Newspaper accounts and 1900 Census. Andrew Cole was born in Indiana in 1849 and came to Minnesota in 1873. In May of 1899 Andrew's son, Vernon, while working as a fireman with his father on a derrick, fell 75 feet and was nearly killed. Only 19 at the time, Vernon was born in Minnesota in 1880 and was working as a fireman with his father, engineer Andrew Cole. Andrew was active in the Stationary Enginners Union and was elected conductor of the local on June of 1902. Vernon went on to work for the Minneapolis Post Office for many years.