On May 31, 1915, a baby boy was born in Kingston, New York. His father was John Ansen Cole, a 43-year-old laborer in a brickyard. His mother was Mable (Eckert) Cole, who was twenty-nine. This baby boy was named Isiah Ansen Cole, but they called him Warren. On Nov. 13, 1917, Warren got a baby sister who was named
Elizabeth Jesse Cole. Another sister joined the family on August 25, 1919.
Around this time, the Cole family fell apart. The 1920 census found them all living in a home on East Chester Street in Kingston: John Cole, age 48; Mable, age 34; Warren, age 4 years, 7 months; Elizabeth, age 2 years, 1 month; and Anna, age 2 months. But just a year and a half later, little Warren Cole was on an Orphan Train to Mount Vernon, Mo., with Agent J. W. Swan. He was just 6 years old.
Warren found a loving home with Walter and Vashti Counts. The Counts had no children of their own and showered little Warren with all of the love and affection that they could. Just 3 months after they took Warren in, they treated him to a circus in Monett.
Warren grew up in the Counts' home, never once doubting their love for him. At the age of 21, Warren married Bessie Riggins. Warren was a meter reader for the city of Mount Vernon, and Bessie was a tray girl at the Sanitarium. They became the parents of a daughter, Lona. In October 1940, Warren registered for the World War II Draft. On his card, he reported being 6 feet tall, 150 pounds with a light complexion, blonde hair and gray eyes.
On Thursday, September 24, 1943, Warren’s life took a drastic turn. His young bride, Bessie, became terribly ill in their Aurora, Mo., home. Baby Lona was only 19 months old, so they took Bessie to her parents’ home, and Warren stayed home to care for Baby Lona. Two local doctors cared for Bessie and made the dreaded diagnosis. Bessie was suffering from Polio. They made arrangements for her to be taken to Kansas City by ambulance, where she would be in isolation. This trip was made on Monday. Bessie died there on Wednesday, September 29, just a couple of weeks before her 23rd birthday. It was the first case of Polio in that community.
The following year, Warren married Violet DeMott in Grove, Okla. Warren and Violet became the parents of four daughters and three sons—one dying as an infant. They moved to Springfield, Mo., where Warren began working for the City of Springfield as an electrical lineman. He worked at that position for 32 years, being called out day and night, good weather and bad, to restore power. He was electrocuted three times; fortunately, none severely. He helped put up the lights in Springfield Park. He loved sports and also worked for 20 years for the parks department. He retired from those positions, and he and Violet moved to Cedar Creek, Mo. He was very active with the Open Door Baptist Church and helped them build a basketball court for the children to play on. Warren spent his golden years boating and fishing on Bull Shoals Lake. One of the highlights of his life was a fishing trip to Canada.
Warren Counts was a fun-loving man who enjoyed teasing and joking with those he loved. His friends called him “Humpy.” In 1978, he was diagnosed with cancer. After a 6-year struggle with the disease, Humpy passed away on August 5, 1984.
On Thursday, Oct. 23, the National Orphan Train Complex, Inc., will unveil statue number 53 in Concordia, the Orphan Train Town. The unveiling will take place at the Holiday Inn Express at 5 p.m., and the statue will honor Warren Counts. It is sponsored by the Holiday Inn Express and Cloud County Travel and Tourism. We invite everyone to join the CARES graduating class to unveil Warren’s statue.
