Charles D. Cole

Charles D. Cole is considered to be one of the earliest pioneers in Sheboygan County and in Sheboygan Falls. His name lives on in the Cole Historic District, which includes Water, Monroe, Adams, and Michigan streets. Cole was born in New York in 1806, and married Sarah Trowbridge in 1831. In 1836, Cole and Sarah moved to Sheboygan, where Cole set up a fur trading warehouse with his partner, Farnsworth. The Cole family moved to Sheboygan Falls in 1838, and purchased 320 acres of land. Their home is now the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center! In 1867, at the age of 60, Cole passed away and is buried here, in the Sheboygan Falls Cemetery.

Charles D. Cole was born in Schenectady, New York, on October 19, 1806. He attended public school while also working on canal boats. At the age of sixteen, he was made captain of a canal boat in Cleveland, Ohio, proving his leadership and authority. On August 22, 1831, he married Sarah Trowbridge in Ithaca, New York. Sarah was born in 1813, to parents Deacon William and Dorothea Trowbridge. They are also buried in the Sheboygan Falls Cemetery, and are also considered important founders of the area.

Charles and Sarah had six children, George, William H. (who married Helen Brainard Cole), James R., Nathan, Charlotte, and Hattie. Charles ran a successful canal business until he sold his boats in 1836 to move his family to the Wisconsin Territory. There, the family landed by the mouth of the Sheboygan River, and Charles set up the fur trade with his business partner, Farnsworth. Together, they bought furs from the Native American people.

In 1836, Charles was appointed the first Postmaster of Sheboygan, and when the county was organized he was chosen to be the first Register of Deeds; it was his job to register the new Sheboygan County with the land office in Green Bay.

In 1838, after the financial panic of 1837, the Cole family moved to Sheboygan Falls and bought 320 acres of land. They lived in the mill house, which today is the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center. Charles built a sawmill on the Pigeon River in 1848, and later bought a water powered mill in Sheboygan Falls. He then converted that mill into a sawmill and gristmill. At the same time, the Cole family continued to operate their own farm.

On March 20, 1867, Charles passed away at the age of 60. His wife, Sarah, lived for another 20 years, passing away on March 24, 1887. Charles was one of the first people to be buried in the new Sheboygan Falls Cemetery. He is considered to have been a good business man and a prominent and influential citizen. He is credited with encouraging emigration to the area, and promoted the growth of what is now Sheboygan and Sheboygan Falls.

History of Sheboygan County, Genealogy Trails History Group. Accessed March 30th, 2024. https://genealogytrails.com/wis/sheboygan/history_earlysettlers.html.

Klein, Gary C. "Sheboygan County's oldest building is home to the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center | Throwback Thursday." The Sheboygan Press (Sheboygan) March 17th, 2022.

Charles D. Cole, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin Genealogy and History. Accessed March 30th, 2024. https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~sheboygan/genealogy/bios301.htm.