Very interesting thoughts, sir, but I’m afraid that in this case, this mayor is most probably of German heritage :-)
You see, there are some surnames in both English and German, which are relatively similar. Furthermore, there are quite a few Bolay families to be found in the Stuttgart region, among them a clockmaker and an entrepreneur.
In German, the name is also pronounced somewhat differently than in English. It sounds like: ˈboːlaɪ̯.
The name is derived from the personal name of a late Roman martyr named Pelagius of Constance, who was referred to as “Sant Bolai” in late medieval vernacular (i.e. non-literary) German. His relics have found their way to Constance, which is situated in Southwestern Germany as well, like Stuttgart.
Maybe the English version of this last name traces back to the same saint; that would explain the similarity in both languages :-)
There were also people on the German side who performed heroically in the closing days. Don't remember his name but there was one general on the Eastern front who led hundreds of thousands of him men AND civilians in a retreat disguised as a repositioning to the western front so they could surrender to the Americans. Hitler was livid when informed about it because he preferred the discipline of Communism over the decadence of the west-- the reason his final offensive was in the Ardennes.
"most probably," doesn't cut it.
I'm most probably a hollywood millionaire, I'm sure you've seen me in my latest film
Finding a Stuttgart phone book with that name doesn't prove squat. With all the migration being encouraged in Europe today and especially after the war of English decline 70 years ago I'm sure you could find a Peabody surname in any city on the continent.
Thanks for you input.