#Charley Parkhurst

[lawofcollage]

I made this piece in honor of all the queer folks that came before us, especially the gender nonconforming ones. Many are not famous or well known, and that is on purpose. It hangs on my wall.

People mentioned here: Billy Tipton, Murray Hall, Charley Parkhurst, Joseph Israel Lobdell, John Smith and James Pratt, Mademoiselle de Beaumont, Lili Elbe, Kuchek Hanem, We'wha, Olha Koby Iianska, Akiko Uosano, Marcela Gracia Ibeas and Elisa Sanchez Loriga, Bayard Ruston, Yukio, Arthur Berloget, Bowery Queen, Zimri Lim, Ela, Sylvia Brake, James Clay, Albert Cashier, Public Universal Friend, Jack Bee Garland, Mary Jones, Thomas Hall, Boulton and Park, Sammy Williams, Nell Pickerell

Threadless

[yourdailyqueer]

Charley Parkhurst (deceased)

Gender: Transgender man

Sexuality: Not available

DOB: Born 1812  

RIP: 18 December 1879

Ethnicity: White - American

Occupation: Stagecoach driver, farmer and rancher

Note 1: In 1868, he may have been the first person of the “female sex” to vote in a presidential election in California

Note 2: After his death in 1879, his sex was discovered by others, as well as that he had given birth at an earlier time

[thatgordongirl]

I like having a real life counterpart for my OCs - cause mine are ~dead~ and it’s funny that out of context these are the main characters

For reference: Viscount Alan Brooke, Joan Trumphauer Mulholland, and Charley Parkhurst

[luxiiien]

not saying reading this book as a kid made me trans but it certainly did something

[spiritsonic]

Hi Evan! Big fan here, hope I'm not disturbing you at an inconvenient time. I love your work as an artist and writer, but it's not just Sonic that you work on. It would be cool to know more about your work Ensouled. What is it about? Who is the ghost guy and the human girl?

Sure, I’ve been wanting to write some new character bios. Check it all out under the break!

CHARLEY PARKHEARSE

Once, long ago, Charley was the best teamster in Santa Alma county. His stagecoach flew over treacherous mountain roads, One crack of his whip could snuff a candle’s flame from six yards, and any bandit who dared to stop his stage would meet the business end of a rifle. Anyone who cared to comment about his sour temper or murky past knew to keep their voices low… and God help any fool who questioned Charley’s refusal to remove his heavy greatcoat, no matter the weather. 

But Charley’s fame was bound to earn him enemies… When the bandit Sugarfoot learned that Charley was in fact born a █████, the secret spread like wildfire through the mountains. Charley was ruined. He thought his life was over, until he was visited by a being dealing in black magic; a devil known in his human guise as Aurelius Flood. This devil promised to erase Charley’s secret from the minds of Santa Alma’s people, restoring Charley’s reputation, in return for his soul. Charley accepted, though he would not learn the depth of his folly until the night he died… and was raised as a ghost by that same devil, now bound to his service. Still, the devil was true to his word. Charley’s secret was safe, even beyond the grave.

At one point in the many decades since his death, Charley thought he could escape Aurelius’ control. But today… he’s given up that hope. He haunts the roads he was once the master of, frightening drivers to meet his quota of Soul and waiting ‘till his memories fade away, taking the pain of his mistakes with them. That is until, in a flash of ill-advised mercy, Charley spares the life of a young woman he scared off the road…

(Charley is LOOSELY based on Charley Darkey Parkhurst, a real historical figure. Look him up! He's a really cool example of a queer, probably trans person ((by today's standards)) in history. The real Charley's dying wish was to be remembered as a man; a wish that has not been respected by history. I want to explore the pros and cons of living closeted or stealth in an ever-changing world, while also honoring his memory and wishes as best I can in a modern context.)

SEQUOIA LOGANBERRY

Sequoia would like you to believe that she is a monster. It’s easier that way. Ever since her father left for a mistress on the east coast in her senior year of high school, Sequoia has been working a dead-end job at the local amusement park and doing her damndest to drink and drive herself into an early grave. And she almost does it… Until a friggin' SKELETON GUY fishes her out of the lake she drove into?! And now she’s getting these insane migraines and seeing spooky shit everywhere???? 

After a close encounter with death (and Charley), Sequoia develops an unpredictable 6th sense that threatens to finish what she started in her car the other night… Until she’s found by the misanthropic wizard Monty and his much nicer siren husband Luka, who help her get her new powers under control… in trade for her helping them with a few odd jobs. Nothing crazy, just, oh, infiltrating the local magical crime lord’s fey court. Sequoia is just the wild card they need to break a fifty-year standoff between the supernatural powers vying for control over Santa Alma. Sequoia will need to learn fast, about both magic and herself, or else end up a pawn in other people’s plans. Will she be able to make the friends she desperately needs and find direction in her life before she’s swept away?

OTHER CHARACTERS INCLUDE...

MONTY MOUROS, aforementioned misanthropic wizard. Older than he looks. Came to Santa Alma in the 1930’s to earn his fortune, and ended up embroiled in one of Charley’s bids for freedom. It didn’t go well, and he still holds a bitter grudge. He’s guarded the local amusement park, the Boardwalk, from Aurelius Flood for years, but other than that has hidden himself from both the magic and mundane worlds for decades.

LUKA, a siren who lost his singing voice in a trap set by Flood. If not for Monty, it would have taken his life. When they were young the two fell in love, and Luka defied his family’s traditions to be with Monty. They’re still together, and Luka is the only person who can get past Monty’s harsh exterior. Luka now runs a speakeasy for spirits hidden beneath the Boardwalk, where he mixes magical cocktails and turns the rumor mill. He is a kind soul who defines himself through service to others…perhaps to a fault. 

AURELIUS FLOOD, The mastermind behind most of Santa Alma’s woes. A cruelly ambitious leprechaun who thrives on greed, he’s been following the money since the time of the Romans. In the 1800’s he came to the new world, where he found fabulous opportunity during the California gold rush. Assuming a human disguise he carved out a business empire in the mundane world, and a criminal one in the magic world. He built Santa Alma himself, engineering the city’s growth. Fattening a pig for the slaughter. Now, the only thing standing between him and his ultimate payday is Monty and the pivotal bit of territory he controls at the Boardwalk. It’s stymied him for years, but he’s got a new plan…

SUGARFOOT, Flood’s left-hand man. As the illegitimate son of a powerful Californio rancher and an Ohlone woman trapped in the California mission system, fate did not deal Sugar a kind hand. After his father’s family lost their rancho, Sugar turned to a life of crime. He got his sarcastic nickname from a festering leg wound he earned in a shootout with Santa Alma’s top teamster, Charley Parkhearse. As his infection grew, so did his hatred… These mountains should belong to him, not some johnny-come-lately from New Hampshire. So he turned to another stranger for help; Aurelius Flood. In trade for his soul, he gained information; a secret that, if it were to get out, would ruin Charley forever. Sugar leapt at the deal, and got exactly the revenge he’d wanted… until Charley came for him, blinded by rage and shame, and shot him dead in the street. In death, Sugar and Charley found themselves in the same situation… bound to serve Flood forever. As coworkers. Hell would have been a mercy. 

(Sugarfoot is also based on a historical figure of the same name, but almost nothing is known about him other than he was a bandit with a very stinky foot. IRL Charley shot him when he tried to raid his stagecoach.) 

ZINNIA LOGANBERRY, Sequoia’s annoyingly precocious little sister. While Sequoia turned to delinquency after their parents’ divorce to avoid her feelings, Zinnia threw herself into her studies for the same reason. She has become the model student and daughter, earning their workaholic mom’s favor… but man, this kid is Burnt. Out. When she finds out about Sequoia’s new adventures with the supernatural, she throws herself into this new world as a release from her demanding daily life only to once again take things too far. And now, the consequences come with fangs, and hair, and claws…

DEBORAH LOGANBERRY, Sequoia and Zinnia’s mother. She knows she could be doing better by her daughters, but ever since her no-good husband left them, she’s been the family’s sole provider. Her job in the city’s planning and zoning department is the only thing keeping them off of the streets, and the price of housing in Santa Alma is only going up. It’s a matter of survival; surely, once they’re more financially stable, she’ll be able to patch things up with Sequoia. And maybe something will come of the new friendship she’s struck up with Mr. Flood. He IS quite the successful developer, after all… perhaps they could be more than friends?

[marzipanandminutiae]

I have a question, where would gnc/trans people get their clotges in the days before the selling of premade clothes? I assume some was stealing from relatives, and that soem of them did know how to make clothes, but that doesn't seem at all likely to be the most common method

That is an amazing question!

Unfortunately for a lot of people, we don't really know- many trans folks flew under the radar and as such details of their lives are unclear. Legendary stagecoach driver Charley Parkhurst, for example, left no sort of record as to where he got his clothes (especially since he lived in a cabin in the middle of nowhere for many years of his life). And figures like Mary Jones, a Black trans sex worker from the early 19th century, flit into and out of the pages of history so quickly that there's barely enough info to get their vital statistics, let alone shopping habits.

However, my guesses would be as follows:

Secondhand shops. These have existed for a very long time, and if you already have at least one outfit that makes you read as the correct gender, nobody would question you going through that section of the store/market/whatever.

Sympathetic conventional tailors or dressmakers. This is almost certainly where middle- and upper-class GNC or trans people got their clothing- one can hardly imagine legendary writer George Sand buying her suits secondhand, after all. And since humans have always been human, and Let People Dress How They Please; They Aren't Hurting Anyone is a sentiment I've seen at least as far back as the 19th century, I suspect there were far more of these than many people might think.

Clothing workshops catering to the demimonde- that is, to theatrical companies for costumes, or to sex workers. Certainly this is where drag performers got their stage gear, and one imagines people for whom gender variance crossed the line from performance to identity- like Fanny Park and Stella Boulton -might have turned to their costumers for everyday attire, too. And catering to sex workers probably got all sorts of requests that were seen as outre for the time (in a roleplay capacity- most sex workers dressed conventionally while not actively Doing Sex), but their money was as good as anyone else's.

Friends and relatives. Some families knowingly supported their crossdressing or trans loved ones. Even partners who married the person in question as the binary opposite gender could fall into this category- Lili Elbe (though she lived after premade dresses began to rise in popularity) first experimented with feminine attire in dresses and jewelry loaned by her enthusiastically supportive wife Gerta Gottlieb. In fact, Gottlieb was bisexual, and their marriage was only annulled because Lili was a woman now and same-gender marriage was illegal in Denmark at the time.

Also yes stealing from your relatives was also an option, of course. if they were less than sympathetic

The king of France???? this is the wildcard, and my absolute favorite: the Chevaliere d'Eon, when she transitioned in the 1770s, got the king to not only formally state that she had been assigned female at birth (there had been speculation about her physical sex for years at this point) but to pay for her new wardrobe of gowns. Absolute Queen.

"but didn't her mantua-makers notice Some Physical Things?" she's believed to have had some form of gynecomastia, based on her autopsy, and they'd never have cause to see her in less than her calf-length chemise. if they did see anything, they kept their mouths shut, and rightly so.

[mae--bee]

Can you share about your dissertation on historical trans men? That sounds interesting

man tumblr just straight up didn't give me a notification about this, sorry this late but here's my overdue, overly long rambling about my diss 🤠

it's basically about trans cowboys. or an analysis of the formation of the "american identity" amd american ideology that was created during the westward expansion (manifest destiny, american exceptionalism, and the caricature of american masculinity), and how these values were (or were not) represented amongst gender nonconforming groups.

Harry Allen (fka Nell Pickerell) was the classic outlaw type, I had over 40 newspaper articles about his crimes - which included marrying multiple women at one time, most of whom were prostitutes he was supporting. he was the poster child for my dissertation cause of how vocal he was about being a man. finding transmen in history is difficult because of the lack of terminology they had to self-identify, and so many women lived as men for financial and personal security. Allen's mother was even known for showing up at the jail where Allen was being held and asking for her son Harry, refusing to listen to anyone who referred to him as Nell or her daughter. there's actually a dissertation from the 1920s in which Allen did an interview regarding his gender identity, which ngl I was so excited when I found it

Charley Parkhurst lived for over 40 years as a man, and is considered by some to be the first 'woman' who voted in America because he was able to vote as a man. he did an interview with Harpers Weekly (Washoe Revisited, you can find it on the way back machine), where the journalist describes him as a well respected and well known man in the community. he was a stagecoach driver who was known as the driver who could do the routes no other driver could. there's an incredible drawing of Parkhurst in the article, where he's shown as a rugged aging man. Parkhurst wasn't outed until after his death

Theodore Hoffman was the girl-bell-boy at hotels who reached out to newspapers in order to have interviews where he could defend his gender identity. he posed a threat to traditional masculinity because unlike Allen, he wasn't a "degenerate" who was hellbent on causing trouble, so his gender identity couldnt be excused as part of an act to disrupt polite society.

if anyone's interested in transwomen, there's a really interesting discussion surrounding transwomen and race, as the only named accounts of transwomen I could find were Mrs Nash, who was a Mexican women (who married 3 different men, 2 who used her for money, and 1 who was her soulmate who loved her until her death), and Lucy Hicks Anderson, who was a socialite Black woman. both women had their race weaponised against them in order to attack their gender identity. they're incredible women and I recommend looking into them more (especially Mrs.Nash, who I have a soft spot for)

There's some really cool articles on Native American gender identities that I didn't manage to touch on in my diss. the rigid gender structures we know today were laregly a response to two-spirit people, in order to keep the American identity white and heteronormative.

Peter Boags "redressing Americas frontier past" is an incredible book for anyone who wants to read about historic transpeople, and he's written a load of articles where he deepdives into individual people. Susan Stykers "transgender history" is also a great read, and branches out from the American West. library of Congress website has a fuck ton of newspaper articles about Harry Allen (search Nell Pickerell, sort by Washington state 1880-1920)

also all my chapter titles were red dead redemption 2 quotes. so that was pretty cool

[thegreatgatzbi]

i lovw you dr james barry i love you billy tipton i love you michael dillon i love ypu alan hart i love you charley parkhurst i lovw you lou sullivan i lo

[little-cereal-draws]

Ideas of what I would have:

Prints of Mary mourning Jesus based off Gothic sculptures (1100s-1300s)

Prints of Charley Parkhurst, the trans stagecoach driver (1800s)

Prints of Joan of Arc, focusing on her queerness, based off her trial transcript (1400s)

Some interlace design based off the Chi-Rho-Iota carpet page in the Book of Kells (500s-800s)

An eight-page comic book about Van Gogh's falling out with Gauguin and cutting his ear off (1800s)

A print based off a verse in a medieval European Apocalypse manuscript (900s)

American murder ballad imagery (1600s-1800s)

These will all have a short paragraph abt the historical context and inspiration material to go with the image. This will go on the back of the prints and on the last page of the comic

Example that I haven't rendered yet:

[tsflangel]

Fox Fisher (he/they) Trans People in History E " Charley Parkhurst was a trans man born in 1812, in Virgina, USA E Charley grew up in an orphanage and when we was 12, he ran away, dressed in masculine clothing. Charley got a job cleaning stalls, washing carriages and scrubbing floors. Charley was good with horses - and he'd observe the coaches that would come and go from where he worked. He got a job as a 'highway man', which was a very dangerous profession. After 10 years in New England, Charley took a Steamer to South America. Later, Charley ended up in California, where he was hired as a stage coach driver, and his employer would get 2 ounces of gold for each trip. Charley's stage-coach was once held up by a robber, nicknamed Sugarfoot, who made off with $100,000 in gold dust. One eve in the late 1860s, Charley came home drunk and was put to bed by his employer's son, who suddenly ran to his mother shouting, "Maw, Charley ain't no man, he's a woman!" The family respected Charley and didn't tell anyone about him being assigned female at birth - until after his death in 1879 which is how we know about him today. #trans #transgender #Igbtqia #igbthistorymonth (at Cocoa, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpqGrnHOrW8/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[man-squared]

[ Image Description: A newspaper article titled "A Most Wonderful Case - Death of A Woman who for Twenty-five Years Passed as a Man," and the article reads as follows:

"WATSONVILLE, December 31st. On Sunday last, in a little cabin situated on the Moss ranch, six or seven miles from town, died a person 67 years of age, well known 'o old timers here, and stage-drivers and stagemen generally, as Charley Parkhurst. He was one of the best drivers in the early days in various parts of the state, from Stockton to Mariposa, from Oakland to San Jose, and from San Juan to Santa Cruz - when San Fransisco was reached via San Juan. For fifteen or twenty years he had been engaged in farming, working in the woods, etc. , and it is said that he accumulated several thousand dollars. For several years past he has not done much, being greatly troubled with rheumatism, which caused great suffering as well as considerable deformity. The immediate cause of his death was a cancer of the tongue. It was discovered when friendly hands were preparing him for his final rest that Charley Parkhurst was unmistakably a well-developed woman. It could scarcely be believed by persons who had known Charley Parkhurst for a quarter of a century. It is one of the most wonderful of the few such cases on record. That this woman, living among men for thirty years or more, going through all the dangers and vicissitudes of California life, should conceal her sex, could hardly be believed, but it is a fact. On the Great Register of this county of the year 1867 appears this entry: 'Parkhurst, Charles Durkee; 55 ; New Hampshire; farmer; Soquel' - where he then lived. It is said by several who knew her intimately that she came from Providence, R. I. Of course great curiosity is excited as to the cause that led this woman to exist so many years in such a strange guise. There may be strange history, that to the novelist would be a source of inspiration, and again, she may have been disgusted with the trammels surrounding her sex, and concluded to work out her fortune in her own way. More light may be thrown on this wonderful case." End ID. ]

Credit: Digital Transgender Archive

[libertea-and-icedcoffee]

Dr. James Barry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Barry_(surgeon) (CW: misgendering, brief mention of childhood sexual assault, some kind of gross old-timey words used to discuss intersex traits.)

Charley Parkhurst: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charley_Parkhurst (CW: misgendering)

Ralph Kerwineo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Kerwineo (CW: misgendering)

Harry Allen: https://i.ibb.co/gRm5c2X/image-2024-02-23-094933792.png

Amelio Robles Avila: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelio_Robles_%C3%81vila (CW: misgendering and transphobia, but a lot less than usual, because he apparently was a fucking terrifying badass)

Victor Barker was an officer of the National Fascisti

Zdeněk Koubek: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zdeněk_Koubek

Billy Tipton: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Tipton

Willmer Broadmax: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willmer_Broadnax (CW, murder, though not transphobia-motivated)

Jim McHarris: https://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/09/black-trans-history-jim-mcharris.html?m=1 (CW: Police, transphobia)

Historical Trans Men

1. Dr. James Barry, 1789-1865, military surgeon

2. "One-Eyed" Charley Parkhurst, 1812-1879, stagecoach driver

3. Ralph Kerwineo, 1876-1932, clerk

4. Harry Allen, 1882-1922, vagrant and criminal

5. Amelio Robles Ávila, 1889-1984, military commander during the Mexican Revolution

6. Victor Barker, 1895-1960, restaurant proprietor

7. Zdeněk Koubek, 1913-1986, track athlete

8. Billy Tipton, 1914-1989, jazz musician

9. Willmer "Little Ax" M. Broadnax, 1916-1992, jazz musician

10. Jim McHarris, 1924-?, auto mechanic

[chronivore]

When Charley Parkhurst died in 1879, friends preparing his body for burial were surprised to learn the stagecoach driver had been born female. Parkhurst was the top choice of Stagechoach drivers for people going from Oakland to San Jose during the Gold Rush.

He was known to be both skilled and fearless in the driver’s seat and made a name for himself transporting not only wealthy families and their belongings, but also stores of gold for fledgling banks like Wells Fargo, in his six-horse stagecoach.

Today, the story of Parkhurst, who was born more than two centuries ago, attests to the long history of California’s transgender community, as well as the deep impact that trans and other gender-nonconforming people have made on the state’s development.

Read more here: https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/charley-parkhurst-transgender-history-18494111.php

Image: 'Old Charley' Harper’s Magazine, May 1865

[gummy-sharks666]

Things in my childhood that should’ve tipped me off that I was not actually a straight girl:

The fictional crushes…. Jesse and commander Saturn from Pokémon specifically there is no straight explanation for that

Reading an Charley Parkhurst and lowkey wanting to run away and live as a man too

Telling my mom AT CHURCH that I wished I was born a boy

Constantly feeling like I was really bad at being a girl

Convinced that in my previous life I was a gay surfer dude (I can still kinda see that being the reason why I’m terrified of the ocean, maybe that’s how I died 🤔)

Always picking the boy character in Pokémon (and other games too) bc I thought he “looked cooler”

Avid Chopin enjoyer when I played classical piano (still enjoy Chopin honestly and when I get back into piano I’m going ham)

[ahedderick]

I read a biography of “Six-Horse Charley” Parkhurst. It was quite a story!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charley_Parkhurst

i think a lot about how in the past women/afab people disguised themselves as men and lived for years undetected (in all-male workplaces!!) because it really drives home the point that there is so much natural variation in human bodies that would enable somebody to believably do this. like not only is it natural for men to be very short but it's also natural for them to have high voices, it's natural for women to be tall, built, and masculine, and the fact that people in the past just rolled with it like "he has dainty hands and that's none of my business" gives me some type of jealousy. people have gotten way too comfortable deciding what traits are normal for what sex. i think we all need to mind our business more.

[transmasculine-history]

The Reported Man-Woman Case, Sacramento Daily Record-Union, 1880