Calling all descendants of Patriot Nathaniel Cole

My wife capturing the moment with me and my kids

This will be a first.  I don't think I've ever used this blog as a call to action, but here we go.  I have noticed on many occassions that the blog post about my ancester Patriot Nathaniel Cole often gets a number of hits.  I assume it's not folks looking for "patriot" or "tea party" in the title, because occassionally I am contacted by fellow descendants.

This past summer we took a slight detour on our way back home from vacationing on the East Coast.  As if all the cemeteries we visited weren't enough, I had to visit my ancestor's gravesite near Binghamton, New York.  The Colesville Cemetery to be more specific, near the Nathaniel Cole County Park, both named for my ancestor.....a Revolutionary War patriot known for his courage and tenacity under fire.  Cole was born in Connecticut and after the Revolution, moved with his family and a small band of neighbors to Broome County, New York and established Cole's Hill, later Colesville, along with a tavern and inn on the market road.

I wasn't sure what to expect at the cemetery, but it wasn't that the namesake of the park and village buried there, in the middle of it all, would have a broken and nearly illegible gravestone.  Fortunately there was some contact information on a brochure at the cemetery-which was well-kept-no complaints there.  When I returned home I sent an email asking about how I could participate in repairing his stone.  I never heard anything until about a week ago when I was contacted by a headstone preservation specialist.  I didn't know such a thing existed.  I asked "can you make a living at it?"  He assured me he could, and does.....a young fellow with a passion for preservation.  Reminded me of me, and not just because we shared the same uncommon first name.

This might have been my wife making fun of me

So, he shot me a price.  And I understood then how he could make a living at this.  It was $200.  Not a steep amount, but I'm going to offer YOU, oh distant cousins of mine, a chance to participate in this worthy effort and return a little respect to the gravesite of our patriot-ancestor.  If you contact me with an email address I will let you know how you can participate.  I am working through a local preservation group for the tax benefit and some accountability for the contractor.