Charles Edgar McDole was born to Thomas McDole and his wife Polly Millard or Miller. Charles Edgar grew up with Polly and his stepfather, Asal/Isal Nason who taught Charles and his half-brother, William G. Nason, cooperage. Growing up, he used the Nason name and an affadavit by sisters of his 1st wife state that they had known him while growing up and only knew him as Edgar Nason.

He enlisted in the Civil War as Edgar Nason and was discharged after three months for "minority", meaning underage. He was in Company A, 21st New York Infantry. His pension file has a firm letter from his mother, Polly, that he enlisted underage without her knowledge, that she was blind, and she needed him immediately.

Shortly after his discharge, he married Letitia Helen Dye, my 2nd Great Grandmother. She filed for divorce in PA, in Nov 1869, which was granted in Jan 1870. Together they had two children, Lola May and Iona May McDole. At the time of the divorce, Iona May was with her mother in Titusville, PA and Lola May with the McDole's and helped her blind grandmother, Polly, for a decade.

He later fathered a 3rd child with his second wife, Ida May McDole nee Phillips. That son is Charles Elwin McDole; he lived to adulthood. It appears he often was called Elwin. Elwin was born two weeks er his father's death from heart failure. Because his second wife applied for the pension and support for their infant son, Charles Elwin McDole, a significant number of documents were collected by Ida May McDole (nee Phillips and later Schoonmaker in her re-marriage after McDole died). Ida May McDole nee Phillips reports 2 children, one living in the US Census. It is believed that Jessie McDole is the child who did not live to adulthood.

My family was close to Ida May; she must have had a relationship with at least Lola May McDole, who name one of her daughters Olive Ida May. Ida's sister was a baptism witness for another daughter.

Charles McDole's final years appear to have been in North Tonawanda. His Pastor submitted an affidavit that Charles McDole became a member by letter, which implies that he was in good status at his previous church affiliation. The Pastor ministered to Charles Edgar McDole, both at church and elsewhere, until his death in 1897, just before Charles' namesake was born. That church is still an active church.

I do not know information about his father Thomas McDole. We have various pieces of information about Polly McDole and her various marriages, but no information as to her birth family or her place of death or burial. His son, Charles Elwin McDole was in the military, US Army Sgt. 1st Class, in the Medical Corps but I have not found information for him after a hospitalization, while in the Army, in 1919.

A special thank you to Brian Rhinehart of RinehartRoot.com for obtaining Nason/NcDole's Civil War Pension File. And the file came with a great surprise--the photo posted here. The Civil War docs are being posted to Charles Edgar Nason McDole's profile in my ancestry.com account for any who wish to review or use them.