General Tom Thumb

Charles was a famous star.

He was very small. He stopped growing when he was a baby.

He was a great singer and dancer. He could also act like famous people. He used the name General Tom Thumb.

Many people traveled to see him. He even met a queen. He was a very talented performer.

Charles married a woman named Lavinia. She was also a performer. They had a big wedding.

He became a very wealthy man. People still remember him today. He was a true star.

Charles Stratton was a famous performer. He was known as General Tom Thumb.

He was born in Connecticut in 1838. Charles was a healthy baby. However, he stopped growing after six months. Doctors said he would stay very small. Today, we call this pituitary dwarfism.

Charles became a star with P. T. Barnum. Barnum taught him to sing and dance. He also learned to act like famous people.

Charles toured all over the world. He even met Queen Victoria. He was a very skilled actor. People loved his clever shows.

In 1863, Charles married Lavinia Warren. She was also a little person. Their wedding was big news. Many guests came to see them. Charles became a wealthy man. He even owned a steam yacht.

Charles died in 1883. A large crowd went to his funeral. He is buried in a special grave. It has a life-sized statue of him.

People still remember his talent today.

Charles Sherwood Stratton was a famous American performer. He was known by his stage name, General Tom Thumb.

He was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on January 4, 1838. Charles was a healthy baby who grew normally for six months. After that, he suddenly stopped growing. His doctor said he would likely never reach a normal height. Today, we call this condition pituitary dwarfism. Even though he was small, he was a very healthy child. He had several siblings who were of average size.

Charles became a star through the help of P. T. Barnum. Barnum was a famous circus pioneer who saw Charles's potential. He taught the boy how to sing, dance, and mime. Charles also learned to impersonate many famous people.

At age five, Charles began his first tour of America. He acted as characters like Cupid and Napoleon Bonaparte. Barnum gave him the name General Tom Thumb. This name came from a popular English fairy tale. His shows were a huge success with many people.

Charles traveled across the world to perform for many leaders. He went on a tour of Europe just one year after his first American tour. During this time, he became an international celebrity. He even appeared before Queen Victoria. He also met the future King Edward VII when the prince was only three years old. In 1845, he performed in a play called Le petit Poucet in France. His popularity grew faster than almost any other actor of his time.

In 1863, Charles married a woman named Lavinia Warren. She was also a little person. Their wedding was massive news all over the country. The ceremony was held at Grace Episcopal Church. At the wedding reception, the couple stood on top of a grand piano. They greeted about 10,000 guests that day. George Washington Morrison Nutt was the best man. Minnie Warren, Lavinia's sister, was the maid of honor. The couple even visited President Lincoln at the White House.

Charles became a very wealthy man during his life. He owned a house in New York and a steam yacht. He even owned a special home on the Thimble Islands in Connecticut. In 1883, Charles died unexpectedly from a stroke. He was 45 years old. More than 20,000 people attended his funeral. He is buried at Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport.

His gravestone is a life-sized statue of himself. People still remember his many talents and his clever performances today.

Charles Sherwood Stratton was a famous American performer. He was best known by his stage name, General Tom Thumb.

He was born on January 4, 1838, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His father, Sherwood Edward Stratton, worked as a carpenter. Charles was a relatively large baby at birth. He grew normally for the first six months of his life. After that, he suddenly stopped growing. His parents noticed he had not grown at all by his first birthday. A doctor told them he would likely never reach a normal height. Today, medical science refers to this condition as pituitary dwarfism.

Stratton's career was shaped by the circus pioneer P. T. Barnum. Barnum contacted the family and began teaching the boy many skills. He taught Charles how to sing, dance, and mime. He also taught him how to impersonate famous people.

To market his act, Barnum gave him the name General Tom Thumb. This name was taken from a popular English fairy tale. At age five, Stratton began his first tour of America. His routines included playing characters like Cupid and Napoleon Bonaparte. He also used comical banter with a performer acting as a straight man.

His success grew very quickly through international travel. One year after his first American tour, Barnum took him to Europe. This tour turned Stratton into an international celebrity. He appeared before Queen Victoria during his travels. He also met the future King Edward VII, who was a three-year-old Prince of Wales at the time. In 1845, he performed in the play Le petit Poucet at the Théâtre du Vaudeville in France. His popularity grew at an astonishing rate. Some sources say his celebrity surpassed that of any actor in his lifetime.

Stratton's performances changed the history of American entertainment. Before his debut, showing "human curiosities" was seen as dishonorable. Many people viewed such shows as unpleasing carnival attractions. However, Stratton's lively and entertaining style changed how people felt. His talent made these types of shows a favored form of theatrical entertainment. He performed in full-length fairytale melodramas, such as Hop o' My Thumb. He often played the title role in these plays. Dramatic critics began to judge him as a professional entertainer rather than just a curiosity.

In 1863, Stratton's marriage to Lavinia Warren became major news. Lavinia was also a little person.

The wedding took place at Grace Episcopal Church. The reception was held at the Metropolitan Hotel in New York City. To greet the guests, the couple stood atop a grand piano. They greeted approximately 10,000 guests during the event. George Washington Morrison Nutt served as the best man. Minnie Warren, Lavinia's sister, was the maid of honor. The couple was even received by President Lincoln at the White House.

Through his work with Barnum, Stratton became a very wealthy man. He owned a house in a fashionable part of New York. He also owned a steam yacht and a wardrobe of fine clothes. He even owned a specially adapted home on the Thimble Islands in Connecticut. Stratton was also a member of the Freemasons. He was initiated into the group on October 3, 1862. He later became a Master Mason in St. John's Lodge No. 3 in Bridgeport. He also received the Commandery degrees of Masonic Knight Templar in 1863.

Stratton's life ended following a major hotel fire in Milwaukee. In January 1883, a fire broke out at the Newhall House. This event was one of the worst hotel fires in American history. More than 71 people died in the fire. Fortunately, a manager named Sylvester Bleeker saved both Tom and Lavinia. However, six months after the fire, Stratton died unexpectedly from a stroke. He was 45 years old. More than 20,000 people attended his funeral.

He is buried at Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His gravestone is a life-sized statue of himself. This statue was later restored after being damaged by vandals in 1959.