Cole(s) Family (1808 – 2008)

George Coles b.1808 in Kimbolton, Huntingdonshire. Married Ann. They had 3 children: Charles (b.1836), Thomas (b.1838) and Henry (Harry).

Henry was born in 1843 in East Haddon, Northamptonshire. Married Lucy Austin in 1866 in Brixworth, Northamptonshire. They had 7 children: Harry (b.1869), John Austin (b.1872), Frederick (b.1874), Christopher (b.1877), Mary Ann (b.1882), Flora (b.1888) and Jack (b.unknown). By the 1901 census, Henry and Lucy had moved to the nearby village of Holdenby and Henry had the occupation of Milkman. I do not have any dates of death for either Henry or Lucy.

At some point around the turn of the century, it appears that some of the Coles dropped the ‘s’ and became known as Cole, this is what my Great Grandfather Christopher did. In 1899 he married Mary Ann Heathershaw (more about the Heathershaw’s later) at Lincoln Registry Office. They also had 7 children, 6 boys and 1 girl. They were Chris, Cyril, Walter (my Grandfather), George, Henry, Fred and Lucy. Christopher died in Lincoln in 1942 aged 65. Mary Ann survived a further 14 years until 1956 when she died whilst living at Vere Street in Lincoln, she was 77.

My Grandfather Walter was born in Lincoln on 14th July 1908 and he married Mabel Hall (also born 1908) in Lincoln 1937. Walter was in the Army and held the post of Private. After leaving the Army, he became the proprietor of the Black Horse Hotel in Eastgate, Lincoln before moving to Waddington and taking over the Wheatsheaf Inn. Walter and Mabel had 2 children, Pamela Joy (my Mother b.1941) and Grahame Philip (b.1949). Walter died at the age of 63 in 1971 a day before his 34th wedding anniversary whilst Mabel lived to the ripe old age of 95 before she died in 2004.

Of Walter and Mabel’s two children, Pamela married Alan Marshall in 1964 and they had 2 boys, Stephen (b.1965) and Me, Ian (b.1967). Grahame married Carol Cosgrove in 1975(?) but the marriage only lasted a short time and they separated. Grahame is now living in Spain with his partner Christine.

The Wheatsheaf Inn, Wadington (L-R): Walter Cole, Nellie Hall (nee Ranshaw), Mabel Cole (nee Hall), Pamela Cole (My Mother).

The Cole(s) Family Tree: