Henry was a druggist in Oconto, WI.∼Oconto County Reporter

September 4, 1969: The Gem (movie theater), first owned by Henry Cole, was located east of the Goodrich and Martineau Department Store in the building last occupied by the Pitrof Candy Store. It was furnished with regular theater seats and cuspidors. Len Lord operated the Grand.


Oconto County Reporter, February 10, 1893: At a recent meeting of the stockholders of Oconto Brewing Co., the following officers were elected: ...secretary and treasurer, H.U. Cole; directors, Geo. Dagen, H.U. Cole....

Oconto County Reporter
1 November 1895
BRIEFLY MENTIONED

Henry Cole is moving into the house so long occupied by his mother, now deceased.

Oconto County Reporter
April 17, 1880

Accident

Henry Cole was severly injured Thursday by being thrown from a horse he was riding to water. He fell under the horse who stepped on his neck, cutting a gash 3 1/2 inches long. Medical aid was summoned and the wound carefully dressed. Though confined to the house, Mr. Cole is improving rapidly. We congratulate him on his escape from death, as a few inches either way would have proved fatal.

Oconto County Reporter
Dec. 9, 1898
LENA
Peter Netzer has a camp on Peshtigo brook with a crew of 20 men. He expects to put about 30,000 pieces of cedar and 300,000 feet of pine; stock not yet sold. He recently purchsed six forties of H. U. Cole of Oconto for which he paid $375. It is from this tract that he will operate this winter.
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From "Wisconsin Saga" by Helen Cole Sainton:

Henry Uri Cole, our father, was born in Chicago on October 29, 1858, in a house on the corner of Michigan avenue, where the Congress Hotel now stands. Of course Chicago was then a very young city, and practically the whole town was wiped out in the great fire of 1871. When but a child his parents lived both at Stiles and 0conto, and finally built their permanent home in Oconto at 714 Main street, which early in the 1850's was nothing but an Indian trail. For many years Gus was manager of the Holt & Balcom lumber interests, dividing his time between supervising operations at the sawmills and lumber yards in Oconto, and the logging operations in the woods (cutting down the big trees for logs) He invested heavily in timber and later in farm lands, and when he died (my uncles told me later) his fortune was estimated at about a half million dollars, mostly in lands, a good fortune for those days. He became a county commissioner and later Mayor by almost unanimous vote. He was a man noted and loved for his kindness to everyone, and was "Gus" to all. He kept a diary for many years, mostly a business record, but I will copy excerpts from the years 1879 and 1885, the only ones I have been able to get a hold of, our noble eldest sister having grabbed these, like she did everything of value she could lay her hands on through the years…. Gus died in Oconto, Feb 8, 1892, and was followed by Frank in 1895 on the 26th of November.


Henry first went to a private school in Oconto conducted by Miss Julia Magee, and later to Lake Forest Academy, where Arthur Holt was going at the same time, and I have one of the programs on which each of them played a piano solo. He became quite a fine pianist, and always loved music, and when in Chicago usually attended the Opera during the season. I have a program of "La Sonnambula with Adelina Patti, under the direction of Abbey & Grau, which he heard at the old (new then!) Auditorium. Lake Forest then was a strongly denomination school, for Presbyterian boys, Chapel and Sabbath School were compulsory. Upon finishing there, he went into the Oconto office of the lumber company, until after his marriage his father set him up in a business of his own. [Handwriting in margin: "I note this was in 1881, probably on honeymoon."]


Henry's parents had "arranged" in a sort of way, a marriage for him with Miss Clara Bishop, the daughter of old friends, who was invited to Oconto quite often for visits. I have an interesting letter written by him to his Mother, who was evidently down East on one of her numerous visits to Aunt Angie Reid at Babylon, L. I. He had known Agnes Hoeffel for several years in Oconto, and they were evidently very much interested in each other. I wonder, did they dance together on the night of the dance his parents gave in honor of his coming of age, just about a year before this letter was written. A special "pavilion" was built on the lawns just for this occasion, and he had given her a beautiful book for a Christmas present. Isn't quite remarkable how much they resemble our twins, Cathy and Joseph?


This interesting letter was dated


Oconto, Sept 26, 1880
Sunday, 4:20 pm


My dear Mother –

You probably have received my postals from Chicago before this, so as to know of my safe arrival there. Well, I stayed around there all day Friday, and found the time beginning to drag, so left for home that evening, and got here all right yesterday morning. I found Father at the Depot just leaving for Peshtigo. I came down to the house, had breakfast and put away my things, and then went down to the• store (the General Store of the Company – H. S.) and worked hard all day.

Today is the gloomiest of the year, and I have not been out of the yard. Willie (Mitchell) stayed with me all night, and we slept until ,after nine, had breakfast at ten. Of course it is awfully dull here. We have lots of work in the store, tho', so we don't have time to pine away much. Tell Minnie (Reid, his cousin in Babylon) if she lived somewhere within a day's ride of here, I would send her some tube roses. We have some in the yard as large and fine as any I have seen anywhere.

Father had a letter from you this morning saying you had not received your draft yet. He sent you one for $100, that will help you out nicely, won't it? (I had to spend $5 of my gold. Have $ 22 left) I had a nice visit out at Riverside Thursday evening. Allen (Charles Allen, who went to school at Lake Forest with him) is married and has a very nice little wife; she is pretty, stylish, educated and very refined.

Friday afternoon I saw Aggie at her studio, stayed there until time for her to go home, and then walked up there with her. I visited with her until after eight o'clock, then came over on the north side and saw Harry Wilson until the train left at nine. Aggie and I talked over all our old times together, and when we parted we were both feeling awfully sad, and she was crying as if her heart would break. Evidently she thinks something of me yet and I certainly think a good deal of her. It is the first time since I have known her that she has cried in my presence. She feels very badly to think of my engagement to Clara, and seems to wonder that I should ever marry a girl of her Temperament. II don't know but that I should have been utterly demoralized if I had stayed there much longer.

I caught quite a cold in Chicago and have it yet. With love to Minnie and all, and the same to yourself, I will close-

Henry.
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On his 18th birthday his parents had given him a beautiful Steinway piano. It was the first upright to be shipped up to Northern Wisconsin, I remember hearing him say, and had to go by boat, I believe. Everyone else had the big square pianos. My most cherished memories of my father are associated with that piano, hearing him play on it many times early in the morning before we children were up, and lying there in bed listening to the music.

Before I was ten I was trying to pick out tunes by ear, so he had me take lessons with the Sisters at the Convent , and he was always interested in my playing and encouraged it.

He and his parents were also great readers, and when we went to live in the old house of our grandparents, I used to love to browse around in the desks and bookcases, reading old letters, and trying to read the heavy literature, such as Grant's Memoirs, Dicken's works, Macauley's History of England, many encyclopedias, etc. There were three large bookcases full of them; besides the bound copies of Harper's Magazines for many years back, Godey's Lady Books, and Harper's Weekly to way back in Civil War days. Anyway, the library was always my favorite room, for the piano was also usually in there. There was a lovely fireplace outlined with tiles of Kate Greenaway

children, and a well-built light oak mantel with a big mirror over it. And none of us will ever forget the massive engraving of "Sherman s March to the Sea" in its heavy gold frame, which covered almost all of one wall; and the tiny alcove

with the safe in it, and the huge Bibles on the top.

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Copy of letter written by Grandmother Cole to Henry when he was a small boy –

Mama's Darling boy -

I was so glad to get your little letter and hope you will send me another one soon. Mama has a bad headache this morning so I cannot write much. Hennie must not forget to say his prayers, and take good care of Mama's plants. God bless you darling. With love and kisses, from- Mama.

Before I go on, wish to go back to that memorable year of 1914 , when the great war broke out. I had come back to Oconto for a brief vacation, and I remember sitting one evening on the front porch with my Father, and his saying how beautiful and peaceful it was there with us, and how hard it was to realize that a terrible war was going on in Europe. Little did I guess that all was not well with him, either, for at the time he knew that his heart was in a serious condition, he had told only one other person that the doctor had given him less than a year to live.

I came home again during the Christmas vacation as I had been invited to act as a bridesmaid at Jessie O'Keefe's wedding, which was to take place during the holiday season; but I had been back in Emporia only a few weeks when I received a telegram from Fan, who had been home some weeks as our Father had become very ill soon after Christmas; telling me to come home at once; we all arrived before he passed away, but he just barely knew me and could speak to me when I went to his bedsid.e on my arrival, and he died very shortly afterwards. This was on February 9th, 1915, about four-thirty in the evening, just a little over twenty years after his beloved Aggie's death. I will quote from the newspaper account of the funeral:

"After an illness of but four weeks, Henry Uri Cole, one of Oconto county's pioneer residents, passed away at his home on Main street, about five o'clock on Tuesday afternoon. He had been ailing with what the physicians term chronic myocarditis, or inflammation of the membrane lining the heart which, during the past six months, developed into conditions that could not be controlled by medical aid. In his death the corrmunity loses a kindly, generous neighborly citizen, whose friendships went out to all alike.

Henry Uri Cole was born in Chicago on Qctober 29, 1858, and when three montns old came with his parents to this county, and settled in stiles, being among the earliest settlers there. When he was three years old, they moved to Oconto, where his father, Augustus Cole, for some years was manager of the Holt & Balcom mills. He was a county commissioner and in every way a man of affairs.

Deceased was fifty-six years of age, and up to a few weeks ago was about in apparently good health, the personification of physical vigor and energy.

Mr. Cole was a graduate of Lake Forest Academy and up till 1909 conducted a drug store here for many years, previous to that after his father's death having been for a time also engaged in the coal business. For some time past he had been retired. He was well and favorably known throughout Oconto County. He was a member of the Elks Lodge and at the obsequies today, the interment was made in conformity with the ritual of that order, after the pronouncement of the Episcopal burial service by Rev. Father Campbell of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who was formerly pastor of Saint Mark's. The funeral took place at noon today, at his late residence, Miss Janet Merrill sang "Lead Kindly Light" during the religious service. Interment was made in Evergreen Cemetery.

The pall-bearers were Messrs. P G Esson, S W Ford, C R Keith, Ed Milledge, M P Bellew and George R Hall.

On October 10, 1881, Mr. Cole was married in this city to Miss Agnes Hoeffel who died July 8, 1895. He was again married on December 19, 1898, to Miss Mary Magdalena Buchberger, who survives to mourn his loss, together with one son, Henry Uri Cole, Jr. of Chicago, and eight daughters, Mrs. H P Conway, Chicago; Mrs E H Mullen, Foster City, Mich; Miss Helen, Emporia, Kansas; Misses Pauline and Agnes, Appleton; Kathleen, Fayette and June athome, and five grandchildren.

Mr. Conway and Mr. Mullen and Mrs. Elizebeth O'Keefe of Green Bey are here, besides all the children, to be present at the funeral.
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Newspaper Article:

Coles Drug Store

I wonder if there are many persons still living in Oconto who remember Coles Drug Store? There were two Other drug stores in town equally well Known. Fords and Luckenbachs, but Coles stands out in my mind because in addition to
handlindg drugs, filling prescriptinns, etc., it had the agency for the Victor Talking Machine which had recently come on the market.

At the time Coles received this agency,I was a freshman in high school, ahout sixteen years old and a friend of Henry Cole Jr., son of; the owner, of Coles. The store was located just east of the Goodrich & Martineau Department Store, now Lauermans. Mr. Henry Cole, Sr., the owner of Coles, had other interests, and was seldom around, so the manangement of Coles was turned over to L. M. Young,
recently from Cadott, Wisconsin. He was an experienced druggist and a very and amiable man or he wouldn't have tolerated the gang that hung out there every afternoon after school and in the early evening hours. hours. The reason for this affinity for Coles was to listen to the most wondelful music we ever heard coming from the Victor Talking Machine thru its large morning glory horn. The machine was mounted on an oversize safe at the back of the store right next to a large coal stove. What a sanctuary for cold wmter days!

To advertise the machine and the records to the customers of the store, "L.M.", as we called Mr. Young, was anxious to keep the machine playing as much as possible so he had young Henry and his friends play the machine whenever they were around- and that was pretty much of their spare time.

This arrangement proved to be tail that wagged the dog. In no time there was a select group of young fellows ranging in ages from sixteen to twenty-five who were more than
willing to take on the chore of keeping the machine playing.

Outside of myself and Henry Jr. and a few others our age, most of the helpers were in the eighteen to twenty-five age group and were considered the Beau Bruinmels of the town. Here are a few I remember:

Ellis and Carl Shufelt, Wilbur Ford, Chet Noonan, Ed Mullens, Nat Ingram, Everett Post. Harry and Charlie Keith, Mark and Dave Millberry,Ray Gilkey, Frank and Hugo
Lingelbach, and Charley Burke.

These young men about town became so identified with Coles that it turned out to be the meeting place for them and their dates.

In these days of juvenile delinquency, I often think of the really sheltered life we teenagers lived in the early days of the nineteen hundreds, a few puffs on a hand made
cigarette of Bull Durham or anl occasional glass of beer, or a trip with our girl, when we had the money, to Jack Carrs 01' Sawyers Ice Cream Parlor for a soda or a dish of ice cream was about it for dangerous living. Of course we had mixed parties at friends houses where we played Musical Chairs or Post Office, topped off with party food. Then we took our gir1s home with a good night kiss which was seldom more than a peck.

As for myself, I will always think kindly of Mr. Henry Cole, Sr., and Mr. L. M. Young for allowing me to hear, at an impressionable age, some of the great music and great
voices or the time, such as Caruso, Scotti, Calve, Melba, Schumann, Heink, and others.

This early age privilege stimulated my love for good music to this day. If there was a teenage problem at that time,
I was not aware of it, thanks largely to Coles and the sirnple pleasures of the day.
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Oconto County Reporter
December 2, 1892

Ed Delaney was seriously injured while playfully scuffling in H.U.Coles one day last week. He was thrown to the floor and received an internal injury which has since confined him to his home. We did not learn how seriously he is affected, but hope he will be able to attend to business in a few days.

___________Cole - Hoeffel

10/15/1881 , Oconto County Reporter

The nuptials of Mr. Henry U. Cole, only child of Augustus Cole, and Miss Aggie, youngest daughter of Joseph Hoeffel, all of this city, were solemnized last Monday between the hourse of 10 and 11 a.m., at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in this city, in the presence of a large number of friends and invited guests. The bridal party left the residence of the bride's father at precisely 10 a.m. and repaired in carriages to the church. Upon the approach of the cortege the bell tolled out its joyous tones, welcoming the happy company. While the party entered the church, in the order given below, the glad peals of the organ pealed out a brilliant wedding march, selected for the occasion by Miss LeClair, of Green Bay, who presided at the organ.The order of entry as follows:

Bridesmaids: Lizzie Hoeffel, Hattie Halcombe

Groomsmen: Frank Hoeffel, Albert Boylan

Miss Aggie Hoeffel, Mr. J. Hoeffel, Mr. Henry U. Cole, Mr. A. Cole, I.S. Hoeffel and wife

Messrs. Frank Hoeffel and Boylan acted as ushers

The first part of the ceremony, known as we are informed in the ritual of the church as, "marriage in mass," was then performed by the Rev. Sweibach, pastor of the church, after which Solemn High Mass was celebrated by Rev. Fathers Sweibach, Vermare and Schulthoffer, officiating clergymen. The choir, composed entirely of the LeClair sisters of Green Bay, specially engaged for the occasion, gave one of their favorite anthems, which has been pronounced one of the finest efforts ever presented in this city.

The day was all that could be asked for. There was not a cloud in the sky, which we hope prefigured the life of the happy couple, and that there may not be a cloud in their domestic and social lives. If happiness rests in loveliness, not the tiniest shadow will ever darken the young bride's brow.

The bride was dressed in cream colored satin, in train, trimmed with Spanish lace and brocade satin, a handsome silk elusian vail, and hair decorated with orange blossoms.

JULY 2002 INTERVIEW WITH ELIZABETH JANE EARLY ANDREWS:

My grandmother's sister Agnes married this man Cole and the children adored him. They had him all built up as the greatest man. My grandmother married Dr. O'Keefe and her sister Agnes married this Henry Cole. Wealthy, wealthy man. I mean his family was wealthy ... But he was so idealized in the family. Then son of a rich family who was a profligate, ladies man who lived off of his family's money. His mother was a wealthy woman, who was against her son having so many children.