There is much conflicting information about Stephen Cole. The truth most likely depends on when and even IF he, or just his widow, came to the American Colonies. Unfortunately most of these stories do not provide any strong documentation.

"A story often seen is that he left Twickenham, England after he was disappointed by an inheritance and that he showed up in Chester County, Pennsylvania in 1682. He reportedly then wed in Chester County, PA, sometimes St. Paul's Church is specifically given as place of marriage, but it appears that the church was not established until 1702, at which time it was called Christ Church. It received the name, St. Paul's Church on the day of it's first service, January 24, 1703. Perhaps more importantly, their children were reportedly born in England, Wales, or Ireland so why would that be? Did they go back?

"Or is it as one Cole Family researcher says that he never came here and that his widow, Elizabeth came here in 1725, apparently with her children. It should be noted that this particular researcher indicates the widow's maiden name was Hunter. In fact, there is some question as to whether Temple was truly her maiden name.

"Assuming he did come here, most sources says he probably died in what is today New Castle, Delaware, but was part of Pennsylvania then. Others indicates he was buried at St. Paul's Church's burial grounds in not too distant Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania in 1725 or 1729. It does seem that if the burial record for Elizabeth Cole that is usually attributed to his wife is indeed hers, then he likely pre-deceased his wife as otherwise she would have been described as his wife like the other records on the page."
— Hann Sarv, geni.com bulletin board, September 6, 2008

Legend has it that the Coles were cousins to Daniel Boone. There is a connection, but it isn't one of cousins.

Elener Bounds had a sister, Margery Bounds, seemingly for whom Majer Cole was named. Margery Bounds married a Mr. Van Bibber, and they had a daughter, Olive Van Bibber. Olive married Nathan Boone, son of Daniel Boone.

Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri

Original handwritten records in the Wythe County courthouse in Wytheville, Virginia, reveal that William Temple Cole and his wife Hannah sold 100 acres of land on a branch of Peek Creek for sixty pounds lawful money of the state of Virginia. Since the William Temple Cole family was at that time in Fleming County, Kentucky, Stephen Cole was the attorney who handled the transaction. Stephen and Phoebe Cole joined the William Temple Cole family in Kentucky about 1803.

The two Cole families, headed by brothers William and Stephen, left Kentucky and came to Loutre Island on the Mississippi River north of St. Louis. Arriving there in 1807, they joined a small community of settlers. The place was isolated and exposed to wandering Indian bands.

Initial Raid on the Loutre Island Settlement

In 1810 a roving band of about 18 Pottowattomies, led by a war chief name Nessotingineg, crept into the Loutre Island settlement at night. They stole seven horses.

Discovery of Horse Theft

Several Loutre Island setters, including Stephen Cole, William Temple Cole, Sarshall Brown, Nicholas Gooch, Abraham Potts, and James Mordock, formed a volunteer company with Stephen Cole, then captain of the militia of Loutre Island, as leader. The company proposed to follow the Indians and recapture the stolen property.

Pursuit of Indian Raiders

The volunteer company left at dawn the next morning. They followed the Indians up the Loutre Creek for 20 miles, finding a place where the Indians had peeled bark, evidently to make halters. The white men stopped there for the night.

The next morning they followed the Indian trail about thirty miles across Grand Prairie. When they emerged from a small patch of timber the company discovered the Indians with the horses. William Temple Cole and Sarshall Brown, on the fastest horses, started in pursuit. The others volunteers following them. During this chase the Indians threw their packs into a plum thicket near a pool of water — a sign that they did not know the number of whites chasing them and that they were apprehensive about being captured. The discarded packs contained buffalo robes, deer skins and partly tanned leather, which they had stolen from Sarshall Brown. After dropping their packs the Indians scattered in the surrounding woods.

Night overtaking the volunteer company, they went into camp along the Salt River at a place known as Bonelick, 65 miles from the Loutre settlement, and about a mile or two northwest of the present city of Mexico, Audrain County, Missouri. There, contrary to the advice of their leader, Stephen Cole, they rested without posting any sentinels, having tied their horses in the thicket. After broiling some meat for supper, the volunteers went to sleep — with the exception of Stephen Cole.

Fatal Attacks

The volunteer settlers had not been asleep long, when Stephen Cole thought he heard the cracking of a bush. He told his brother to get up, for he believed the Indians were near. However everything remained still, and solemn quietude prevailed. Stephen Cole pulled his saddle against his back and shoulders, and sought again his repose after the hard day's chase. but still impressed with impending danger.

The Indians crawled up so near the settlers camp that they could see the faces of their unsuspecting victims by the light of the little camp fire. The Indians waited but a short time until all was quiet. Then they opened a volley upon the party, instantly killing Gooch and Brown and wounding William Temple Cole. A hand-to-hand struggle between the Indians and Stephen Cole then took place. Cole killed four Indians and wounded a fifth; the remaining members of the Indian band disappeared. Stephen Cole then went into a nearby pool and squatted in the water to wash the blood from the many wounds which he had received.

After a little while the Indians returned. They found William Temple Cole and killed him. Patton, who had managed to get off some distance, also was found dead near a little sapling. Stephen Cole, after stanching the flow of blood from his wounds left the scene of the bloody encounter.

Return to Loutre Island

On the morning after the fatal attack at the settlers' camp fire, the wounded Stephen Cole had walked about two or three miles before sitting down on a small gopher hill for a rest. That's when Cole discovered two mounted Indians looking back at him. Indians rode off on their horses a few minutes later.

Stephen Cole reached the settlement on the third day nearly famished. He had had not a morsel to eat during all this time. James Moredock escaped unhurt, and it is said that if he had acted with one-half the bravery of Stephen Cole, the Indians would have been defeated. Samuel Cole, a son of William Temple Cole, says that the Indians did not scalp the whites in this encounter. Peace was supposed to prevail between the Indians and settlers. This skirmish proved to be the beginning of the Indian troubles on the Missouri River.

It is possible that this band of Pottowattomies had been on the war path against the Osages. The war trail from the Pottowattomies territory led to the mouth of the Gasconade, near which Loutre Island is situated in the Missouri River. The temptation to steal some of the horses of the settlers could have been too great for the Indians to forego. At any rate, so far as we know they did no personal injury to the settlers — except yielding to their penchant for stealing. If they had been bent upon more serious mischief, they undoubtedly could and would have perpetrated it.

James Cole, a son of Stephen Cole, says that in this fight Stephen Cole received 26 wounds and that on his way home he chewed some elm bark and placed it on his wounds.

Early Life and Marriage

Hannah Allison Cole's father was Holbert Allison, a prosperous Virginia planter. He farmed many acres and had numerous slaves. He and a son were soldiers in the Revolutionary army under Gen. George Washington.

As a young woman, Hannah Allison was married to William Temple Cole. Her sister, Phoebe, married Stephen Cole, a brother of William Temple.

Life as a Pioneer Widow

Soon after William's death the widow Hannah Cole, her nine children, along with Stephen Cole and his family left Loutre Island, crossing uninhabited territory to the north side of the Missouri River opposite what is now Boonville. They arrived there in February 1810.

For some reason the two families subsequently decided to leave the river settlement and cross to the south side of the river and build cabins. They were the first white people south of the Missouri River in that part of the territory west of the Osage River.

Hannah Cole's cabin was located on the bluff a few yards east of where the old St Joseph Hospital was built many years later. A monument marks the spot. During the war of 1812 Hannah Cole's location was converted into a fort as protection against the Indians.

Hannah Cole laid claim to most of the land now occupied by the city of Boonville which was surveyed and platted by Asa Morgan and Charles Lucas.  The papers were filed August 1, 1817, more than a year before Cooper County was organized as a county.

Hannah Cole sold her Boonville property in January 1819 and bought land 13 miles south of Boonville on what is now Hwy 5. There she lived with her devoted slave until she died in 1845 at the age of 83. She has been designated "Pioneer Mother of Missouri." She is buried near where she lived out her life. Her grave is marked by a large stone erected by the Pilot Grove chapter of DAR.

—Missouri State Historical Society, Cooper County Chapter, copy of transmittal from Laura Paxton to Kim Baker, January 2, 1999.

Account of Hannah's Death

"There has been no deaths in the family since you last heard from us with the exception of your Aunt Hannah Cole and cousin Ellen Ashcraft. Your aunt was perfectly resigned to die and seemed to be happy...."

—Majer Cole Dillard's letter of July 1842 to her daughter, Ann Dillard Fleming, in Texas.

A History of Cooper County, Missouri, Henry C. Levens and Nathaniel M. Drake, St. Louis, Perrin & Smith, Steam Book & Job Printers, 1876." Chapter XVII, Pages 197-199. ⁽³⁾

"Joseph Stephens, Sr., was born in Wythe county, Virginia, in 1763, and was there married to Miss Rhoda Cole, the sister of Maj. Stephen Cole, and in 1801 emigrated to Wayne County, Kentucky, where he remained until the year 1815. In the last mentioned year he moved to Tennessee, and from thence, in November, 1817, to Cooper County, Missouri. The company of which he was a member, came overland in wagons, and crossed the Mississippi river above Alton, and the Missouri river at Boonville. He settled about fourteen miles southwest of Boonville, his house being located in the bottom, one quarter of a mile north of the present site of Bunceton, a few yards west of the railroad leading from Boonville to Tipton. He and his family lived during the first winter in a half face camp. All his children came with him except Mary Weatherford, who remained in Kentucky. He was married twice. The names of the children of his first wife were William, Peter, Lawrence C., Joseph, and James Madison-five sons, and Nancy, Nelly, Mary, Johanna, Frances, Rhoda and Zilpha-seven daughters; there were also three other children who died when infants, whose names are not known. Nancy married Thomas B. Smiley; Nelly, James D. Campbell; Mary, Archibald Weatherford; Johanna, John Kelly; Rhoda, B. W. Levens; and Zilpha, Pemberton Cason. Joseph Stephens' first wife died in 1822, and in 1824 he married Miss Catharine Dickson. He died in May, 1836, at the age of 73 years."

Stephen Cole has been portrayed as a strong, virile, robust, uneducated, but sagacious frontiersman.

On one occasion Cole was present at a session of the Missouri legislature, says Houck, when two members who had been opponents in a spirited debate during the session, engaged in a fight, after adjournment for the day and clinched. This was a common occurrence in those days when physical strength and prowess were so greatly esteemed. Governor McNair, who happened to be present, tried to separate them, but Cole seized the governor and pulled him away, saying, "In such a scrimmage a governor is no more than any other man."

Stephen Cole survived Indian attacks in Missouri as noted above under detail for William Temple Cole. Yet Stephen Cole's fate was to be murdered by Indians.

Stephen's "love of wild adventure led him to become a pioneer in the trade with Santa Fe in 1822. He was killed by the Indians, during the same year, about sixty miles southwest of Santa Fe, on the Rio Grande river. There was also killed at the same time, Stephen Cole, the brother of Samuel Cole." ⁽³⁾