Ebenezer Cole's First Family

It would be easy to leave the Cole family with the branch I’m descended from, but there was such an extended family, it just doesn’t seem right to drop the family with Rebecca Cole Chambers’ branch.

I want to go back to the first family Ebenezer Cole had, with Martha Grace. There are a significant number of descendants from this marriage and some of them were highly respected members of the Dorchester community. To start this line I need to address one issue. The eldest son of Ebenezer was Jonathan Cole who married Sarah Wade in 1815. Since Ebenezer’s 2nd wife was Margaret Wade, married in 1810, it raises many questions. After many attempts to track down either one of these women, I have concluded they were beamed down from the Enterprise. There were no Wade families to speak of in the Dorchester area. There were plenty of Wades in Nova Scotia, having immigrated from MA. But there doesn’t seem to be any connection between those Wades and the two women. There doesn’t seem to be any Wade family for them to live with, yet both were listed as residents of Dorchester on their marriage records. These two women have been a big brick wall in the Cole genealogy. I believe they were sisters and that came to NB from Yorkshire because they may have been related to the Colpitts family. But I haven’t a lick of proof. It is my ongoing working theory, to be proved or disproved.

I feel it’s important to share a custom that I have found in almost all the Maritime Provinces.  Many people used their middle names instead of their first names. This little twist in custom has cost me many frustrating hours searching for people using their given names. For instance, Jonathan Cole’s eldest son (see below) is listed everywhere by his middle name, Valentine. When I came across a record with the name James Cole, I thought it was a totally different person and off I went on a wild goose chase, only to find his name was James Valentine – who knew? Then in other cases I would have the given name and not the middle name and couldn’t find a crumb of information. It would seem that important documents called for the given name, but everyday affairs where conducted using the middle name. The lesson learned was to use every known variant spelling of first and middle name while searching. In some cases I had surprising results.

So we start with Ebenezer’s first child of his first marriage. That would be Jonathan Cole (1791-1872) married to Sarah Wade (1793-1859) on Dec. 28 1815. According to records they had 10 children.

         

          A.      James Valentine Cole (1816-1883) m. 1833, Nancy Barnes (c. 1808-1889)                                               Their children were:

                    1. Naomie (1834-1902) apparently unmarried, found living with sister Eliza Cook in the 1901 Census.

                    2. Maria (1836 - ?)

                    3. Elizabeth Ann (1836-1912) m1. 1856, George Downey, - 2 children   m2. (1878) Richard Cook (?-1879) no issue. Elizabeth (aka Eliza) can be found in the 1901 census living                               with her sister Naomie and having three boarders

                    4. Henrietta (1838-?) m. 1864 Joseph B. Bowser (1834-?). There were 6 Bowser children.

                    5. Jonathan (1840-1842)

                    6. Evander (1844-?) m. 1882 Henrietta Calhoun (1855-?)                                                                              

                    7. Sarah (1844-1857)

                    8. Esther (1845-1908) m. 1872 Albert Stevens Ward (1848-1907) – 5 children

                    9. Amanda (1847-?)

                    10. Alexander (1851-1913) m. 1874 Sarah Ann Hicks (1857-1907) – 4 children

          B.       Mary Ann Cole (1818-1907) m. 1841 Alfred Dixon (1817-?)

                    1. William (1845-?)

                    2. Jane (1848-?)

                    3. Sarah (1850-?)

                    4. Arthur W. (1855-?) m1. Unknown - 2 children; m2. Mabel Unknown

                    5. Jonas (1856-?)

                    6. Eleazer (1857-?)

                    7. Levinia (1858-?)

                    8. David (1861-?)

          C.       Michael Grace Cole (1820-1862) m . 1843, Mary Weldon (1822- 1922) 

                     Michael was known as Grace in the 1851, 1861 and 1871 censuses.  Their 

                 children were:

                    1. Leonard (1844-1862)

                    2. Louisa (1846-1899) m. (possibly) 1869, Willard Hutchinson  - 7 children

                    3. Thomas (1845-1935) m. c. 1873, Frances O’Brien (1851-?)

‘                   4. Jonathan (1850-?) Sailor

                    5. William (1854-?)

                    6. Mary Iona (1857-1931) m. 1876 Shepherd Chapman – 4 children

          D.       Ebenezer (c. 1821-bef. 1851)

          E.       Frances (1824-1892) m. 1845 Hantz Atkinson (1821-1871)

                    1. William (1846-?)

                    2. Charles (1848-?)

                    3. Eliza (1850-?)

                    4. Clarence (1852-?

                    5. Hance Albert (1855-?)

                    6. Mary (1858-?)

                    7. Nelson (1860-?)

                    8. Frederick (1862-?)

                    9. Sarah (1865 -?)

          F.       Rufus (1825-1911) m. 1846, Dorcas Snowden (1828-1885)

                    1. Matilda (1847-?) m. 1873 G.B.Phelan

                    2. William (1849-?) m. 1872 Milkah Crossman

                    3. Ruth (c. 1852-?)

                    4. Rufus J. (1853-1931) m. 1877 Phebe Wry

                    5. Lucy Ann (1854-1941)

                    6. Albert M. (1855-1858)

                    7. Amy Jane (1858-?) m. 1876 Albert Howard Wry - 5 children

                    8. Cora (c. 1859-?) m. 1877 James W. Oulten

                    9. Maudelia (1863-?)

                    10. George Warren (1866-?) m. 1901 Annie White

                    11. Charles (1868-?) m. 1887 Rebecca Maynard

                    12. David (1870-1871)

                    13. John Clarence (1873-1935) m. Cora B. Ashe

                    14. Cordelia

                    15. Oram

          G.      Ruth (c. 1830-?) m. 1850, William Stiles (c. 1825-?)

                    1. Arthur (1850-?) m. Sarah – 4 children

                    2. Rufus (1853-1897) c. 1886 m. Bessie Cole – 4 children

                    3. Ineva Dorcas (1871-1968) m. 1898 Bedford Buck – 4 children

          H.       Emily (1834-1870) m. c. 1852 Asa Read (1831-1880) [Lost at sea]

                    1. William Bedford (1854-?) -

                    2. Sarah Ella ((1856-1926) m. 1873 Reuben Ward – 4 children

                    3. Martha (1858-?) m. 1878 John P. Read 1 child

                    4. Margaret Grace (1860-?) m. 1879 William Rosenell Cole

                    5. Asa (1865-?)

                    After Emily was lost at sea, Asa m2. c 1873, Martha Ann Grace Cole [d/o Martin &                    

                   Mary Smith Cole. Asa was a 1^st cousin to Emily and to Martha Ann. Emily and 

                   Martha Ann were also 1^st cousins to each other. All three were grandchildren of 

                   Ebenezer and Martha Grace Cole.

          I.        Martin (1835-1926) m. 1856, Sarah Crossman (1831-1921)

                    1. William Rosenell (1856-bef. 1908) m. Margaret Grace Read

                    2. Edmond L. (1857-1918) m. 1881 Emma Frances Cole – 1 child

                    3. Alfred D. (1859-1935)

                    4. Hantz Albert (1860-1947) m. 1896 Georgianna Wry - 2 children

                    5. Martha Ann (1862-1928) m. 1884 Capt. DeMille Buck – 5 children

                    6. Asa (1864-1942)

                    7. Minnie (1866-1908) m. 1897 Nicholas A Burden – 1 child

                    8. Bessie (1868-1959) m. 1886 Rufus Stiles – 4 children

          J.       Albert (1836-?) m. 1859 Arabella Wood (1836-1919) – 1 child

                    1. Alberta Cole

 As you will notice, there are some names with little or no information. This does not indicate there is no information, only that I have not pursued research into all branches of this family. If more information becomes available, I will try to bring things up to date in a future blog.

As always – Happy Hunting!!