by Anne Renaud
Whenever Anna did return home it was always a celebrated and welcomed event, as townsfolk were always curious to catch a glimpse of New Annan’s most famous citizen.
Chapter 3
Fires at the Museum
At midday on July 13, 1865, fire broke out in a defective furnace in the cellar of Barnum’s American Museum.
Anna was caught on the third floor and overcome by smoke as flames swept through the building. Her frightening predicament was described as follows in a local newspaper:
Living Skeleton. Courtesy of Laddy Kite.
There was not a door through which her bulky frame could obtain a passage. It was likewise feared that the stairs would break down even if she should reach them. Her best friend, the living skeleton, stood by her as long as he dared, but then deserted her, while as the heat grew in intensity, the perspiration rolled from her face, in little brooks and rivulets, which pattered musically upon the floor. At length, as a last resort, the employees of the place procured a lofty derrick, which fortunately happened to be standing near, and erected it alongside the Museum. A portion of the wall was then broken off on each side of the window, the strong tackle was got in readiness, the fat woman was made fast to one end and swung over the heads of the people in the streets, with eighteen men grasping the other extremity of the line, and lowered down from the third story amid enthusiastic applause. A carriage of extraordinary capacity was in readiness, and, entering this, the young lady was driven away to a hotel.
Burning of Barnum’s Museum, July 13, 1865. Courtesy of the New York Public Library Digital Collection.
Having lost her life savings in the fire – along with almost everything she owned – and now without a home, Anna returned to New Annan while Barnum rebuilt his museum.
Although the American Museum was in fact destroyed by fire, it has been questioned if the account of Anna’s rescue by derrick actually happened, given that some local newspapers simply stated that Anna left the building without much difficulty. Perhaps the reporter made a mistake and the rescue was of “The Fat Lady,” who was also on exhibit at that time at Barnum’s museum. Another possibility is that Barnum, who was a master at advertising and often had stories printed in newspapers to help with the promotion of his performers, made up the story of the rescue altogether.
In November 1865, Barnum re-opened at a new location, and Anna sailed back to New York to take her place among the showman’s cast of curiosities.
Depiction of fire at Barnum’s American Museum in Harper’s Weekly, July 29, 1865. Courtesy of the author.
New York Times, July 14, 1865.
The animals during the burning of Barnum’s Museum, 1868. Courtesy of the New York Public Library Digital Collection.
However, disaster struck again a few years later when shortly after midnight, on March 3, 1868, fire broke out on the third floor of the new building. As billows of smoke blanketed each floor, animals howled and cowered in the back of their cages, while the museum’s human residents frantically tried to find their way to safety. Although police and firemen were quick on the scene, the extreme cold and deep snow made their work all the more difficult.
When morning broke, what remained of Barnum’s museum was covered in ice like a giant glacier. Thankfully, no human life was lost, though sadly, many of the animals perished or were injured, as in the fire of 1865.
Exterior of Barnum’s Museum after the fire. Courtesy of the New York Public Library Digital Collection.
Anna was interviewed in a local newspaper following the inferno and was reported to have said,
I was in the fourth floor, between the lecture room and the gallery, and it was just about half past twelve, and had got everything off me except my chemise and stockings, when I heard a scream – and such a scream! Says I, “Sakes alive, what can that be, I do wonder?” The policemen began to holler; and the fire and smoke came up the stairs into my room. What was a poor woman to do in such a trouble? I was all in a tremor and a flutter, but I grabbed my jewelery … and, throwing my dress over my shoulders turned to make my way downstairs, with all my portable property in the folds of my dress tucked up; but I did not know where to go, when up came two big policemen with their clubs in their hands and said to me, “Come this way my heavy Old Gal,” and I went.
When asked if she was as frightened as she was during the last fire in 1865, Anna then replied, “Sakes alive! young man – I was twice as skeered . You know that was in the daytime and this was in the night – sakes alive, and I had nothing on me but my chemise. What was a poor woman to do?”
Traumatized by the event, Anna returned once again to the family home to recuperate from the ordeal. There, she toured Nova Scotia with a dwarf, measuring 106 centimetres (42 inches) and weighing 18 kilograms (40 pounds), who went by the name of Sir Robert the Bruce. Anna was billed as the “Colchester Giantess,” who was 22 years of age, 2.3 metres (7½ feet) tall and weighed 160 kilograms (350 pounds). As part of the show, Anna’s waist was measured with a tape, which was then wrapped three times around the waist of a woman from the audience.
It was on one of her return trips to Nova Scotia that Anna was observed shopping for a new hat through a store window. While Anna sat on a chair, onlookers could see a salesgirl standing on a chair behind her to help fit her for a new hat.
On another occasion, a neighbour recounted how Anna, who was visiting their home, sat down at one end of a lounge chair and the opposite end tilted upward like a child’s see-saw, so great was her weight. All who observed Anna in such situations noted that though life presented her with many challenges, the gentle giantess met each one with dignity and poise.
Chapter 4
Anna in Love
When not performing at the American Museum, Anna participated in several tours of the United States and Europe. These tours offered Anna the opportunity to travel to faraway cities and countries, an activity that few people could afford to do at that time. As well, during these trips Anna had the good fortune of meeting interesting and, in some cases, famous people – such as the Queen of England herself!
That momentous event occurred in 1863 when Anna toured Europe for the very first time with Barnum. Queen Victoria was quite taken with Anna’s charm and grace and enjoyed her company greatly.
Queen Victoria (1819-1901) became the ruler of Great Britain in 1837 at the age of eighteen. Her nearly sixty-four-year reign is the longest in British history. Courtesy Library and Archives Canada / C-001590.
Anna participated in several other tours of the United States and Europe after that, including one she undertook in 1869, which lasted eight months. The trip began in Glasgow, Scotland, the homeland of her ancestors. Anna’s maternal and paternal grandparents were both of Scottish heritage, and she was most interested in finding out as much as she could about her family history.
Edinburgh Evening Courant, February 24, 1869.
Anna then moved on to England, where she gave daily levees at the famous Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly. With the tour completed, Anna returned to New York to Barnum’s American Museum. Little did she realize she would soon be crossing the Atlantic once again.
Illustrated Times, March 20, 1869.
Having fulfilled her latest contract with P. T. Barnum, Anna decided to join the company of Judge H. P. Ingalls, who was organizing a three-year tour of Europe. What made the prospect of this tour so attractive to Anna was the fact that Martin Van Buren Bates, known as the Kentucky Giant, was also part of the troupe. Anna had met Martin at a party some months earlier in New Jersey while touring the United States. In her long letters home, Anna mentioned him frequently, stating how she had found him charming and appealing. The feeling, it appeared, was mutual.
Poster of Anna Swan.Courtesy of the British Library.
The Egyptian Hall. Courtesy of the Wellcome Library.
Martin Van Buren Bates was born November 9, 1837, and was the
youngest of the twelve children of John W. and Sarah Bates of Whitesburg, Kentucky. As was the case with Anna’s family, Martin’s siblings and parents were all of average height. At a young age, Martin showed remarkable growth and had reached nearly 2 metres (6 feet) in height by his 13th birthday. In September 1861 Martin answered the call for volunteers for the American Civil War. He enlisted in the Fifth Kentucky Infantry and rose in rank from private to first lieutenant. When the war ended, Martin decided to join Wiggins and Bennoit, a small circus in Cincinnati, Ohio. From there he joined the John Robinson Circus as “The Kentucky Mountain Giant,” then signed with the company of Judge H. P. Ingalls. According to Martin, he continued to grow steadily until he reached his full height of 2.3 metres (7 feet, 8 inches) at age twenty-eight.
Martin Van Buren Bates’s war record. Courtesy of Rhonda Cookenour Turner.
Martin Van Buren Bates enlisted in the Fifth Kentucky Infantry, which disbanded and later merged with the Seventh Confederate Cavalry, Co. Martin was alleged to have carried two enormous pistols made especially for him that he wore strapped across his chest in black leather holsters. His saber was 45 centimetres (18 inches) longer than the standard weapon and he rode a huge Percheron horse. His fame spread among Union soldiers as “That Confederate Giant who was as big as 5 men and fought like 50.” Martin claimed to have been promoted to captain and to having served to the end of the war; however, he resigned from the cavalry in August 1864 as a first lieutenant. Martin’s war records state, “He is nearly seven feet high and weighs three hundred and fifty pounds. He is not able to perform military duties on foot and there is not a horse in the Confederate States Army to carry him for any length of time.”
Martin Van Buren Bates and Judge H. P. Ingalls. Courtesy of Diane Gudatis.
The American Civil War pitted the northern states, known as the Union, against the Confederacy, which were the eleven southern states that wanted to break away from the United States of America. The main reason for the conflict was slavery, which was more accepted in the South than the North. Southern planters relied on slaves to run their plantations and make them profitable. Many northerners disagreed with this practice and felt that owning slaves was wrong. The war raged from 1861 until 1865, when the North won. The country remained united and slavery came to an end.
City of Brussels. Courtesy Keffer Collection of Sheet Music, 1872, Rare Book and Manuscript Library. University of Pennsylvania.
Monsieur Joseph, the French Giant and a man of average height. Courtesy of the Special Collections, University of Nevada-Reno Library.
As they sailed across the ocean on the City of Brussels in April of 1871, Martin and Anna spent much time together, getting to know each other. It therefore came as no surprise to the other members of the company when Martin proposed before the ship had even docked in Liverpool.
This was not Anna’s first marriage proposal; she had received a few in previous years, including one from Monsieur Joseph, the French Giant, which she had refused. But true love had now blossomed in Anna’s life, and she accepted Martin’s proposal with joy.
On the morning of Saturday, June 17, 1871, the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London’s Trafalgar Square was brimming with curious onlookers eager to witness the “tall” spectacle of the wedding of Anna Swan (age 24) and Martin Van Buren Bates (33).
According to London newspapers, Martin arrived at exactly a quarter to eleven and walked composedly up to the altar. He did not wear his army uniform, but rather a blue coat and grey trousers. Five minutes later, loud whispers were followed by a dead silence, announcing Anna’s arrival at the church door. Dressed in a gown sewn of 100 metres of satin and 50 metres of lace and decorated with embroidered orange blossoms, the giantess moved majestically up the aisle and stood next to her husband-to-be.
The church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London, England. Courtesy of the Creamery Square Heritage Centre.
Marriage certificate of Martin Van Buren Bates and Anna Swan. Courtesy of the City of Westminster Archives Centre. (Note how Anna was called a spinster, and Martin was called a bachelor.)
Anna’s gown was a gift of Queen Victoria and was reported to have cost $1,000 to make. Courtesy of the Creamery Square Heritage Centre.
Illustrated London News, June 24, 1871. Courtesy of the Nova Scotia Museum.
Wedding photo of Martin and Anna. Courtesy of the Creamery Square Heritage Centre.
The marriage was performed by Reverend W. Rupert Cochrane, himself a native of Nova Scotia. In attendance were some of Anna and Martin’s colleagues, including Millie-Christine, the conjoined twins who went by the stage name, “The Two-Headed Nightingale.”
Mille-Christine. Courtesy of the Wellcome Library.
Outside the church, police held back crowds of people to clear a path for the wedding party to reach their awaiting carriages. Following the ceremony, a wedding breakfast was held at the home Anna and Martin had rented, after which the couple left for Richmond to honeymoon at the fashionable Star and Garter Hotel. In describing their accommodations Martin said it was a fine place and that the bill was “as long as his arm.”
Star and Garter Hotel. Courtesy of the author.
Upon returning from their honeymoon the couple found an order of the Queen awaiting them, requesting they present themselves at Buckingham Palace. As wedding gifts, the Queen presented Anna with a diamond cluster ring, while Martin received a massive gold watch and chain. The couple appeared again before the Queen on two occasions and were also guests of the Prince of Wales. As well, they gave private levees for numerous other royals, including the Grand Duke Vladimir of Russia and Prince John of Luxembourg. When not mingling with royalty, the couple was on exhibit at a number of theatres and concert halls.
Within a year, Anna became pregnant with the couple’s first child, and on March 19, 1872, gave birth to a daughter. The baby weighed 8 kilograms (18 lbs) and measured 69 centimetres (27 inches), but sadly, she died at birth. Anna and Martin were devastated and the loss took a great toll on Anna’s health, leaving her weakened and depressed. The couple went into semi-retirement and for the next two years only gave receptions by royal command.
Chapter 5
Settling in Seville
On July 2, 1874, Anna and her husband closed the chapter on their life in Europe and sailed back to North America aboard the City of Antwerp. During the next few months, the couple visited the home of Anna’s parents to introduce Martin to her family and travelled as tourists throughout the United States. Then, with a view to putting down roots and lead a more stable life, they purchased 52 hectares (130 acres) of land in the farming community of Seville, Ohio.
Martin Van Buren Bates, his wife Anna and an unknown person. Courtesy of Matt Swain.
It is not entirely clear why this particular location appealed to the giants. Perhaps it was the charm of the vast expanses of land and green meadows, the two babbling creeks – Hubbard and Chippewa – that flowed through the town and the rustic bridges that dotted the countryside.
The house Anna and Martin built was large in the front and small at the back, where the servants and houseguests would sleep. The house no longer stands. It was dismantled by the family who purchased the property, and a smaller house was built, using the lumber from the giants’ house. Photo courtesy of the Creamery Square Heritage Centre.
Anna’s health no doubt played a role in their decision to lead a more tranquil and relaxed existence, as she was still noticeably weakened by the birth and loss of their baby daughter two years earlier and needed to rebuild her strength. And so, Anna and Martin set about building themselves a home, which attracted as much attention as the giants themselves.
The frame construction made of yellow pine consisted of four side-by-side block buildings that held eighteen rooms. The couple resided in the main wing of the farmhouse where ceilings ranged from 3.5 to 4 metres (12 to 14) feet high and doors measur
ed 2.6 metres (8-and-a-half feet) high, each adorned with doorknobs set at the height of an average man’s head. No longer did Martin and Anna have to stoop when entering a room, or turn sideways because of narrow door frames.
Martin Van Buren Bates, his wife Anna and an unknown person. Courtesy of Matt Swain.
The ground floor housed a number of rooms, including a dining room, a parlour, a living room and a bedroom. The bed in which Anna and Martin slept was 3 metres (10 feet) long and almost as wide. Though normal in size, the piano, which sat in the living room, was mounted on stilts that were a metre (3 feet) high, making it difficult for anyone but the couple to reach the keys. The living room also included two rocking chairs that visitors climbed into by scaling the rungs, just as a child would climb into a high chair. The dining room table was made of varying heights, extra high at one end and lower at the other, so Anna and Martin could eat their meals with their guests. Rooms were separated by sliding doors panelled in rare woods, and fireplace mantels were adorned with imported marble.
The back portion of the house was used as servants’ quarters and had much lower ceilings. Barns were also built for Martin’s farm animals, mainly Shorthorn cattle and Percheron horses that he raised and bred. For travel, the couple had an enormous carriage built, along with a large sleigh for the winter months, both of which were drawn by their Percherons.
The community quickly embraced the shy, gentle giantess and her fiery-tempered husband who, on occasion, was known to quarrel with his neighbours. The couple became devoted members of the Seville First Baptist Church and were regularly seen on Sundays sitting in the extra large pew Martin had built for them. Anna also taught Sunday school to the children and kept busy with various church projects, organizing teas and bazaars and attending quilting parties where the other ladies sat captivated as Anna regaled them with stories of her life with P. T. Barnum and her many tours.
