Tom Thumb Visits Cortland

     Then there was General Tom Thumb and his beautiful little wife who appeared in Squires Hall April 29, 1864, bringing with them a magnificent miniature coach no larger than a bushel basket, and drawn by four of the smallest ponies in the world. 
--Cora Edgcomb Higgins, excerpt from a speech given before the Cortland County Historical Society in October, 1948.

     Phineas Taylor Barnum brought his circus to Cortland in 1864. Details of the event--if available--may be found at the Cortland County Historical Society. This piece of general information about the touring circus of 1864 was obtained by a Google search:

In a Barnum Museum programme for the week ending Saturday, September 24, 1864 along with the Tom Thumb wedding party, Commodore Nutt, the Circassian Children, and other attractions, Anna Swan was the Giantess of Barnum's wonderful collection of unusual people. Among the original wood cuts designed especially for P. T. Barnum, and engraved by Waters and Son, the famous New York wood-cut makers, one special cut was made to advertise Anna Swan as the "Giant Girl," Mons Josef the "French Giant" and "General Grant Junior," a dwarf whose height reached on a level with Mons Josef's knees, thus forcibly illustrating the contrast in their heights. Other male and female giants exhibited under the P. T. Barnum management in his New York Museums at various times, whose size put them in a competitive class with Anna Swan and Captain Bates as strong drawing attractions, were Colonel Noah Orr who was advertised as the "Buckeye Giant," Colonel Goshen was known as the "Arabian Giant;" James Murphy as the "Giant Boy" and Jane Campbell was given much publicity as the "Connecticutt Giantess." Colonel Noah Orr was a native of Union County, Ohio, and like Captain Bates, was of such unusual height that he was considered a special feature in museums, circus side-show or as an independent show at the county fairs. At the age of 24 Colonel Orr's height was seven feet, ten inches and he weighed five hundred and seventy pounds. He went on tour of the large cities, one season with the famous Lilliputians Company to appear on the stage at each performance alongside of Gen. Tom Thumb. They were advertised and exhibited as nature's greatest contrast in the size of human beings who had reached maturity.
www.circushistory.org

     General Tom Thumb was the actor's name given to Charles Sherwood Stratton by P.T. Barnum. Stratton was born January 4, 1838, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He was taught to sing, dance and impersonate famous people, such as Napoleon Bonaparte. He was about three feet tall at maturity. He started touring with the Barnum circus at age five.
     In 1863, Stratton married Lavinia Warren. The best man was another little person, George Washington Morrison "Commodore" Nutt. The maid of honor was Lavinia's sister, Minnie Warren. After the wedding, the couple traveled to Washington, D.C. and were received by President Lincoln and his wife at the White House.
     Stratton continued to tour and perform with Barnum's circus, which made him a wealthy man. Eventually he became a business partner with P. T. Barnum.
     On July 15, 1883, Charles Sherwood Stratton, stage-named General Tom Thumb, died of a stroke at age 45.