Circa 1896, a Stocktonian named Ole Bolsted was 29 years old. Here’s more about him.
“He lived at Number 2, East Weber Avenue, in Room 5, on the second floor of the “Russ House.” … he was five feet eleven inches tall; had a light complexion, blue eyes, and light brown hair; and was able to read English, write his own name, and mark an election ballot.”
And more. ”He worked as a bartender in 1896, was born in Norway (so he probably spoke with accent), and became a naturalized U.S. citizen on August 28, 1892, in San Joaquin County. In addition, he had a scar on his forehead.”
How is this known? A book called the Great Register, recently donated to the San Joaquin County Historical Museum. The reason for all the data was ID verification. There were no driver’s licenses — because there were no cars – no way of knowing if Ole was who he claimed to be unless he matched the info in the Great Register.
Sounds like a fun book to peruse. Item here.
