User:Margaret Guilford-Kardell/sandbox

Alvy Boles Born 1811 Ohio Died 1890 Placerville Nationality United States Other names Martin, Charles Earl Boles, Charles Bolton, C.E. Bolton, Black Bart, Occupation Blacksmith, Prospector, Potatoe sales, Pack train operator, Stagecoach robber Criminal Penalty 6 YearsCriminal Status  Time seved Spouse Dorcas Boles (she later remarried adding Gordon) Children 3 boys 3 girls

Alvy Boles b.1811; d. 1890. Was a prospector, sold potatoes, pack train operator, sheriff, blacksmith who turned stagecoach robber. He was born in Ohio to John K Boles (sometimes spelled Bowles) left his wife, children (later brought his 3 boys over), and life behind coming west for the fortunes to be made prospecting. Brushing elbows, and honing friends with the likes of Joaquin Miller, Ambrose Bierce, and several other big names of the day.

Literature There are many books on Black Bart, though they identify him as C.E. Boles due to a torn out page found in his Bible. Yet at the time of his arrest he was quoted saying "call me what you will" Mae Hazel Southern had said about the stagecoach passenger Mrs. Bigelow, "Had it not been so dark and had she not been so frightened Mrs. Bigelow might have recognized something about her sometimes neighbor.” Black Bart by William Collins and Bruce Levine has the robberies divided into quadrants which brought to my attention that Alvy Boles had lived, worked, and had friends in every one of those areas.

For further reading would be History in Plain Sight, About Joaquin Miller, Ambrose Bierce, and the Real Black Bart. Black Bart by William Collins and Bruce Levine.

References Black Bart by  William Collins and Bruce Levine 1992 History and Business Directory Shasta County CA           History Siskiyou County, California  By Harry L. Wells 1881 U.S. Census reports Idaho News October 15, 1864