Francis Cole

A large group of Continentals were younger than age 20 and hadn't knew war before the Revolution.

National Park Service/Ranger Dan U.

Quick Facts

Significance:

Cole was a young man who enlisted to fight on the behalf of his new nation. He was taken captive only a year into his service.

Place of Birth:

British Colony of New York

Date of Birth:

circa 1781

Place of Death:

Watertown, Jefferson County New York State

Francis Cole was born circa 1761 in the British Colony of New York. He enlisted into the 3^rd NY Regiment of the Continental Line on August 24, 1777, just after the Siege of 1777, in Captain Abraham Swartwout’s company. He was only 16 or 17 years old.

Oral history of his family and muster records indicate that he likely marched to Fort Schuyler as a militia member in General Benedict Arnold’s relief column. In August of 1778, exactly a year after his enlistment, he and another man were captured and taken prisoner by enemy forces.  

The following is an account taken directly from his pension request: 
“…the 24^th day of August 1778 where he & one Francis Cranbury as they were going to a spring for water were taken prisoners by 20 Indians at Fort Stanwix now Rome State of New York * were carried by them to an island in near the outlet of Lake Ontario where he the said Francis Cole was kept until about the tenth day of October 1778, when he was sold by the Indians to Frances Gochee a Frenchman & in Fur trader who kept me until the year 1783. That he was in a short engagement with the Indians at Fort Stanwix a few days pervious to his being taken prisoner by the Indians..” 
 
After his return he took up residence with a Peter Cole. In 1812 they were recorded as living in Otsego County, NY. By 1820, his fortunes had changed yet again. Cole was living with his brother-in-law in Oppenheim, Montgomery County, NY.

On June 17, 1820 he was deposed while applying for a soldier's pension and stated the following:  
“That I no land or buildings whatever that I owe about three dollars & fifty cents, that I now live with my brother in law but have no settled place of abode. That my occupation has been that of a farmer but am now so feeble as to be unable to do much labour.” 
 
It is unknown if he was ever granted his pension. Sometime after his pension depostion, he ended up moving to Brownville, NY near the St. Lawerence River, with his brother John and his brother's family. He died in Watertown, NY. 

Sources:

• NYS Pension Record S.43351
• Muster Records of the 3rd NY Regiment from FamilySearch.org. Accessed on June 8, 2023. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL6B-MRZ6