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Tom Thumb - the Story in Folklore
General Tom Thumb was the stage name of one Charles Stratton. He was born in 1838 there was born in Massachusetts, USA, a baby of a healthy weight of 9 pounds. But after the first 6 months of his life he failed to grow any further though his body did begin to mature normally. His parents were totally freaked out about it until a circus pioneer by the name of P.T Barnum came along and turned their son into one of the most famous circus acts in history. He taught Stratton how to dance, sing and impersonate famous people and at the tender age of 5, Tom Thumb hit the road and toured America, doing comic routines, singing and impersonating characters such as Cupid and Napoleon. Tom Thumb travelled the world, meeting the future king of England, Edward the seventh and getting attacked by his poodle, which must have been like an assault from a grizzly to a normal person. General Tom Thumb eventually began to grow a little, reaching 2 feet 9 inches on his 18th birthday and 3 feet by the time of his death at the age of 45. He married another midget, became very rich and made his final show in England in 1878. General Tom Thumb died of a stroke in 1883 and his funeral was attended by over 10,000 people. He was buried in Mountain Grove Cemetary in Bridgeport next to the grave of his spouse whose headstone reads only, ‘His Wife’. |