Siamese Twins

Many years ago I worked in North Carolina with a man named Henry Bunker. He was a direct descendant of one of the famous “Siamese Twins” whose real names were Chang and Eng Bunker. They were born in 1811 in Siam (now called Thailand) and came to America at age 17. They earned a living in traveling “freak shows” of that day. They married and moved to Mt. Airy, North Carolina. Together they fathered 21 children. Their families lived in separate houses, and the brothers would spend three days at one house then three days at the other house. After the Civil War they lost part of their wealth so they went back to work, meaning back to the “freak show” circuit. Sometimes, some of their children traveled with them. They died at age 62. Chang died of a stroke; Eng’s cause of death is unknown.

I recall sitting in my office talking with Henry about his world-famous forebears. He told me interesting tales about their lives—stories you won’t find by reading Wikipedia. It’s crazy how some people you consider ordinary folk have such strange stories to tell about themselves or their families. But I suppose, to them, they aren’t strange stories at all—they’re just facts and family history. I think probably a lot of us have fascinating stories to tell, if only we knew they were fascinating.