An American Family

This book is about the story of the Cole family and their parts—some big, some small—in making America the great nation it is today. The Cole family migrated from the British Isles, Northern Ireland and Ireland, in the 1600s. They settled in New England and later migrated westward. Early Coles fought in the Revolutionary War. Later ones fought in the Civil War. Ned M. Cole Jr. enlisted in the United States Air Force and retired as a colonel from the New York Air National Guard. His son joined the Illinois Army National Guard and, after a few years, was commissioned. His grandson, Jeffrey A. Reilly, was commissioned in the United States Marine Corps. Captain Jeff Reilly fought in Afghanistan. After leaving active duty but remaining in the Air National Guard, Ned went on to a successful business career. His family had lost their fortune in 1918, due to eminent domain action by the United States government. Ned became one of the principal owners of ABC Rail Corporation. He was able to restore some of the family’s lost fortune. Ned and his wife of nearly fifty-eight years, Carol, made their home in Melbourne, Florida.