Bigger than life
Anna Swan’s prominence went beyond her stature
Anna Swan first took part in an exhibition to earn money for shoes, but she soon gained widespread fame as ‘the tallest girl in the world.’
Anna Haining Swan was born Aug. 6, 1846, in New Annan, weighing in at 18 pounds. Her parents were of average height, but she was a large baby and grew quickly. At the age of four, she measured four-feet tall; by the time she stopped growing, she was 7-ft.-11-in.
“Her grandmother – her mother’s mother – would tell her to stand tall and be proud,” said Dale Swan, who is her great-grandnephew and a volunteer at the Anna Swan Museum, in Tatamagouche. “Throughout her life, she was always able to stand up for herself.
“She was known as kind and helpful, and she had a good sense of humour.”
It was reported when Anna sat down on the end of a sofa and her weight caused the other end to lift, she laughed.
“Anna’s mother made her clothes, and her father made her some shoes, but they weren’t comfortable,” said Dale. “The family heard about a cobbler in New Glasgow, who’d recently come from Scotland and could make comfortable shoes, but they were expensive. She took part in the exhibition in Halifax to get money for shoes.”
“The Greatest Showman” P.T. Barnum offered her work as an attraction at the American Museum, in New York. She was to receive a monthly salary of $1,000 and the chance to continue her education through private tutoring.
“Her experience attending Normal School, in Truro, convinced her to accept Barnum’s offer,” Dale related. “People would sometimes follow her around because they were curious.
In 1862 she became a star attraction, though Barnum somewhat slyly promoted her as being 8-ft.-1in. She was often paired with Commodore George Washington Morrison Nutt, for striking contrast. He was 29 inches tall and weighed 24 pounds.
“It was an opportunity to help her family,” Dale said. “She was offered wonderful clothes. Barnum even had a chesterfield built for her, so she could set on one end and it wouldn’t tip. She would sometimes say no to him, and he treated her well, although he didn’t treat everyone well.
“Anna loved literature, singing, playing piano and acting; Lady McBeth was a favourite role. There were some tableaux they put on that used coloured birds. Anna thought it wrong to colour the birds and she wouldn’t take part in them.”
In 1865, there was a fire at Barnum’s museum. Flames raged in the stairway and Anna was too large to escape through a window. A section of wall around a window was broken away and 18 men lowered her by block and tackle. At the time, she weighed 394 lbs., up from her usual weight of about 350 lbs.
While on tour with Barnum’s show, she met a former Confederate officer called Martin Van Buren Bates, who was 7-ft.-9-in. and was known as “The Kentucky Giant.” They were presented to Queen Victoria and, when they decided to marry, the Queen had a wedding dress made for Anna. Sadly, years later, the dress was destroyed in a fire at Anna’s sister’s home, off Robie Street in Truro.
In May 1872 Anna gave birth to a girl, who weighed about 18 pounds and was stillborn.
In 1874, she and her husband bought 120 acres of land in Seville, Ohio, and had a house and furniture made to suit their needs. The main part of the house had 14-ft. ceilings, with extra wide doors 8.5-ft. tall. One section of the house was built of average size for servants and guests.
“Their bed was 10 feet long and their dining room table was higher at one end, so they could dine comfortably with guests,” said Dale. “A piano was placed on 36-inch stilts for her.”
In January 1879, after a long and difficult labour, Anna gave birth to a boy who weighed almost 24 pounds; he lived merely 11 hours.
Anna and Martin toured with W.W. Cole during the following summer and spring, but then retired to their farm, where friends who had also been museum and circus attractions often visited.
“Anna attended the local Baptist Church and read the Bible regularly,” said Dale. “She also taught Sunday School. They had special seats put in the church for them.
“She didn’t approve of swearing and would scold Martin for that. She didn’t approve of racing with the horse and buggy, either.”
The couple had cattle and draft horses on their farm and would sometimes take in an animal that was “retiring” from a circus.
“When circuses didn’t want them, they sometimes just shoved them out of the train car,” said Dale. “Anna and Martin took in a retired monkey called Buttons. Buttons would jump on her shoulder and grab things from the wall and throw them at people.”
After struggling with a thyroid goiter and tuberculosis for some time, Anna died of heart failure, in her sleep, on Aug. 5, 1888.
After her death, Martin was faced with loneliness. “He had truly loved Anna. He remarried, with the Baptist minister’s daughter becoming his wife. They lived in the house in Seville for a while, but it didn’t suit her and he decided they should move to town. He sold the house in Seville and it eventually fell into disrepair. In 1948 it was torn down.”
However, it seemed the doors were hidden, to prevent them from being used as firewood.
“Some people thought one should come to Nova Scotia, and the one we have came here on top of a long van.”
Anna and Martin are buried in Mound Hill Cemetery, Seville, Ohio.
The Anna Swan Museum doesn’t have regular operating hours during the winter, but is open by appointment year round. To arrange a visit, call 902-657-0330.