James Cole, of the Plymouth Colony

Parents seen as William Cole & Susan Cole without supporting evidence.

James Cole (abt. 1600 - aft. 1678)

• James Coles [uncertain] formerly Cole aka Coale [uncertain]
• Born about 1600 in Barnstaple, Devon, England
• Parents: unknown
• Wife: Mary Tibbes

Family and Children

James Cole married Mary Tibbes in Barnstaple, Devonshire on May 1, 1625, and had four children. She died after March 7, 1659/60. Children of James and Mary Cole:

1. James was baptized in Barnstaple on February 11. 1626/7. He married (1) Mary Tilson on December 23, 1652, and had seven children. He married (2) Esther _____ by September 1698. He married (3) Abigail _____ in 1700 or later. He died on October 4, 1709.
2. Hugh was baptized on June 29, 1628, in Barnstaple. He married Mary Foxwell in Plymouth on January 8, 1654/5, and had twelve children. He died in 1699. John was born about 1630. He may be the man whose inventory was taken at Portsmouth, Rhode Island, on December 15, 1676. If so, he had a wife named Mary.
3. John
4. Mary was born about 1632. She married (1) John Almy by 1668 and (2) John Pococke by June 28, 1677. She had no known children.

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(29Nov2018) However, from a text, "Cole 200 to 1920," Copyright, 1920, by J. Arden:

• quote* James Cole, a younger son of Sir William Cole of Enniskillen, the namesake and favorite of the King, about the time of the first Pilgrim settlement at Plymouth, Mass., was given a grant by the King to most valuable land there. He was destined later to become the head of the Am^erican branch of the family. (Chapter II, pg.23.)
• unquote*

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Listed as a passenger with the Winthrop Fleet.

James and Mary Cole came to Saco, Maine, in 1632, and the following year, 1633, locate in Plymouth, MA, where he was admitted as freeman the same year. He was known as a sailor. His name appears upon the tax list of Plymouth in 1634; Jan. 2, 1636, he had a grant of ten acres of land; Jan. 2, 1637, the court deeded him seven acres of land to belong to his dwelling house. Three acres of land probably included all the land on the south side of Leydon Street, from the corner of Warren Street to the westerly line of the lot opposite the Universalist Church. He was the first settler of and lived upon what is still known as "Cole's Hill," the first burial ground of the Pilgrims. Soon after his arrival at Plymouth he opened the first inn or public house of Plymouth, and one of, it not the first, public house in New England. Merchant was an occupation that might mean anything involving the buying and selling of a variety of products. An occupation of considerable importance was that of innkeeper, for the state recognized the need to provide comfortable lodging, food, and drink for visitors. James Cole became Plymouth's best known innkeeper with his establishment on Cole's Hill on the north side of Leyden Street. His worth to the community was shown in 1669 when the court awarded him 10 pounds to repair his house "soe as it may bee fitted as an ordinary for the entertainment of strangers."

James Cole was born in England. He migrated to Plymouth as an adult with his wife Mary and their 4 children. James Cole first appears in the records of Plymouth Colony in the 1630s. The name of the ship on which he sailed to America is not known. James was an innkeeper. Operating an inn, or "ordinary," was a public service and the Colony authorized money to keep the ordinary in good repair. James also appears in the Records of Plymouth Colony for violations of the Colony’s liquor laws on numerous occasions. James Cole’s ordinary was near but not actually on Plymouth’s "Coles Hill." Coles Hill most probably takes its name, not from James Cole, but from John Cole who bought property on the hill in 1697. The first reference to "Coles Hill" appears on 6 March 1698-9 : "The towne granted to Nathaniel Warren 50 foot frunt of land below Coles Hill soe aled by the shore side and soe to Run down from High Water Marke in to the sea to whorf out soe farr as may be

Convenient the sd Warren alwayes leaveing A sufficient way for Carts to pass along the shore between the banck & the sd land to be taken upp" (Records of the Town of Plymouth, I : 266). The date of James Cole’s death is unknown, he last appears in the records in 1673.

James was the first settler of what is known as "Coles Hill", the first burial ground of the pilgrams who died the first winter. In the Spring, the surviving Pilgrams planted corn over the burial site so the Native Americans would not be aware of the fact that half of the settlers had died.

Origins

According to Robert C. Anderson: James Coles was born about 1600 based on the date of his marriage. He died after October 1678. Ship: Unknown, 1633. Nothing is known of his life in England.

Links

• http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/c/o/l/James-Michael-Cole...
• http://www.arq.net/%7Eljacobs/cole.html
• http://home.comcast.net/~gtrivers/genealogy/wc01/wc01_198.htm
• http://www.meiszen.net/family/tree/manly/loretta/j_cole_anc.htm

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• James Cole
• Birth: 1600 London, England
• Death: 1692 Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA
• Son of William James Cole and Susan Bale
• Husband of Mary Tibbes and Mary Lobel (DeLovel)
• First settler of Cole Hill
• Tablet mounted on the granite post at the top of the steps on Cole's Hill bears this inscription:
• "In memory of James Cole
• Born London England 1600
• Died Plymouth Mass 1692
• First settler of Coles Hill 1633
• A soldier in Pequot Indian War 1637
• This tablet erected by his descendants 1917"
• James opened the first tavern and Inn in the Plymouth Colony on a piece of land that is today known as Cole's Hill. It stands in front of Plymouth Rock overlooking the harbor. His lands extended to Swansea Mass.There is a river there named Cole's River. It had formed a property boundary line. Of particular interest is James Cole's apparent lack of church membership among the scores of early prominent settlers whose places of prominence in the community were usually parallelled by leadership roles with in the church. Not only did James Cole appear to avoid church, but also operated a rather rowdy tavern - almost reminiscent of those which gave the old west a notorious flavor.
• James Cole became a freeman in Plymouth about 1634. He obtained from the colony a license to operate a public house, and by 1637 his first violation of the liquor control laws was recorded in the court records. A later account describes the throwing of stools and general disturbance until early morning hours. By 1640 the court withdrew James Cole's license to sell liquor, after which he was fined for selling liquor without a license. His license was not restored until 1645.
• James continued to operate an inn even without his liquor license. He was apparently financially successful and acted as surety on bonds at various times and loaned money. He undoubtedly won the respect of the towns people. He was elected constable in 1641/2 and again in 1644. He was also appointed highway surveyor several times beginning in 1642.
• James Cole, as well as his wife, continued to experience problems in operating the tavern within legal boundaries after his license was restored. James and Mary were fined for allowing drunkenness in the tavern, selling liquor on Sunday, and selling liquor to Indians. In 1652 one of his tavern patrons was up all night drinking in Cole's house before he went out fishing and accidentally drowned.
• James himself was cited three times by the court for being drunk, the last time in 1671. In defense of his third offense he claimed to have aninfirmity which caused him to appear drunk, and was not fined. He was also charged with battery in 1650, but cleared of the offense.
• Despite the rowdy reputation of Cole's tavern, the court in 1653 decided to pay James Cole for his expense of operating an "ordinary," and provided him with "necessaries" for entertaining strangers. In 1659 the court again paid Cole 10 pounds for improvements in his "ordinary."
• James Cole also appeared numerous times in court records as either plaintiff or defendant in various actions involving business contracts and debt collections.
• In 1670 the operation of the tavern succeeded to James, Jr., who was not charged the excise tax that year because he was beginning a new business.The operation of the tavern went smoothly after James, Jr. took it over,and there were no more fines for license and liquor violations, although one of the patrons was charged with "drinking, gameing and uncivil revelling" in 1671 when he brought a mare into Cole's parlor. Although James, Jr. was not held responsible he was cautioned to "keep good order in his house . . . " with "no revelling there."
• He was a Sailor, Surveyor, Constable. Moved to Saco, Maine 1632 with wife and two children; then Plymouth, Mass 1633
• He came to Saco, Maine in 1632 and then he immigrated about 1633 to Plymouth. He was a freeman 1634 in Plymouth. He was known as a sailor. Granted 4 acres on 2 Jan 1636/1637, and 50 acre grant on 16 Sep 1641. He kept an inn from 1638 to 1660.
• Occupation: Innkeeper and shoemaker
• Notes: He appeared frequently in Plymouth Court, sometimes for rather colorful reasons; on 2 Jan 1637 he was noted for drinking excessively at Mr. Hopkins; in 1652, Robert Willis spent the night at James Coles drinking before he went out fishing and drowned; in Oct 1653, he was presented for entertaining townsmen in his house." He was also fined repeatedly for "drawing wine without a license" in 16 ... he was fined 5 s. for selling wine to the Indians and allowing several women to drink on Sunday. He earned enough money to loan money to others in the area. In 1670 his son James took over the ordinary. The place apparently quieted down, though in early 1671, Jonathan Sprague was fined for misbehavior which included riding his horse into the parlor. As a more respectable member of society, he served on several juries from 1637 to 1648, as constable 1642 and 1644, and as surveyor of highways 1641, 1542, 1651, and 1652.
• Plymouth Colony Book: He was a servant of Thomas Bourne. He was the owner of Cole's Tavern on Cole's Hill in Plymouth.
• The Descendants of James Cole of Plymouth by Ernest Byron Cole page 21 says that he was the first settler of and lived upon what is still known as Cole's hill, the first burial ground of the Pilgrims. This land probably included the ground upon which rests Plymouth rock. In Sept. of 1641, he had a grant of 50 acres of land at Lakenham meadow. In Oct 1642, he had a further grant of land at the same place. In 1662 a grant of land at Sacconet Neck. In 1665 he had 30 acres of land on the west side of the Namuet River. He was surveyor of highways in the years 1641,1642,1651,and 1652; was constable in 1641 and 1644. In 1637 his name appears upon a list of volunteers against the Pequot Indians. Soon after his arrival at Plymouth he opened the first inn or public house of Plymouth, and one of if not the first , public house in New England. This house was kept as a public house by him and his son James until 1698. In 1668 he sold to his son James the land down to and including the lot upon which stands the Baptist Church. In 1689 his son James sold it to William Shurtliffe.
• Family links:
• Parents:
• William James Cole (1570 - 1630)
• Susan Bale Cole (1574 - 1650)
• Spouse:
• Mary Tibbes Cole (1598 - 1660)*
• Children:
  • James Cole (1626 - 1709)*
  • Hugh Cole (1628 - 1698)*
  • John Cole (1637 - 1677)*
• Sibling:
• James Cole (1600 - 1692)
• Daniel Cole (1614 - 1694)*
• Burial: Coles Hill Burial Ground, Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA
• Find A Grave Memorial# 34205577
• From: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=34205577 _______________
• COLE, James
• b. 25 JUL 1600 England
• d. Plymouth, Plymouth, Mass.
• Family:
• Marriage: 1 MAY 1625 England
• Spouse: LOBEL, Mary
• d. Plymouth, Plymouth, Mass.
• Children:
  • COLE, James
  • COLE, Hugh
  • COLE, Ephraim b. ABT 1629
  • COLE, John
  • COLE, Mary
• From: http://www.genealogyofnewengland.com/f_577.htm#25 _____________________
• The early genealogies of the Cole families in America. (Including Coles and Cowles). With some account of the descendants of James, by Hartford, Connecticut, 1635-1652, and of Thomas Cole, of Salem, Mass., 1649-1672
• https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Early_Genealogies_of_the_C...
• https://archive.org/details/earlygenealogie00colegoog
• https://archive.org/stream/earlygenealogie00colegoog#page/n87/mode/1up
• Pg.53
• JAMES COLE. One of the families that came from England to Plymouth was that of James Cole. I have not been able to find anything concerning him previous to 1634, but he probably had a family with him when he came to the settlement. He was the first settler on the eminence known as "Burial Hill." The first mention of him in the Plymouth Colony Records is in the list of freemen of 1633, where the name is spelled Coale ("Ply. Col. Rec. 1-4.) .... etc.
• https://archive.org/stream/earlygenealogie00colegoog#page/n89/mode/1up
• .... Savage says that he was living in 1688, very aged.
• His wife was Mary —— , she was living in March, 1660. Children :
  • 2. i. James, b. about 1625 d. —
  • 3. ii. Hugh, b. about 1627, d. —
  • 4. iii. John, b. — d. 1677.
  • iv. Mary, b. — m. John Almy, he was a son of William Almy of Plymouth, 1643. After his marriage to Mary Cole he moved to Portsmouth, R. I. He was Capt. in King Phillip's war, and died in 1676.
• JAMES2 COLE (James1), The oldest son of James Cole, the Plymouth inn-keeper was probably born in England and came to the colony when a boy with his father. The date of his birth was probably about 1625, as he is on the list of those able to bear arms in 1643, together with his younger brother Hugh.
• He married December 23, 1652, Mary Tilson, at Scituate, and there his oldest child was born.
• .... etc.
• https://archive.org/stream/earlygenealogie00colegoog#page/n90/mode/1up
• Pg.56
• HUGH2 COLE (James1), the second son of James and Mary Cole, was born probably about 1626, as he is found on the list of able-bodied men in 1643, and those lists generally included the men from sixteen to sixty.
• https://archive.org/stream/earlygenealogie00colegoog#page/n91/mode/1up
• Pg.57
• He married June 8, 1655, Mary, the daughter of Richard Foxwell.*
• .... etc.
  • * Richard Foxwell came with Winthrop and was admitted freeman in 1631. He moved to Situate, R. I., in 1634, and m. Ann Shelly. He was one of the church in Situate under the Rev. John Laythrope. He d. about 1668. His children (recorded in Barnstable) were: i. Mary, b. Aug. 17, 1635, m. Hugh Cole. ii. Martha, b. Mar. 24, 1638, m. Sam'l Bacon, May 9, 1699. iii. Ruth, b. Mar. 25, 1641. iv. John, b. — d. Sept, 21, 1646.
• https://archive.org/stream/earlygenealogie00colegoog#page/n93/mode/1up
• Pg.59
• .... etc.
• The children of Hugh and Mary (Foxwell) Cole were:
  • .... etc.
• On Jan. 1, 1689, he married Elizabeth, the widow of Joseph Cook,* and in 1698, as his third wife, the widow Mary Morton.
• JOHN2 COLE (James1), the third son of James and Mary Cole was born — . He served on a Jury at Plymouth in 1668, and a year or two later removed to Swansey with his brother Hugh. he was constable of Swansey in 1673, and served on a coroner's jury in 1676. He died early in 1677, as the court, on June 7 of that years, makes the following order in reference to his estate:
• .... etc.
  • * Elizabeth Litter was the daughter of Thomas Litter, of Plymouth, who came over from London in 1635, at the age of twenty-three, and died in 1684. He left one son and three daughters, the second of whom, Elizabeth, m. Oct. 1655, Wm. Shurtleff, who was struck by lightning June 23, 1663. By him she had three sons. On Nov. 18, 1669, she m. Joseph Cook, the youngest son of Francis, who came over in the Mayflower in 1620. He was b. in Holland and came over in the Ann, in 1623, with his mother and brother. He d. 1676, and Jan. 1, 1689, she m. Hugh Cole, who survived her.
• https://archive.org/stream/earlygenealogie00colegoog#page/n94/mode/1up
• His wife was —— —— m. —
• Children:
  • .... etc.
• EPHRAIM3 COLE (James,2 James,1) .... etc. _____________________
• Cole 200-1920 A.D. by Arden, Juliette
• https://archive.org/details/cole2001920ad00arde
• https://archive.org/stream/cole2001920ad00arde#page/31/mode/1up
• Between 1630 and 1633, James Cole and his wife with their children, James Jr. and Hugh, came to America to settle, years after the death of King James.
• Every effort was made not to interfere with the Pilgrim settlement, but their grant was a troublesome affair, which in the end had to be adjusted by the Courts. They built their home on the hill just back of the rock landing place, overlooking the Bay, since known as Cole's Hill. It was a little north of Leyden Street, on which the houses of the early settlers had been built. Two other children, John and Mary, were born there.
• James Cole established the Inn, probably the first in New England, on Leyden Street. In 1636, the Courts allowed him ten acres of land, three of which were on the "south side of Leyden Street, from Warren to the westerly line of the lot opposite the Universalist Church." (Undoubtedly the land immediately around the Inn.) In 1637, he was allowed seven acres surrounding his house. (Cole's Hill.) In 1641, fifty acres additional were given him, and still more in 1642. (In the Lakenham meadow district.) In 1662, a grant at Secconet Neck; and in 1665, thirty acres on the south side of the Nanuet River.
• For many years, he and his eldest son, James Jr., kept the Inn. In 1668 he sold out to his son, who continued to run it until 1698. There is no record of the death or burial place of either James Cole or his wife, Mary.
• His children and grandchildren intermarried with those of the original settlers, four of the daughters of James Jr. marrying Elkanah Cushman, Nathan and Thomas Howland and Elisha Bradford.
• .... etc. _________________

Son of William James Cole and Susan Bale Husband of Mary Tibbes and Mary Lobel (DeLovel)

First settler of Cole Hill

Tablet mounted on the granite post at the top of the steps on Cole's Hill bears this inscription:

"In memory of James Cole Born London England 1600 Died Plymouth Mass 1692 First settler of Coles Hill 1633 A soldier in Pequot Indian War 1637 This tablet erected by his descendants 1917"

James opened the first tavern and Inn in the Plymouth Colony on a piece of land that is today known as Cole's Hill. It stands in front of Plymouth Rock overlooking the harbor. His lands extended to Swansea Mass.There is a river there named Cole's River. It had formed a property boundary line. Of particular interest is James Cole's apparent lack of church membership among the scores of early prominent settlers whose places of prominence in the community were usually parallelled by leadership roles with in the church. Not only did James Cole appear to avoid church, but also operated a rather rowdy tavern - almost reminiscent of those which gave the old west a notorious flavor.

James Cole became a freeman in Plymouth about 1634. He obtained from the colony a license to operate a public house, and by 1637 his first violation of the liquor control laws was recorded in the court records. A later account describes the throwing of stools and general disturbance until early morning hours. By 1640 the court withdrew James Cole's license to sell liquor, after which he was fined for selling liquor without a license. His license was not restored until 1645.

James continued to operate an inn even without his liquor license. He was apparently financially successful and acted as surety on bonds at various times and loaned money. He undoubtedly won the respect of the towns people. He was elected constable in 1641/2 and again in 1644. He was also appointed highway surveyor several times beginning in 1642.

James Cole, as well as his wife, continued to experience problems in operating the tavern within legal boundaries after his license was restored. James and Mary were fined for allowing drunkenness in the tavern, selling liquor on Sunday, and selling liquor to Indians. In 1652 one of his tavern patrons was up all night drinking in Cole's house before he went out fishing and accidentally drowned.

James himself was cited three times by the court for being drunk, the last time in 1671. In defense of his third offense he claimed to have aninfirmity which caused him to appear drunk, and was not fined. He was also charged with battery in 1650, but cleared of the offense.

Despite the rowdy reputation of Cole's tavern, the court in 1653 decided to pay James Cole for his expense of operating an "ordinary," and provided him with "necessaries" for entertaining strangers. In 1659 the court again paid Cole 10 pounds for improvements in his "ordinary."

James Cole also appeared numerous times in court records as either plaintiff or defendant in various actions involving business contracts and debt collections.

In 1670 the operation of the tavern succeeded to James, Jr., who was not charged the excise tax that year because he was beginning a new business.The operation of the tavern went smoothly after James, Jr. took it over,and there were no more fines for license and liquor violations, although one of the patrons was charged with "drinking, gameing and uncivil revelling" in 1671 when he brought a mare into Cole's parlor. Although James, Jr. was not held responsible he was cautioned to "keep good order in his house . . . " with "no revelling there."

He was a Sailor, Surveyor, Constable. Moved to Saco, Maine 1632 with wife and two children; then Plymouth, Mass 1633

He came to Saco, Maine in 1632 and then he immigrated about 1633 to Plymouth. He was a freeman 1634 in Plymouth. He was known as a sailor. Granted 4 acres on 2 Jan 1636/1637, and 50 acre grant on 16 Sep 1641. He kept an inn from 1638 to 1660. Occupation: Innkeeper and shoemaker

Notes: He appeared frequently in Plymouth Court, sometimes for rather colorful reasons; on 2 Jan 1637 he was noted for drinking excessively at Mr. Hopkins; in 1652, Robert Willis spent the night at James Coles drinking before he went out fishing and drowned; in Oct 1653, he was presented for entertaining townsmen in his house." He was also fined repeatedly for "drawing wine without a license" in 16 ... he was fined 5 s. for selling wine to the Indians and allowing several women to drink on Sunday. He earned enough money to loan money to others in the area. In 1670 his son James took over the ordinary. The place apparently quieted down, though in early 1671, Jonathan Sprague was fined for misbehavior which included riding his horse into the parlor. As a more respectable member of society, he served on several juries from 1637 to 1648, as constable 1642 and 1644, and as surveyor of highways 1641, 1542, 1651, and 1652.

Plymouth Colony Book: He was a servant of Thomas Bourne. He was the owner of Cole's Tavern on Cole's Hill in Plymouth.

The Descendants of James Cole of Plymouth by Ernest Byron Cole page 21 says that he was the first settler of and lived upon what is still known as Cole's hill, the first burial ground of the Pilgrims. This land probably included the ground upon which rests Plymouth rock. In Sept. of 1641, he had a grant of 50 acres of land at Lakenham meadow. In Oct 1642, he had a further grant of land at the same place. In 1662 a grant of land at Sacconet Neck. In 1665 he had 30 acres of land on the west side of the Namuet River. He was surveyor of highways in the years 1641,1642,1651,and 1652; was constable in 1641 and 1644. In 1637 his name appears upon a list of volunteers against the Pequot Indians. Soon after his arrival at Plymouth he opened the first inn or public house of Plymouth, and one of if not the first , public house in New England. This house was kept as a public house by him and his son James until 1698. In 1668 he sold to his son James the land down to and including the lot upon which stands the Baptist Church. In 1689 his son James sold it to William Shurtliffe.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34205577/james-cole_1

References

• https://www.pilgrimhall.org/james_cole.htm