Today in his pottery shop, David Cole continues a life-long dream of being an artist and potter. Born in North Carolina, David spent many days with grandparents and family in Sanford, North Carolina. There he was exposed to the trades of carpentry, farming, and woodworking. The link to the famouse Cole pottery families of Seagrove and Sanford continue to be explored.
Some of the first Coles to arrive in America were John and William Cole as noted by the Virginia Company of London as landing at Jamestown December 4, 1619 aboard the ship Margaret out of Bristol, England. At the time,
Bristol was both a pottery center and important port in the export trade. Although no firm links can be proven, potters of this surname were recorded in England and Wales as being Earth potters and tile manufacturers.
While it is believed that David is a descendant of William Cole, c.1739 and Stephen Cole, c.1759, gaps in the genealogical record still exist. David was not surrounded by pottery activity, nor was there any talk within the family of a pottery heritage. So how did David become a potter with no exposure to the trade? The mystery continues...
During the 1970's, David accompanied his grandmother to the potteries of Seagrove. The looming question was always the same, are you related to the famous Cole pottery family? The typical reply often was "We are not sure, everyone thinks we are." The question lingered in young David's mind while watching such prolific potters as Waymon and Nell Cole Graves at the J.B. Cole pottery.
In his college years, David again talked with Nell Cole Graves (1907-1997) and Dorothy Auman Cole (1925-1991)
who both felt there was a family link. Most recently the discussion has resurfaced during visits to Cole's Pottery in Sanford, North Carolina, where Neolia and Celia Cole,
daughters of the famous late Arthur Ray Cole, linked the possibility of their ancestry to an uncle.
Census records from the eighteenth and ninteenth centuries omitted the names of children and did not indicate brothers and sisters. Although the question still lingers when asked if he is a "Cole", David was told
jokingly by Neolia Cole to just tell everyone that he is. She smiled at him and said, "Aren't we all related to Adam and Eve Cole."
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Charlie Daniels making a clay hand impression for David before he went on stage to perform. May 21, 2003 Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium. (David was a personal guest of Mr. Daniels back stage after he heard about David's Brain injury from a four wheeler crash in 2001.)
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