A Cyclopædia of Canadian Biography: Brief biographies of persons distinguished in the professional, military and political life, and the commerce and industry of Canada, in the twentieth century
History
A Cyclopædia of Canadian Biography: Brief biographies of persons distinguished in the professional, military and political life, and the commerce and industry of Canada, in the twentieth century
Canada -- Biography
Montreal he took charge of the mail for the west, which had been
accumulating for a month and weighed upwards of sixty pounds, and
carried it to Kingston. He accomplished the whole trip, going and
coming, of 430 miles on foot, in fourteen days, and this was in March,
when the trail most of the way was through the forest and very
difficult. He received for this service, from the Government the sum of
fifteen dollars. Abel Cole, who was the youngest son of Adam Cole, died
December 9, 1893, aged 88 years. His wife, Catherine Seaman, a
grand-daughter of Caleb Seaman, died Nov. 2, 1893, aged 83 years, being
one of the sons of Caleb Seaman who was with Lord Cornwallis at York
Town. Wilmot Howard Cole, second son of Abel Cole, was educated at
Brockville. He commenced mercantile business in 1855, and continued in
the same until 1882. The old spirit of loyalty which he inherited,
prompted him upon the organization of the Volunteer Militia of Canada in
1855, to become a member of the old “Brockville Rifle Company,”
commanded by Major Smythe (later of the 100th Regiment, British Army).
The late Col. James Crawford, William Fitzsimmons (a former postmaster
of Brockville), the late Samuel Ross, William Morris, Thomas Camm and
other business men of Brockville, shouldered their muskets and learned
the drill at the same time. Wilmot Howard Cole filled every position in
rank from private to colonel of battalion. In December, 1864, he went
with the Brockville Rifle Company, as lieutenant, to Amherstburg, in the
County of Essex, remaining there on duty until the following May. In
November, 1865, the fear of a Fenian Raid was so strong in the vicinity
of the River St. Lawrence, that the officers of the Brockville Rifle
Company (who were at the time, the late Col. Crawford in command, Lieut.
Cole, Lieut. Robert Bowie, and the late Lieut. Windeat), offered their
services without pay, and to increase their company to 100 men to do
duty for the protection of Brockville and vicinity, by drilling the men
and mounting a heavy guard every night, with sentries posted in
different parts of the town, the men only being paid twenty-five cents
per day. The offer was accepted by the government and that duty
performed until the ensuing March, when a large portion of the volunteer
force were called out, and a provisional battalion formed at Brockville,
under command of Col. Crawford, Lieut. Cole assuming command of the
Brockville Rifle Company, with which he remained on duty until the next
November, part of the time at Brockville and part at Cornwall. Again in
1870, as major of the 41st battalion, he was on duty at Cornwall during
the Fenian excitement. On June 28, 1871, he was appointed to the command
of the 41st battalion; on June 28, 1898, he resigned, having held the
command for 27 years, and was a member of the active force for 43 years.
In 1913 the Militia Department honored him with the full rank of
Colonel. Col. Cole occupied various positions of trust and importance in
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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