Thursday, June 15, 2017

#3 Showmen

Sometimes called "Chilly Billy" I suppose the photo tells the story.
Over the years I was told by members of my mother's family that one of the Orton ladies had been married to Cole.

2 comments:

Mike Naughton said...

William Washington Cole's mother was Mary Ann Cooke from the well established Cooke's Royal Circus in England. His mother married Miles of the Orton Family circus where teenager WW learned the trade of the American Circus. This experience combined with his mother's old world business know-how was the foundation of his management acumen. Eventually Mr. Orton and Mary Ann divorced.
Highly recommended is William L. Slout's book, Chilly Billy, the Evolution of a Circus Millionaire, available at amazon.
The W.W. Cole Circus is not connected with any show that used Cole in their title. Claiming a link is imaginative press agentry.

The clans Woodcock, Cole, Orton and Cooke are intertwined.

Chic Silber said...


I guess the fireman/circus fan

Jimmy Cole is not related