Cole, John Higgs

John Higgs and Elizabeth Preston Cole
From Proud Heritage, Vol 1 by DCPA
This 300 page hardcover book is available online.

John Higgs Cole & Elizabeth Preston Cole

John Higgs Cole was born in Sumner County, Tennessee January 24, 1827. He was the third son and sixth child of Dr. John Cole and Polly McDonald Cole. He lived with his family in Sumner County and Robertson County, Tennessee until 1829. After fourteen years in Crawford County and Washington County, Arkansas he moved with his family to Texas in December of 1843 just before his seventeenth birthday. The family settled in the area that was to become Dallas County.

He lived with his father and mother until his father's death in 1850. He continued to live with his mother and several of his brothers in the home that was located west of Turtle Creek near the headwaters of Cedar Springs Creek until his marriage October 12, 1856.

John Higgs Cole had applied for and received through the Peters Colony Company, a certificate for 320 acres of land. He patented 160 acres in the area now known as Oak Cliff. He transferred 60 acres to John B. Robertson and patented the remaining 100 acres to the east of and adjoining his father's 640 acre headright. The present-day boundary of this 100 acres would be Mockingbird Lane, Hillcrest, Airline Road and Harvard Avenue. He inherited from his father the 160 acre north- east quarter of his father's headright. He bought from his brother William the 160 acres that William had inherited.

In 1856 John H. married Elizabeth Preston who had come to Dallas County earlier that year with her mother, her brothers and her sisters. Her father came at a later date. Elizabeth was the daughter of George Preston born 1798 and Anna Roddy born 1802. She was born in Tennessee as were both her father and mother. One of her father's brothers was William Gilwater Preston for whom Preston Road was named.

Shortly after their marriage John H. and Elizabeth built a three story red brick farm house where the tennis courts are now in Cole Park. Their barn and stock tank were south of the house where North Dallas High School is located. The house was one of the first (possibly the first) brick home built in Dallas County outside of the town of Dallas. The bricks were made in a brick factory that John H. owned in Ferris. The Cole name was impressed into each brick.

The children of James and Sarah Ann Cole were: James Columbus born April 26, 1851, John M. born September 2, 1853, Mary Alice born June 9, 1855, Gallison Newton born April 13, 1857, Sarah Frances born December 13, 1858, Elizabeth Jane Dobbs born November 3, 1860, Lewis dark born October 12, 1863, Lucy E. born October 28, 1865, Charles Bennett born October 8, 1868, Nellie Isabella born November 23, 1871, and Carrie Clementine born December 29, 1873. The first eight children were born in Bexar County, the last three in Dallas County.

James Madison Cole died in Dallas County, Texas January 21, 1883. Sarah Ann Bennett Cole died in Healdsburg, California February 5,1920.
by Homer Warlick, Dallas