[p. 870] a leading citizen of Wayne Township, resides on his fifty acres of valuable land, which is a part of the old Cole farm, which was one of the first to be settled in this section. Mr. Cole was born in Wayne Township, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, April 26, 1840, and is a son of Abram and Elizabeth (Smith) Cole, and a grandson, of Isaac Cole.
Isaac Cole, the grandfather, was one of the earliest settlers in this part of Lawrence County. He was born December 5, 1776, and died on the present home farm, February 27, 1857. In 1793 he was married (first) to Elizabeth Depew, who died February 10, 1803. Their children were: Andrew, born February 2, 1795; Daniel, born June 30, 1797; and Abram, born May 1, 1800. Isaac Cole married (second) March 22, 1808, to Jane Lytle. When Isaac Cole and his wife first settled in Wayne Township, Lawrence County, the face of a white man was seldom seen. Their surroundings were wild and their neighbors were savages. The land was known as college land, and the grandfather of the present generation of Coles secured 150 acres. Life was lived in a primitive way in those days, and a rude log cabin was considered adequate for shelter, and for many years it was the family home. This property came to Abram Cole and remained his home during life. A large portion subsequently came into possession of Andrew C. Cole, who still retains fifty acres of the old farm. He has disposed of forty-two acres for building purposes, selling the greater part of it acre by acre, and a large portion of the pleasant and thriving village of Hazel Dell stands on land which Isaac Cole redeemed from the forest. He was prominent in all the early agencies of civilization, and assisted to found the Presbyterian Church in this section, in which he was an elder for many years.
Abram Cole was born and grew to manhood on the present farm, his birth taking place May 1, 1800, and he was a babe of three years when his mother died. He assisted in clearing up the farm, and in 1822 he married Elizabeth Smith, who was born at East Liverpool, Ohio. They had the following children: Mary Y., born December 15, 1823, died young; Elizabeth, born September 25, 1830, resides in Wayne Township, and is the widow of John T. Newton; John Smith, born October 5; 1833, died aged twenty years; Daniel, born May 8, 1836, died in 1856; Charlotta, born December 11, 1838, died young; Andrew C., born April 26, 1840; and Margaret J., born April 23, 1843, married John Marshall, and they reside at Wampum. Abram Cole was stricken with paralysis and died April 1, 1867.
Andrew C. Cole was reared in Wayne Township, and obtained his education in the local schools. On July 24, 1862, he was married to Miss Mary Ellen Marshall, who is a daughter of John H. and Susan Marshall. They were natives of Washington County, Pennsylvania. John H. Marshall lived to the age of seventy-seven years, and his wife to the age of sixty-nine years. In 1872 Mr. Marshall was appointed the first postmaster at Hazel Dell, and served nine years, and was succeeded in the office by Mr. Cole, who also served nine years, the family retaining this Government connection for a period of eighteen consecutive years. Mrs. Cole was the fourth born in a family of eleven children, the others bearing names as follows: Margaret, Thomas J., Rebecca J., William B., Enoch H., Diomedes, Izora, Laverga, John F. and Florence. Mrs. Cole died December 11, 1904. For many years she was an active and interested member of the Slippery Rock Presbyterian Church. She was a lady of engaging personality and of literary acquirements. For a long period she had been a welcome contributor to newspapers and magazines. The children born to Andrew C. Cole and wife were the following: William Hamilton, born June 4, 1863, married Theresa Tillia, and they have five children—Clara E., John H., Frank, Gladys G. and William, the latter deceased; John Withrow, born December 18, 1865, died December 9, 1885; Frank Edward, born March 18, 1868, married Estella Parker, daughter of John Parker, and at death left two sons—Andrew J. and Wayne E.; Lizzie Luella and Jennie Izora, twins, born November 12, 1870, the former of whom married Harry McGovern, residing at Carnegie, and has two sons—Harrison R. and Harold C., and the latter twin married William Buquo, residing at Hazel Dell, and they have two daughters—Eleanor G. and Catherine E.; Thomas James, born August 9, 1873, married Elizabeth J. Hamilton, of Plaingrove, and died January 9, 1900, leaving one son—Thomas D.; Carl Hays, born November 15, 1875, died August 24, 1896; Thurman, born January 29, 1879, was a practicing dentist at Marion, Ind., at the time of his death, August 16, 1902; and Catherine M., born November 16, 1881, residing at home with her father.
After his marriage Mr. Cole took charge of the farm, as had his father before him. In many ways their lives present similar features. Each was the youngest son and each fulfilled the sacred duty that devolved upon him of caring for his parents in their declining years. On April 1, 1893, Mr. Cole and his sons Thomas, Carl and Thurman, embarked in a mercantile business at Hazel Dell. Later a fire destroyed their store, and Mr. Cole moved to Ellwood City, purchasing the C. L. Eldridge property, and engaged in a grocery business there until 1904, when he retired to the farm. In politics Mr. Cole is a Republican. He takes a deep interest in educational matters in his immediate neighborhood and in public affairs concerning the country at large. He is a member of the First Presbyterian Church at Ellwood City.
20th Century History of New Castle and Lawrence County Pennsylvania and Representative Citizens Hon. Aaron L. Hazen Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company, Chicago, Ill., 1908
Previous Biography | Table of Contents | Next Biography
Explanation/Caution | Lawrence Co. Maps | Lawrence Co. Histories
Updated: 17 Jan 2002