Frank Lucas Bolt - Frank was born January 11, 1908 in Virginia. The first record we have of him is dated April 21, 1910 when he was just three years old. The US Federal Census has no record of parents at his home in Hiawassim, Pulaski, Virginia. Instead he lived with a cousin, a seamstress for a private family, by the name of Ellen Kemp. Ellen was 37 years old, had married within the year (although her husband was also not present) and had never had children of her own. She, as well as her parents, were born in Virginia suggesting that the Bolt family had probably been in the state for some time. Also in the household was 16-year-old Mollie Childress who is listed as "companion" to Ellen. Such a relationship status is unheard of in a Federal Census record and was not one of the authorized relationships given to the enumerators to use. Mollie was also born in Virginia, was unemployed and was not attending school. She most likely helped around the house and with the raising of Frank.
On June 26, 1920 Frank is living in Pine Creek, Carroll, Virginia. He is no longer living with family, but is now the 12 year old servant of a 49 year old man named Charles Dorvane (the last name is difficult to read in the original record). Charles is listed as a widow, and although Frank is noted as his servant under "relationship", the occupation for both was given as "teamster". Although only 12 years old, Frank did not attend school that year and it seems that he did not receive a formal education during his childhood.
By April 15, 1930 he was in the army and a member of Battery "E", Ld. Coast Artillary and living at Fort Sherman in Cristobal, Panama Canal Zone. No additional information is given, census records were sparse when it came to military personnel, but this would most likely be the location were Frank was arrested for sodomy in 1932. According to the warden's notebook for Alcatraz, Frank's five year sentence began on Jan 24, 1933 in Honolulu. He arrived in Alcatraz from USADB Pacific Branch on June 19, 1934 with a parole hearing date of September 25, 1934. His minimum sentence was scheduled to end September 3, 1936 and his maximum date was January 23, 1938. He had no detainers and no prior criminal record.
On May 10, 1936, four months before the end of his minimum sentence, he was transferred to USP McNeil Island in Washington State. He had been at the countries most maximum security prison for just one month shy of 2 full years. Frank has the prestigious honor of being inmate #1 for Alcatraz Island, the first ever prisoner of the official national maximum security prison.
Immediately after his released on September 3, 1936 he headed back to San Francisco and back on to Honolulu, Hawaii. He is listed with a third class ticket on the ship SS President Hoover which set sail from San Francisco on September 10, 1936 and arrived in Honolulu on September 14th. He gave the Territory of Hawaii as his permanent residence.
By 1942 he was living at 627 Auahi, just one block from the port where cruise ships now enter at Honolulu, and was working as a stevedore for C&CT. He continued here until at least 1949 and in 1951 was living in Maili. He died October 31, 1966. His social security was listed as being issued in Hawaii before 1951 so perhaps he returned to that state.
Documentation
City Directories
Honolulu, Hawaii
1942: Bolt Frank L h627 Auahi
1948: Bolt Frank L stevedore C&CT h627 Auahi
1949: Bolt Frank L stevedore C&CT h627 Auahi
1951: Bolt Frank L stev C&CT rMaili
