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There are more than 373,000 print references online about the most Honorific US title and style still in use today. This page represents a small collection of some of the resources we found at the Library of Congress.
The following resource page is a dedicated list of references that prove the existence and use of the term and title "Colonel" in "Colonial America" as an honorary appointment and prestigious title prior to its use as a title in the United States, notwithstanding the US Military. This work will show that most of the early settlements were founded and chartered by non-military colonels well into the middle of the 19th century.
It is the contention of our creative work that the title was adopted by the US Military in 1802 and was only used during the Revolutionary War to raise private non-state militias, then later in the War of 1812 and the Civil War by the states of the Union and the Confederacy. From 1802 forward Colonel became a military rank which was more relative to France, England, Spain and Germany using the rank in their hierarchies; the military rank does not have any bearing on the prenominal title or plantation owners, county officials, explorers, wagon-train pioneers and retired officers from the Revolutionary War or their use of it.
There are more than 1,000 articles that can be viewed at the Library of Congress newspaper collection that directly reference "colonels" and the use of the honorary or civilian title. The Kentucky Colonelcy website has its own collection of articles; what is important about our collection is that most of these articles have nothing to do with the Kentucky type of colonel.
Honorary Colonels; The Fairmont West Virginian: February 02, 1911
Too Many Generals Among Confederates; The Washington Times: August 12, 1904
He's Col. Ross Valentine; The Evening World: November 27, 1893
Rank by Brevet; Peninsula Enterprise: March 11, 1899
The Army's Youngest Colonel; New-York Tribune: November 06, 1921
Czar's Daughters Honorary Colonels; Arizona Republican: March 04, 1917
Sad News for Staff Members; The Daily Gate City and Constitution-Democrat: December 14, 1916
Good But Not New; The Daily Morning Journal and Courier: November 11, 1902
Gold Braid Barred (Iowa); Evening Times-Republican: December 13, 1916
Young Woman Chosen; The Pacific Commercial Advertiser: October 04, 1901
A Survival of Nonsense; The Progress: November 14, 1896
Jimmie Gets Elected; The Mirror: December 15, 1910
The Vanishing Title; The Bismarck Tribune: May 13, 1925
Col. Jake Horn Disserts on Colonels Made and Born; The Caldwell Tribune: June 16, 1916
Colonels and Pseudo Colonels; The Washington Herald: June 03, 1916
The Colonel; The Pascagoula Democrat-Star: May 07, 1880
Colonels Wanted; Yorkville Enquirer: November 29, 1877
Civil and Military Colonels in North Carolina; The Semi-Weekly Messenger: December 18, 1906
American Love of Titles; Washington Sentinel: August 13, 1854
Two Famous Colonels; The Bridgeport Evening Farmer: February 16, 1916
The Good Fight Part 1 | Part 2; Abilene Weekly Reflector: May 13, 1915
Col. Howard Orator of Day; The Pensacola Journal., April 23, 1910
Now its Colonel Mary; New Britain Herald: June 21, 1918
New Frisco Agent Here; Tulsa Daily World: March 22, 1918
William O. Skeels; The Bismarck Tribune: September 05, 1935
Honorary Titles; The Roswell Daily Record: July 12, 1906
Abolish the Governor's Staff; The Bennington Evening Banner: October 15, 1907
Fair Enough by Westbrook Pegler; The Indianapolis Times: February 19, 1935
Colonels and Others; Herald and News: August 29, 1901
Our Honored Soldiers; The Rutland Daily Globe: August 12, 1873
Maybe We'll Have Pomp; The Indianapolis Times: December 31, 1932
Young Society Woman's Engagement Announced; Omaha Daily Bee: June 13, 1918
Gilding the Gold Brick; Gilpin Observer: June 24, 1909
Mining Camp Sketches; The Bossier Banner: November 26, 1896
Representing His Nation Abroad; Newark Evening Star: April 25, 1910
Want More Colonels; The Durham Daily Globe: March 05, 1892
John Flake's Old Virginia, I.; The Sun: January 16, 1898
How They Become Colonels; The Pacific Commercial Advertiser: December 13, 1897
Women Wear Uniforms and Lead Regiments; Omaha Daily Bee: August 17, 1902
About Colonels; Puget Sound Weekly Argus: August 01, 1878
Georgia Colonels; Public Ledger: June 07, 1877
American Snobocracy; The Placer Herald: February 18, 1860
Women Colonels Not Rare in Europe; The Savannah Morning News: August 17, 1902
Georgia's Colonels; New-York Tribune: August 24, 1902
Columbia Mayor Now Colonel on Governor's Staff; The Columbia Herald: May 28, 1915
New Mexico Organizing the First Regiment of Colonels; El Paso Herald., November 12, 1919
The South's Many Colonels; Perrysburg Journal: March 12, 1898
Honorary Titles; The Tacoma Times: May 26, 1915
Career of Colonel Knocker; The Stark County Democrat: March 09, 1906
End of Colonels (New Jersey); The Jersey City News: March 03, 1902
Tale of an Old Tome | Title of an Old Tome; Richmond Dispatch: December 21, 1902
Ages of Generals; The Alaska Daily Empire: August 17, 1917
Gen. Merritt is Proud of the Montana Boys; The Anaconda Standard: June 13, 1898
Shameless Shams; Omaha Daily Bee: November 11, 1880
Can't Be Too Many; The Daily Morning Journal and Courier: June 18, 1902
Why a Governor's Staff?; The Lake County Times: December 01, 1916
Colonels; Marshall County Republican: November 22, 1877
The Colonels Take a Say; The Pulaski Citizen: December 16, 1886
A Confederate Reunion; The Prince George's Enquirer and Southern Maryland Advertiser: June 04, 1897
When the Colonels Came In; Kansas City Journal: September 25, 1897
The Governor's Staff; The Portland Daily Press: November 05, 1900
Once a Colonel Always One; The Washburn Times: May 31, 1906
Honorables and Colonels; The Ohio Democrat: February 20, 1895
Running to Titles; Tensas Gazette: July 06, 1894
Where the Colonel Came In; The Indianapolis Journal: October 10, 1897
Titles; The Daily Ardmoreite: October 03, 1904
How Titles are Placed; Republican News Item: May 03, 1900
Made Him a Colonel; The Salt Lake Herald: March 18, 1898
Explaining His Title; Sacramento Daily Record-Union: August 16, 1888
Just So!; The Mt. Sterling Advocate: August 20, 1901
Roosevelt to Decline this Empty Honor; The San Francisco Call: January 05, 1899
Colonel Bob the Beloved; The Age-Herald: February 19, 1901
The Proud Southern Colonel; The Seattle Post-Intelligencer: March 27, 1890
Lord Granard on Titles; The Evening Statesman: March 09, 1909
Running to Titles; Tensas Gazette: April 13, 1894
Had Smelt Powder; Sierra County Advocate: September 03, 1897
Protest Against Titles; The Age-Herald: October 03, 1901
Reducing the Colonels; Norwich Bulletin: March 30, 1911
Snover, Giant Pitcher, a Born Colonel; The Sun: September 23, 1919
Howdy Colonel, Morning Major; The Fairmont West Virginian: December 03, 1910
Captain, Colonel, General, Judge; The morning News: March 30, 1900
Colonel or General Thomas Clark; The News and Observer: April 05, 1893
Desert Rat Visits Place He Met TR; The Washington Times: August 30, 1919
The Governor's Staff (Virginia); Alexandria Gazette: February 17, 1912
Senseless Titles; Daily Globe: June 15, 1879
American Love of Titles; Washington Sentinel: August 13, 1854
Nonsensical Titles; The Columbian: June 25, 1875
Current Opinion; The Helena Independent: February 06, 1891
Aristocracy Open to Offers; The True Democrat: March 27, 1897
Our Fever for Titles; Saint Mary's Beacon: November 29, 1888
Peru; Phenix Gazette: June 30, 1825
A New Tax Levy; Yorkville Enquirer: September 09, 1880
Tanner Starts from Chicago; Omaha Daily Bee: June 20, 1898
Royal Women Colonels; The Portland Daily Press: January 25, 1899
The Use of Military Titles (Alabama); The Morning News: June 27, 1887
Why Many Bonifaces are Colonels; The Baltimore County Union: November 19, 1887
Personal Titles; St. Landry Democrat: August 27, 1887
Colonel Nellie Irene Eldridge; The Star: January 24, 1900
The Military Squabble; Connecticut Western News: March 19, 1884
Titles Played Out; Daily Los Angeles Herald: October 17, 1883
The Proud Southern Colonel; Omaha Daily Bee: March 15, 1890
Not Dr. Cleveland; The Comet: July 18, 1895
Free-Trade Competition; The Indianapolis Journal: March 29, 1883
Four More Colonels; The Savannah Morning News: November 03, 1902
Out of a Job - English Aristocrats are Looking for Work; The Wichita Daily Eagle: July 06, 1892
Proclamation by the King of France (US Sponsor); The Enquirer: July 30, 1814
Folly of Military Staffs; The Winslow Mail: September 04, 1897
They Are Colonels Now; Yorkville Enquirer: September 27, 1899
"Mister" for Military Men; The Barre Daily Times: November 24, 1919
La Marquise de Fontenoy; The Times Dispatch: November 16, 1911
A Political Anecdote; Arkansas True Democrat: October 19, 1859
Famous British Regiments: Deseret Evening News: April 21, 1900
Tribunetes; The National Tribune: January 14, 1892
Popular in Illinois; The Pacific Commercial Advertiser: May 19, 1894
Prostitution of Titles; Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer: July 18, 1883
The Boys Who Carried the Guns; Connecticut Western News: September 05, 1878
Titles (New Jersey); Alexandria Gazette: August 29, 1840
Cuban League Formed; The Scranton Tribune: December 15, 1896
Good Moring, Professor; Barbour County Index: July 28, 1882
Titles Are Too Numerous; Akron Daily Democrat: June 27, 1900
End of Promiscuous Titles; The Caucasian: August 15, 1901
From Washington - Taxation on Titles; The Morristown Gazette: October 02, 1878
Titles and Republicanism; Memphis Daily Appeal: November 30, 1882
We'll All Be Dukes and Earles; The Abbeville Press and Banner: October 27, 1897
Colonel Monroe; The Coeur d'Alene Press: May 21, 1904
Colonel Jesus Christ; The Minneapolis journal. [volume], February 06, 1904
She Wears an Army Suit (Petticoat?); The Anaconda Standard: October 01, 1899
A Model Landlord; New-York Tribune: April 24, 1887
Col. George B. Squires; The Salt Lake Tribune: October 01, 1910
With High Honors; Morris Tribune: April 22, 1910
Honor; Port-Gibson Herald., November 24, 1842
ESQ. or MR.?; The Indianapolis journal: December 02, 1894
A Select Tale, The Death Warrant; Sunbury American: June 11, 1853
The Governor's Staff (South Carolina); The Abbeville Press and Banner: February 04, 1903
That Colonelcy; The New North-West: August 05, 1887
Military Troubles at Rome Vatican; The Daily Star-Mirror: September 18, 1913
Hired to Insult Me; Evening Star: January 10, 1873
(Dis)Honored by the Pope; The American: June 28, 1895
"Texas" Colonels; The Dallas Daily Herald: March 27, 1877
A Colonel of the Arkansas Militia; The San Francisco Call: March 08, 1898
Do Not Like It; Daily Inter Mountain: October 07, 1899
Pioneer Citizen of Las Vegas is Dead; Las Vegas Optic: February 14, 1914
What is an Esquire?; Evening Star: July 20, 1895
How Titles are Placed; Republican News Item: May 03, 1900
Highly Honored by the 397th Regiment; The Kansas City Sun: June 29, 1918
Georgia "Colonels"; Richland Beacon: August 11, 1877
The Colonels Take a Say; The Pulaski Citizen: December 16, 1886
Titles for Lawyers; Evening Star: January 22, 1901
It's General Cody Now; The Bridgeport Evening Farmer: April 09, 1915
One of the Landmarks; The True Northerner: February 05, 1890
No Honorary Colonels Permitted by War Department; New Britain Herald: April 12, 1924
Two Washington Men Are German Officers; Evening Star: January 24, 1915
Sad News For Staff Members; The Daily Gate City and Constitution-Democrat: December 14, 1916
Col. Edith Madison Ames; The Philipsburg Mail: October 25, 1901
American Crests; Evening Capital: April 21, 1893
Texas Today; Brownsville Herald: October 20, 1941
Texas List of High Officials Growing Due New Governors; Corsicana Daily Sun: October 24, 1941
Distinctions for Women; Savannah Morning News: September 15, 1898
Screwball Clubs Flourish in New York; The Chronicle-Star: April 25, 1947
Colonels' Club Plan; Devils Lake Inter-Ocean: February 03, 1911