Siamese Twin

Grandmother Flinn used to tell such interesting stories. One of Effie Dean's favorites and most unbelievable was about the Siamese Twin:

Chang and Eng Bunker - born near Bangkok, the capital of Siam, on the river Me Nam, in May 1811.

They had a stout attachment of cartilage and ligaments that joined together at the breastbone. At first this fleshy tie was short and, but as they grew, the ligament stretched so that they could stand by side and even back to back. They also ran, jumped, and swam with and astounding co-ordination.

They were discovered by a British merchant in Siam and brought to on August 16, 1829.

Studied by Harvard Medical School, they decided surgical separation hazardous and unwarranted.

Examined in England by president of Royal College of Surgeons who held back from the suggestion that the twins be separated.

Others examined them.

They were "freaks" for a little more than four years and were world By 1833, they had amassed a fortune of some $60,000 and they retire.

They returned to the United States, cut off the queus they had, earlier worn, and became both naturalized American citizens and Baptists. They assumed the surname of Bunker.

They made their home near the town of Mt. Airy in Surry County, in the northwestern part of the state, and soon established themselves as prosperous and competent farmers.

They acquired a plantation with slaves and livestock.

Married in 1843 to Sarah Ann and Adelaide Yeats, daughters of a Virginia clergyman. It was by necessity a double ceremony. (Not many miles west of modern Winston-Salem) North Carolina.

In 1853, after nearly twenty years of busy retirement, the twins took to the road again.

Chang (the drunkard) had 10 children by his Adelaide.

Eng had twelve by his Sarah Ann.

As family men, they were much respected in the Carolina hills. Their descendants are today well-regarded citizens of North Carolina.

Their descendants include a banker - a resident of the Union Pacific Railroad - and a major general in the U.S Air force.

There are no records upon which to base speculation about the conjugal relations of Chang, Brig, Adelaide and Sarah Ann! Obviously their relationship was always a triangle if not a foursome.

The sisters quarreled - so they made a firm pact that they would spend three days in one house and three days in the other. Perhaps on the seventh day they rested.

They died in January 1874.

I ran across this from some of the documents I had copied from the "Center for American History at the U of T in Austin"

This story may not seem elaborate by our standards these days but I'm sure little Effie Dean at age 10 or so in 1912 would have been exceedingly pleased with such a story.

Susan Flinn was supposed to be notorious for her story telling. This is a good example!