John Colter’s Ancestors By Timothy Forrest Coulter | January 13th, 2014
DNA testing and data results reveal a very strong connection to the Cannon family on John Colter’s paternal side. Earliest known ancestors are Simcock and Jeremiah Cannon, both born in Virginia in approx. 1725-1730. Subjects involved were: 1) Tim Coulter, descended from John Colter’s grandson, Joseph Colter b. 1840; d. 1891 ; 2) Dennis Coulter, descended from John Colter’s grandson, Nathan Colter b. 1842; d. 1926. It is felt that John Colter (JC) could have been a grandson of, or associated with, the John and Isabella Coalter family of Stuarts Draft, Augusta County, Virginia. His parents frequently are said to be Joseph (son of John and Isabella) and Ellen Shields Coalter. Most Colter researchers like Shirley Winkelhoch, the late Ruth Colter Frick, and myself included, agree that this is not true since their son John lived until 1842, whereas, JC was born about 1774 and died on May 7th, 1812.
Even though yet to be proven, another son of John and Isabella named James 1746-1806 and his wife, Alsey Shields Coalter were chosen for the screen play/film as the most likely candidates as JC’s parents. They migrated to Madison County, Kentucky in 1795. This is where JC’s daughter-in-law Margaret Davis was born in 1808, a daughter of John and Rachael West Davis.
Margaret would later marry JC’s son Hiram in Franklin Co. Missouri in about 1826. Two sisters of James, the father of JC, were Elizabeth and Betsy. Betsy married Daniel Rhea and two of their sons would have been JC’s slightly younger cousins, and are also included in the screenplay/film. Another indicator suggesting that James and Alsey are JC’s parents, is the fact that so many Madison County families migrated to Franklin Co. Missouri, especially from 1806 to 1818. Taken from tax records, land grants, deeds, and the book, “New Haven – Its Past and People,” by New Haven, MO historian, educator, and community leader – David M. Menke, some of these families were the John Davis family, the Maupins, Philip Miller family, the Heatherly’s, the Greenstreets, and the Richardsons. And living just down the river was Daniel Boone and his family, and as Lowell M. Schake, PhD, author of “LaCharrette” pointed out, that the Hancock family, including Forrest Hancock who met up with JC in 1806 for a return trip to the west, may have known each other years before, while living in close proximity in Madison Co. KY and possibly at Fort Boonesboro, the Grand Central Station of its day. In a related historical coincidence, I discovered just recently, that William Hancock, brother to Forrest Hancock, is buried in the same small Presbyterian Cemetery in Franklin County, Washington, Missouri where my father, Forrest Coulter, is also buried along with his parents and several other immediate Coulter family members.
KENTUCKY MILITIA: John Colter, more than likely, was in the Kentucky Militia out of an economic need before being accepted and signing on as a private with Lewis and Clark in Maysville, KY on Oct. 15, 1803. Glen Cliff, in his book, “The Cornstock Militia of Kentucky”, stated that a John Colter had served as a 1st class ensign in the Kentucky Militia for 1800 to 1801 alongside a John Davis, Lieutenant. This has yet to be determined if this is our John Colter. However, reference to it is made in the screenplay/film
THE COLTER STONE OF TETONIA: In 1931, a stone of rhyolite lava that had been shaped on onedge into the form of a side view of a man’s face, was found in a field near Tetonia, Idaho. A Mr. Beard was clearing and plowing his land when he found the stone. Chiseled on one side is the name John Colter, and on the other side, the year 1808. In her book, “Courageous Colter and Companions”, Ruth Colter Frick states that she traveled to Tetonia and interviewed members of the Beard family and was told that they had indeed discovered the stone and, although not having a knowledge of Colter at the time, kept it for a couple of years as a curiosity piece.
Later, they donated it to the National Parks System – Teton National Park in 1933 and about 41 years later, the Colter Stone was revisited by the wife of the man who turned the stone over to the National park System, examined it, said she remembered it well, and verified that indeed, it was the same stone they had found on their land. It was also studied by geologists who agreed that the wearing patterns resulting from weathering, are consistent with the date on the stone. This is significant, in that it places when and where John Colter was on this leg of his winter trek, and further substantiates Colter’s Route of 1807-1808 described by William Clark on his map of 1810.