Ephraim Cole Sr. (1726 - abt. 1812)

Born 28 Sep 1726 in Swansea, Bristol County, Province of Massachusetts Bay

Ancestors

Husband of Ruth (Arnold) Cole — married 16 Apr 1746 in Portsmouth, Colony of Rhode Island, British Colonial America

Descendants

Died about 1812 at about age 85 in Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States

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Ephraim Cole Sr. is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor.
NSSAR Ancestor #: n/a
Rank: Sargeant

Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/), "Record of Ephraim Cole", Ancestor # A024139.

Biography

Ephraim Cole was born on September 28, 1726 at Swansea in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, the son of Nathaniel and Sarah (Thomas) Cole.^[1] He married Ruth Arnold on April 16, 1746, in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. They had six children in 20 years. He died in 1812 in his hometown, having lived a long life of 86 years.

Children born to Ephraim and Ruth Arnold, (1724–1766)

1. Elizabeth Cole 1746–1781
2. Ephraim Cole 1747–1811
3. Ruth Cole 1753–
4. Nathaniel Cole 1755–1791
5. Sarah Cole1762–
6. Susannah Cole 1766–1795

Research Notes

Children’s names, birth & death dates are typically harvested from web sites or secondary sources, not vital records, use with caution. They are only included here as a possible resource for future connections.

Military Service in the Revolution

• Sources; "The Descendants of James Cole of Plymouth 1633"; by Ernest Byron Cole (Grafton Press, New York, 1908) "Revolutionary Records Compiled from State and Federal Archives" found on pp.356 a detailed service record for this profile
• Ephraim served in Captain William Worth's Company, Colonel Henry Jackson's Regiment, Continental Army, Nov 17, 1777 to Dec 31, 1779; also same Company and Regiment, Jan 1, 1780 to Nov 16, 1780, three years Continental service: [1] [2]

Daughter Elizabeth

Cole states that Ephraim's daughter Elizabeth married Hezekiah Butterworth.^[2] While there is a marriage record of two people with these names, there is no primary source known to prove that the Elizabeth daughter of Ephraim and Ruth is the same Elizabeth Cole who married Hezekiah. However, a land record from 15 April 1784 (see below) shows four of Ephraim's children deeding inherited land to Hezekiah. While this could be a sale of four heirs to an independent individual, it would also be common in this case to see inherited land being consolidated in the possession of one heir through such a transaction. Together with Cole's claim, we view this as sufficient evidence to tentatively link Elizabeth wife of Hezekiah to Ephraim as his daughter.

Land Records

27 October 1752 — Ephraim Cole of Swansea, yeoman, quitclaims to Nathaniel Cole Junr. of Swansea, laborer, all of his interest in 41 acres at Swansea.^[3] The previous deed shows Barnard Cole quitclaiming his interest in the same land. The deed immediately following is a much later deed, from 14 June 1784, in which the children of Barnard Cole quitclaim their interest in a a seemingly adjoining piece of land comprising 20 acres to Nathaniel Cole of Swansey, yeoman. This latter parcel quitclaimed by Ephraim to Barnard on 27 October 1752 (see below).

27 October 1752 — Ephraim Cole of Swansea, yeoman, quitclaims to Barnard Cole, blacksmith, all of his interest in about 20 acres at Swansea.^[4]

1 May 1778 — Two deeds between Ephraim Cole of Swansea, yeoman, and his son Nathaniel Cole of Swansea, yeoman. In one, Ephraim conveys to Nathaniel all of his real estate in Swansea and Warren which by law fell to Ephraim from his grandfather Nathaniel Cole, deceased. In the second, Nathaniel leases all the land that his father had deeded to him back to his father for 10 shilings a year.^[5]

22 January 1783 — Ephraim Cole of Swansea, yeoman, conveys land at Swansea to Nathaniel Cole of Swansea, yeoman, in two separate deeds. The first comprises 16 acres at Swansea. The second is 1/3 part of the piece of land set off to Ephraim's brother Nathaniel Cole, who is since dead in Law. In both deeds Ephraim mentions his mother, who is still to have her right of improvement of both parcels of land. At one point he writes, "for him my sd. son to have and to hold", the only place where he indicates that Nathaniel was his son.^[6]

15 April 1784 — Ephraim Cole, yeoman, Nathaniel Cole, yeoman, Sarah Cole, spincer, and Ruth Ormsbe, spincer, all of Swansey, convey about 20 acres at Warren to Hezekiah Butterworth of Warren, yeoman, it being the northern half of a lot of land formerly belonging to Nathaniel Cole of Swansey, deceased, which he had given to his son Nathaniel Cole, who is since deceaed.^[7] These would appear to be four of Ephraim's children deeding land to Hezekiah, who married Elizabeth Cole.

12 March 1787 — Sarah Cole of Swansea, widow and relict of Nathaniel Cole of Swansea, deceased, conveys to her son Ephraim Cole the 1/3 part of a parcel of land which was set off to her son Nathaniel Cole who had since become deceased in Law.^[8]

Sources

1. ↑ Cole: Page 79
2. ↑ Cole: Page 123
3. ↑ Bristol Co., Mass. deeds vol. 62 pages 496–7
4. ↑ Bristol Co., Mass. deeds vol. 44 page 275
5. ↑ Bristol Co., Mass. deeds vol. 59 page 58
6. ↑ Bristol Co., Mass. deeds vol. 63 pages 416–417
7. ↑ Warren, R.I. deeds book 3 page 17
8. ↑ Bristol Co., Mass. deeds vol. 66 page 363

• Cole, Ernest. The Descendants of James Cole of Plymouth 1633 (Grafton Press, New York, 1908)
• Birth citation for Ephraim in Swansea to Nathaniel Cole Jr. and Sarah on 26 Sep 1726; "American Ancestors, (NEHGS)" and "FamilySearch"; [3] [4]
• Marriage citation for Ephraim Cole and Ruth Arnold in Portsmouth, RI on 16 Apr 1746; "Rhode Island Marriages, 1724-1916," database, FamilySearch [5] :citing Portsmouth, Newport, Rhode Island, reference ; FHL microfilm 908,270.
• Vital Rec. of RI, Vol. 4, p. 15.
• Coggeshalls in America, p. 31.
• Memorial for Ephraim and links to spouse and some children at Find A Grave: Memorial #56355082