Samples from:

"BILLY THE KID"

William Henry McCarty (aka Billy the Kid) was born in New York in 1859. The actual day of his birth is still in question. Some claim it was November 23, 1859 while others (such as writer Ash Upson who helped Pat Garrett pen his memoirs), insist the date was November 21, 1859 (which also happened to be Upson's birthday). Whatever the case, it is generally agreed that William McCarty was born in late 1859.

Several historians claim young William's real father was named Bonney, which may account for his use of the name as an alias in later years. Young William's mother, Catherine, later married a man by the name of Henry McCarty, who became the father of William’s younger brother, Joseph.

When William was only three years old his family moved to Coffeyville, Kansas. Two years later, the McCarty's again moved (this time to Colorado), and it was during these travels that William's step-father died. An exact date for McCarty's death is not known, since a death certificate or obituary was never located...

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