Revolutionary Discovery

Descendant of Mathieu Devaux dit Platillo, a French national who served under Bernardo de Gálvez, seeks to make America’s founding story more inclusive.

By Lena Anthony

Like many aspects of the American Revolution, Jane Henderson Bronner’s connection to the war is not covered in the typical history textbook. Growing up in the 1970s, she learned that the American Revolution took place in the 13 Colonies, not Spanish Louisiana. She learned that the Patriots were Colonists, certainly not merchants from far-flung places like France.

“Discovering that I had ties to the Revolutionary War was a surprise in and of itself,” said Mrs. Bronner, a member of Atlanta DAR Chapter, Atlanta, Georgia. “Discovering that my Patriot was part of an unexpected, untold side of the story has made it all the more exciting.”

Mrs. Bronner’s Patriot, Mathieu Devaux dit Platillo, was a merchant from Marseille, France, who served in the New Orleans militia during the Revolutionary War under General Bernardo de Gálvez, the colonial governor of Spanish Louisiana at the time.

Gálvez is credited with supporting America’s quest for freedom through direct and indirect methods. After blockading the Port of New Orleans, which prevented British boats from entering the Mississippi River, he provided direct aid in the form of arms, ammunition, supplies and money. Additionally, when Spain officially joined the war in 1779, strategic campaigns against the British in present-day Alabama and Florida helped pave the way for America’s victory at Yorktown. (Read more about Gálvez on page 36.)

As with many Patriots, what is known about Platillo’s military service comes from sparsely worded military records. He was born in February 1737 in Marseille, France. Sometime between 1760 and 1770, he arrived in New Orleans for reasons unknown but most likely because he was a merchant. A local militia member, he served in the artillery under Gálvez in the Battle of Baton Rouge in September 1779. Spain, which had entered the Revolutionary War just months earlier, dealt a decisive blow to the British at Baton Rouge, effectively stripping them of their Mississippi River access.

Mrs. Bronner has reason to believe that her Patriot was more to Gálvez than just a militiaman, thanks to a document discovered by her brother, Michael Henderson, a retired lieutenant commander of the U.S. Navy, a family historian and past president of Button Gwinnett Chapter Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), Gwinnett County, Georgia.

The document in question—the manumission papers of Agnes Mathieu, the siblings’ fourth-generation great-grandmother—was the subject of a 2010 episode of PBS’s “History Detectives.” The siblings were interested in the document because of its signer. While local clerks signed most emancipation documents of that time, this one featured the unmistakable signature of Gálvez.

“Why would Bernardo de Gálvez have signed my great-grandmother’s manumission document three months after the Battle of Baton Rouge if not for some relationship between him and my great-grandfather, who fought under him?” she said. “I believe in all my heart this was his gift and reward for my great-grandfather’s service—to grant her freedom.”

Just as the Revolutionary War part of Mrs. Bronner’s story is outside of what she learned in school, so is her Patriot’s love story.

“We learned that white men were not allowed to be with Black women, and yet, here are my fourth-generation great-grandfather and great-grandmother not only living together but also having children and making a life together.”

According to Platillo’s will, discovered by Mrs. Bronner’s brother, the couple had six children who survived to adulthood and five grandchildren. “Because of the laws of that day, my great-grandfather was not able to leave property to my great-grandmother,” she said. “But in his will, he did state clearly that she was the mother of his children.”

After 30 years of researching their family’s Louisiana history, Michael joined SAR, becoming the first African American inducted into the Georgia Society SAR. Their mother, Frances Phillips Henderson, later became a member of New Orleans DAR Chapter, New Orleans, Louisiana. Mrs. Bronner joined the Atlanta DAR Chapter earlier this year.

“I believe that it’s important for me to have joined, especially at a time like this, because I understand now that my story represents a different perspective on the American Revolution,” she said. “On the eve of the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, it’s important that we tell this story in all its fullness, not just for people like me so that we can know and understand that we belong too, but for all Americans, so that all of us can understand and appreciate that diverse individuals came together—and still do—to create the rich tapestry that is America.”

Since becoming a Daughter, Mrs. Bronner has wasted no time getting involved. She has attended her Georgia State Conference, completed the New Members Course, attended a naturalization ceremony in Atlanta, made appearances at several events hosted by the Georgia Society SAR and logged a dozen Service to America hours for recognizing the security department at the hospital where she works on Employee Appreciation Day. “I wanted to honor the unsung heroes—the officers that keep our hospital safe,” she said. “They were so appreciative but also shocked because they said no one had ever recognized them before.”

No matter how she gets plugged into the organization, she knows recruiting new members will be part of her role. “An African proverb states that until the lion has his own storyteller, the hunter will always have the best part of the story,” she said. “I want to encourage all women to know their story, be their own storyteller and embrace whatever they find.”

Mrs. Bronner’s journey to understanding her family’s history is far from over. Many questions remain about her great-grandparents in Louisiana, including why Platillo came to America in the first place, how his property and wealth were distributed after his death, and whether he would have considered his American dream achieved—questions to which Mrs. Bronner and her brother intend to uncover answers.

“Family history is like an onion, and we’re slowly peeling back the layers to reveal more of our story,” she said.