“One-Eyed” Charley Parkhurst (1812 – 1879) caught national acclaim as a skillful stagecoach driver. 

Charley’s upbringing is murky. He was born around 1812 in New England – records conflict between New Hampshire and Worcester. “He told one of his associates that came from New Hampshire, but he did not tell the name of the town,” an 1880 article explains. “He told others that he came from the poor-house in Worcester, from which he had run away.”

However, the most well-documented assumption is that Charley was born in Lebanon, New Hampshire to Ebenezer and Mary (Morehouse) Parkhurst. When Mary died in 1813, Charley and his sister were placed in an orphanage, a common occurrence for families who could not afford to raise large families.

By the 1830s, records are clearer. Charley found work at Ebenezer’s Balch’s stables in Worcester and later relocated with him to Providence. Soon, Charley was driving stagecoach roots between Providence, Boston, Worcester, and New York, managing up to six horses on his rides. He was one of the most skillful drivers in the region, frequently requested by wealthy customers. 

“His judgment as to what could and what could not be done with a waggon [sic] was always sound,” an article recalled, “and his pleasant manners won him friends every where.”

He picked up the nickname “One Eyed Charley” around this time, after a horse kicked him, leaving him blind in his left eye and partially disfigured. Officially, the Providence City Directory listed them as “Charles D. Parkhurst.”

Like many young people at the time, Charley was caught by the California Gold Rush. In search of a better life, in 1851, he headed West to San Francisco to work with James Birch, a prominent businessman who had livery businesses throughout Northern California. 

Charley’s skill with horses became all the more renowned as he mastered travel throughout the rugged terrain throughout the mining region. Driving a coach was more than just working with horses. Coach drivers transported guests of all statuses, delivered mail, and were frequently held up by bandits. Charley was able to balance this all. His skill earned him a salary of $125 a month, when most sailors and miners made $20-$35.

Myth continued to take hold around “One Eyed Charley,” also known as “Six Horse Charley,” including his bravery in fighting off robbers single-handedly. However, all accounts have a common thread of Charley’s tobacco chewing habit and love of cards and dice, just as frequently as they discuss his friendly, generous, and responsible nature.

As railroads became the preferred way of travel and sciatica began to impede Charley, he retired in the 1860s. He operated a stagecoach stop “Sand Hill Station” and a saloon. Later, she bought a ranch near Watsonville, California with Frank Woodward. They raised with chicken and cattle and operated a woodcutting business. In 1868, Charley Parhurst registered to vote.

Finally, in 1873, Charley sold his businesses. After years of hard work, he settled into a cabin. As arthritis began to riddle his body and a consistent sore throat plagues him, a twelve-year-old neighbor, George Harmon, looked after him. Charley died on December 28, 1879 at the age of 67 from tongue and mouth cancer.

As funeral preparations began, the coroner discovered that Charley was female. However, some posthumous accounts state that people know Charley was assigned female at birth or many suspected he may have been intersex because of his small build and high-pitched voice.

Presumably, as a child, Charlotte Parkhurst recognized the difference in how boys and girls were treated. He decided to runaway – either from his uncle’s home or an orphanage – and live as a boy. While this is a simple 19th Century explanation, Charley’s consistent and persistent male identity leads one to believe that he was likely transmasculine, in modern understanding of gender. Further, given the safety concerns of being discovered during his life and the secrecy he maintained – unlike notable cross-dressing women like Deborah Sampson – it is likely that Charley identified as male.

After his death and the discovery of his gender assigned at birth, more myths took shape. For example, Charley is often cited as the first woman to vote in the United States, despite the fact that other women voted due to varied state laws, and Charley likely identified as a man, plus may not have even voted after registering. These accounts would take all shapes of sensationalizing Charley’s story, some celebrating the achievements of a woman while others scrutinizing his motivations. Many children’s stories claim Charley as a female icon of the Wild West, which simultaneously uplifts an important story while diminishing his likely queerness. 

Charley was buried in the Watsonville Odd Fellows Cemetery, also known as the Pioneer Cemetery. Assumed to be lost, decades after his death, the Pajaro Valley Historical Association found his grave in 1954 and instilled a permanent granite marker.

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