Finding Your Folks: Oh noooo! Another Jesse Cole?

Just as I thought it was safe to move on … I received first some information from Frances Hanson Arnold on her Jesse Cole and second a letter from Ken Arnold which gave further information on this same Jesse. Because of the area they lived in, I would bet dollars to doughnuts these Coles are related to our other Jesse (son of Robert Cole and Elizabeth Fambrough) and even maybe to Marcus Cole of Butts County from last week's column. That is what really drove me to include this Jesse of Frances and Ken's. This Jesse, like Marcus, had a daughter named "Aletha" or "Eletha" Cole. Now, that is not your usual, run-of-the-mill female name and I thought it was worth mentioning.

While I don't know what happened to Marcus' daughter named Aletha, I do know that Jesse's daughter Aletha married Thomas Hardeman Arnold in Monroe County, moved to Coweta, and is buried at Sharpsburg Baptist Church cemetery.

Other Coles who ended up in the same area were descendants of Richard Cole and Susan Vance, and descendants (who also had a Vance connection) of William Thomas Cole and Mary Ann Owen. Ken's Jesse Cole also has Owens in the family tree.

Now, you can't tell me that all this Owen-Cole mixing in Hancock, Jasper, Henry, Newton, Monroe and Butts counties might not be connected. I do not know exactly how, but if we go back far enough, we'll probably find Cole brothers and Owen brothers who are the ancestors of all these folks.

But let's find out about this most recent Jesse Cole from Ken Arnold's letter. Because I wanted to include as much of his information as I could, I have combined and condensed some of it due to space limitations. Ken writes:

"Hi Judy,

"This may shed some more light on the Cole puzzle …

"A Jacob Cole, my ancestor, was born Nov. 16, 1767, place unknown, and died in Pike County Nov. 21, 1847 around Barnesville, in present day Lamar County. He married Winneford/Winnfred Thompson about 1797, probably in South Carolina or Georgia. She was the daughter of Joseph Thompson of Wilkes/Oglethorpe/Jackson County, Ga., as he deeded property to their three children (his grandchildren).

"Jacob and Winneford had three known children: (1) Nancy Ann Cole, born Dec. 11, 1792 around Sparta, Hancock County, Ga. She died Jan 9, 1860 and married Randolph H. Collier about 1817; (2) Henry Cole born about 1793, married unknown but was alive at the time of his father's death, living in Pike, Monroe or one of the surrounding counties; and (3) William Jesse Cole, Sr., born Apr. 4, 1795 probably in Hancock Co. and died Mar 15, 1853 on his plantation just east of Barnesville in Monroe County.

"William Jesse Cole, my g-g-grandfather, married Susannah Gardner about 1823 in South Carolina, daughter of John Gardner and Catherine Pringle. They are buried along with some Fambroughs in Liberty Primitive Baptist Church in Liberty Hill in present day NE Lamar County not too far west of I-75. Susannah was born Mar. 4, 1803 in Kershaw Co., S.C. and died Jan. 25, 1875 in Monroe County at her late husband's plantation.

"The Cole family cemetery is just east of Barnesville (approx. 5-7 miles) on U.S. Hwy. 41 leading from Barnesville to Forsyth on the north side of the road. It lies at the shoulder of the highway."

Ken says William Jesse and Susannah Gardner Cole had the following known children:

(1) Albert Cole and (2) Franklin Cole. Nothing is known of these two; probably died young.

(3) Hiram Cole, b. abt. 1815, married Lauren Bence.

(4) Jacob W. Cole, b. abt. 1823 in S.C., married Mattie Lawrence in 1857 in Monroe Co.

(5) John G. Cole, b. abt. 1825 in S.C., married (1) Marian Unknown and (2) Missouri Howard on 21 March 1850 in Monroe Co.; she was the daughter of James Howard and Mary Mills.

(6) Joseph Thompson Cole, no information.

(7) William Jesse Cole Jr. b. 2 Sept. 1828 in S.C., married Martha Ann Howard (sister of Missouri) in Monroe Co.

(8) Elizabeth Angeline Cole b. 14 Apr. 1830 in S.C., married William Green Duke 2 Jan 1845 in Monroe Co.

(9) Delilah Jane Cole b. Feb. 1831 in Monroe Co., married William Albert Taylor 9 Sept. 1849 in Monroe Co.

(10) Aletha (Letha) Ann Cole (Ken's great-grandmother) b. 24 Nov. 1833 in Monroe Co., married Thomas Hardeman Arnold (Ken's great-grandfather) 15 July 1851 in Monroe Co., moved before the Civil War to Coweta County and lived in Turin. Both died in Coweta and are buried at Sharpsburg Baptist Church in Sharpsburg.

(11) Mary Catherine Cole b. 1835 in Monroe Co., married John M. Pearson, probably in Monroe Co.

(12) James H. Cole b. 1837 in Monroe Co. No further information.

(13) Delphia (Delpha) R. Cole b. 1838 in Monroe Co., married Richard Lee Mills 2 Nov. 1856 in Monroe Co.

(14) Elijah Cole b. 1842 in Monroe Co., died unmarried during the Civil War.

(15) Nancy Frances Cole b. 1845 in Monroe Co., married Henry W. Cain 27 March 1865 in Monroe Co.

Ken added, "The Cole researchers studying this side of the family strongly believe that they are related to the Coles of Coweta but haven't been able to tie them together as of yet, though my Coles and some of the Coles that you have been writing about lived in the same proximity in Turin/Sharpsburg area.

"Hope this helps in some way.

"Ken Arnold, St. Augustine, FL"

I appreciate Ken's contributions, as always. He generously has shared much of his research on these Coweta families with us. Ken's email address is [email protected] for those who may want to contact him.

Stories about your families who lived on Atlanta's south side are always welcome. Send stories to [email protected] or [email protected]. Mail to The Citizen, P.O. Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214. All letters and e-mails I receive are subject to being used in the column.