 |
| A British colored wood cut by by H.S. Miller of Chang and Eng in their post-Civil War comeback. |
On
August 16, 1829 two young immigrant
brothers arrived in Boston. Nothing much unusual in that, except that instead of being Europeans they were from the Kingdom
of Siam. And, by the way, they were co-joined twins, linked at the sternum by a sliver of cartilage and a bit of liver, although each man had a complete
and fully functioning organ. They came to America, like so many other immigrants, to seek their fortune. They did better than most. Their story says a lot about 19th Century America, class, and race.
Chang and Eng were born to a village
fisherman and his wife, both of Chinese origin, on May 11, 1811.
Other than the narrow strip that united them, they were normal and healthy babies. As children
they were lively and noted for their
intelligence. But they were always a curiosity. In their native
land they were called Chinese twins because of their ethnicity. They were already
making a living by showing
themselves when they were “discovered” in Bangkok
by British seaman Robert Hunter who successfully exhibited them on a world tour that eventually brought them
to Boston.
 |
| Chang and Eng were already displaying themselves before they ever left Asia. |
They were quick to learn English and eventually learned to both read and write. They were also shrewd businessmen and once liberated
from Hunter’s contract, marketed their own careers. They toured
extensively appearing in both “native”
costume and in the dress of respectable Western gentlemen.
As their English improved they added a lecture, tales of their travels
and adventures, and answered questions from the audience, bantering back and forth freely with
them. In 1839 they took the savings of ten years on the road and
bought a farm near Wilkesboro, North
Carolina, became American citizens,
and legally adopted the English surname Bunker. Again they did well,
soon expanding their holdings to a plantation and buying slaves to work it. Chang and Eng were well thought of, even respected,
by their neighbors. Perhaps because Asians were so rare, they do not seem to have ever
been the victims of racial prejudice
in their adopted home.
On April 13, 1843 Chang wed Adelaide Yates and Eng her sister Sarah.
The two couples shared an extra large bed. They retired from show
business to devote themselves to their plantation and to raising families. Chang and his wife had 10 children; Eng and
his wife had 11. In time, the stress of
such a large household set the two sisters to squabbling.
Each brother purchased his own plantation near Mount Airy, North Carolina—the same
town later to become famous as the inspiration for Andy Griffith’s Mayberry.
The couples and their broods would spend three days at one home, where
the wife could be undisputed queen
of the household, then spend the next three days at the other. One imagines that the situation was far from
ideal, but it served them well.
 | |
| Chang and Eng Bunker with their wives Adelaide (left) and Sara (right) with some of their children and grand children. Note the Black servant holding the sleeping toddler to the right. |
As their oldest sons neared college age, they decided to come out of retirement to raise money for their education. In 1860 they signed on with the greatest American showman, Phineas
T. Barnum, who featured them at his
American Museum. But Barnum’s
ardently Unionist views and support of abolition, clashed with
the Bunker brother’s devotion to the Confederacy.
Soon they were back home and
instead of going to college Chang’s son Christopher
and Eng’s son Stephen both joined
the Rebel army. At war’s end the two families had lost their
slaves and much of the estates they had worked to build.
Both men were very bitter
and like many of their neighbors became ardent champions of the Lost
Cause. After the war to recoup their
losses they again resorted to public exhibitions, but were not very successful. American taste in entertainment was drifting
away from fascination with freaks. They would have done better to re-unite with
Barnum and perhaps join his new venture,
a traveling circus.
On January 17, 1874 Eng awoke to find his brother dead.
He refused and emergency operation to be separated from his dead brother and
died three hours later. Chang’s wife died in 1892 and Eng’s wife lived on until
1917.
 |
| Banker and Florida Democratic Party political figure Alex Sink is just one of hundreds of descendants of Chang and Eng Bunker, many prominent figures in their communities and professions. |
Their many children mostly prospered and many folks in
North Carolina can trace heritage to the brothers. Contemporary descendants include Air Force Major General Caleb V. Haynes
and
Adelaide “Alex” Sink, the former Chief Financial Officer of Florida
and the Democratic candidate for governor in a 2010.
No comments:
Post a Comment