Mrs. Church was born in Wexford, Ireland July 3, 1862. In 1871 she came from Ireland to America with her mother, Ella (Doyel) Bolton, and a brother and younger sister, who is Mrs. Ella (Bolton) Davidson. Mrs. Bolton and her children, on landing in New York, traveled by train as far as the railroad was built, and then by army ambulance and covered wagons, guarded by an army escort sent from Fort Stanton, by whom they were conducted safely through hostile Indian infested plains to what was to be their new home in the wild newly settled country of New Mexico.

Adobe Home at Fort Stanton

Mr. Bolton had preceded his wife and children in coming to America. After they joined him at Fort Stanton he built for them a new adobe home. Here Mrs. Church lived happily with her parents and brother and sister the three first of her many continuous years of residence in New Mexico.

Old Lincoln Town

In 1873, John Bolton moved his family to the historic old town of Lincoln, New Mexico, where he was made postmaster. Here his daughters, Amelia and Ella, grew to young girlhood, constantly surrounded by danger, not only from Indians, of whom they had lived in terror at Fort Stanton, but from the rough element of settlers of the new town, made up of cattle thieves, gamblers and murderers, and the gun-battles of the two factions of the bloody feudal conflicts, known as the Lincoln County War. The true stories of some of those battles - of which Mrs. Church is one of the few living eye-witnesses - and the traditions of the many historic places of interest in Lincoln County are desired by the Chaves County Archaeological and Historical Society for preservation in the Roswell Museum.

Beginning of the Lincoln County War

The killing of John H. Tunstall on February 18, 1878 was the real beginning of the Lincoln County War. Tunstall, who was a popular young Englishman, had established a ranch on the Rio Feliz and stocked it with cattle and horses. William Bonney, who became known afterwards as "Billy the Kid, and as a bloodthirsty man-killer and outlaw", was employed by Tunstall to assist with the stock on the ranch. They became fast friends. The youthful outlaw made a resolve, while standing over the grave of his friend, that he would never let up until he killed the last man who helped to kill Tunstall. Tunstall was shot down by officials of the law, who were sent to take Tunstall's cattle and property because of his partnership with McSween in the mercantile business in Lincoln. Sheriff Brady was supposed to have been responsible for the attachment issued against Tunstall's property, which resulted in his killing.

Killing of Major Brady, Spring of 1878

"I knew Major Brady very well." Said Mrs. Church during an interview at her home in Roswell in September, 1938. "He was sheriff of Lincoln County when he was killed. I saw him as he and another man, deputy sheriff George Hindman, lay dead in the street, shot down, as they were passing, by Billy the Kid and his gang, who lay hidden behind an adobe wall. Major Brady was killed instantly. George Hindman fell when he was shot, and Ike Stockton who was standing near, on seeing he was still alive, ran to him and gave him water that he brought from a ditch in his hat. However nothing could revive him for he was mortally wounded and died in a few minutes. The third man, Billy Mathews, who was with Major Brady when the shooting began, made his escape by running into an adobe house near by."

Old Lincoln County Court House

"Up stairs in the old Court House at Lincoln is the room where Billy the Kid was confined waiting his trial for the killing of Major Brady. There have been many untrue stories told of the Kid's sensational escape after killing his two guards Bell and Ollinger. I remember all the facts in connection with that escape," said Mrs. Church.

"Billy the Kid was playing cards with Bell while Ollinger, his other guard, was at dinner across the street. He saw his chance and grabbed Bell's gun. Bell darted down the inside stairway, but Billy the Kid was too quick for him, fired and Bell fell dead at the bottom of the stairs. Billy the Kid then walked calmly to a window and shot Ollinger down as he came running when he heard the shooting. The "Kid" then threw the gun on Ollinger who lay dying and told Goss, the jail cook, to saddle a horse that was feeding in an alfalfa field nearby. The cook helped get the shackles off the Kid's hands but, because they were welded on he couldn't get them off his legs. That is why he was thrown from the horse because of having to ride side-wise on account of the shackles. He rode a mile and a half west before they were removed by a Mexican man, who afterwards gave the shackles to George Titsworth, who lived at Capitan, and possessed an interesting collection at that place.

"The Old Court House is now in process of reconditioning and strengthening. It is to serve as a memorial to the pioneers after its restoration."

The First Jail Built in Lincoln

Mrs. Church remembers the building of the first jail in Lincoln, the first occupant of which was Billy the Kid.

"I watched the men as they worked on the jail." Said Mrs. Church. "They dug a square pit about nine feet deep, then they lowered into it, a rough closet like cell without any doors or windows. On top of the ground, over the cell they built a two room adobe house for the jailer. I saw them lower Billy the Kid through a trap door in the top to the cell below. There was a ditch running full of water close by. I was horrified when I heard one of the men who lowered the "Kid" inside say: 'Let's turn the water of that ditch into the cell and drown him like a cat.'"

Knew Billy the Kid and McSween�s

While many harrowing experiences and murderings were indelibly impressed upon the young mind of Mrs. Church, she also remembers many pleasant social occasions during the years she lived in Lincoln. There were musicale parties and dancing.

She knew Billy the Kid, who sang well and was a good dancer. He was a welcome guest at many of the early social affairs of the town. She often visited in the home of Mr. and Mrs. McSween. Mr. McSween though he never carried a gun, was one of the faction leaders of the Lincoln County War. She remembers Mrs. McSween as being a woman of refinement and culture. She was a good musician and owned a fine piano of which she was very proud. It was burned in her home, the night her husband was killed in the final battle that practically ended the Lincoln County War which took place in July 1878.