Family:Elisha Cole and Hannah Smalley (1)

Elisha and Hannah moved from Harwich, MA, to what is now known as Putnam County, NY during the fall of 1746 or spring of 1747. He built a log house near the stream that is the outlet of Barrett's Pond in the town of Kent. I 1748 he built a grist mill on the outlet known as Cole's Mill and this was owned and operated by a member of the Cole Family until 1888 when New York City purchased the water rights for reservoir purposes. Elisha was a Baptist preacher, he was partly paralyzed and somewhat demented before his death. The land where they settled in Putnam County was purchased from the state of NY after it had been confiscated from Roger Morris. Elisha was a member of the 7th Regt. Dutchess County Militia during the Revolutionary War.

One source for much information on Elisha and his family is contained in "The Descendants of Elisha Cole", by Joseph O. Curtis, pub. 1909.)

NOTE: Elisha Cole's second wife, Hannah Smalley was NOT the sister of his first wife, Priscilla Smalley, who died shortly after the birth of their first child in 1740. The parentage of his second wife Hannah Smalley has not been proven, although there are SEVERAL sites throughout the internet claiming that she was either the daughter of Joseph Smalley and Mercy Young, or James Smalley and Hannah Bickford, but both of those Hannah's were born in 1730 and would have been too young to have married Elisha and had children in 1742 at age 12.

Elisha Cole married first, Priscilla5 Smalley (Joseph4, Francis3, Francis2, Edward1), (b. 4/8/1720. Massachusetts, d. abt. 1740, Eastham, Massachusetts), daughter of Joseph Smalley and Mercy3 Young (Nathaniel2, John1). According to "The Descendants of Elisha Cole", compiled by Joseph O. Curtis, 1909, "The father of Hannah Smalley and his family moved to Dutchess/Putnam County, New York about two years before Elisha and his family moved there in 1746/7." (pg. 26). It also surmises on pg. 25 that "Hannah Smalley may have been a sister or cousin of Priscilla's.". It is also suggested that Hannah Smalley could have been a Smalley widow, but researchers have been unable to prove such a relationship, either. Priscilla Smalley did have TWO sisters named Hannah, the first, born 12/1/1728, died shortly after childbirth; the second Hannah, born 3/1/1730-1, married Ezekial Hatch on 3/29/1750, and would have been too young to have married Elisha about 1740 anyway.