George Bolles
George Bolles was born on January 16, 1821 in Pomfret, Connecticut.
George moved with his family to Elyria, Ohio in 1837 via the roads thru Hartford Albany, Syracuse Buffalo, Erie, and Cleveland. He went to school and worked at various jobs which were mostly farming. In 1842 and at age 21, he inherited money from grandmother Goff’s estate and invested it in a mill where he lost some of it. In 1842 he went to Cincinnati via Columbus and Portsmouth and stayed a few weeks with his Uncle David. Later he took a boat down the Mississippi and traveled to Blount Springs, Alabama where he visited his Uncle George Goff. He stayed there for about a year and taught school.
In 1843 he traveled to Port Lavaca, Texas with his uncle via Mobile, New Orleans and Galveston, Texas. His uncle had some land which he took care of while George taught school. Uncle Monroe Goff appeared and tried to return to Alabama but died in New Orleans. Uncle Monroe sold off what he could and he and George set out for Colorado. After several adventures, George returned to Cincinnati and Uncle David Bolles.
George returned home in 1845 and studied with a doctor for a short while. He bought a store and goods from his father and brother Lemuel then sold it all in 1847. Later started traveling and practicing medicine and was about to take off for California for gold in 1849 but met and married Mary Angeline Powers in 1850. He sold patent medicines for a while and resumed practice of medicine in 1855. Moved to Wisconsin 1854 or 1855, then returned to Indiana.
George moved to Winneshiek County, Iowa in 1856 via Rockford and Dubuque. He bought and ran a store in Bluffton in 1857. His father moved in with them until his death in 1876. He moved to Decorah 1864 where he bought and sold land in various places and was very active in the Methodist Church while buying and selling goods. He visited Connecticut and Aunt Ann in 1866. Moved to Ridgeway in 1868 and bought and ran a store. Daughter Augusta taught school and boarded at the Klemmes. She married William Henry Klemme in 1870.
Edgar moved to California in 1872 (Uncle J. E. Powers had moved there previously). George and his wife converted to Adventists in 1872 leaving much ill will from the Methodists. The family of six moved to Marysville, California in 1873 via train. They traveled to Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Rosa, Chico.
They settled in Santa Rosa and did some farming. He later became homesick so he sold out and returned to Iowa in November of 1874 where he built a drugstore. His wife died in the winter of 1875. He married again in 1876 and had another child 1877.
They moved to Flandreau, South Dakota in 1878 where they built and ran a store. He split with his wife and moved in with George Sumner in 1899 to 1902, when he wrote his autobiography. Lived with Augusta later on. The Santa Rosa home was visited by Augusta, who said it belonged to Luther Burbank.
George died in 1902 having lived a long life of 80 years.
His seven children with Mary Angeline Powers were:
- Mary Augusta Bolles, 1851-1936
- Edgar Goff Bolles, 1852-1875
- Cyrus Story Bolles, 1854-1856
- Clara Bolles, 1857- ?
- Estella Bolles, 1859-1892
- George Sumner Bolles, 1860- ?
- William Emery Bolles, 1865- ?
His two children with Trabel were:
- Myrick Nathaniel Bolles, 1877- ?
- Laura Jane Bolles, 1880- ?
George Bolles had two siblings:
- John Monroe Bolles
- Lemuel Bolles
