Born: Perry County, Illinois, 1850.
Died:
Educated in country schools, Ewing College and Butler College. Entered the Christian ministry in 1870. Served the churches at De Soto, Marion, Carbondale, Duquoin, Pekin and Christopher as pastor. Mr. Boles has been widely and well known for a quarter of a century as a live wire. He has been a successful evangelist and a popular lecturer, speaking to many multitudes on Mormonism, the liquor traffic, evidences of Christianity, Romanism, and other subjects that delude and enslave people in error. He was never known to run away from a public discussion when it was thrust upon him. He is industrious, genial, democratic and enthusiastic in his work. Over eight thousand people have been added to the churches by his ministry.
In March, 1888, he conducted a series of meetings in Duquoin. At its beginning he entered into an agreement with Dr. A. J. Fishback, a rationalist of local notoriety. First, the doctor was to hear every sermon preached by Mr. Boles. Second, for two hours a day, four days in the week, they were privately to consider the fundamentals of Christianity. Third, if the doctor was convinced that the Bible came from God and that Jesus is divine, he should quit the "Freethinkers" and preach the gospel henceforward. Fourth, if Mr. Boles should be convinced to the contrary, he should quit the pulpit and take the platform for infidelity. Before the meeting closed, Dr. Fishback became a Christian. To the close of his life, nine years thereafter, he was an able minister of Jesus Christ. Mr. Boles is a brave and unselfish patriot, and bears in his body the marks of the Lord Jesus.