John Higgs Cole was born in Sumner County, Tennessee January 24, 1827. He was the third son and sixth child of Dr. John Cole and Polly McDonald Cole. He lived with his family in Sumner County and Robertson County, Tennessee until 1829. After fourteen years in Crawford County and Washington County, Arkansas he moved with his family to Texas in December of 1843 just before his seventeenth birthday. The family settled in the area that was to become Dallas County.

He lived with his father and mother until his father's death in 1850. He continued to
live with his mother and several of his brothers in the home that was located west of
Turtle Creek near the headwaters of Cedar Springs Creek until his marriage October 12,
1856.

John Higgs Cole had applied for and received through the Peters Colony Company, a
certificate for 320 acres of land. He patented 160 acres in the area now known as Oak
Cliff. He transferred 60 acres to John B. Robertson and patented the remaining 100 acres to the east of and adjoining his father's 640 acre headright. The present-day boundary of this 100 acres would be Mockingbird Lane, Hillcrest, Airline Road and Harvard Avenue. He inherited from his father the 160 acre north- east quarter of his father's headright. He bought from his brother William the 160 acres that William had inherited.

In 1856 John H. married Elizabeth Preston who had come to Dallas County earlier that year with her mother, her brothers and her sisters. Her father came at a later date. Elizabeth was the daughter of George Preston born 1798 and Anna Roddy born 1802. She was born in Tennessee as were both her father and mother. One of her father's brothers was William Gilwater Preston for whom Preston Road was named.

Shortly after their marriage John H. and Elizabeth built a three story red brick farm
house where the tennis courts are now in Cole Park. Their barn and stock tank were south of the house where North Dallas High School is located. The house was one of the first (possibly the first) brick home built in Dallas County outside of the town of Dallas. The bricks were made in a brick factory that John H. owned in Ferris. The Cole name was impressed into each brick.
http://www.dallaspioneer.org/stories/pioneers.php?ID=262

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John H. Cole, one of Dallas County's oldest citizens, died in Dallas Friday. He was Dallas County's first Probate Judge and first surveyor.

Haskell Free Press
January 25, 1908

above info from Contributor: Searchers of our Past (47220553)