Obit: Cole, Jerome W. (1843 - 1921)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Cole, Baxter, Bowman

----Source: Badger State Banner (Black River Falls, Jackson Co., WI) 8/11/1921

Cole, Jerome W. (13 October 1843 - 31 July 1921)

A letter received by Ira Bowman of this city from Tampa, Fla., brought the news of the sudden death of Jerome W. Cole, a resident of our city for many years, on July 31. It was stated that Mr. Cole went to bed in his usual health and during the early hours of the morning arose to get a drink of water and when he was called for breakfast no answer was heard and it was found that he was dead. His sudden death was due to heart failure.

Jerome W. Cole was born in New York State, October 13, 1843, and had reached the age of nearly 78 years at the time of his death. Mr. Cole never married. In 1865 he went into partnership with his brother, Dr. H. B. Cole, and Dr. J. B. G. Baxter in the drug business in this city under the firm name of J. W. Cole & Co. In 1867 F. W. Cole bought out the doctors in the drug business which as before continued under the same name.

Sometime during the latter 70’s or early 80’s they owned and conducted a large jewelry store in Minneapolis, J. W. being in immediate charge, but later closed it out and concentrated their efforts here. Not very long after this they sold their drug store and went exclusively into the patent medicine business, having already made considerable of a success of their Cole’s Carbolisalve and Carbolisoap, which afterwards became famous throughout the country. They did such a large business that they established a printing shop of their own in connection so as to be able to put out their own advertising matter and make their own labels and wrappers for their packages. They had a branch house in Chicago for a time.

They were flooded out in 1911, losing their entire stock and apparatus. They restocked and continued in the business over the present Bock garage for a time and then sold their patent rights and their surplus stock to an Illinois man, and went to Florida where they have resided since, being engaged principally in the real estate business, owning quite a tract of land.

The remains were interred in Florida. F. W. Cole was in the west when his brother died.