• November 23: Henry McCarty, later known as Billy the Kid, is born in New York City to Irish immigrants Patrick and Catherine McCarty.

1862

• Catherine moves west: Following the death of her husband, Catherine moves Henry and his younger brother Joseph to Indianapolis, Indiana, where she works as a laundress.

1865

• Kansas: The McCarty family relocates to Wichita, Kansas. Catherine supports her sons as a laundress.

1868

• June 18, 1868: Billy’s mother Catherine McCarty’s name appears in a census in Anderson, Indiana. Her name appears with sons William Henry (Billy the Kid) and Joseph. It would be around this time that Catherine McCarty would meet and, in 1873, eventually marry William Antrim.

1870

• August 10, 1870: The Kid’s family relocated from Indiana to Wichita, Kansas.

1873

• March 1: Catherine marries William Antrim in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the family settles in Silver City. Henry becomes known for his intelligence and amiable personality, but the family struggles financially. Henry works odd jobs and helps his mother. The wedding of Catherine McCarty and William Antrim took place on March 1, 1873. The ceremony took place in the chapel at the First Presbyterian Church in Santa Fe. It was Catherine’s second marriage. Her first husband had died nine years earlier. The bride’s two sons, Henry and Joe, stood witness at the ceremony. Catherine had severe, advanced tuberculosis. She hoped that her new husband would care for her sons if anything happened to her. After the wedding, they moved to the drier climate of Silver City. She prayed that her sons would lead a Christian life. She died a year later, when Henry was 15.
• April: The Antrim family moves to Silver City, New Mexico. The fifth move of Billy and Joseph’s life. (possibly more, but that is all that is in the records.)

1874

• September 16: Billy the Kid’s mother, Catherine, finally succumbs to her disease and dies. This leaves Billy and his brother alone with their stepdad. William Antrim then moved to Clifton, Arizona, and leaves his stepsons behind. This would subject the boys to live in foster care. Foster care at this time was rudimentary and much worse than even modern standards.
• September 23: Billy the Kid is arrested for stealing laundry. This becomes his first interaction with the law.

1875

• September 25: Two days after his arrest, he escapes jail and flees to Clifton, Arizona, where he meets up with his step-dad. He seeks refuge with his dead mother’s husband, but William Antrim rejects him and does not take him in. This now puts Billy the Kid on his own.
• Arizona Territory: Henry moves to southeastern Arizona and works as a ranch hand, gambler, and teamster. He gains a reputation as a skilled horseman and marksman.

1876

• In 1876, he was hired as a ranch hand by well-known rancher Henry Hooker. During this time, McCarty became acquainted with John R. Mackie, a Scottish-born criminal and former U.S. Cavalry private who, following his discharge, remained near the U.S. Army post at Camp Grant in Arizona. The two men soon began stealing horses from local soldiers. McCarty became known as “Kid Antrim” because of his youth, slight build, clean-shaven appearance, and personality.
• April: Records indicate that he takes a job as a cook at the Hotel de Luna. It would be here that he meets a horse thief named John Mackie. Mackie takes the kid under his wing and shows him how to make money stealing horses. This lifestyle becomes alluring to young Billy since he has moved all over the Wild West and lived in poverty.

1877

• March 25: The horse thief duo is arrested and put in jail at Fort Grant. Billy the Kid escapes later that evening and begins to get a reputation as an escape artist.
• August 18: In Fort Grant, the Kid kills his first man, Frank “Windy” Cahill, a bully who attacked the Kid during an argument. The Kid then leaves Arizona and heads back to New Mexico.
• September: The Kid joins Jesse Evans, the leader of “The Boys,” a gang of rustlers and killers.
• October – November – The gang rides into Lincoln County. Shortly after arriving, Billy the Kid has a falling out with the gang and is then hired by John Tunstall. At the time, Tunstall was involved in a feud with the Dolan Company that would turn bloody.
• Lincoln County War involvement: Henry begins working for John Tunstall, a rancher and merchant in Lincoln County, New Mexico, who is embroiled in a conflict with the Murphy-Dolan faction.

1878

February 18

• February 18 – 23, 1878 – The Kid rides along with Tunstall and his men, herding horses to Lincoln. The group is ambushed by Dolan and Sheriff Brady’s men, and Tunstall is killed. Billy the Kid and the others escape. The following day, three of Tunstall’s men, which included Billy, try to serve warrants on the men who killed Tunstall. They were arrested and would miss Tunstall’s funeral. They would be released from jail on the 23rd.
• John Tunstall’s Murder: John Tunstall, an English rancher and Billy the Kid’s employer, is murdered by members of the rival Murphy-Dolan faction near his ranch. This event sparks the beginning of the Lincoln County War.

February 19

• Formation of the Regulators: In response to Tunstall’s murder, Billy the Kid and other Tunstall supporters form a vigilante group called the Regulators to avenge his death and bring the killers to justice.

March 1st

• March 1, 1878- Dick Brewer, Tunstall’s foreman, is appointed constable to bring in Tunstall’s murderers. The Kid and several others are deputized. They called themselves “The Regulators.”

March 6

• The Regulators arrest Bill Morton and Frank Baker.
• Murder of Sheriff Brady: The Regulators ambush and kill Sheriff William Brady and his deputy George W. Hindman in Lincoln, New Mexico. Billy the Kid is directly involved in this attack, which escalates the conflict in Lincoln County.

March 9th

• March 9, 1878, the Lincoln County Regulators, a vigilante posse formed by Tunstall and McSween supporters and at the time led by Dick Brewer caught Morton and Baker, and executed both men. On that same day Jesse Evans was injured and Tom Hill was killed while attempting to raid a ranch near Tularosa. Evans was arrested but managed to break out of jail. Evans returned and was present at the five-day siege at McSween’s house, known as the Battle of Lincoln

April 1, 1878

• On April 1, 1878, Billy, along with several other Regulators, which included Frank MacNab, Jim French, Fred Waite, Henry Brown, and John Middleton, were involved in a shootout with law enforcement in front of the Lincoln County Courthouse. William Brady and his deputy, George Hindman, lay dead when the dust cleared.

April 4th, 1878

• The Regulators, including Billy the Kid, Charlie Bowdre, and led by Richard “Dick” Brewer, were in the process of hunting down anyone believed to have been associated with the murder of John Tunstall, which had sparked the Lincoln County War. Roberts had been implicated in crimes associated with the “Murphy-Dolan” faction, but in reality it is believed he wanted nothing to do with the ongoing range war.The Regulators known to be present that day included Brewer, Bowdre, William McCarty (aka Billy the Kid), Doc Scurlock, Frank McNab, George Coe, Frank Coe, John Middleton, Jim French, Henry Newton Brown, Fred Waite, and several lesser-known others.
• Buckshot Roberts is killed at Blazer’s Mill, but not before wounding Frank Coe and John Middleton and killing Dick Brewer.

April 18, 1878

•  The Kid, Middleton, and Brown are indicted for the murder of Sheriff Brady. This would be the criminal act that would stick with Billy through the rest of his life.

 

April 29, 1878

• Battle of the Fritz Ranch: The Regulators face off against the Seven Rivers Warriors, allies of the Murphy-Dolan faction, at the Fritz Ranch. This battle results in casualties on both sides and further intensifies the Lincoln County War.
• Regulators involved
  • Frank MacNab (leader), shot twice, once in the head, and killed
  • Frank Coe, captured
  • James Albert ‘Ab’ Saunders, shot in the left hip and left ankle

 

May 15, 1878

• On May 15, the Regulators tracked down and captured the Jesse Evans gang member Manuel Segovia, who is believed to have shot McNab. They shot him during an alleged escape.

June 1878

• Governor Axtell’s Intervention: New Mexico Governor Samuel Axtell declares martial law in Lincoln County and sends in the military to restore order. This intervention temporarily halts some of the violence but does not end the conflict. (check for accuracy)

 

July 15, 1878

• Battle of Lincoln: The most significant and prolonged engagement of the Lincoln County War occurs over five days in the town of Lincoln. Billy the Kid and the Regulators are besieged in the McSween house by the Murphy-Dolan faction and their allies.
• July 15 – 19, 1878 – The Five-day battle at Alex McSween‘s home in Lincoln. On the 19th, while trying to escape, Alex McSween, Francisco Zamora, and Harvey Morris are killed; on the Dolan side, Robert Beckwith is killed. Billy the Kid and the Regulators escape.

July 19, 1878

• Burning of the McSween House: The McSween house is set on fire during the Battle of Lincoln. Alexander McSween is killed while attempting to escape the burning building. Billy the Kid and a few others manage to break out and flee, but the battle ends in a defeat for the Regulators.

August 1878

• Outlaw Activities: After the Battle of Lincoln, Billy the Kid continues his outlaw activities, stealing cattle and horses, and evading law enforcement.
• August 5, 1878 – Billy the Kid is blamed for the murder of Morris Bernstein, although it was not him who pulled the trigger, and the shooter, Atanacio Martinez, said he acted in self-defense.

September 1878

• Murphy-Dolan Faction’s Control: The Murphy-Dolan faction reasserts control over Lincoln County with the Regulators severely weakened after the Battle of Lincoln. Billy the Kid becomes a wanted fugitive.
• September 4, 1878 – Lew Wallace becomes governor, replacing Governor Axtell. Lew Wallace would become a key figure in Billy’s life.

October 5, 1878

• Tunstall’s Murder Trial: The trial for those accused of John Tunstall’s murder begins, but due to corruption and intimidation, the defendants are acquitted, further fueling Billy the Kid’s sense of injustice.
• October 1878 – Billy the Kid had moved on from the Lincoln County War and was now located in Texas. While in Texas, he becomes good friends with a young doctor named Henry Hoyt. He gives Hoyt Sherriff Brady’s horse, and Hoyt gives him a watch.

November 1878

• Pardons and Politics: In the aftermath of the Lincoln County War, political maneuvering and promises of pardons for various participants, including Billy the Kid, create a tense and uncertain atmosphere in the territory.
• November 13, 1878 – Governor Wallace issues a proclamation of amnesty for parties involved in the Lincoln County War. Billy returns to Lincoln County to make peace with his enemies. It seemed as if this truce would work until a couple of months later.

Summary of 1878

• 1878 was a crucial year in the life of Billy the Kid, dominated by the violent and chaotic events of the Lincoln County War. The murder of John Tunstall, the formation of the Regulators, and the various battles and skirmishes, including the significant Battle of Lincoln, marked this year. Despite the conflict and turmoil, Billy the Kid’s legend as an outlaw and gunfighter continued to grow.

Billy the Kid Timeline for 1879

January 1, 1879

• Outlaw Activity: Billy the Kid, now an infamous outlaw, continues his activities in the New Mexico Territory, moving between hideouts and evading law enforcement.

February 18, 1879

• February 18, 1879 – The Kid meets up with Evans in Lincoln to propose a truce. A peace treaty is formed, and both sides forget their differences. Later that evening, the party of men comes across Susan McSween’s attorney, Huston Chapman. While the Kid stood by watching uneasily, Evans and his men harass and then shoot the attorney.

March 13, 1879

• March 13 – 21, 1879 – In response to the shooting, Billy the Kid writes Governor Lew Wallace saying that he will testify against Chapman’s killers. This would break the treaty he had made with Evans and Doland.  The governor receives his letter and says he is willing to meet to discuss the terms. He closes the letter by saying, “If you can trust Jesse Evans, you can trust me.”The Kid and the governor meet, and an arrangement is made. If the Kid submits to a fake arrest and testifies in court against Dolan, Evans, and Colonel Dudley, he would be pardoned. Billy is then arrested and brought to Lincoln to testify.
•  March 15- The governor writes to the Kid telling him that he would meet with him to discuss the terms. In closing he writes, “If you can trust Jesse Evans, you can trust me.”
• March 17- The Kid and the governor meet and an arrangement is made. If the Kid submits to a fake arrest and testifies in court against Dolan, Evans, and Colonel Dudley, he would be pardoned.
• March  20 or 21- The Kid and Tom O’Folliard are arrested and brought to Lincoln.

April 1879

• April 14 – June 17, 1879 – Billy does what he agreed to do. He testifies in court against Chapman’s murderers and then again against Colonel Dudley and his involvement in the siege of McSween’s home. After three months, the governor did not issue a warrant, and Billy was scheduled for trial. He feels betrayed, walks out of jail, and rode off. There was no opposition.

May 1879

• May 28- The Kid testifies against Colonel Dudley for his involvement in the siege at McSween’s home.
• Murphy-Dolan Faction: Billy the Kid is targeted by the Murphy-Dolan faction, who seek to eliminate him due to his involvement in the Lincoln County War and his continued defiance of their control.

June 1879

• Contact with Governor Lew Wallace: Billy the Kid reaches out to Governor Lew Wallace, seeking a pardon in exchange for testimony against other criminals involved in the Lincoln County War. Negotiations begin but are fraught with mistrust and delays.
• June 17- After three months of jail, the Kid had enough. He kept his end of the bargain and there was no pardon for him, and now he was scheduled for trial. Feeling betrayed, he simply walked out of jail and rode off.

July 8th 1879

• New Documentation never disclosed before thanks to Steve Sedarwall COLD WEST Detective Agency
• The board of Lincoln County Commissioner’s meet and allocated $64 dollars to Isaac Ellis to house William Bonnie and Thomas

  Folliard along with their horses. See full documents here  Page 1  Page 2

•  

August 1879

• Testimony and Betrayal: Billy the Kid provides testimony against former associates involved in the Lincoln County War, but his hopes for a pardon are dashed as political and legal complications arise.
• August 9th Sheriff Kimball and his men think they have Billy cornered in a little cabin near Lincoln. They surrounded the building, waited until dawn, only to find the cabin empty. Later the Ft. commander reported, “escaped by climbing up a chimney, leaving his arms behind, and escaping under cover of night.”

September 1879

• Return to Outlaw Life: Disillusioned by the failed negotiations for his pardon, Billy the Kid returns to his outlaw ways. He and his gang continue rustling cattle and horses, often engaging in shootouts with law enforcement.

October 5, 1879

• Cattle Rustling: Billy the Kid and his gang are involved in a significant cattle rustling operation near Fort Sumner, New Mexico. This event further cements his reputation as a notorious outlaw.

November 1879

• Increased Law Enforcement Pressure: Sheriff Pat Garrett is appointed by the newly elected sheriff of Lincoln County, John Poe, with the specific task of capturing Billy the Kid. Garrett begins to systematically track down Billy and his associates.

December 10, 1879

• Arrest and Escape: Billy the Kid is briefly captured near Anton Chico, New Mexico, but manages to escape custody once again, further enhancing his legend.

December 30, 1879

• Hideout in the Capitan Mountains: Billy the Kid finds refuge in the Capitan Mountains, evading law enforcement and planning his next moves with his loyal gang members.

Summary of 1879

• 1879 was a pivotal year for Billy the Kid, marked by attempts to negotiate a pardon with Governor Lew Wallace, continued outlaw activities, and increasing pressure from law enforcement led by Sheriff Pat Garrett. The year’s events set the stage for the final chapter of Billy the Kid’s life, leading to his eventual capture and death in 1881.

1880

• (Jan.10th) Joe Grant challenges the Kid in Ft. Sumner. He pulls a gun on the kid, it misfires (earlier the Kid pretended to admire it, all the while positioning the chamber so the hammer will fall on an empty round) and the Kid shoots him dead, with 3 rounds to Grants chin.
• June- In Fort Sumner, the Kid has some fun with a census taker; he gives his age as twenty-five and he was born in Missouri, as well as both his parents, and listed his occupation as: “working in cattle.”
• Increased Outlaw Activity: Billy’s gang is involved in various robberies and skirmishes with law enforcement. His notoriety grows, and he becomes one of the most wanted men in the New Mexico Territory.
• October 6- Once again, the Kid is tried of dodging the law and he writes to Ira Leonard saying that he wants to try straightening things out again with Governor Wallace. Leonard agrees to meet in him in White Oaks within the week. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, the Kid comes six weeks later, so by then the deal is off.
• November 2- Pat Garrett is elected sheriff of Lincoln County.
• November 27- The White Oaks posse surrounds the Kid and his gang at the Greathouse Ranch. During a standoff Deputy James Carlyle is accidentally killed by his own men. Afterwards the posse leaves the ranch and the outlaws escape. The Kid is accused of the deputy’s death, but as he would say “There’s more about that killing then people known.”
•  December 12- The Kid writes to Governor Wallace pleading his innocence concerning the Deputy Carlyle killing and rustling actives in the territory.
• December 14- Sheriff Garrett and his posse begin the hunt for Billy the Kid.
• December 15- The governor puts outs a $500 reward for the Kid’s capture.
• December 19- In Fort Sumner, Garrett and his posse ambush the Kid and his gang. Tom O’Folliard is killed, but the Kid and the others escape.
• December 23- The Sheriff tracks the Kid and his gang to a rock house in  Stinking Springs. When Charlie Bowdre appears in the door, they think it’s the Kid and open fire, Bowdre is killed and there’s a standoff.  After a couple of hours, the Kid and his men surrender.
• December 24- The lawmen bring their prisoners back to Fort Sumner. Charlie Bowdre’s body is delivered to his wife, and the Kid and Rudabaugh are shackled together. The posse then load up the prisoners in a wagon and head for Las Vegas.
• December 25- The posse and their prisoners have Christmas dinner at Padre Polaco’s store in Puerto de Luna. Later that evening they head out and travel all night to Las Vegas.
• December 26- Garrett’s posse and the prisoners arrive in Las Vegas. The town is curious about Billy the Kid, but hostile towards Dave Rudabaugh -several months earlier Rudabaugh had killed one of their deputies.
• December 27- The next morning Sheriff Garrett and his men take the prisoners to the depo, where they are met by a mob who are after Rudabaugh. The lawmen hold the mob back until the train leaves. They then arrive in Santa Fe where the prisoners are placed in jail.

1881

• January 1- The Kid writes to Governor Wallace to come down to the jail to see him.  The governor at the time is out of town.
• February 28- The Kid and his cohorts try to dig their way out of jail, but they are caught. The prisoners are separated and the Kid is chained to the floor in a dark solitary cell.
•  March 2- Getting impatient, the Kid writes another note to the governor, but there is no reply.
•  March 4- The Kid writes another letter, this one with a hint of frustration by threatening to make public the letters they had exchanged back in March of 1879, showing how the governor was in cahoots with him. It was probably an empty threat, because the Kid never did so.
• March 27- Time’s running short and the Kid writes his last note to the governor, but like all the rest, it was ignored.
•  March 28- The Kid is taken to the depot to be transported to La Mesilla for trial.
• March 30- The Kid’s first trial for the killing of Buckshot Roberts commences.
• April 6- The Buckshot Roberts case is dismissed due to a technicality.
• April 8- The Kid’s second trial commences for the killing of Sheriff Brady.
• April 9: Billy is tried and convicted of the murder of Sheriff William Brady. He is sentenced to hang. April 9- The Kid is found guilty of first-degree murder and faces the death penalty. Out of all the men who killed during the Lincoln County War, the Kid was the only one to ever be convicted and punished. The few that were tried in court were all acquitted or pardoned.
• April 13 –The Kid is sentenced to hang on May 13th between the hours of 9am and 3pm.
• April 15- In the morning the Kid writes a letter to attorney Edgar Caypless, concerning the suit for his mare that was confiscated from him when he was arrested by Sheriff Garrett. His attorney Albert Fountain is willing to carry the case further if the Kid could come up with money to pay him, so the Kid is depending on reclaiming his horse to sell her for attorney fees. There is no response from Caypless. Later at 10pm, the Kid is loaded up in an coach and heads out to Lincoln where he is to be hanged.
• April 21- The Kid arrives in Lincoln and is jailed in the courthouse.
• April 28: Billy escapes from the Lincoln County Courthouse, killing deputies James Bell and Bob Olinger in the process. His daring escape further cements his legendary status.
• July 14: Sheriff Pat Garrett tracks Billy the Kid to Fort Sumner, New Mexico. In a surprise encounter in the dark, Garrett shoots and kills Billy the Kid, ending the life of the notorious outlaw at the age of 21. July 14-  Late at night in Fort Sumner, the Kid is shot and killed by Sheriff Garrett at Pete Maxwell’s house. The Kid was only nineteen or twenty years old.
• July 15- Milnor Rudolph organized a coroner’s jury and makes out a verdict, stating the death of Billy the Kid was justifiable homicide. In the afternoon, the Kid’s body is laid to rest next to his friends, Charlie Bowdre and Tom O’Folliard.
• February or March- Pat Garrett’s book The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid is published. Although the book is more myth than fact, it immortalized Billy the Kid in legend.

1882

• Pat Garrett publishes: “The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid,” written by Pat Garrett and Ash Upson, is published, contributing significantly to Billy the Kid’s legend.