Ebenezer Cole's first marriage - 2nd child

The second child of Ebenezer and Martha Grace Cole was Michael Grace Cole. He (1792-1869) m. 1810, Cynthia Estabrooks (1791-1882). {N.B. alternate spellings are Easterbrook, Easterbrooks, Esterbrook & Esterbrooks. Don’t forget to check every spelling if you’re looking up this family.}  Although older brother Jonathan moved to Dorchester, Grace’s family remained in Sackville.  {N.B. Michael Grace is listed as Grace in almost every census and other records I found. He was obviously known by his middle name.} Their children were:

Michael Grace Cole and Cynthia Estabrooks:

A. Christopher (?-aft. 1865)

B. Sarah F. Cole (c.1810-1884) m .1831 Christopher Wry (1799-?)

          1. Rufus (1832-?)

          2. Joseph (1841-?)

          3.Christopher (1844-?)

          4.Jabez (1846-?)

          5. Louise (1849-?)

          6. Edward (1850-?)

          7. Ruth (1854-?)

          8. Adalade (1855-?)

C. Martha Cole (1813-1852)  m. 1834 William Barnes(1808-c.1877)

          1. Elizabeth (1835-?)

          2. William (1837-?)

          3. George (1838-?)

          4. Ellen (1840-?)

          5. Sanford (1842-?)

          6. Althea (1846-?)

          7. Cynthia (1848-?)

          8. Martha (1850-?)

         

D. Rufus Smith Cole(1815-1855) m. 1848 Jane Boultenhouse (c. 1827 – 1849)

         

E. William Cole (1816-1874) m. 1837 Sarah Wry (1817-1906)

          1. Christopher Wry (1838-1907) m. 1862 Mary Fawcett (1840-1871) – 3                        children

          2. George (1839-1842)

          3. Michael Grace (1842-1916) m. 1873 Maria Munro (1847-?)

          4. George F. (1844-1844)

          5. Sarah Jane (1846-1884) m. 1871 William Pringle

          6. William Francis (1848-1879)

          7. Mary Elizabeth (1850-?) m. 1873 Clinton Cook (1849-?)

          8. Martha Ann (1853-1868)

          9. Margareta (1855-1856)

          10. Charles A. (1857-1933) m. 1881 Jennie Sharp (1861-1932) 2 children

          11. George F. (1860-1864)

[My note – Only 5 children in this family lived to adulthood. All three named George did not survive beyond the age of 4.]

F. James Estabrooks Cole (1818-1862) m. Saphrona Judd (1827-1897) – 1 child 

          [They moved to Ridott, Illinois, NW corner of IL, just south of WI state line and just east of      IA state line.] – 4 children (maybe more)

G. Robert Cole (1819-1881) m. 1845 Amy Ward (c. 1823-bef. 1881)

          1. Alfred (1846-?) m. 1845 Mary Jane Fillmore

          2. Mariner (1849-?)

          3. Venelia (1850-?)

          4. Lavinia (1851-?)

          5. Rebecca (1852-?)

          6. Charles (1858-?)

          7. Martha (1858-?)

          8. Chipman (1860-?)

          9. Phebe (1862-?)

          10. Bedford (1864-?)

          11. Rachel (1867-?)

          12. George (1874-?)

H. Judson Cole (1820-aft.1881) m. 1841 (in Margate, PEI) Eunice Elizabeth                            Crossman (1822-aft. 1881)

          1. Anne

          2. Cynthia (1843-?)

          3. James Estabrook (1847-1918 in Beaverton, OR)

          4. Saphrona (1849-?)

          5. Sarah (1851-?)

          6. William (1853-?)

          7. Frances J. (1856-?)

          8. Charles J. (1859-?)

          9. Rufus (1863-?)

          10. Walter (1870-?)

          11. Arthur (1878-?)

I. Cynthia Cole (1821-1902) m. 1840 James Albert Ayer (1819-1892)

          1. Jesse (1841-1923) m. 1872 Margaret Main (1844-1925) – 1 child

          2. James H. (1843-?)

          3. Steven (1846-Lost at sea)

          4. Joseph C. (1848-1930) m. 1872 Lowell Alice Weldon (1842-1924) – 3                        children

          5. Michael Grace Cole (c. 1851-?) m. Alberta L. Weldon (1849-?)

          6. George (1853-1861)

          7. Lewis Burpee (1855-1905) m. 1881 Winnie Smith (1862-1928)

          8. Bliss B. (1858-1926) m. 1885 Rebecca Lanchester (1864-1950) – 1                           child

          9. George (1861-?)

          10. Ida May (1865-1898) m. 1892 Edgar James Tower (1869-1927)

          11. Charles Stephen (1866-1915 in Bangor ME) m. 1888 Margaret DeWitt                               (1866-1954)

J. Ruth Grace Cole (1825-1917) m. 1848 Louis {aka Losa} Wheaton (1824-1897)

          1. Blair (1849-1909) m. Jane Unknown – 3 children

          2. George (1852-1924) m. Mary Amelia Smith – 3 children

          3. Thomas Odbur (1854-1921)

          4. Mary Maud (1856-?)

          5. Chipman M. (1859-?)

          6. Walter J. (1860-?)

          7. Alice Grace (1868-1950

          8. Bessie Bruce (1873-?)

K. Gideon Palmer Cole (1827-1911) m1. 1849 Elizabeth Brown (1834-1870)

          This family began in Illinois and in 1868 moved to Crawford Co. Kansas.

          1. Saphrona Persis (1862-1898) m. R. T. Grant

          2. Nettie (1864-1864) age 4 mos.

          3. Nettie (c. 1865-?) m. Dr. M. Coryell

          4. Irving H. (1867-?)

          5. Charles H. (1868-1871) Born in IL, died in KS

          6. Mary m. E. B. Black

          7. George - Mgr. of Illinois Life Ins., Topeka KS

          8. Theodore - died at age 3

          9. Cynthia m. LeRoy Hemmingway

Elizabeth Brown Cole d. Aug. 1 1870 in KS

Gideon P. Cole m2. 1871 Sarah A. Brooks (1850-1929)

          1. Rufus P. (1871-1872) age 3 mos.

          2. Freddie A. (1873-1875) age 19 mos.

          3. E. Grace (1875-?)

          4. Gertrude (1878-?) m. H. W. Hudgen

          5.Olive May (1879-?)

          6. Willis G. (1883-?) graduated from Business college and went to CA

          7. Ralph Gideon (1888-?)

Many of this family are buried in the Girard Cemetery, Girard, Crawford Co., KS.

L. George Chipman Cole (1829-1852)

M. Mary Cole (1833-1890)

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gs&

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nbwestmo/census.htm

http://www.automatedgenealogy.com/census/Province.jsp?province=NB

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nbwestmo/cem-uppersack.htm

          

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!!

         

                   

Edward Cole’s Family, Dorchester NB (Continued)

Edward and Catherine Buck Cole settled into the home built by Ebenezer Cole at Cole’s Point, Dorchester, NB. They lost their first born, Ebenezer in 1867 at age 24, their third child, David, in 1863 at age 13 and their fourth child, Phoebe, in 1869 at age 18. This left Lucinda Jane (1845-1919) as the oldest surviving child. In my previous blog, I dealt with Lucinda’s life separately, but now I’ll continue on with the other children of Edward and Catherine.

After Lucinda Jane, came my gt. grandmother, Rebecca Ellen Cole, b. Dec 11, 1854 in Dorchester, NB.  Although I’ve never found any reference to Rebecca attending school, she must have had a few years in school as she could most definitely read and write. I know virtually nothing about her life until she married in 1878. I can guess that she and Lucinda had to help out with the cooking, cleaning and caring for the younger children, as most older siblings did in that era. By 1847, her father had taken on the subsidized ferry between Dorchester and Hopewell, across the Memramcook River in Albert Co. One wonders if farming was abandoned except for growing food for their own needs. It seems unlikely that Edward would have enough time to operate the ferry and run a farm on a full time basis.

So at the age of 23, Rebecca married Alexander Scott Chambers. Alex’s father was a shipbuilder, who had moved his family from Wallace, Nova Scotia to Dorchester, NB in the mid 1850’s. Alex was soon to follow in that path. The 1880 U.S. Census shows him living in Bath ME, another large ship building area and he is called a shipwright. It is believed he went there to find work while Rebecca stayed home in Dorchester. The Canadian 1881 census shows him back in Dorchester. It isn’t certain just when Alex became a seaman instead of a builder. His brother-in-law, Capt. William E. Buck, Lucinda’s husband, may have talked him into joining him. That William owned shares in a few ships is on record, some of them he sailed himself. It doesn’t take a huge leap of faith to believe that William talked Alex into sailing with him.

My grandmother, Alvina May, was born in Nov. 1880, in Dorchester. They lived on the road that led to Lucinda’s house at Cole’s Point. Another child, a son named Percy E. Chambers was born in 1886. Since there was such a gap between the two children I have often thought there may have been other unsuccessful pregnancies. Then in the fall of 1887, the Arabella set sail for New York City with a full load of lumber and a passenger. On the return trip, we know the Arabella left NYC was hailed and warned about a storm off the coast of Cape Cod and then sailed on into eternity.  The two sisters, Lucinda and Rebecca, now had the dreadful time of waiting. Many ships used the same shipping lanes the Arabella had taken, so many eyes were looking for signs of wreckage. But after several months, the ship was declared “Lost at Sea.” Lucinda is down the road with two children and pregnant with another and Rebecca had her daughter and son and neither of them had husbands who would be returning home. Nothing is known of Lucinda’s financial circumstances. There may have been insurance policies in place for her family. But for Rebecca, there was no insurance policy and no means of income. Rebecca may have become a cleaning lady as this is what she did a few years later. It seems unlikely that this would bring in enough income to maintain this small family, but there was little or no other types of opportunities for women in that locality. But then disaster struck again. Rebecca’s younger sister, Maggie, came to visit and was playing with Percy. Little did they know that she was coming down with Scarlet Fever and then, so did Percy. Maggie recovered but Percy did not. He died Apr. 19 1889.

Sometime in the 1880’s, the Chambers in-laws had moved to Bath ME, a large ship building and iron works port. James Chambers followed the industry, which was slowly dying in Dorchester, but was flourishing in Bath. Rebecca and her daughter went to live with the Chambers in Bath, but it’s uncertain how long they remained there. My grandmother remembered living in Bath but not much else. Rebecca eventually moved on to East Boston MA and lived with her younger sister. Rebecca’s next move was to Winthrop MA, a peninsula in Boston Harbor. Here the next two generations of Edward Cole’s descendants would be born and would live. Rebecca never remarried but lived with her daughter. She passed away Jan. 1, 1944.

 [Location of Rebecca's 1st home. That's the ocean on the horizon.]

Edward William Cole was born May 30, 1857 at the house Ebenezer built at Cole’s Point.  He assumed the title of Captain when his father died and also continued to run the ferry business between Cole’s Point and Hopewell Cape.  He married Alice Dooe, Oct. 15, 1881. They had 7 children. They were:

Mabel (1882-1929) m. 1904 James Dooe (1877- 1954) – 5 Children

Harley (1885-1906)

Catherine (Cassie) (1888-?)  m. 1910 Leon Houghton (1888-?) 6 children

Edgar William (1891-1972) m. 1920 Catherine Ellen Shea (1896-1978) – 1 child

Alice Grace (1894-1988) m. 1914 Claude Marney (1892-1971) – 7 children

Margaret Luella (1898-1970) m. Randall Elder - 3 children

Marion Frances (1904-1975) m. George Morine (1901-1973) – 3 children

Capt. Cole died suddenly after falling from his ferry in Jul 1908. A newspaper article stated that he made a misstep as the ferry was pulling away from the dock and he fell overboard. He was rescued after about 5 minutes in the water, his breathing was restored and a Dr. was brought to the scene almost immediately. Edward remained in semi-conscious state, giving incoherent answers to questions. He passed away about 11 PM, from heart failure, never having regained full consciousness.

Next in line of Edward’s children came Mary Abigail (aka Mame), (1859-1925). In 1882 Mame had a child out of wedlock. Walter Cole was raised by his grandparents, Edward and Catherine Cole. Even Walter’s marriage record states Edward Cole as his parent. Mame married John Muldoon in 1886 but where that event occurred hasn’t been established yet. We do know they lived in East Boston, MA for several years. Walter remained in Dorchester with his grandparents and John Muldoon was never informed of his real connection to his wife, Mame. It’s unclear how much Walter knew about his birth but he stayed in Dorchester, married Etta Cook in 1901 and had a family of 5 children. My grandmother told me that John Muldoon was a hard man and liked his drink, so it appears the information was withheld from because they weren’t sure what his reaction would be. John Muldoon died in 1922 and soon after Walter Cole and his family (2 children had died earlier) moved to Framingham. Now, finally Mame could enjoy her son and her grandchildren. But not for long – in 1925 she died from pneumonia. In a strange twist of fate, Walter and his wife died within four days of each other in Jan. 1929, both from pneumonia. Another son, Harley died in 1930 leaving Albert and Fred as the two sons to carry on the family. Albert had 4 children and Fred Cole had five. I’m sure that a few people knew who Walter’s biological father was, but, to the best of my knowledge, that was kept a very tight secret. Any of those with the knowledge never passed it on.

Emma (1863-1948), the second youngest of Edward and Catherine’s children remained in Dorchester, but through diaries and social announcements in the newspapers, we know that she visited East Boston, Winthrop and Framingham many times. Emma married (1881) her 2^nd cousin Edmond Cole. They lived next door to Capt. Demille Buck, who was married to Edmond’s sister, Martha. Edmond worked for the railroad. As the story goes, during a blizzard in 1918, he left his home for the railroad. The tracks swung behind his house, so in the dark, with a lantern, he attempted to hail the train to let them know the tracks were blocked. He was not seen by the engineer and the train hit him, causing his death. Emma and Edmond had one son, George. George ran a hotel in Minto, NB and was also the postmaster there. He married Lillian Osborne in 1902.  They had two sons.

[Two sisters, Rebecca and Emma Sept. 15, 1926]

Margaret (Maggie), the youngest of Edward and Catherine’s children was born in 1866. She married William Mitton in 1885. Four sons were born to them, the youngest one dying at the age of two. They lived in Bayfield, New Brunswick. Sadly, Maggie died in 1899, at the age of 33, after a long illness with tuberculosis. William died in 1903, leaving the three boys without parents. I have never heard or found out who raised the boys. The oldest, James Percy, married Bessey Allen and they had 6 children. There were many, many Mittons in New Brunswick so I have not been successful in finding out more details about this family. They were one of the Yorkshire families who came to Canada to restart their lives in the 1770’s-1780’s.

Several things have become apparent in researching these earlier ancestors. They all wanted the same things we do today, to live free, to prosper and to be able to worship in the manner they chose.  They didn’t marry young, often times they were in their mid-20’s. Families were large, but there were many deaths, leaving the women with hungry children and no income or leaving many men with a houseful of kids and no one to care for them while they worked. It was a society of yours, mine and ours. But they worked hard, long hours and needed to remarry again to keep the family unit flowing. There didn’t seem to be many, if any, divorces. Schooling usually ended around the 8^th grade for girls. Physicians were spread pretty thin and there were no antibiotics. Death was something they all faced nearly every day from almost any direction. Childbirth was probably the scariest thing any woman had to face and so many died from sepsis, leaving newborns to be raised by older brothers and sisters, until a grandparent or a new wife stepped in to help. Sometimes the baby didn’t survive either so mother and new born were buried together. In a day with no electricity, little private and no public transportation, no indoor plumbing, no grocery stores, no refrigeration, epidemics, no central heat or air conditioning, etc., etc., etc., it appears that a good percentage of them lived to a ripe old age. There were a few who lived to be 100 and even my gt. grandmother, Rebecca Cole Chambers and her daughter Alvina May lived to their 90^th year.

http://archives.gnb.ca/Search/VISSE/default.aspx?culture=en-CA

http://www.automatedgenealogy.com/census/Province.jsp?province=NB

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nbwestmo/census.htm

Family diaries, accounts, news clippings, photos

Edward Cole's Family, Dorchester, NB

As mentioned in the last blog, Edward’s oldest son, Ebenezer, died at the age of 24, at the home of his parents. Then children #3 and #4 died, leaving Lucinda Jane the oldest of the remaining children. She was 10 years older than my gt. grandmother and what a life she had. I think we have all experienced the feeling that we have a black cloud over our heads, at times. Things just don’t go right, but eventually life resumes a happier note. This can not be said about Lucinda.

Edward’s daughter Lucinda (aka Aunt Lucindy by the family) has become an icon for bad luck and misery in my eyes. Her tale needs to be told, so that others might see what horrendous things befell this woman. Lucinda was b. 1845 and married William Edward Buck, Master Mariner, in 1866. Their 10 children were:

Augusta         (1867-1877)

James A.       (1870-1877)

Ebenezer A.  (1872-1874)

Edith L.          (1876-1877)

William E.      (1878-1878)

Edgar            (1880-1883)

Arabella May (1882- ?) m. 1909, Charles E. Lawrence (1880-?), moved to                                                   Medford MA

Edward LeRoy  (1884-1911) m. 1909, Minnie Bishop (1886-?)

Hurbert         (1886-1887)

Wildie (Will-dee) Edna (1888-1969) m. 1919, Nelson Ward (1879-1953)

Baby Ebenezer lived for about two years and a month and died on Sep. 20 1874. Then, according to the family story, an outbreak of diphtheria and scarlet fever swept through the area in 1877. In July, Lucinda and William lost James on Jul 6, he was 7; then Edith on Jul 14 at age 18 mos.; then Augusta on Jul 16, who had just turned 10. In just 10 days they lost their three surviving children. Their entire family was gone. I’m not sure how any parents can live through this kind of tragedy but they weren’t alone. I have come across other records, for other families, that show several children dying during an epidemic. It does make you appreciate the medical care available to us today.

The road to Lucinda's house.

But they went forward. William E. was born in 1878 but only lived 5 months. Edgar was b. in 1880 but only lived three years, dying in 1883. Arabella (Belle) was born in 1882, Edward LeRoy, b. 1884 and Hurbert was b. in 1886 only to die 11 months later.  Nov. 1887, Lucinda is pregnant once again and the schooner, Arabella, set sail for New York City. The tide was right so the Arabella sailed off, on her maiden voyage, with a full load of lumber, Capt. William Buck and Alexander Chambers, his brother-in-law, as his first mate. There was also a passenger going to the states for a visit.  The Arabella was a new class of sailing vessel designed to be swift, cutting days off the time it took commodities to be traded back and forth with the States.  By piecing together facts and family stories, it can be said the Arabella arrived in NYC, unloaded the timber and reloaded with coal.  They were on their way out of Long Island Sound when an inbound ship hailed them. One of William’s brothers was onboard the hailing ship. They were warned about a dangerous storm off the tip of Cape Cod. They tried to get Capt. Buck to return to port until the storm was over. As the story goes, William was a stubborn sort with a great deal of determination and a fast ship, so he decided to take his chances with the elements. Since this was around Dec. 10, I’d like to believe they wanted to spend Christmas with their families. But we’ll never know for sure as the Arabella went down with no survivors. The passenger had opted to stay in the states for a longer visit so was spared the insanity of a Nor’easter on the open ocean.  So once again there is a death for Lucinda to face. She has the two surviving children and then Wildie is born in Apr. 1888.

Would this not be enough for any person to withstand? Well, for Lucinda – not quite. In 1890 she married Capt. John Cook. She had no means of support so marrying again was almost mandatory if she wanted her remaining children to survive. But fate struck again in 1909 when Capt. Cook was lost at sea.

In the meantime Arabella (Belle) had gone to MA in 1900 and married Charles Edward Lawrence in Apr. 1909. They settled in Medford and had three children. Marguerite and a set of twins Robert and Roberta. Her brother Edward LeRoy married Minnie Bishop in Sep 1909 and in 1910 their daughter Pauline was born. Sadly, Edward LeRoy died in 1911 and little Pauline died in 1917.  Wildie, the child born after her father was lost at sea, didn’t marry until 1919. She married Nelson Ward, a cousin, his mother being Esther Cole. Both Nelson and Wildie could claim Ebenezer as their gt. grandfather. Lucinda died Nov 4 1919 after burying just about everyone in her family.

A recap of the deaths Lucinda faced:

1874 – a son

1876 – Her grandmother Cole died

1877 – ten days apart, 2 daughters and a son

1878 – a son and her grandfather Buck died

1881 – Her grandmother Buck died

1883 – a son

1887 – a son, her husband and her brother-in-law

1897 – Her father died

1904 – Her mother died

1909 – her 2^nd husband

1911 – her last son

1917 – her granddaughter

Two of Wildie’s children would also die at young ages. However, Wildie lived until 1969, Belle lived into late 1950’s, early 60’s, during which time my grandmother would correspond with her. All of Belle’s children lived.

Losing a child is a gut wrenching, life altering event. Lucinda buried 8 of her 10 children, 2 husbands and a granddaughter. She was 74 when she died and I can only hope that some time in her life she knew and experienced some happiness and some peace.

http://archives.gnb.ca/Search/VISSE/default.aspx?culture=en-CA

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nbwestmo/census.htm

http://new-brunswick.net/nbgenlinks/index.htm

Family records and memories

Ebenezer Cole and Dorchester, New Brunswick

Ebenezer, along with Joseph Read, were founders of the Baptists of Sackville. Around 1802, Ebenezer moved to Dorchester where he continued to farm. Two of his older sons, Rufus, called Squire Rufus and Martin purchased the lands of their Uncle Martin, who had died in 1809. Here they quarried grinding stones and shipped them all up and down the east coast. Martin became the mariner and captained the ships that he and Rufus owned, while Rufus tended to the business of the quarries. Squire Rufus and Martin purchased a 60 ton schooner, Brant, and then they built a vessel of 100 tons and called it Martha Grace, which they sailed for 12 years.  According to some of the histories written about this area, this business became quite successful, until heavy duties imposed by the American Colonies made it cost prohibitive.

Squire Rufus Cole (1796-1884) m.1 Lavina Cutler (1797-1862) – 11 Children

          Seraphina Cutler (1819-1853) spinster

          Martha Grace (1821-1846) m. Charles Calhoun – 3 children

          Mary Ruth (1823-1890) m. Stephen Barnes (1807-1872) – 5 children

          Olive C. (1826-1862) spinster school teacher

          Rufus Cutler (1829-1918) m. Charlotte Smith  - 7 children

          Jonas Cutler (1831-1883) m. Adelia Jane Calkins (1851-1924) – 2 children

          Ruth Elizabeth (1834-1864) m. Thomas Anderson (1840-1918). They married in 1863      

          and Ruth was lost at sea in a storm in 1864.

          Lavinia V. (1837-1884) m. Edwin Bennett (1841-1870) – 1 child

          Charles W. (1840-1875)

          Augusta (1844-1866)

          Laleah Burpee (1845-1870) m. Alfred Bennett  They were married in 1867 and then      

          Laleah was lost at sea in a storm.

Ebenezer’s youngest son from his first marriage was Martin and he was the one who went into business with his older brother Squire Rufus. Martin settled in Sackville, married Mary Smith in 1830 and had 6 children.

          Mariner Lamb (1831-1862) m. Lucy Ann Snowden (1836-?) 2 children

          Alfred D. (1834-1912) m. Margaret McIntyre (1849-1916) – 4 children

          Ruth E. (1837-1912)

          Jonathan (1840 -?) Catherine Palmer (1841-1888) – 2 children

          Martha Ann Grace (1842-1877) – Asa Read (1831-1880) – 1 child

          Joseph Bedford (1850-1924) – Ada Tower (1856-1935) – 9 children

Ebenezer now had a second family, who were still quite young. Ebenezer’s oldest son, Jonathan and his oldest daughter Elizabeth (Cole) Palmer appear to be the only ones of his children, by his first marriage, who remained in Dorchester. His daughter Ruth (Cole) Calhoun removed to Albert Co., and his other daughter, Martha (Cole) Read went to CT. When Ebenezer died in 1826, his second wife, Margaret, would have been about 38 years old, with three children under the age of 11. I’ve found nothing written in any of the histories nor does there seem to be any family lore regarding how she managed the farm. Perhaps neighbors and family pitched in to help keep things going. However it was managed, she was able to keep the farm until her son Edward was old enough to take it over.

Edward was married in 1841 to Catherine Buck, d/o George and Phebe (Palmer) Buck and the Ebenezer Cole farm now became the home of the next generation of Coles. Edward and Catherine had 9 children. They were:

Ebenezer (1843-1867) m. Mary Ann Cook

Lucinda Jane (1845-1919) m1. Capt. William Edward Buck (1840-1887 lost at                          sea), s/o James R. and Sarah Mitton Buck. - 10 children;  

                                              m2. Capt. John A. Cook (1844-1909 lost at sea), s/o George and        

                                              Ann Coffee Cook

David (1850-1863)

Phebe (1851-1869)

*Rebecca Ellen (1854-1944) m. Alexander Scott Chambers (1855-1887 lost at                                                                                  

                                              sea), s/o James and Sarah MacPherson Chambers – 2 children                     

Edward William (1857-1908) m. Alice Dooe (1860-1934) – 7 children

Mary Abigail (1859-1925) m. John Muldoon (1847-1922), s/o Alexander and Mary Flynn  

                                               *1 Child

Emma Frances (1863-1948), m. Edmond Cole (1857-1918), s/o Martin and Sarah Crossman 

                                              Cole - 1 child

Margaret ((1866-1899) m. William Andrew Mitton (1858-1903), s/o Andrew and Ruth Mitton         

                                              – 4 children

A newspaper clipping says that Edward’s son, Ebenezer, died at his parents’ home. He was a sea Captain and his ship was the schooner William K. Chapman. Not all of the ships from this area of NB were ‘coasters.’ Many went on much longer voyages, The West Indies, Europe, Africa, even China. The clipping didn’t say what the cause of death was, but bringing back a tropical disease from some far distant port happened more often than one would think. Edward and Catherine had already lost their son, David, in 1863, then they lost Ebenezer and soon to follow, their daughter Phebe. In a matter of 6 years they lost three of their children. Lucinda became the eldest, nearly ten years older than my gt. grandmother Rebecca. The rest of the children grew to adulthood.

This was the day of sailing ships. Dorchester became a major ship building center, with plenty of available timber and a good harbor for launching ships.  There were three major ship builders in the Dorchester area. Gideon Palmer began his ship yard in 1854, in Dorchester, William Hickman moved to Dorchester in 1865 and took over an already established shipyard. Robert Chapman’s shipyard was in Rockland. Overall, the ship building industry lasted from about 1825 until 1899, but from mid-1820 to the 1860’s, it was considered the Golden Age of Sailing. Dorchester also became a port, of sorts. They exported timber, gypsum, and grinding stones which could end up in any one of the major seacoast cities. The return cargo might be coal or other goods that were not easily attainable in Dorchester.

Dorchester became a prosperous community and those connected to the shipyards or sailing became well respected citizens. Edward either gave up farming or greatly reduced the farming he did, because around 1847 he began to run the subsidized ferry between Hopewell Cape, Albert Co. and Cole’s Point.

As it is said, all good things must come to an end and that applies to the shipbuilding of sailing ships. A new age is arriving. There are now railroads springing up and ships are no longer relying on wind but on steam. As the industry began to decline, there were fewer and fewer jobs to be had. More and more of the Dorchester and Sackville inhabitants began to relocate. Many chose other shipbuilding sites along the east coast, other chose to go the bigger cities and take on a new trade all together. Those who had built ships were now building houses, using their carpenter’s skills. For many it was fortunate their skills were transferable. It was the end of an era.

Edward Cole’s mother, Margaret, died in 1876. Edward and Catherine continue to live in the Ebenezer house until he died in 1897. Catherine would live until 1904. Their son Edward, and his wife Alice, with their seven children also lived at the homestead.

 

http://www.archive.org/stream/RobertAndrewChapman-NewBrunswickShipbuilder/ArchiveApplicationForDesignation_djvu.txt

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorchester,_New_Brunswick

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nbwestmo/cen1820.htm

http://www.census-online.com/links/Canada/NB/Westmorland/

Pictures

I have managed to resolve my problem importing images to this blog. Before I begin the next blog on Edward Cole, I wanted to send out the images I had hoped to put into the Ebenezer blog.

These pictures were taken in the late 80's early 90's. This was Ebenezer's farm that was passed on to his son and eventually to his grandson.  There were some flat stones near his headstone, indicating that babies were buried there. If Ebenezer did drown there is no information stating whether or not his body was recovered. Therefore there is no certainty he is actually buried here.  Apparently this is a rather difficult place to get to on a dirt road, which has become a lover's lane.  There are some local stories of this area being haunted. It may all be the overactive imaginations of teenagers, but I haven't had the opportunity to test it out.  Maybe someday.

As can be seen in these next two images, Ebenezer's stone has fallen over and is now in two pieces.  These were taken c. 2012. Time has taken its toll.  Since this is considered a private family plot there is no upkeep on the area.

RIP Ebenezer Cole.