I love discovering weird and wonderful stories! The Giants of Seville were Martin and Anna Bates, former side show circus performers turned small town farmers. Mr. Bates fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War. Yankee soldiers told frightful stories of an incredibly tall, strong man who fought ferociously. Mrs. Bates was by all accounts a gracious, gentle woman. The couple's London marriage was the talk of the town, and even Queen Victoria sent gifts and congratulations! The couple had a son who weighed over 20 pounds when he was born, and only lived for a few hours. His post mortem photo can be seen here:
Both of them had to have custom caskets built for them because of their stature. The statue that graces their monument in Mound Hill Cemetery is supposedly a likeness of Anna that Mr. Bates had custom sculpted in Europe.
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