General Tom Thumb facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
General Tom Thumb
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General Tom Thumb in 1862
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Charles Sherwood Stratton
January 4, 1838 Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S.
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| Died | July 15, 1883 (aged 45) Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S.
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| Resting place | Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport |
| Known for | Circus performer |
| Height | 3 ft 4 in (102 cm) |
| Spouse(s) | |
Charles Sherwood Stratton (born January 4, 1838 – died July 15, 1883) was a famous American performer. He was known by his stage name, "General Tom Thumb." Charles was a little person who became very famous working with P. T. Barnum, a well-known showman.
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Early Life and Growing Up
Charles was born on January 4, 1838, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His parents were of average height. When he was born, Charles was a relatively large baby, weighing about 9 pounds, 8 ounces (4.3 kg).
For the first six months of his life, Charles grew normally. He was about 25 inches (64 cm) tall and weighed 15 pounds (6.8 kg). But then, he suddenly stopped growing. His parents noticed he hadn't grown at all after his first birthday. They took him to a doctor, who said Charles would likely never reach a normal height.
By the time he was almost five years old, Charles had only grown about one inch since he was six months old. He also hadn't gained any weight. Even so, he was a healthy and normal child. His body was well-proportioned and worked perfectly. He had several brothers and sisters who were all of average size.
Becoming General Tom Thumb
P. T. Barnum heard about Charles Stratton. He contacted Charles's parents and began teaching the boy how to sing, dance, and act. Barnum also taught him to pretend to be famous people. Barnum partnered with Charles's father in business.
Charles made his first tour of America when he was only five years old. He performed acts like pretending to be Cupid or Napoleon Bonaparte. He also sang, danced, and joked with another performer. To make his act more exciting, Barnum gave Charles the stage name "General Tom Thumb." This name came from a popular English fairy tale. The tour was a huge success and quickly grew.
A year later, Barnum took young Charles on a tour of Europe. This made him famous around the world. Charles performed for Queen Victoria and met the three-year-old future King Edward VII. In 1845, he was a big hit in a play called Le petit Poucet in France. The tour was very successful, and crowds loved him everywhere he went.
After his three-year tour in Europe, Charles became even more famous in the United States. His popularity grew incredibly fast. He became more celebrated than any other actor of his time.
When Charles returned from his second tour in 1847, he was on a ship called the SS Cambria. He helped collect money for people suffering from the Irish Potato Famine in Ireland.
Changing Entertainment
Charles Stratton's first performances in New York changed how people viewed entertainment. Before him, showing "human curiosities" was often seen as strange or not very respectable. But after people saw Charles perform, he changed their minds.
Charles's lively and fun performances made these types of shows very popular. They became one of the most liked forms of theater in the United States.
From age seven, Charles performed in big, full-length fairytale shows managed by P.T. Barnum. Some of these shows included Hop o' My Thumb and The Seven League Boots. Charles always played the main character in these shows.
Barnum wanted to use Charles's small size to attract audiences. But he also wanted to show off Charles's real talents as a performer. Charles was known to be very clever in his acts. He was also a skilled actor, singer, dancer, and comedian. Because of his talent, some critics judged him as a professional entertainer, not just for his size.
On his 13th birthday, Charles was exactly 2 feet, 5 inches (74 cm) tall. By his 18th birthday, he was 2 feet, 8.5 inches (83 cm) tall. On his 21st birthday, he measured 2 feet, 10 inches (86 cm) tall. Charles became a Freemason, a member of a special social group, on October 3, 1862. At this time, Charles was 2 feet, 11 inches (89 cm) tall. He joined the Freemasons alongside a man who was 6 feet, 3 inches (191 cm) tall.
Marriage and Later Life
In 1863, Charles married Lavinia Warren. She was also a little person. Their wedding became front-page news. The ceremony took place at Grace Episcopal Church in New York City. The wedding party was held at the Metropolitan Hotel.
At the reception, the couple stood on top of a grand piano to greet about 10,000 guests. The best man at the wedding was Commodore Nutt, another little person who worked for Barnum. Lavinia's sister, Minnie Warren, was the maid of honor. After their wedding, Charles and Lavinia were invited to meet President Lincoln at the White House. Charles and his wife toured together in Europe and also in British India.
Under Barnum's guidance, Charles became a very rich man. He owned a house in a fancy part of New York. He also had his own steam yacht and many expensive clothes. He even owned a special home on one of Connecticut's Thimble Islands. When Barnum faced money problems, Charles helped him out. Later, they became business partners. Charles made his last appearance in England in 1878.
In January 1883, Charles was staying at the Newhall House hotel in Milwaukee. A big fire broke out there. More than 71 people died in the fire. However, Charles and Lavinia were saved by their manager, Sylvester Bleeker.
Death and Legacy
Six months after surviving the hotel fire, Charles Stratton died suddenly from a stroke. He was 45 years old. Over 20,000 people came to his funeral. P. T. Barnum bought a life-sized statue of Tom Thumb. He placed it as a gravestone at Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
More than 35 years later, Lavinia Warren died. She was buried next to him. Her gravestone simply read "His Wife."
In 1959, vandals damaged the statue of Tom Thumb. It was fixed by the Barnum Festival Society and Mountain Grove Cemetery Association. Money for the repairs was raised by people who donated.
The reason for Charles Stratton's very short height was not known back then. Today, doctors would call it pituitary dwarfism. X-rays were not discovered until 1895, which was 12 years after Charles died. The medical tools of his time could not figure out why he was so small.
He was buried with special honors by the Freemasons. He had become a Master Mason in St. John's Lodge No. 3 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on October 8, 1862.
Screen Portrayals
Many actors have played General Tom Thumb in movies and TV shows:
- George Brasno played him in the 1934 film The Mighty Barnum.
- Jimmy Clitheroe played him in the 1967 film Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon.
- Paul Miller played him in the 1986 TV film Barnum!.
- Sandor Raski played him in the 1986 TV film Barnum.
- Ed Gale played him in the 1995 TV film Tad.
- Josh Ryan Evans played him in the 1999 TV film P.T. Barnum.
- Sam Humphrey played him in the 2017 musical film The Greatest Showman.
See also
In Spanish: Tom Thumb para niños
- Stamford Museum, where one of his suits is shown next to clothes of Daniel Lambert.
- Tom Thumb House (Middleborough, Massachusetts), his summer home.
- Middleborough Historical Museum, which has many items related to Tom Thumb.
