General Tom Thumb
| General Tom Thumb | |
|---|---|
Charles Sherwood Stratton and Lavinia Warren wedding photo. From left to right: George Washington Morrison Nutt (1844–81), Charles Sherwood Stratton (1838–83), Lavinia Warren Stratton (1841–1919), Minnie Warren (1849–78).
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| Born |
Charles Sherwood Stratton January 4, 1838 Bridgeport, Connecticut United States |
| Died | July 15, 1883 (aged 45) Bridgeport, Connecticut United States |
| Cause of death | Stroke |
| Resting place |
Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport, Connecticut United States 41°10′19″N 73°13′29″W / 41.17189°N 73.22465°W |
| Nationality | United States |
| Known for |
Celebrity Circus performer |
| Height | 102 cm (3.35 ft) |
| Weight | 32 kg (71 lb) |
| Spouse(s) | Lavinia Warren (1842–1919) |
Charles Sherwood Stratton (January 4, 1838 – July 15, 1883), better known by his stage name "General Tom Thumb", was a little person who achieved great fame as a performer under circus pioneer P.T. Barnum.
Stratton was the son of a Bridgeport, Connecticut, carpenter named Sherwood Edward Stratton, son of Seth Sherwood Stratton and Amy Sharpe. Sherwood married his first cousin Cynthia Thompson, daughter of Joseph Thompson and Mary Ann Sharpe. Charles Stratton's maternal and paternal grandmothers, Amy and Mary Ann Sharpe, were allegedly small twin girls born on July 11, 1781/83 in Oxford, New Haven, Connecticut.
Born in Bridgeport to parents who were of medium height, ironically Charles was a relatively large baby, weighing 9 pounds 8 ounces (4.3 kg) at birth. He developed and grew normally for the first six months of his life, at which point he was 25 inches (64 cm) tall and weighed 15 pounds (6.8 kg). Then he suddenly stopped growing. His parents became concerned when, after his first birthday, they noticed he had not grown at all in the previous six months. They showed him to their doctor, who said there was little chance Charles would ever reach normal height.
By late 1842 (4 years old), Stratton had not grown an inch in height or put on a pound in weight from when he was six months old. Apart from this, he was a totally normal, healthy child, with several siblings who were of average size.
P.T. Barnum, a distant relative (half fifth cousin, twice removed), heard about Stratton and after contacting his parents, taught the boy how to sing, dance, mime, and impersonate famous people. Barnum also went into business with Stratton's father, who died in 1855. Stratton made his first tour of America at the age of five, with routines that included impersonating characters such as Cupid and Napoleon Bonaparte as well as singing, dancing and comical banter with another performer who acted as a straight man. It was a huge success and the tour expanded.
A year later, Barnum took young Stratton on a tour of Europe, making him an international celebrity. Stratton appeared twice before Queen Victoria. He also met the three-year-old Prince of Wales, who would become King Edward VII. In 1845, he triumphed at the Théâtre du Vaudeville (France) in the play Le petit Poucet of Dumanoir and Clairville (OCLC 691400304). The tour was a huge success, with crowds mobbing him wherever he went.
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