THE BALLOON MAN

Thursday, March 24, 2011

The Liliputians of Connecticut: Princess Nellie and General Tom Thumb

Connecticut residents played important role in the development of the modern circus

Princess Nellie's "traveling box"Credit postcard
By Philip R. Devlin, March 22, 2011
The circus has a history dating back to antiquity. The word itself goes back to the Greek “kirkos” meaning “circle,” but it was the Romans who really popularized the circus with the famous “circus maximus.” Horse races, chariot races, gladiatorial combat, trained exotic animals, jugglers and acrobats—these activities were all part of the offerings at a Roman circus. American influence on the development of the circus as a form of popular entertainment came about largely as a result of a famous Connecticut resident—Phineas T. Barnum of Bridgeport. One of Barnum’s innovations was to develop “sideshows,” sometimes referred to as “freak” shows. Such shows would often feature human oddities such as a bearded woman, extremely thin or fat people, or extremely short or tall people. Two of the shortest people who made a name for themselves as circus attractions-- and a very good living as well—were also from Connecticut: General Tom Thumb of Bridgeport and the lesser-known, Princess Nellie, of the East Haddam/Salem area. In fact, Princess Nellie was born 127 years ago this week on March 25, 1884.

Tom Thumb's wedding in 1863 (CDV)---Credit ebay.com
The son of a Bridgeport carpenter, Charles Sherwood Stratton (AKA General Tom Thumb) was born on January 4, 1838. Although rather large at birth—9 lbs. 8 oz.—young Charles stopped growing for awhile after reaching just 15 lbs. in weight and 25 inches in height. That’s when P.T. Barnum entered his life and changed it forever. Barnum made financial arrangements with the Stratton family to “show” young Charles, who was soon dubbed “General Tom Thumb” by the age of 11. Barnum taught the doll-sized Tom Thumb to sing, dance and impersonate people. His popularity exploded, and he became Barnum’s biggest attraction.

General Tom Thumb's Grave in Bridgeport, CT--Credit Carole Szoke
General Tom Thumb went on extended American and world tours and made an enormous amount of money. He then married another dwarf named Lavinia Warren of Massachusetts in 1863 in New York City (see photo) . The newlyweds greeted guests at their wedding reception from atop a grand piano, charging $75 per person. Five thousand attended; do the math—that’s a ton of money for that time! Mr. And Mrs. Tom Thumb were arguably the most well known celebrities of their time. President Abraham Lincoln even received them in the White House in the middle of the Civil War! Tom died of a stroke at age 45 in 1883. Lavinia lived to be 77 and died in 1919. Both are buried in Bridgeport, CT.