Bio of George COLE (b.1852), Yellow Medicine Co., MN

USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information
on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities,
as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is
obtained from the contributor of the file.

These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or
presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to
use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written
consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter,
and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent.

Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: LaNaye Hennen 
                                            <henfarms@clarkfield.ruralink.com>

GEORGE COLE (1878)

George Cole, county commissioner from the Fourth District and a prominent
farmer of Oshkosh township, is one of the pioneers of that precinct.  His
farms consists of 320 acres on sections 6, 7 and 8, improved with one of 
the finest farm homes of Yellow Medicine county.

Mr. Cole was born in Devonshire, England, November 12, 1852.  His mother,
Mary Ann (May) Cole, died in England in 1883; his father, John Cole, died 
in 1888 in New York City while on his way to Yellow Medicine county.  
George was brought up in the village of North Moulton, where he resided 
until fourteen and one-half years of age.

In 1867 he came to the United States with a sister, brother, and aunt, and
from that time he worked as a farm hand, at threshing and other occupations
in Carver and Scott counties, Minnesota, until his arrival to Yellow
Medicine county in 1878.  On March 13 of that year he first saw the county
in which he has ever since resided.  With him came Frank Hewitt, Arthur
Hewitt, William Cole and Manuel Peterson.  Mr. Cole selected as a homestead
claim the south half of the southeast quarter of section 6, Oshkosh, and as
a tree claim the north half of the northwest quarter of section 8, and 
about the sixteenth or seventeenth of March filed on the claims at the 
land office in Redwood Falls.

After making his filing, Mr. Cole returned to Carver county to make
preparations for locating on the homestead.  He came back to Yellow 
Medicine county the same spring, broke some land, and erected a 10 x 12 
feet frame house.  He spent the following winter in his old home, but in 
the latter part of March, 1879, he set out in company with his brother, 
William Cole, and drove through with horse teams.  He took up his abode on  
the homestead and has lived there ever since.  He bought the other quarter 
section of land from the railroad company.

Mr. Cole had many pioneer experiences.  He burned hay during the long 
winter of 1880-81, and late in January of that season he ran out of flour. 
From that time until late spring he was obliged to manufacture his flour 
in a coffeemill.  Because of lack of kerosene oil, they used a wick set 
in a pan of grease for lights; in the place of tobacco he used a sort of 
white weed that was found in the hay.  He made several trips to Canby on 
snowshoes during that memorable winter.

Mr. Cole has taken a prominent part in local affairs during his long
residence in Oshkosh township.  He was a supervisor of his township two
years and assessor fourteen years.  For the same length of time he was a
director of school district No. 39.  In the fall of 1898 Mr. Cole was
elected county commissioner from the Fourth District on the Republican
ticket, and he has been elected each four year period since.  He is a 
member of the Presbyterian church of Canby.

The marriage of Mr. Cole to Louisa E. Peterson occurred in Carver county,
Minnesota, March 14, 1879.  She was born in that county June 18, 1859.  
Her father Juan Peterson is deceased; her mother, Lydia Peterson, lives 
in Oshkosh township.  The children of Mr. and Mrs. George Cole are as 
follows:
John W., who lives at home, born March 6, 1880; Lee R., a farmer of Oshkosh
township, born April 11, 1882; Dolly E., who lives with her parents, born
June 9, 1885; and Myrl E. (Mrs. H. W. Zilch), of Willmar, Minnesota, born
June 9, 1888

Source: "A History of Yellow Medicine County" by Arthur P. Rose
Published 1914