Several of his descendants including his youngest son stated he was born in PA, but it is doubtful his parents moved there that early; more probably he was born in Baltimore Co. MD. The first record that cam be attached to him with reasonable assurance is as one of the tasables in Dublin twp, Bedford Co. PA. in 1779 near his father, but only for personal property(1 horse, 1 cow).He was to young to appear in earlier tax lists, but is on the tax list there for 1783 and may be the Thomas Cole taxed in Huntington Co. in 1788for 168 acres in Hopewell twp. He is in all likelihood the Thomas Cole among the warrantees of land in Bedford Co. 9 Nov 1784 for 180 acres and for 400 acres on 2 Apr 1788. A full search of the deed records of Bedford and Huntington counties would doubtless clarify these entries. He is quite probably the Thomas Cole, PVT, in the Bedford Co. militia(no date) with his brother Broad Cole. A grandson namesake claimed his grandfather was a member of a scouting party in the Revolutionary War. This is to indefinite to authoritative, but the preceding reference should enable Thomas descendants to qualify for membership in patriotic organizations. On 10 May 1800 Congress passed an Act providing for the sale of a large body of Federal land in the Northwest Territory, including some exceptionally attractive farm land in what in 1803 became South-central Ohio. This unusual opportunity to acquire such choice land cheaply created strong inducement for many far-sighted families, who a generation earlier had pioneered the valleys of western PA, to move on further west. the completion in1797 of that most heavily traveled pioneer road, Zane's Trace, running overland southwest from Wheeling through Zanesville and Lancaster(which became the county seat of Fairfield Co. when it organized in Dec. 1800 to Chillicothe and thence Limestone(Marysville)KY, had made access to this fertile heartland much easier by eliminating the hazardous river journey on which practically all previous settlers had depended. the facts were certainly not lost on the Coles who, their father now dead, could more easily sever their ties with the past. Thus it was that on May 12, 1801 Thomas Cole sold his firm in Huntington Co. PA and immediately headed his large family for the newly organized Fairfield Co. His son-in-law, Daniel Swope and probably others from Huntington Co. migrated with him. One may suppose that he already had some notion of the area in which he wanted to settle, as he cannot have taken long to chose a definite location, for on 16 July 1801 he had registered at the Federal Land Office of Chillicothe his Certificate #227 for a whole section of land in what later become Amanda Twp. Fairfield Co. OH, @$2.00 per acre, paying $322 down(1/4 of the purchase price, as was then required)It is surmised that he left his family in the care of earlier settlers in the Fairfield area, while he made the round trip of 30 plus miles to Chillicothe alone. There is some reason to believe that Thomas may have been accompanied on the migration from PA by his brothers Joshua and Dimmitt. His brother Broad either came up from KY to join him there about this time, or may even have participated in the move from PA. No doubt the entire family shared in the labor of clearing the land and getting it under cultivation; but after 4 years the others took up land of their own in nearby counties, and Thomas to his own holdings on Nov. 21, 1805 by taking up and additional half section(NE1/4and kSE1/4 of S31T14R20) by Certificates #1613 and#1614. In view of these land holdings it is most strange that he is not listed among the Fairfield Co. tasables in 1806, though he does appear in the 1810 list. Another mystery is his absence from the 1820 census, not only of Fairfield but of any of the other counties in which the Coles settled. He enjoyed a high reputation during his lifetime, not only as a citizen and successful farmer, but also as an "Old School" Baptist Preacher. When he was a Baptist while his brother Broad was an ardent Methodist remains unexplained. nothing is known of his wife's family. She was b. 1760 in PA, and died in Fairfield Co. OH in 1831. After her death he divided his land among his 3 surviving sons in 1834, giving his youngest son, Broad, a double share, apparently in return for Broad's leasing the homestead back to him for life. Thomas died intestate in fall of 1840.The administrator's account naming all of the listed children except #8(Thomas). The 1800 Census of Huntington Co. PA shows the family as consisting of 3 sons and 5 daughters, indication that Thomas Jr. was living, but he must have died young. (Mary was already married, while the 2 youngest were born in OH). Birth dates of the children were taken from an unidentified paper found among the effects of Beulah Cole(?), but clearly having been taken from some family bible. Thomas and Elizabeth were probably buried in their home farm, but their graves have never been located.
This account of Thomas Cole was prepared by:
Richard B. Miller 420 S. Madison Ave, #315 Pasadena, CA 91101
More About Thomas COLE and Elizabeth STEVENS or STEPHANSON: Marriage: 1778, Bedford, Huntington Co, PA.38
Children of Thomas COLE and Elizabeth STEVENS or STEPHANSON are:
Mary COLE, b. 03 June 1779, Bedford, Huntington Co, PA38, d. 20 February 185738.
+Abraham COLE, b. 09 May 1781, Huntington Co, PA38, d. 18 October 1841, Hancock Co, OH38.
Joshua COLE, b. November 1783, Bedford, Huntington Co, PA38, d. 185938.
Sarah(Sally) COLE, b. 19 January 1786, Bedford, Huntington Co, PA38, d. date unknown.
Elizabeth COLE, b. 12 March 1789, Bedford, Huntington Co, PA38, d. date unknown.
Rachel COLE, b. 18 October 1791, Bedford, Huntington Co, PA38, d. date unknown.
Athalia(h) COLE, b. 20 September 1794, Bedford, Huntington Co, PA38, d. date unknown.
Thomas COLE, b. 01 February 1797, Bedford, Huntington Co, PA38, d. date unknown.
Ann COLE, b. 10 November 1799, Bedford, Huntington Co, PA38, d. date unknown.
Board COLE, b. 23 September 1802, Fairfield Co, OH38, d. 25 June 188238.
Rebecca COLE, b. 07 January 1805, Fairfield Co, OH38, d. date unknown.
Thomas COLE (b. 15 March 1757, d. 1840)
Notes for Thomas COLE: