General Tom Thumb
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
General Tom Thumb was the stage name of Charles Sherwood Stratton (January 4, 1838 - July 15, 1883), a little person who achieved great fame under circus pioneer P.T. Barnum.
Stratton was 4 years old, the son of a Bridgeport, Connecticut carpenter, when Barnum met him. He was 25 inches tall (his final height would be 33 inches) and weighed just 15 pounds at the time Barnum taught him to sing, dance and perform.
In 1844, Barnum took young Stratton on a tour of Europe, making him an international celebrity. Stratton appeared twice before Queen Victoria.
Stratton's marriage on February 10, 1863, to another midget, Lavinia Warren, was front-page news. They stood atop a grand piano in New York City's Grace Episcopal Church to greet some 2,000 guests. The best man was George Washington Morrison ("Commodore") Nutt, another diminutive performer in Barnum's employ. Following the wedding the couple was received by President Lincoln at the White House.
Stratton owned a home on one of Connecticut's Thimble Islands. He died of a stroke on July 15, 1883, and over 10,000 people attended his funeral.
External Links
- "Sideshow Ephemera Gallery: General Tom Thumb" by James G. Mundie (http://www.missioncreep.com/mundie/gallery/little/little1.htm) - biographical essay with photos
