The Cole Family

The Anglo-Saxon spelling of the ancient name of Col; old Norse Kollr; means a helmet. There is a Cole in Cod. Dip.

Cole is a very teutonic personal name. In Domesday Book it appears as a baptismal name; and in the Hundred Rolls it appears as a family name.

Several ancient places of Cole can be found in the counties of Wilts and Somerset, England.

The Cole family was seated at Twickenham in Middlesex for several generations, and may be found in the church registers as early as 1584. Previous to the rebellion, the Coles' possessed nearly the whole place, and there is a fine monument of them in Petersham Church, erected in 1634.

John Cole went to Ireland about 1614, and settled in County Donegal; and was the father of William Cole, an officer in Oliver Cromwell's army.

Coles were among the earliest settlers in the American colonies. They appear chartered on the Mayflower and other passenger ships that landed on the east coast during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Several publications offer ancestral charts and history about the Coles in America.

One such work, The Descendants of Elisha Cole, Who Came From Cape Cod to what is now Putnam County, New York, about 1745², written by Joseph O. Curtis, offers a summary characterization of the Coles' place in the American heritage.

Mr. Curtis writes,

"In the annals of this country the Cole family is old. It has been seen and participated in everything of moment from Puritan days to the present time. In the records of great achievement it is not particularly noted, but, as a race, the Coles have proved themselves sturdy, courageous, self-reliant, and independent. Theirs seems to have been the story of fair intelligence, solid respectability, innate piety and consistent mediocrity. To be sure, they have produced good soldiers, prominent lawyers, fairly eminent divines and accomplished physicians, but even the tenor of their way seems to have been mostly in the field of pioneer agriculture. Nevertheless, they have had no criminals and very few drunkards. They have clung to the sturdy religious principles and hard-working habits of their Puritan ancestry, and throughout the length and breadth of America have spread the example and gospel of the sturdier virtues which go to make a nation great."

William Cole¹ (b. ca. 1816) settled in a part of Villa Rica, Georgia, called New Georgia.  He was originally born in South Carolina.  He married Margaret ?² (b. ca. 1815), also from South Carolina, sometime after 1830.  He was a local farmer who, according to family legend, did not own slaves, unlike his brother James C., because it was against his moral principles.  His wife Margaret is thought to have gone by the name "Peg".  There is a Peg Cole Road in the area where the Cole farm once existed.  William Cole is listed as Head of Household on the census records of 1840, 1850, and 1860.  He died on 1 January 1863.  His wife appears on the census rolls until 1880.

The children of William¹ and Margaret Cole², all born in Georgia, are:

1. Martin³, b. 1838
2. Joseph⁴, b. 1840
3. William Berry⁵, b. 4/20/1845, d. 9/2/1907
4. Mary F.⁶, b. 1847
5. James H.⁷, b. 1854
6. John⁸, b. 1856
7. Tilmon G.⁹, b. 1857

 5.  In the fall of 1861, W.B. Cole⁵ enlisted as a private in Company A of the 40th Georgia Regiment, Confederate States Army.  His regiment saw action at Chickasaw Bayou and Champion's Hill.  W.B. Cole⁵ was captured at Baker's Creek in front of Vicksburg, Mississippi, on May 16, 1863.  He is listed as a Prisoner of War at Fort Delaware, Delaware, being recieved on June 9, 1863.  He was exhanged on July 4 of that same year.  A bolier on the train carrying him home exploded and threw him from the vehicle injuring his back.  After the war, W.B. Cole⁵ married Sarah Cooper⁸ (1848 - 1932), daughter of Moses⁹ (1806 -1861) and Jane Cooper¹⁰ (1808 - 1884).  They had two children together, Mary¹¹ (1864 - ?) and Thomas F.¹² (1868 - 1941).  Although the reason remains a mystery, W.B. Cole⁵ is said to have walked to nearby Alabama with Annie Trapp¹³ (1845 - 1907), daughter of Toliver¹⁴ and Sarah Trapp¹⁵, where the two married.  For reasons unknown, both W.B.⁵ and Annie¹³ died on 2 September 1907 (family legend claims they died in a fire though this has not been proven).  The two are buried together in New Georgia Baptist Cemetery in Villa Rica, Georgia.  It appears that W.B. Cole⁵ and his first wife, Sarah⁸, attended the same church even after their divorce.  According to a family anecdote, however, Sarah⁸ warned her son Tom¹² not to bury her in the same cemetery as her first and only husband, threatening to haunt him after her death if he did.

Plaque commemorating W.B. Cole's5 service in the Company A, 40th Georgia Regiment, Confederate States Army.

The children of William Berry Cole⁵ and Sarah Cooper⁸ (1st wife), all born in Paulding County, Georgia, are:

1. Mary¹¹, b. 1838
2. Thomas F.¹², b. 4/9/1868, d. 10/24/1941 

12. Tom Cole married Emma ? in Paulding County, Georgia. He was a Freemason at the Marchmont Lodge (see picture). He and his wife are buried in the New Georgia Baptist Church Cemetery.

The children of William Berry Cole⁵ and Annie Trapp¹³ (2nd Wife), all born in Paulding County, Georgia, are:

1. Nancy¹⁶, b. 4/20/1876
2. George Frank¹⁷, b. 4/20/1876, d. 11/19/1960
3. Ider¹⁸, b. 1876
4. Sallie¹⁹, b. 1878
5. Ada²⁰, b. Feb. 1882
6. Charley²¹, b. Mar. 1883
7. Elijah²², b. Feb. 1885
8. Mary M.²³, b. Sep. 1888

1909 photo of the Marchmont Masonic Lodge #402, F&AM, taken at the lodge grounds located off Mulberry Rock Rd near Old Pine Log School and Church. (Top Row) 4th from right, Lige Cole22. (Middle Row) 1st on left, George F. Cole17. (Bottom Row) 3rd from left, Tom Cole12.

17. George Frank Cole¹⁷ was a Freemason at the Marchmont Lodge (see picture).  He married Amelia Townsend²⁴ (4/24/1878 - 10/11/1939), daughter of James P. Townsend²⁵ (1858 - ?) and Mary Taylor²⁶ (1858 - ?) of Paulding County, Georgia.  He moved to Atlanta after 1900 and became a police officer in the City of Atlanta Police Department.  He was often known to patrol the area around Little Five Points.  His wife, Amelia²⁴, died of diabetes at the age of 61.  George¹⁷ remarried, but the identity of his second wife is not known.  He continued to advance in his career in law enforcement and became a Judge's baliff in the Court of Fulton County.  He was featured in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution in 1941 when his grandson, Jack F. Cole³⁶, volunteered for World War II by enlisting in the US Navy.  He purchased a war bond for each family member who joined the war effort.  George¹⁷ died at the age of 84 on 19 November 1960.  He and his first wife are buried in Greenwood Cemetery off Cascade Road near East Point, Georgia.  

The children of George Frank Cole¹⁷ and Amelia Townsend¹³ (1st Wife), all born in Georgia, are:

1. Lonnie²⁷
2. Reba²⁸
3. Paul²⁹
4. Mary³⁰
5. Annie E³¹, b. 12/24/1902, d. 12/23/1986
6. Elbert Frank³², b. 2/26/1905, d. 6/29/1970
7. Berry³³, b. 1906
8. Calvin³⁴, b. 5/10/1913, d. 12/3/1953

Betty Cole39 holds a Georgia Bulldog sign behind her unsuspecting father, F.A. Cole32, while young Donald Cole, F.A. Cole's32 grandson, watches. F.A. Cole was a staunch fan of Georgia Tech, the Bulldogs' in-state rival.

 32. Elbert Cole³² was not content with his birth name, so throughout his life he would be known as Frank Albert Cole³².  He was born in Paulding County, but moved to Atlanta at a young age.  He married Louise M. Barnes³⁵ (2/22/1905 - 4/12/1982), daughter of Hal Turner Barnes³⁶ (1882 -1952) and Maybella Elliott³⁷ (1883 - 1955).  He was a successful businessman in the sewage contracting business and aquired impressive earnings in the developing suburban Atlanta areas around Dekalb County, Georgia.  In 1955, he moved into the University Hieghts subdivision across the street from his son, Jack F. Cole³⁸, on Willivee Drive.  He was a hardened Georgia Tech fan who smoked Kent cigarettes, drank a little, swore a lot, and tolerated no delinquincy.  He loved animals and would frequently agitate his wife by bringing them home for his grandchildren to see.  On one occasion he brought home a baby calf in his trunk, on another he brought home a wild bobcat!  Rivalry during the annual Georgia Tech vs. Georgia football games turned the two houses facing each other on Willivee Dr. into humorous war zones.  His relationship with his son, Jack³⁸, was especially close and after his son's death in February of 1970, Frank Cole³² (known as "Grandy") was left empty and depressed.  He died of a massive heartattack at his home on June 29, 1970.  He is buried next to his wife Louise³⁵ at Eternal Hills Cemetary in Decatur, Georgia.     

RM2 Jack F. Cole38 , USN RM2 Jack F. Cole38, USN, with his shipmates. He named his children after Don and Kenneth both pictured.

 The children of Frank Albert Cole³² and Louise Barnes Cole³⁵, all born in Georgia, are:

1. Jack Franklin³⁸, b. 12/24/1923, d. 2/12/1970
2. Betty M.³⁹, b. 1923, d. 1995
3. Eugene Albert⁴⁰, b. 2/18/1935 

1.  Jack F. Cole³⁸ attended Boys' High School in Atlanta during his teenage years.  In 1941 he volunteered for the US Navy to serve in World War II.  He saw service on the USS Boise as a radioman.  When his ship sank off the coast of the Phillipines, Jack floated in the Pacific for several days awaiting rescue.  He was finally saved, but his injuries had turned gaingreenous.  According to family members, he was placed in a bathtub filled with ice and his toenails were extracted with pliers.  He recovered from his injuries and continued serving.  He later recieved a letter of commendation from General Douglas McCarthur for his part in the Phillipine Liberation in 1944.  When he returned home he met Mary Jane Kirkpatrick⁴¹, daughter of Russell Wallace Kirkpatrick⁴² (1893-1985) and Annie Kate Stanton⁴³ (1897-1984), who worked in the shoe department at Davidson's department store in Atlanta.  After nearly a year of courtship, they married and lived in several places while Jack³⁸ pursued a career with Georgia Power.  They finally settled at 1000 Willivee Drive in Decatur, Georgia, across the street from the house where his father, Frank, his mother, Louise, and his sister, Betty, lived.  His family became active at Peachtree Baptist Church where Jack would occassionally give sermons to the congregation.  He pursued theological studies at Mercer University part-time.  He was also a Freemason like his father and grandfather.  In the late 60's, Jack began to suffer from heart trouble and finally suffered his first major heart attack.  His prognosis was bad because of serious heart trauma, but he managed to recover and continue working for the Power Company.  He suffered three more heart attacks over the course of the next four years and finally collapsed dead on Ivy Street in downtown Atlanta while waiting for the bus.  Jack was only a few hours short of completing his seminary studies.  He is buried in Decatur, Georgia, at Eternal Hills Cemetery.

The children of Jack Franklin Cole³⁸ and Mary Jane Kirkpatrick⁴¹ , all born in Georgia, are:

1. Linda Diane³⁸, b. 1946, d. 1990
2. Kenneth Turner³⁹, b. 1952
3. Donald Frank⁴⁰, b. 1956

Mr. and Mrs. Jack F. Cole, shortly after marraige in 1945.

1. Linda Diane Cole³⁸ was born a year after her parents married and were living in Atlanta. She spent much of her childhood close to her agnate relatives. When she was 12, her family moved to Willivee Drive. She spent some time in boarding school at Tallulah Falls before graduating from Shamrock High School in 1964. In 1969, she married a Ronnie Belcher⁴¹ from Greenback, Tennesse, who had recently served in Vietnam. They lived in a downstairs apartment at F.A. Cole's³² house. Linda's³⁸ father, Jack³⁸, passed away in 1970 after seeing the birth of his infant grandson, Ronald Belcher, Jr.⁴², as he had long hoped to do. Linda and Ronnie's marraige did not last and soon she was raising her two sons as a single parent. Her sons went to live with their father at his home in Greenback while she accepted a position with Ryder, Inc. in Pennsylvania. There she met her future husband, Jim Etzel. They moved to Miami, Florida, where they were married in 1990. Linda was diagnosed with lung cancer that same year. Her illness rapidly worsened until her death in August 1990. She is buried in Decatur, Georgia.

The children of Ronald Belcher Sr. ³² and Linda Diane Cole³⁵ are:

1. Ronald Jr.³⁸, b. 12/7/1969
2. Jack Franklin³⁹, b. 4/19/1971

Kenneth Turner Cole graduated from Shamrock High School in 1973. He began working with Wyeth Laboratories in the warehouse. His years of faithful service with the company accrued and by the time he was in his thirties, Ken held a successful position as Warehouse Manager. His first marraige to Teresa Adams of Stone Mountain, Georgia, yielded two children. He later remarried and is currently still with his company in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The children of Kenneth Turner Cole ³² and Teresa Adams³⁵ are:

1. Kenneth Turner Jr.³⁸, b. 1974
2. Timothy³⁹, b. 1978

Donald Frank Cole, Sr.⁴⁰ graduated from Shamrock High School in 1975. Part of his high school career included a two-year stay at Tallulah Falls School in North Georgia. There he exceled in theatre and sports where he became captain of the mens' basketball team. After high school he attended some college while working to support his girlfriend, Ruth Ellen Crisman, and infant son. Don⁴⁰ continued to demonstrate his singing talents which landed him some professional vetnures to Los Angeles and even London with popular 70's rock bands. He was successful in the Heating and Air Condition industry landing numerous duct cleaning contracts while it was still a fledgling market. He has worked in numerous fields since that time.

Donald Frank Cole ³² and Ruth Ellen Crisman³⁵ have one son:

1. Donald Frank Cole Jr.³⁸, b. 8/10/1975