Plato was enslaved by Joseph Hill, and then left by him in his will to his son Nathaniel Hill.

Plato was baptized as an adult on January 3rd, 1742 at the First Church of Wells "upon having made a personal, express, and publick Profession of Christianity."

In his 1742 will, Joseph Hill left "my Negro Boy Tom" to his wife Sarah. He also left to Sarah "the service of my Negro man Sharper ... to be for her use during her Widowhood. He left "my Negro man Plato" to his son Nathaniel, and also "after ye term is Ended which my Negro Sharper is to serve my Wife, my Will is that the said Negro shall be ye servant of my said Son Nathaniel."

The 1743 probate abstract states: "1 Negro man named Sharper at £37/10/0, a Negro named Plato at £37/10/0, a Negro boy named Tom at £20." An additional abstract record from 1750 states: "Legacies ment[ion] relations: Sarah Hill, wid, who receives Negro boy and Negro man named Will, Nathaniel Hill, s[on], receives a Negro Man."

Bibliography:

Records of the First Church of Wells, as transcribed in 6 issues of the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol 75-76, 1921-22

York County Registry of Probate

Maine Probate Abstracts Vol I 1687-1775 - John Eldridge Frost (1991)