Gale Cole (1765-06-05 – 1799-12-13), sometimes Gail, was a soldier in the American Revolution, my 5th-great-grandfather through his son Thomas Cole by his first wife Mary Blodgett (c.1762 – 1839-10-29), and a bigamist who led a double life with two families. He was the son of Jonathan Cole and Lucia Emerson.
He held several command positions and served in multiple lines, enlisting in Massachusetts but also serving in New Hampshire and Maine. There is a record of him deserting during the Revolutionary War on 1779-11-18.
He enlisted anew in Maine in 1798, but in the next year was furloughed on account of illness, and became more sickly and died. Cynthia’s sister provided a deposition detailing his declining health; see below.
One summary in his file says, “It is alleged that his local reputation was not good.”ref
He married Mary, daughter of Archippus Blodgett, in 1780-06 in Coös County, New Hampshire. She was my 5th-great-grandmother. He later bigamously “married” Cynthia Fisher (1763–1848) on 1785-08-30 in Attleborough, Maine. He lived his late years mostly in Maine with his other family, only occasionally visiting Mary, who lived with her father.
The bigamy became an issue after his death, when Cynthia applied for, and received, a Revolutionary War pension as his widow, and Thomas later made a similar application as Gale’s only surviving child by Mary. A court bafflingly ruled that the first was not a real marriage. Henry Winthrop Hardon in his Cole family history called this verdict “absurd”ref. It may have reflected judicial reluctance to disturb the status quo.
Mary survived Gale, remarried to Ephraim Howe Burnham, and died in Monkton, Vermont in 1839.
Cynthia remarried in 1806 to Samuel Dennett.
Gale was the son of Jonathan Cole (1725-02-11 – 1800s) and Lucia Emerson (1729-05-15 – 1750s).
By his son’s deposition, Gale had two children by Mary: Deborah and Thomas himself. Deborah married Samuel Johnson, and had 7 children.ref
Gale and Cynthia had 8 children.ref
Abigail Marrow (née Fisher,
He was a healthy man ever after I became acquainted with him until he went into the service in 1798. He enlisted as I understood in Portland in Capt. Stoddard’s Company and immediately after came home as a recruiting officer and enlisted a number of men and in a short time went back to Portland with the men. After a few months absence he came home on furlough quite unwell with a very bad cough which he said he caught camping out while out in pursuit of some men who had deserted from the Army. He remained at home a short time and then went back to Portland and getting no better came home again wearing his uniform and said he had a furlough. I do not recollect when he last came home but it was before the 16th day of April for his son Artemis F. Cole was born that day and he was at home then sick and I will recollect of conversing with Dr. Benson about his case. He did not again return to his company but grew worse until he died with a consumption….
Her testimony is assumed to be accurate, but Gale may not be reliable about details such as how he caught his cough.
Gale was 34 when he died.