article written by William H. Coles, Jr.

In 1954 a Genealogist prepared a paper on the Family of William Temple Cole/Coles. This research was used by a client to join the DAR under the Revolutionary War Service of Captain William Temple Coles of Rowan County, North Carolina. The problem is this researcher tied your William Temple Cole and my William Temple Coles together. For instance, she showed him [them] in Wilson County, Tennessee in 1816, because that was what the records showed for William Temple Coles. William Temple Cole was killed by Indians in Missouri in 1810 so they really could not be one and the same.

In 1971 I began research on my ancestor William Temple Coles of Dublin, Ireland and Rowan County. I developed great documentation and prepared an application to the Sons of the American Revolution. As fate would have it, Mrs Whitley [the Genealogist of the above mentioned paper] was the acting Registrar for the Tennessee Society of the SAR. She called me and said she would not approve the application as it did not match her lineage of William Temple Coles.

I bided my time and did further research. I visited with Mrs Ira A. [Fay Cole] Leiter at her home in Sedalia, Missouri. She and I agreed that the lines of my William Temple Coles and her William Temple Cole had been mixed together.

I continued with my research and eventually, with the help of a family member who was a member of the DAR, got the Corrections General of DAR to alter the false information of Mrs. Whitley and straighten out the Captain William Temple Coles Line.

The Line I have put together has been accepted by the SAR, the Sons of the Revolution and the Society of the Cincinnati. So my paper trail has been upheld.

But with the advent of Y-DNA testing, I wanted scientific affirmation.

Y-DNA Testing is a relative new tool being used by genealogists to prove a Common Ancestor exists between the people whose Y-DNA is being tested. The test looks at the DNA in the Y-chromosome within males. This is one of the sex chromosome and is responsible for maleness. All males have one in each cell and copies are passed down (virtually) unchanged from father to son every generation. For further information see the following web sites and follow the links on each home page.

www.familytreedna.com
This is the company that did Charles Cole’s DNA. Please follow all links for great information.

www.dnaheritage.com/tutorial1.asp
This is the best explanation I have seen on what it is and how it works.

The actual test is a very simple procedure. The testing company sends a kit containing two vials and a plastic swab to gently scrape the inside of your cheek. You deposit the swab into one of the vials. You repeat the procedure in eight hours. Seal the provided envelope and put on $0.49 postage. In about eight weeks you will get a report. The 25 marker test is the one with the best results.

A Genealogist had an individual tested using the COLE/COLES Project with Family Tree DNA. She was testing to connect him to a COLE Family in NC./SC. I paid for a test on Charles Cole, there was an exact match with your Vice President. These two individuals matched 25 of 25 markers.. They share a common ancestor about 8 generations back. The Cole gentleman in Kentucky can trace his genealogy to William Hunter Cole, d. 1844 in NC and thinks he is from Stephen Cole of PA.

I am so glad I did this Y-DNA Project. I did not find a common ancestor between my William Temple Coles and your William Temple Cole – BUT – Charles Cole and the Cole Family of Missouri has found another member of their family.

We have another perfect match between two testees on both 12 and 25 markers. The newest testee to receives results is Charles Cole of Sheldon MO. He matches Richard Harold Cole of Mableton, GA. Richard was sponsored by Ann Cole Barber, Richard’s Sister.

The ancestry of Charles Cole (per Bill Coles) is William Temple Cole who married Hannah Allison in Kentucky or Virginia. William Temple Cole was killed by Indians in Missouri. My [Bill’s] William Temple Coles was from Ireland and died in Salisbury, Rowan County, NC in 1776.

The earliest known ancestry of Richard as described by Ann is as follows:

James W. Cole [2GGFather]

• born:     12/08/1865/1868, Paulding County, Georgia
• died:      01/23/1929, Greenville, South Carolina
• bd.:       Bethul Church Cem., Greenville, South Carolina
• md.:      (1) Margaret Talley (Richard’s Great-Great Grandmother)
                buried at Gann Family Cem.
• md.:      (2) Mrs. Minnie Brookshire (maiden name UNK)
                buried at Bethul Cem., Greenville, S.C. with James.

The above information, myself [Ann] and other family members can positively prove through first-hand account and documentation. The remainder is what we have been told.

Father of James W. Cole:
  Henry C. Cole:

• born:      04/25/1844, Paulding County, Ga.
• died:      After July 1890, Paulding County, Ga.
                (was diagnosed with epilepsy during civil war)
• bd.:        Cole Cemetery, Dallas Paulding County, Ga.
• md.:       Mary Elizabeth Johnson

Father of Henry C. Cole:
  James C. Cole/Coal, Jr.:

• born:      09/17/1811, South Carolina
• died:      04/22/1883, Paulding County, Ga.
• bd.:        Cole Family Cem., Dallas, Paulding Co., Ga.
• md.:       Elizabeth Evans

Father of James C. Cole/Coal, Jr.:
  James C. Cole/Coal, Sr.:

• born:      abt. 1780 Virginia
• died:      1847 Paulding County, Ga.
• md.:       (1) Unknown (Richard’s Ancestor)
• md.:       (2) Patience Unknown

When I was a child (approx. 10) my father, Waitsel, told me that his Cole relatives, past and present, spelled their surname many different ways. When I asked what he thought it was originally he said that it “could” have been “McCool”.