Family:Patrick McCarty and Catherine Bohne (1)

"By most accounts, Billy the Kid was born Henry McCarty in New York City, NY November 23, 1859, his parents being Catherine and Patrick McCarty, although it is not known for sure. Another view is that he was born William H. Bonney to Catherine and William McCarty Bonney. Billy did sign letters as William H. Bonney, but this was after he fled the Arizona territory, wanted for murder, so many assume that William H. Bonney was just an alias to hide from the law and that's why he used it signing letters. Another story has it as Billy being born as Henry McCarty to a Joseph McCarty of Cass County, IN. However, in the 1880 census of Lincoln County, NM, the Kid listed his name as William H. Bonney and his state of birth as New York."

"According to the Records that I have, Bonney is Billy's Birth Father's Surname, and Patrick McCarthy. Sr. is the Father that raised him from Birth. William Antrim is the Step Father's Name, and Billy's Legitimate Name, according to MY Records is this:
William Patrick Henry Bonney - McCarthy - Antrim.
Even though on the Birth Record it is listed only as Henry McCarthy.
Devine is his Mother's Legitimate Surname.
They were from Jamaica and then New Orleans, Louisiana.
McCarty is Katherine Antrim's Mother's Family."

"Little if anything is known about the woman who brought the legendary Billy the Kid into this world. Like her son, Catherine’s birth date, place of birth (Ireland, but where in Ireland?) and her maiden name is unknown (1). We do know she was an Irish immigrant that arrived New York, but whether she came over alone or accompanied by a boyfriend or husband, or whether she was already pregnant with the Kid is not known. The truth about Catherine’s marriage(s) and father(s) of her sons is very unclear and although promising records have surfaced that could possibly solve the mystery, they always have a loophole in it. So what’s to follow is my own speculation and it's up to the reader’s discretion on whether or not they want to accept it as a possibility. Catherine's future husband William Antrim recalled that her first husband died in New York, but he didn't make it clear on whether or not that was the only one -could there have been a second? Did he father both or just one of Catherine's sons? Since there are no agreeable marriage records of a “McCarty” or “Bonney” couple in New York, it's possible they may have already been married when they came to America. Another possibility is that Catherine may have been a “fallen girl” and Billy the Kid was her love child and maybe the last name of the man who fathered her child was Bonney (2). This could explain (as Billy the Kid biographer Frederick Nolan suggested) while looking for an alias, the Kid took on the last name of Bonney. If this theory is true, then during Catherine's pregnancy or immediately after, she may have relocated (as unwed mothers often did in those days) to Indiana or she may have met her next husband (McCarty) in New York and they traveled to Indiana together. This man could've been Joseph's father and the “McCarty” husband that we’ve been hearing so much about. Thoroughly confused? Well, you're not alone. This whole husband/father mystery isn't anywhere near being solved and one can go crazy trying to figure it out."

"In New York she becomes destitute after a few years and shacks up with an Irish immigrant, Michael McCarty. (It’s not clear they were married formally – although they may have considered themselves married)

Now the illegitimate son of the King is my grandfather’s grandfather. She has two sons with McCarty. One is William Henry Bohne otherwise known as Billy the Kid. The other is Joseph Smith McCarty. William goes by Bohne rather than McCarty because McCarty is quite the . . . well add your own expletive. One story has him wanting to pay Tithing and breaking Helsina’s arm trying to get the broach or watch that the king had given her to pay for it. In New York McCarty is becoming more and more violent. One incident in 1872 leads William to stab his father. While McCarty is recuperating from the stabbing Helsina and her two sons flee to Indiana. Initially they use her maiden name but when they hear of McCarty’s unrelated death go back to using McCarty. (Which sounds weird to me, given his nature.) Helsina also starts using her middle name, Katherine and the Americanizes it to Catherine. This is the name you usually read in the Billy the Kid biographies."