Valerie Boles

Valerie Boles
Boles in 2004, for Life magazine
Born
Valerie Fennell

November 8, 1932
Islandton, South Carolina, U.S.
DiedMay 8, 2009(2009-05-08) (aged 76)
Beaufort, South Carolina, U.S.
Resting placeJerusalem Baptist Church Cemetery, Cummings, South Carolina, U.S.
OccupationRoot doctor
Known forInspiration for a character in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Valerie Aiken Boles (née Fennell; November 8, 1932 – May 8, 2009)[1][2] was an American root doctor. She came to prominence after becoming the inspiration for one of the main characters in John Berendt's 1994 true-crime book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Boles, of Gullah tongue,[3] was renamed "Minerva" in the book, and was portrayed by Irma P. Hall in Clint Eastwood's 1997 film adaptation.[4][5]

  1. ^ Valerie Fennell Boles – Marshel's Wright-Donaldson Home for Funerals, Inc.
  2. ^ Savannah Morning News, May 15, 2009
  3. ^ "Voodoo’s heyday has passed, but the Gullah tradition still bewitches in SC" – The State, January 27, 2016
  4. ^ "4 Savannah-Inspired Halloween Costumes" – Visit Savannah
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference smn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).