William Cole, Sr arrived in Virginia in 1618 on ship Neptune.

"British Roots of Maryland Families" 1624/25 Muster of people living in Elizabeth City shows William living with Francis Cole, who arrived on the Susan in1616, and Roger Farbrase. Other sources refer to "Francis" as being his wife. No other information has been found on Francis Cole. The muster also indicates that he arrived 1618 on the "Neptune". However,the records of theVirginia Company indicate that he arrived with wife "Hester" on the "Margaret" of Bristol (no date given).

"The Coale Family: Nine Generations" 1651 - Patent for removal to St. Jeromes, St. Mary's County included 400 acres of land, which was substantially larger than holdings in Virginia. It also gave him the right of service from an indentured servant.

1662 - Obtained a patent for 500 acres in Somerset Co on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake. No further information available on outcome of this venture.

His will is the first evidence of his having adopted the "Coale" spelling that was intitiated by his son William, Jr. And, although literate,
William, Sr. signed the will with his mark. It is possible that the will was written by William, Jr.

There is conflict in the sources as to when and where he died. There is one side that claims that he stayed in Warwick County, Virginia and died in the 1664, and that the line was continued in Virginia and the Carolinas by a son William born 1638. Those sources also claim that his wife was the "Francis Cole" mentioned in the 1624 muster. The Maryland Quaker researchers claim that he moved to St. Jerome, St. Mary's County, Maryland, with his wife Sarah Beck, where he died in 1669. And, they claim that his son William was born 1633 and became the prominant QuakerinAnneArundel County, Maryland. The will and death records cited in "The Coale Family: Nine Generations" would seem to confirm the Maryland version. The conflicts in date/place of death, coupled with the conflicts over arrival and who was his wife, raise the distinct possibility that two William Coles arrived at Eliz. City, Virginia at roughly the same time. The historians may have confused or merged the two. And, neither set of researchers have cited authoritative source documentation establishing Humphrie Cole as the father or either of the William Jrs.