was a small boy the family crossed the International Bridge into Niagara county, New York, and it was there that he acquired his early education in the rural schools of that locality. Later he attended Lima Academy and after his graduation taught school for a time. He also assisted his father in the cultivation and improvement of the home farm. In 1852 he began the study of law in Buffalo, New York, but in the same year a friend offered him a ticket to California and he made the trip to the Pacific coast by way of the Isthmus of Panama and had no desire to return to the east. For a time he engaged in mining in the Golden state but abandoned that occupation, which proved detrimental to his health, and in 1860 embarked in business in San Francisco. He was admitted to a partnership in the hardware firm of Conroy & O'Connor, the store being now conducted by Messrs. Dunham, Carrigan & Company. About 1865 Mr. Playter moved his family to Oakland but retained his connection with mercantile affairs of San Francisco and became a prominent figure in the hardware trade of that city. He was also a director of the Oakland Bank of Savings. He was a sagacious, farsighted business man and prosperity attended his efforts.

In 1860 Mr. Playter had married Miss Sarah Matilda Neville, who was a native of Ireland and during her youth resided for some time in the state of New York. They are survived by two children: Miss Charlotte S. Playter, of Piedmont; and Grace, the wife of Murrey L. Johnson, also residents of that city.

A man of broad vision, Mr. Playter had great faith in Oakland's future and aided in the development of the city along many lines. In 1885 he was elected mayor of Oakland and ably filled that office for two terms. He was also a member of the board of public works commission for four years and a member of the board of education from 1871 to 1874. His duties were discharged with the conscientiousness and thoroughness which characterized the transaction of his business affairs and his service was uniformly commended. For some time Mr. Playter was a director on the board of associated charities and also a director of the Young Children’s Christian Association for a number of years. Honor was the keystone of his character, and his death, on January 9, 1893, deprived Oakland of a valuable citizen and an honored pioneer.

This biography is of specific interest as it gives a glimps of his grandfather's origins. This is the first time I have heard that old Captain George was a "midshipman on a vessel", which could be a clue as to where more information about his past can be found.

Eli Welding Playter is burried in Oakland's historic Mountain View Cemetery, along with his wife and two daughters.

LINKS:
History of Almeda County, California
Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland, California

Origin of the Name

Hanging on my wall is one of those framed documents that I bought at the local mall containing a reproduction of a Playter (or Plater) Coat of Arms. Now I know that this coat of arms may not necessarily be for my family, but it is a great conversation piece none the less.

It is always interesting to find out the origin or translation of one's name. How often do we meet someone from across the ocean with an interesting sounding name, and ask them what their name means? How often do we ask that of our own names?

I have come across a couple of plausible origins of the name Playter/Plater, and I wanted to share them with you. Let me know what you think!

An English origin is fairly obvious: a Plater is someone who makes plates! Now this could be something simple, like plates that you eat off of or serve food on. Or, for the more romantic minded, someone who makes armour, like breast plates, plate mail, etc.

There is also a possible French connection to the name Playter/Plater. The name could also have originated with the French word "Plaider" meaning "to Plead", as in what a lawyer would do.

Another interesting direction for my surname is when you look for the phonetic translation of the name into Chinese! If you break the name into three sounds: PL - LAY - TER a phonetic translation would be PUO - WEI - TER. Litterally, puo means "wave", wei means "great", and ter means "extraordinary, special, unique, outstanding". So, PLAYTER means OUTSTANDING GREAT WAVE, or if I am allowed some poetic license: TSUNAMI. How is that for a conversation piece?

Here are the Chinese characters for puo, wei, and ter:

puo = wave






wei = great






ter = outstanding




Links:
Coat of Arms Store
Chinese Words Database

Plater Drive, Oxford (UK)

I have come across a Plater Drive in Oxford, UK. From the pictures, this looks like a very nice neighbourhood! I received a note from someone who lives in the area and have learned that the estate is roughly 10 years old (c1999). There are a number of streets in the area named after local Colleges, so it seems likely that Plater Drive was named after Plater College (more later).

Here is a link to Plater Drive from Google Maps. Be sure to check out the satelite photo of the street and the surrounding area.
Plater Drive, Oxford OX2 6, GB
Google Maps also has a "Street View" set up for this neighbourhood. Street View gives you a series of 360 degree photos at street level that can simulate a drive down the streets. You have to check it out!

As it is the purpose of this Blog, I am hoping to hear from anybody who knows about this street. Does anyone have any pictures that they could share? Does anyone know it's history: Where did Plater Drive get its name? Drop me a line!

Playter Harbour, Northern Ontario (Canada)

Pukaskwa National Park, on the north east shore of Lake Superior, is the only wilderness national park in Ontario. Located 25 km from the Northern Ontario town of Marathon, it is characteristic of the Canadian Shield and northern forest. The only road access to Pukaskwa is at the north end, near Hattie Cove.

If you hike along the White River Trail from Hattie Cove for about two hours, you will come to a secluded beach area and campground on a picturesque body of water. This is Playter Harbour.

The beach at the east end of Playter Harbour is located 48°34'45"N, 86°15'06"W. So if you have a GPS or a map program that allows entry of Lat/Long coordinates, you can quickly jump to it. Otherwise, check out the Internet maps in the Links section. Be sure to look at the satalite images in Google Maps!

I have contacted the park staff, asking for any details as to where this inlet on the Superior got its name, but no one I have spoken to seemed to have any idea. There are a number of Playters who made their marks as mariners on the Great Lakes. Could the harbour be named after one of them? And if so, what did he do to be given the honour of having his name attached to this harbour?

Here are brief biographies of the Playters that I am aware of who were Great Lakes mariners. Do you have anymore information, or family lore, as to where the harbour got its name, or about these Playters? Please send me a comment!

Captain George Henry Playter (1855-1943)
Grandson of Patriarch George Playter, Captain Playter was a mariner on the Great Lakes for close to sixty years. He was issued his masters papers on May 1, 1891.

Captain William Charles Playter (1866-1922)
William, brother of George Henry above, was a sailor/mariner in Collingwood. He served as Chief Officer of the Ste. Majestic and later on the Mail Carrier from Collingwood to the Sault.

Fredrick Ross Playter (1894-1988)
Fred, was a son of William Charles and a veteran of the Great War, worked as a mate on the Great Lakes. In the early 1950’s, he served as 2nd mate on the S.S. Charles Dick.

John R. Playter (1860-1936)
Brother of George Henry and William Charles above, was a farmer as well as a sailor.

All four of these sailors had lived, died, and was buried in Collingwood, which was at one time a major ship building port on the Great Lakes.

LINKS:
- Pukaskwa National Park Website
- Google map of Playter Harbour
- MapQuest map of Playter Harbour

"Melancholy Suicide"

This blog article centers on an article I found in the "The Canadian Post" published in the town of Lindsay, Ontario (Canada). This newspaper was dated Friday, October 23, 1874, and the article was found on page 2, column 4.

Cambray
Melancholy Suicide
Mr. Waterman Playter committed suicide on Sunday morning between nine and ten o'clock a. m., by hanging himself in his barn, where he was found by his wife, who was looking for him. He had been in a very low state of mind for a considerable time on account of having sold his farm and then repented of so doing. An inquest was held by Dr. Poole*,and a verdict given in accordance with the facts. The melancholy has cast quite a gloom over the whole neighbourhood, as deceased was highly respected.
_______________________
* Dr. Poole is likely coroner Dr. Thos. W. Poole.

Waterman Playter was my 2x-great grandfather. He was born on November 16, 1823 in Whitchurch Township, Ontario (Canada), the son of Isaac Playter and Sarah Wilson. He married Sarah Eliza Karr in Whitby, Ontario, on February 9, 1848. They had eleven children. Waterman was almost 51 years old when he died on October 18, 1874, and his youngest child was only 5.

My great-great grandmother, Sarah Eliza (Karr) Playter remarried in 1879. Unfortunately, she seemed to have disappeared off of the public record shortly after that. I have not had any luck in finding any more information about where or when she died, was buried, etc.

And by the way, Cambray is a very small farming community in the rural municipality of Kawartha Lakes just northwest of Lindsay, Ontario (Canada). It is currently listed with a population of 300!