Name: Childhood name: William Henry McCarty. Teenage name: Kid Antrim. Outlaw name: William H. Bonney alias Billy the Kid

Nickname: Kid

Birthdate: Unknown (possibly around 1859-61)

Date of death: July 14, 1881 (shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett)

Place of birth: Unknown (possibly New York or Indiana)

Family: Father, unknown. Mother, Catherine McCarty/Antrim. Half-Brother, Joseph McCarty /Antrim. Step-father, William Henry Harrison Antrim.

Height: 5’8’’

Weight: 140lbs

Eyes: Clear Blue

Hair: Sandy Blonde to Light Brown

Marital Status: Single. The Kid never married, but he had plenty of girlfriends. It's possible he may have fathered a child or two out of wedlock (with which girlfriend is anyone's guess), but this possibility is only built on rumor and gossip. So far no evidence supports any claim that Billy the Kid fathered a child.

Childhood background: Billy the Kid's father died or left his mother when he was very young. The Kid may not have even known his father. Throughout his childhood he lived in Indiana, Kansas, and Colorado before his family settled in Silver City, New Mexico. When the Kid was about 13-14 years old his mother died in 1874. He and his younger Joseph brother got no paternal care by their step-father, who placed them in separate foster homes and left them. A year after his mother's death, the Kid got involved in petty theft and was arrested. He soon escaped and began his outlaw journey.

Outlaw Career: After a short career as a horse thief's apprentice in Arizona, the Kid  left the territory when he was wanted for murder when he shot and killed a man named Windy Cahill, who was teasing and abusing the boy. The Kid returned to New Mexico and joined up with a gang of rustlers and gunfighters called The Boys, who were involved in the Lincoln County War fighting for the James Dolan side. The Kid ended up leaving the gang to join up with their opposition, John Tunstall. After the death of Tunstall, the violence erupted. The Kid and other Tunstall supporters formed the "Regulators" that consisted of deputized gunmen. The war ended at Tunstall's partner Alex McSween's home, and the Kid and a handful of Regulators barely escaped with their lives. The Regulators then disbanded; some left or went into hiding to start new lives, while others stuck around and became outlaws. The Kid was one of those that became outlaws. On the run from his enemies and the law, the Kid made a living by stealing horses and cattle, until his arrest in December of 1880. After being convicted and sentence to death for taking part in the killing of Sheriff Brady during the Lincoln County War, he killed his two guards in April of 1881 and escaped. The Kid was then hunted down by Pat Garrett and shot in the dark at the home of Pete Maxwell. Billy the Kid (about 19-20 years old) died July 14, 1881 in Fort Sumner, NM.

Personality traits: Great sense of humor, good-natured and generous. Optimistic, determined, cunning and reckless. He was dependable and would risk his life for those he cared about. He did have some faults, he was stubborn and had a “they’ll-never-catch-me” attitude, which resulted in his carelessness in avoiding capture. He would push his luck to its limits and had a tendency to return to the scene of a crime. He’d trust the wrong people, and did not heed the advice of his friends. His greatest fault was not leaving the territory after his jailbreak when he had more than enough time to do so before Sheriff Garrett caught up with him. Due to his good qualities, many believed if Billy the Kid got a right start in life he never would've became an outlaw. Alex McSween's wife Susan once said in an interview years later after the Kid's death, "I had always believed if Mr. Tunstall had lived The Kid, under his guidance, would have become a valuable citizen, for he was a remarkable boy, far above the average of the young men of those times and he undoubtedly  had the makings of a fine man in him."

Most noticeable physical traits: The Kid was slender in built, with narrow sloped shoulders. He had small hands and feet, and supposedly large wrists. A small mouth with narrow lips, and crooked front teeth (keep all this in mind when you come across photos that are purported to be Billy the Kid).

Most noticeable apparel: A sugar-loaf sombrero hat with a wide decorative band.

Favorite Songs: “Silver Threads Among the Gold” and “Turkey in the Straw.”

Favorite type of dancing: Polkas and Square dancing.

Hobbies and interest: Singing and dancing, the Kid loved to party. He enjoyed gambling and his favorite card games were Monte and Poker. He also loved to bet on and participant in horse racing. Target-shooting was another favorite past time and he enjoyed showing-off to his friends his gun twirling abilities. It was said he could take two revolvers (one in each hand) twirl one gun in one direction and the other gun in the oppose direction at the same time. In his more quiet moments, he would use that leisure time to meticulously clean his firearms or read a newspaper or gazette.

Firearms he used: Billy the Kid was known to use the Colt single action .44 and Colt double-action .41 caliber called the “Thunderer.” He may have also used the .38 caliber version called the “Lightning.” His weapon of choice, and the most prized, was his Winchester 73’ rifle.