Author Topic: Cole Family- 50 year brick wall, please help!  (Read 1155 times)

Offline devondaenys

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Cole Family- 50 year brick wall, please help!
« on: Sunday 07 March 21 21:28 GMT (UK) »
Desperately looking for my great-great-grandpa Robert Cole. This mystery has lasted generations: my great uncle even went to visit Robert's wife's relatives in Ireland, and returned empty handed. Said uncle, who passed away 8 yrs ago, named his (living) son Robert too... I have to finally solve this!

Robert Cole emigrated in 1883. He was born in Ireland in 1863, but the earliest record we've found him on is the 1891 Canadian census (Toronto). He married Mary Anne Crawford in 1896. She arrived in 1894 from Fermanagh, and they had 5 kids. He died in 1936.
According to Rob's marriage certificate, he was born in Tip. But according to his son's marriage certificate, Rob was born in Cork. Rob's parents are 'George & Ann' on his marriage certificate; but on his death certificate they're 'George Cole & Francis Pearsy'.
For months on end, I've searched... there's no sign of a Robert Cole, associated with George + Francis OR George + Anne, existing anywhere in Ireland between 1860 & 1883. If I didn't have his shillelagh, I'd be looking to other countries.

If anyone has ANY knowledge, ideas or advice, I'd be so grateful!

Offline athacliath62

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Re: Cole Family- 50 year brick wall, please help!
« Reply #1 on: Monday 08 March 21 11:08 GMT (UK) »
what religion was this family ?

without knowing a location it could be difficult as there are no clues as to which church this family might have attended, the records may not be online, or may not have survived

There are about 7 George Cole entries on Griffith's valuation, most in Ulster but two in county Tipperary in Corbally parish c1864, might be worth focusing on this area to check record availability.

Offline aghadowey

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Re: Cole Family- 50 year brick wall, please help!
« Reply #2 on: Monday 08 March 21 12:17 GMT (UK) »
The information that George supplied for his marriage is likely to be more accurate than details on his death certificate.

Civil registration of births & deaths didn't start until 1864. Registration of Catholic marriages also in 1864 but non-Catholic marriages from 1845.

Any occupation for Robert's father?
George, son of George Cole & Ann Mills, born Cork (father a soldier)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FRM8-T6J
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1876/03062/2122576.pdf
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1876/020590/7224458.pdf
Away sorting out DNA matches... I may be gone for some time many years!

Offline Dundee

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Re: Cole Family- 50 year brick wall, please help!
« Reply #3 on: Monday 08 March 21 12:47 GMT (UK) »

Rob's parents are 'George & Ann' on his marriage certificate; but on his death certificate they're 'George Cole & Francis Pearsy'.


Francis is a male name, Frances is female and is interchangeable with Fanny and Ann.  According to census records he was Presbyterian.

Debra  :)


Offline jonw65

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Re: Cole Family- 50 year brick wall, please help!
« Reply #4 on: Monday 08 March 21 12:57 GMT (UK) »
Here's the Toronto death cert for Robert Cole. It originally said Don't know for his mother. Frances Pearsy has then been written.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9Q97-Y3S5-32Y

There's another York, Toronto death.
24 August 1920
Frances Brooks
Age 61
Born Ireland
Father George Cole
Mother Mary Ann Piercy
Both born Ireland
Informant R G Brooks, Son
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DKR9-X1Z

Is there a connection? :-\

Offline Dundee

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Re: Cole Family- 50 year brick wall, please help!
« Reply #5 on: Monday 08 March 21 13:04 GMT (UK) »
I believe they are the people he was boarding with in 1891.

https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1891&op=img&id=30953_148174-00657

Debra  :)

Offline jonw65

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Re: Cole Family- 50 year brick wall, please help!
« Reply #6 on: Monday 08 March 21 13:09 GMT (UK) »
Well done
Thomas John Brooks + Frances Cole marriage in 1883 in Toronto
Her parents George Cole and Ann
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9Q97-Y39G-2V6

Offline jonw65

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Re: Cole Family- 50 year brick wall, please help!
« Reply #7 on: Monday 08 March 21 13:21 GMT (UK) »
Witnesses Robert Cole and Margaret Hall of Toronto.

Offline devondaenys

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Re: Cole Family- 50 year brick wall, please help!
« Reply #8 on: Monday 08 March 21 20:07 GMT (UK) »
My gosh, look at all of you doing in a couple hours what us Coles haven't been able to do for 50 years! I'm my whole family (myself included of course) will be impressed, ecstatic and eternally grateful!!
I was very new to genealogy when I started looking for Robert (I'm only 21, by the way)... I suppose I formed some assumptions then, which stuck in the back of my mind and narrowed my search unnecessarily. For example, I never really examined those listed around Robert on his census: though I've known that's a strategy for awhile now, I didn't in the beginning, and became convinced Robert must've been the only member of his family in Toronto around that time (since no familial relationships were explicitly stated anywhere).