“NOT MY WILL, BUT THINE, BE DONE”
In November of 1890, when he was eighty years old, Barnum suffered an
attack of acute congestion of the brain, which kept him in bed for
three weeks, and the physicians decided that this was his last illness.
He had prepared for that possibility in detail. Before making his
final will he called in a horde of physicians to testify to his sound
mental condition, because the relatives of a Bridgeport friend, who
had recently died, contested the will. In this lawsuit Barnum had been
called as a witness of Captain Brooks’s mental condition. He replied
that he thought the mind of the deceased was as sound as that of any
rich man who has poor relations. He himself was determined by this
example to frustrate any chance of dissension after his death, and his
will provided that contestants were to be deprived of their bequests;
his will also set aside a fund of $100,000 to be used in fighting
contests.
Besides preparing his will, Barnum exacted from his wife the promise
that she would write “The Last Chapter” of the _Life of P. T. Barnum
Written by Himself_, giving the details of his last year to the world.
From Mrs. Barnum’s account we learn that he was merry and refused to
entertain the thought of death, and the mention of it was considerately
kept from his eyes and ears. The newspapers, anxious to print reports
of his condition, desisted when they were told that he read the papers
carefully every day. He continued his business transactions, especially
those involving Bridgeport real estate, and he inquired eagerly
concerning the daily receipts of the circus. Until the last few weeks
of his illness Barnum never gave up hope of his recovery. “Of his own
death,” wrote his wife, “he would not speak. Of Death in the abstract
he said, ‘It is a good thing, a beautiful thing, just as much so as
life; and it is wrong to grieve about it and look upon it as an evil.’”
But he looked long and wistfully at his wife and daughter, and every
night his last, whispered words were, “Thy will be done....”
He lingered, but in the beginning of April, 1891, it became obvious
that his death was a matter of days. He calmly made arrangements for
his own funeral, but always ignoring whenever possible the word, Death.
He insisted that he must not be embalmed and chose a plain deal casket
with a black pall for his last resting place. In giving his directions
for a simple funeral, he said that of show and parade he had had enough
during his fifty years before the public. He had never forgotten the
horrible impression made on his mind as he gazed on General Grant’s
dead face, and knowing that he was emaciated, he wished no public
exhibition of his body. He sent for the Rev. Dr. Robert Collyer and
chose for his funeral two hymns, one by Whittier and the other by
Oliver Wendell Holmes; he said that if there was to be an address he
would like the text of it to be from Luke xxii, 42: “Not my will, but
Thine, be done,” and that is the text graven on his tombstone.
Four days before Barnum’s death, the _Evening Sun_ of New York learned
that a few weeks before, when he had been dangerously ill and was
thought to be dying, Barnum, on his recovery, had written to a friend:
“The only thing lacking to make me happy on my return to good health is
the chance to see what sort of lines would have been written about me.”
The _Evening Sun_ sent a reporter to the circus to inquire whether it
would hurt Barnum’s feelings if the newspaper should print an obituary
notice of him before he died. “Not at all,” answered Tody Hamilton,
the press agent, knowing his boss. The next day the _Evening Sun_
devoted four columns to the facts of Barnum’s career, and there was a
noticeable improvement in Barnum’s health.
At half-past six in the evening of April 7, 1891, Barnum died, and
his last words were a request to know what the circus receipts had
been during the day at Madison Square Garden. It would have pleased
him greatly to know that it was said after his death that more
newspaper space had been allotted to his career than to that of any
other American who was not a President of the United States. Another
post-mortem comment that would have delighted this man who never
resisted a joke was the conundrum which circulated widely: “Will Barnum
get to heaven?” The answer was: “He certainly has a good show.”
In his will Barnum disposed of an estate of $4,100,000, and he made
careful provision for the perpetuation of his name. Since he had no
sons, he provided that his grandson, C. H. Seeley, should receive
$25,000, besides his share in the estate, if he would change his name
to C. Barnum Seeley, “so that the name of Barnum shall always be known
as his name.” Provision had already been made for the continuation of
the name of “Barnum & Bailey” as circus proprietors for fifty years
from October 26, 1887.[29]
In a back office at the circus winter quarters in Bridgeport was a
large packing box, turned on its side and nailed securely to a wall. On
it was painted in large black letters, “Not to be opened until after
the death of P. T. Barnum.” Some circus employees expected that this
box contained their legacies. When the box was opened, it was found to
contain for each of his oldest employees a copy of the _Life of P. T.
Barnum Written by Himself_.
THE END
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS BY BARNUM
_Life of P. T. Barnum Written by Himself._ First edition, New York,
1855. Revised and published in various editions under this title
until 1890.
_Struggles and Triumphs, or Forty Years’ Recollections of P. T.
Barnum Written by Himself._ The same as the _Life of P. T. Barnum
Written by Himself_, with additions and revisions. Published
under this title, 1869, 1872, 1882.
_How I Made Millions, or The Secret of Success_, by P. T. Barnum.
1884. _The Life of P. T. Barnum Written by Himself_ under another
title.
_Funny Stories Told by P. T. Barnum._ London, 1890. A collection of
anecdotes from the autobiography.
_Dollars and Sense, or How to Get On_, by P. T. Barnum. Chicago,
1890. Anecdotes from the autobiography and excerpts from lectures.
_Dick Broadhead_, by P. T. Barnum. New York, 1888. A juvenile book of
adventure. Written by the circus press agent and published under
Barnum’s name.
_Jack in the Jungle_, by P. T. Barnum. New York, 1880. A juvenile
story of adventure with wild animals. Also written by the press
agent of the circus.
_Lion Jack_, by P. T. Barnum. New York, 1887. “A Story of Perilous
Adventures Among Wild Men and The Capturing of Wild Beasts;
Showing How Menageries Are Made.” Also written by the press agent
of the circus.
_The Wild Beasts, Birds, and Reptiles of the World, The Story of
Their Capture_, by P. T. Barnum. Chicago, 1888. Written for
Barnum by the press agent of the circus, but contains a preface
and a last chapter by Barnum.
_Barnum’s New Year’s Address._ A pamphlet. New York, 1851. Written
for Barnum by John Vose, editor of the _New York Picayune_.
_The Humbugs of the World_, by P. T. Barnum. New York, 1866.
_Why I am a Universalist_, by P. T. Barnum. Universalist Tracts, 1895.
_The Will of P. T. Barnum._ A pamphlet. Bridgeport, Conn., 1891.
_Blackwood’s Magazine._ London, 1855. Review of the _Life of P. T.
Barnum Written by Himself_.
_Christian Review._ New York, Vol. 20, 1855. Review of the _Life of
P. T. Barnum Written by Himself_.
_Fraser’s Magazine._ London, 1855. Review of the _Life of P. T.
Barnum Written by Himself_.
_Southern Literary Messenger._ Richmond, Va., 1855. Review of the
_Life of P. T. Barnum Written by Himself_.
_New York Illustrated News._ 1853. The newspaper Barnum owned for one
year. Contains references to his temperance activities.
_The World._ New York newspaper. January 17, 1897. An article on
Barnum’s morals.
_To Republicans, a circular in opposition to the nomination of P. T.
Barnum as a representative of the Fourth District of Connecticut._
BOOKS BY OTHER AUTHORS
ABBOTT, LYMAN. _Reminiscences._ Contains material on Jenny Lind’s
concerts.
ABBOTT, LYMAN. _Silhouettes of My Contemporaries._ Contains an essay
on P. T. Barnum.
ALDRICH, MRS. T. B. _Crowding Memories_, p. 243.
ARNOLD, MATTHEW. _Letters of Matthew Arnold._ Vol. 2. 1896.
BAKER, SIR SAMUEL W. _Wild Beasts and Their Ways, Reminiscences of
Europe, Asia, Africa, and America._ London, 1890.
BARNUM, MRS. NANCY FISH. _The Last Chapter: In Memoriam P. T.
Barnum._ Privately printed, 1891.
_Barnum’s Parnassus. Being Confidential Disclosures of the Prize
Committee on the Jenny Lind Song._ “With Specimens of the Leading
American Poets in the Happiest Effulgence of Their Genius.
Respectfully Dedicated to the American Eagle.” New York, 1850.
Parodies Written by William Allen Butler, author of “Nothing to
Wear.”
BENNETT, JAMES GORDON. _Memoirs of James Gordon Bennett and His Times
by a Journalist._ New York, 1855.
BENSON AND ESHER. _The Letters of Queen Victoria_, edited by Benson
and Esher. Vol. 2. Contains material on Jenny Lind in England.
BENTON, JOEL. _Life of Phineas T. Barnum._ New York, 1891. This
is the _Life of P. T. Barnum Written by Himself_ with no new
material, published the year Barnum died by a friend, who changed
the first person singular to the third person singular.
BENTON, JOEL. _P. T. Barnum, Showman and Humorist._ _Century
Magazine_, August, 1902.
BLEEKER, SYLVESTER. _General Tom Thumb’s Three Years’ Tour Around
the World, Accompanied by His Wife, Lavinia Warren Stratton,
Commodore Nutt, Miss Minnie Warren and Party._ New York, 1872.
BREMER, FREDRIKA. _The Homes of the World; Impressions of America._
Two volumes. New York, 1858. Jenny Lind material.
BROWN, MARIA WARD. _The Life of Dan Rice._ Long Branch, N. J., 1901.
BUNN, ALFRED. _The Case of Bunn versus Lind, Tried at the Court of
Queen’s Bench, Guildhall, City, Before Mr. Justice Erle and a
Special Jury, on Tuesday, February 22nd, 1848, Given in Full,
from Shorthand Notes Taken at the Time, with a Series of Letters
from Plaintiff and Defendant, Produced Thereat, with Others from
Both, Now for the First Time Published, to which are added Notes
Explanatory and Critical by Alfred Bunn._ London, 1848.
CARLYLE, THOMAS. _New Letters of Thomas Carlyle._ London, 1904.
Contains accounts of Jenny Lind concerts.
CONKLIN, GEORGE. _The Ways of the Circus._ New York, 1921.
COUP, W. C. _Chapters from the Autobiography of W. C. Coup._ New
York, 187--.
COUP, W. C. _Sawdust and Spangles._ Chicago, 1901.
CROSBY, C. FRED. _The Early Days of Barnum’s “Greatest on Earth,”_ in
_The Billboard_. January 22, 1922.
DICKENS, CHARLES. _American Notes._
EMERSON, EDWARD WALDO. _The Early Years of the Saturday Club._
FIELD, MAUNSELL B. _Memories of Many Men and Some Women._ New York,
1874.
FORD, JAMES L. _Forty-odd Years in the Literary Shop._ New York, 1921.
FOSTER, C. G. _Memoir of Jenny Lind._ New York, 1850.
FRITH, W. P. _My Autobiography and Reminiscences._ New York, 1888.
GEORGE, HENRY, JR. _Life of Henry George._ New York, 1900.
GHIO, MADAME. _Biography of Madame Ghio, the Celebrated Swiss Bearded
Lady and Her Son, Esau._ Pamphlet. Glasgow, 1866.
HAINES, GEORGE W. _Plays, Players, and Playgoers. Reminiscences of
Barnum._ New York, 1874.
HAWTHORNE, JULIAN. _Hawthorne and His Wife._ Contains reference to
Jenny Lind.
HAYDON, BENJAMIN ROBERT. _Autobiography of Benjamin Robert Haydon._
Edited by Tom Taylor. London, 1853. Vol. 3.
HOLLAND, H. S., and ROCKSTRO, W. S. _Memoir of Madame Jenny
Lind-Goldschmidt, Her Early Art-Life and Dramatic Career,
1820–1851._ London, 1891.
HONE, PHILIP. _The Diary of Philip Hone, 1828–1851._ Edited by Bayard
Tuckerman. Two volumes. New York, 1889. Contains material on
Jenny Lind in New York.
HORNBLOW, ARTHUR. _A History of the Theater in America._
IRVING, PIERRE M. _Life and Letters of Washington Irving._ New York,
1869. Three volumes.
JEROME, CHAUNCEY. _History of the American Clock Business and Life of
Chauncey Jerome. Written by Himself. Barnum’s Connection with the
Yankee Clock Business._ New Haven, Conn., 1860.
JUMBO. A picture folder for children, with verses. London, 1882.
LAMB, MRS. MARTHA J. _History of the City of New York._
LAMB, MRS. MARTHA J. _Wall Street in History._
LE ROUX AND GARNIER. _Acrobats and Mountebanks._ London, 1890.
LIND, JENNY. _Press Books of the Jenny Lind Centennial Celebration._
Jenny Lind Centennial Committee. 1920.
LONGFELLOW, SAMUEL. _Life of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow with Extracts
from His Journals and Correspondence._ Vol. 2.
_Nutt, Commodore, History of._ Pamphlet. New York, 1862.
PAINE, ALBERT BIGELOW. _Mark Twain, A Biography._ Vols. 1 and 3.
POND, MAJOR J. B. _Eccentricities of Genius._ New York, 1900.
RISCHBIETH, H., and AMY BARRINGTON. _Dwarfism._ Francis Galton
Laboratory for National Eugenics. Eugenics Laboratory Memoirs XV.
Treasury for Human Inheritance, Parts VII and VIII, Section XV A.
London, 1912.
ROSENBERG, C. G. _Jenny Lind’s Tour Through America and Cuba._ New
York, 1851.
_Sights and Wonders in New York, including a description of the
mysteries, miracles, marvels, phenomena, curiosities, and
nondescripts contained in that great Congress of Wonders,
Barnum’s Museum, also a Memoir of Barnum Himself._ New York, 1849.
SMITH, SOL. _The Theatrical Journey--Work and Anecdotal
Recollections._ Philadelphia, 1854. Long dedicatory epistle to
Barnum.
SMYTH, ALBERT H. _Bayard Taylor._ Boston, 1896.
_Spangled World, A, or Life with the Circus._ New York, 1882.
STODDARD, RICHARD HENRY. _Recollections Personal and Literary._ New
York, 1903.
STOWE, CHARLES EDWARD. _Life of Harriet Beecher Stowe._ Letters from
Jenny Lind to Mrs. Stowe.
TAYLOR, MARIE HANSEN, and HORACE E. SCUDDER. _Life and Letters of
Bayard Taylor._
THACKERAY. _A Collection of Thackeray Letters, 1847–1855._ New York,
1887.
THAYER, WILLIAM ROSCOE. _Life of John Hay._
_Thumb, Thomas, Life and Travels of, in the United States, England,
France, and Belgium._ Philadelphia, 1849. A book for children.
TROLLOPE, MRS. _Domestic Manners of the Americans._ London, 1832.
UPTON, GEORGE P. _Musical Memories. My Recollections of Celebrities
of the Half Century 1850–1900._ New York, 1908.
WARNER, MORRIS H. _The Barnum Budget, or Tent Topics._ New York, 1887.
WARREN, LAVINIA. Autobiographical article by Lavinia Warren in _The
Sunday Magazine_, Sept. 16, 1906.
WILLIS, N. P. _Memoranda for the Life of Jenny Lind._ New York, 1850.
WOOD, EDWARD J. _Giants and Dwarfs._ London, 1868.
NEWSPAPERS AND MISCELLANEOUS MATERIAL
P. T. Barnum’s Advance program notes for the circus seasons of 1876,
1879, 1880, 1882, 1889.
_New York Herald_, _New York Morning Courier and Enquirer_, _The
Evening Post_, _New York Sun_, _New York Tribune_ for various
periods from 1841 until 1891.
_The Times_, London, for 1858, 1882, 1890.
_Illustrated London News_ for 1844, 1845.
_Bridgeport Daily Standard_, Bridgeport, Conn., for various periods.
_Bridgeport Farmer_, Bridgeport, Conn., for various periods.
_The Spirit of the Times_, a New York newspaper, Sept., 1850, and
June 14, 1851.
_Philadelphia Sunday Dispatch_, Sept., 1850, and February, 1852.
_Encyclopedia Britannica._ Articles on Barnum, Giants and Dwarfs,
Benjamin Robert Haydon.
FOOTNOTES
[1] _From Sea to Sea_, by Rudyard Kipling. American edition, Doubleday,
Page & Co. P. 175.
[2] Autograph letter. Gordon L. Ford Collection, Gift of J. Pierpont
Morgan, New York Public Library. This letter bears no date, but since
Barnum mentions that he will be in Charleston, S. C., it was possibly
written during the Jenny Lind tour in 1850. There is no trace of the
Mr. Baker to whom it is addressed, or of his letters to Barnum.
[3] It is interesting in this connection that during the late war
a spiritual medium visited Mr. Leonidas Westervelt, a collector
of material on Barnum, with the information that she had been in
communication with the showman. His spirit told the medium: “Look out
for the Germans. Remember, the first man who cheated me was a German.”
The first man who cheated Barnum was his grandfather; but he doubtless
forgot that in the harmony of his extra-mundane existence.
[4] Editors sometimes sold their commendations, and Barnum frequently
paid for his publicity in advertising. The following note from Barnum
to Gordon L. Ford, business manager of the _New York Tribune_ under
Whitelaw Reid, speaks all too clearly for itself:
“New York, March 24, 1873.
“MY DEAR MR. FORD:
“Pray don’t fail to have a good notice given in your _Weekly_ which
will contain our big illustrated advertisement and oblige
“P. T. BARNUM.”
Autograph letter. Gordon L. Ford Collection, Gift of J. Pierpont
Morgan, New York Public Library.
[5] _Illustrated London News_, August 31, 1844.
[6] Autograph Letter in the Theater Collection, Harvard College
Library. General Tom Thumb in this letter, one of the few letters he
wrote that are extant, gives his official age, according to Barnum, and
not his actual birth year. He was born on January 11, 1838, but since
Barnum had added six years to his age when he first exhibited him, the
General retained that method of calculation carefully for many years.
He is the only stage celebrity known who found it to his advantage to
increase his age. This letter was written when the General was nine
years old.
[7] _Memoir of Madame Jenny Lind-Goldschmidt: Her Early Art-Life and
Dramatic Career. 1820–1851. From Original Documents, Letters, MS.
Diaries, &c., Collected by Mr. Otto Goldschmidt (her husband)._ By
Henry Scott Holland and W. S. Rockstro. Two volumes. London: John
Murray, 1891.
[8] Bayard Taylor, by Albert H. Smyth, pp. 82–83. Houghton Mifflin,
1896.
[9] Letter from Julia Knapp to Miss Susan N. Knapp, Greenwich, Conn. In
the collection of Leonidas Westervelt.
[10] _The Early Years of the Saturday Club_, by Edward Waldo Emerson,
p. 101.
[11] In _Samuel Butler, A Memoir_, by Henry Festing Jones, p. 126, Vol.
II, there is a characteristic anecdote of Otto Goldschmidt. It concerns
Goldschmidt and W. R. Rockstro, who taught Samuel Butler and Henry
Festing Jones harmony and counterpoint, and who was one of the authors
of _Memoir of Madame Jenny Lind-Goldschmidt_. Jones writes:
“During the time we knew him [Rockstro], but I forget precisely when,
he fell from the top of an omnibus near South Kensington Station. Otto
Goldschmidt ... came to see him in the hospital, and Rockstro told
Goldschmidt all about the accident. Goldschmidt would not believe him
and said:
“‘You don’t mean to tell me you fell off from the top of the bus down
to the ground?’
“‘Yes, I do,’ said Rockstro, ‘right off from the top down to the
ground, and they took me into the pastrycook’s before bringing me here.’
“Next day Goldschmidt went to see Rockstro again and said:
“‘I find you are quite right. I have been to the pastrycook’s and you
actually did fall from the top of the bus to the road.’
“Butler was amused when he heard this, and made the wicked comment that
as Otto Goldschmidt had known Rockstro nearly all his life he ought
to have been able to form a correct idea of his truthfulness without
calling at the pastrycook’s for confirmation.”
[12] Autograph Letter in the collection of Leonidas Westervelt, New
York.
[13] New York Tribune, July 2, 1853.
[14] _History of the American Clock Business for the Past Sixty Years,
and Life of Chauncey Jerome, Written by Himself; Barnum’s Connection
with the Yankee Clock Business._ New Haven, 1860.
[15] Barnum had persuaded General Tom Thumb and other performers to
give benefit performances for the Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport.
[16] The accounts of Barnum’s supplementary proceedings are taken from
the _New York Tribune_ for March, 1856, where they were published daily
from the stenographic records.
[17] Barnum verified this account of General Tom Thumb’s proposal by
the confirmations of both the General and Lavinia Warren.
[18] _Bridgeport Daily Standard_, March 24, 1875.
[19] Autograph Letter in the Harvard Theater Collection, Harvard
College Library.
[20] Major J. B. Pond in his book, _Eccentricities of Genius_,
described the interior of “Waldemere” as “a museum of itself.” “All
the gems of the old museum that were of extraordinary interest as
curios were to be seen there. Although he cared nothing especially for
rare paintings, the things that he gathered about him seemed designed
to attract the eye rather than the ear or the finer qualities of the
mind.” P. 352.
[21] There are persistent rumors of Barnum’s moral irregularity. Men
have told me that he was “an old devil,” which in the salty manner in
which they deliver the dictum sounds more enticing than degrading.
These rumors are so persistent as to be worthy of mention--on the
principle of the co-existence of smoke and fire--but they are also so
vague as not to be worth much in the tracing of his character.
The _New York World_ of January 17, 1897, more than five years after
Barnum’s death, printed a long Sunday feature article on his moral
character. According to the _World_ story, he had an illegitimate son,
whose mother was a French actress performing at the American Museum.
Barnum, according to the _World_, educated the boy, who later became a
physician. Before Barnum’s second marriage, said the _World_, this son
appeared in Bridgeport and claimed some settlement in case of the birth
of a male heir, for which Barnum was anxious. The petitioner received
$60,000 after he had signed a contract that he would never bother the
heirs after Barnum’s death, according to the _World_.
The _World_ also wrote that when one of Barnum’s daughters committed an
offense against her husband for which Barnum reproved her, she snapped
her fingers in his face, remarking: “How can I help it? I’m P. T.
Barnum’s daughter.”
These stories in the _World_ are worthy of mention because they have
never been denied. The sources of information to their verification are
closed completely by the comprehensible secrecy of family pride.
[22] Barnum apparently thought it necessary to handle the publicity
even for this complimentary dinner. He wrote the following letter to
Gordon L. Ford, business manager of the _New York Tribune_:
“Waldemere, Bridgeport, Conn., June 18, 1874.
“MY DEAR MR. FORD:
“Will you please hand the enclosed slip to Mr. Reid [Whitelaw Reid]
with my compliments. The Committee on dinner are to invite Mr.
Reid. If I cannot have the honor of his company (which I hope I
can) I hope he will kindly send a reporter and I shall be glad to
pay his expenses. There will be 150 to the dinner including some
distinguished guests.
“Yours,
“P. T. BARNUM.
“Dinner at 7 P. M., all over before 10.”
Autograph Letter from the Gordon L. Ford Collection, Gift of J.
Pierpont Morgan, New York Public Library.
[23] Information to the author from Mr. A. H. Hummel, formerly attorney
for Barnum & Bailey.
[24] According to Major J. B. Pond, Barnum was inconsiderate of human
and other animal life: “That afternoon one of the Amazons in the great
Amazon march, which was a feature that year, was run over and killed by
a chariot near the entrance of the ring. Mr. Barnum did not move, and I
said:
“‘That is dreadful, isn’t it?’
“‘Oh,’ he replied, ‘there is another waiting for a place. It is rather
a benefit than a loss.’
“I think I never knew a more heartless man or one who knew the value
and possibilities of a dollar more than P. T. Barnum.” _Eccentricities
of Genius_ by Major J. B. Pond, pp. 353–354.
[25] From illustrated Jumbo folder for children. In Harvard College
Library Theater Collection.
[26] This account of Jumbo’s departure is based on reports in the
_London Times_ for March 24, 25 and 27, 1882.
[27] Autograph letter in the collection of Leonidas Westervelt.
[28] _The Barnum Budget, or Tent Topics, An Original Route Book of The
Season of 1886_, by Morris H. Warner, Press Agent. Authorized by P. T.
Barnum, etc. In the Everett Wendell Collection, Harvard College Library.
[29] James A. Bailey died in 1906 from erysipelas after an insect bit
him while he was inspecting the circus menagerie. The Barnum & Bailey
circus was sold to Ringling Brothers in 1907, and is now known as the
Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
INDEX
Abbott, Lyman, 139, 167.
Adams, James C., (“Grizzly” Adams), 237–240.
Advertising, (see Barnum, Phineas Taylor).
Agassiz, Prof. Louis, 245, 331–332.
Agnew, Major-General William, 338.
Åhmansson, Mlle. Josephine, 118, 134–135, 137, 179, 195.
Albert, Prince, 78, 82, 83.
Albino Family, The, 230.
Alboni, Mme. Marietta, 187.
Alexander, the Conjuror, 208.
Andersen, Hans Christian, 127.
Argyll, Duke of, 366.
Arnold, Matthew, 3, 367.
Aspinwall, John L., 120.
Astor House, 50.
Atom, Major, 305.
Avery, Rev. Ephraim K., 37.
Baby Show, 72, 205.
Bailey, Frederick H., 328.
Bailey, Hackariah, 16.
Bailey, James A., 16, 312, 327–330, 360, 361, 365, footnote, 372.
Baring Brothers, 116, 117, 120.
Barnum & Bailey, 305, 309, 312, 327, 329, 354, 355, 365, 372.
Barnum, Bailey & Hutchinson, 327.
Barnum, Mrs. Charity, 17, 36, 208, 224, 236, 304, 313–314.
Barnum, Captain Ephraim, 4.
Barnum, Mrs. Irena, 14, 17.
Barnum, Mrs. Nancy Fish, 304, 312, 314, 370.
Barnum, Philo F., 4, 5, 6, 14.
Barnum, Phineas Taylor, advertising, Barnum’s use of, 14, 42, 53–54,
64, 233–234, 245–249, 278, 324–327, 336;
animals, attitude towards, 301–302, 331–332;
appearance, 365–366;
autobiography, v, vii, 102, 116, 177, 210–216, 222, 228, 316, 317,
323–324, 370, 372;
bankruptcy of, 219–227, 229, 235, 236–237, 287;
birth of, 3;
business ability, lack of, 22, 40, 203–204, 226;
church and clergy, Barnum’s use of, 237, 276–277, 318–322;
country-store atmosphere, influence on, 6–8, 15–16;
death of, 371–372;
editor, 18–22;
education of, 4–5;
lecturer, 232–235, 299–300, 309;
legend, the Barnum, 322–323, 368–369;
marriage, first, 17;
marriage, second, 314;
moral character of, footnote, 314;
patriotism, 290, 318;
politician, 20–21, 289–291, 294–299;
publicity, Barnum’s use of, 14, 37, 46–48, 52–55, 57–59, 62–63,
83–84, 87, 137, 140–141, 142–147, 176, 189–190, 198, 199–200,
201, 206–207, 215–216, 244, 270, 280–281, 309, footnote, 315,
318–322, 326–327, 328–329, 330, 341, 343–344, 347–348, 362,
364, 365–367, 371–372;
temperance, Barnum’s advocacy of, 107–113, 150, 183, 288–289, 309,
317, 329–330, 344;
will of, 370, 372.
Barnum, William H., 294–297.
Barnum’s American Museum, 43–55, 62–68, 72, 75–76, 91, 94–97,
110–112, 198, 199, 204, 224, 235–237, 243–251, 265, 287,
291–293, 294, 302–303, 369.
Barnum’s Grand Scientific and Musical Theater, 39.
Barnum’s Great Asiatic Caravan, Museum, and Menagerie, 198–199, 306.
Bartram, Coley, 27.
Bates, Colonel, giant, 255.
Bates, Joshua, 86, 117.
Beach, Moses Y., 45, 46.
Bearded Lady, The, 205–207.
Beauty Show, 205.
Beecher, Henry Ward, 302, 321.
Behemoth, The Great, 247–250, 331.
Belletti, Giovanni Battista, 116, 119, 124–125, 148, 153, 163, 177,
178, 191, 230.
Bellman, Karl Michael, 122.
Belmont, Mrs. August, 268.
Benedict, Sir Julius, 116, 119, 142–143, 144–145, 153, 163, 164, 180,
185, 230.
Bennett, Henry, 63–64.
Bennett, James Gordon, elder, 25–26, 33–34, 102, 141, 173, 222, 266,
268, 292–294.
Bennett, James Gordon, younger, 294.
Benton, Colonel Thomas H., 101–102.
Bergh, Henry, 330–333.
Berlioz, Hector, 130.
Bethel, Conn., 3, 10–13.
Bihin, Monsieur, the French Giant, 75.
Billings, Josh, quoted, 300.
Birch-Pfeiffer, Mme., 129.
Bishop of London, 364.
_Blackwood’s Magazine_, 93, 212.
Bleecker, Sylvester, 271–272.
Blue Laws of Connecticut, 5–6.
Boucicault, Dion, 87.
Bowyer, Sir George, 337–338.
Bremer, Fredrika, 181.
Bridgeport, Conn., 105, 218–219, 223, 230, 235, 259, 274, 287–289,
290, 303–304, 315, 317–318, 333, 369.
Brighton Pavilion, 105.
British Museum, 64, 337–338.
Bryant, William Cullen, 302.
Buckingham Palace, Barnum at, 78.
Buffalo Hunt, 68–71, 287.
Burdett-Coutts, Baroness, 342–343.
Butler, William Allen, 145–146.
Byron, Lord, 95.
Cardiff Giant, 307.
Carlyle, Thomas, 132, 170–171, 195.
Castle Garden, 153, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 193.
Catalani, Mme. Angelica, 128.
Céleste, Mme. Marie, 78.
Chapin, Rev. E. H., 108–109, 321.
Cherry-Colored Cat, 243.
Chitty, Mr. Justice, 338–339.
Chopin, Frédéric François, 130.
Christy’s Minstrels, 139.
Circus, The, 274, 305.
Civil War, American, 290.
Clanwilliam, Lord, 187.
Clarke, Lewis Gaylord, 143.
Clay, Henry, 180.
Cleveland, President Grover, 366.
Collyer, Rev. Robert, 321, 371.
Congress of Nations, 114, 115.
Conway, Helen, 351
Cooper & Bailey, 324, 326–327, 328.
Costello, Dan, 306, 313.
Coup, W. C., 98, 306–307, 309–313, 324.
Cranch, C. P., 193.
Croelius, Herr, 122, 124.
Croton Reservoir, 51.
Crystal Palace, New York, 201.
Cuyler, Rev. Theodore L., 321.
_Daily Telegraph_, London, 336–337.
Darwin, Charles, 59.
Davis, Thomas H., 348–349.
Dawron, Dora, 229.
Diamond, Master Jack, 40–41.
Dickens, Charles, 24–25, 342.
Dodge, Ossian F., 176, 178.
Dog Show, 72.
Dot, Admiral, 305, 307, 308, 316.
Douglas, Stephen A., 243, 256.
Draper, Simeon, 302.
“Drunkard, The,” 111–113.
Dwight, J. S., quoted, 188.
Elephant, The Sacred White, 348–354.
Elephant, see Jumbo.
Elssler, Fanny, 49, 158.
Esau, the Bearded Boy, 308.
Everett, Edward, 80, 176.
Faber, Prof., and his automaton speaker, 96.
Fejee Mermaid, The, 56–63, 102, 284, 287.
Field, Maunsell B., 80, 154–155, 156, 158, 165, 171, 185, 191.
Fiji Cannibals, 308.
Fillmore, President Millard, 179–180.
Fish, John, 304, 312.
Fiske, Rev. Theophilus, 21.
Flower Show, 72.
Ford, Gordon L., footnote, 55, footnote, 315.
Forepaugh, Adam, 354.
Forrest, Edwin, 49.
_Fraser’s Magazine_, 212.
Frémont, Colonel John Charles, 100–102, 212.
French, C. D., 68–70.
Frith, W. P., 155, 156.
Garcia, Manuel, 125–126.
Gardner, “Professor,” 202–203.
Gaylord, J. B., 348–349.
Geijer, Eric Gustaf, 124.
Genin, the Hatter, 159–160, 176.
George IV, King, 93, 105.
George V, King, 363.
Giraffe, 308–309.
Gladstone, W. E., 334, 363–364.
Goldschmidt, Otto, 185, 190, 191, 192, 196, 229–230.
Goshen, Colonel, the Palestine Giant, 75, 308.
Grant, U. S., General, 256, 303, 315, 371.
Greeley, Horace, 79, 112–113, 141, 292, 302.
Greenwood, John, 224, 242, 243, 301.
Grisi, Mme. Giulia, 128, 187.
Grote, George, 133.
Grote, Mrs., 137.
Grote, Joseph, 135.
Günther, Julius, 134–135, 137.
Hallett, Charity, 14, 17. (See also Barnum, Mrs. Charity.)
Hamilton, Tody, 371.
Harper Brothers & Co., 347.
Harris, Capt. Claudius, 135–137.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 132.
Haydon, Benjamin Robert, 92–94.
Hayes, Catherine, 188.
Heath, John, 44, 46–48.
_Herald, New York_, 25–26, 52, 166, 167, 190, 193, 194–195, 266–268,
292–294.
_Herald of Freedom, The_, 18–22, 289.
Heth, Joice, 28–35, 57, 284.
Hickok, Prof. Laurens P., 4.
Hippotheatron, New York, 311.
Hoffman, Richard, 164.
Holmes, O. W., 371.
Hopkins, Seldon R., 368.
Houdin, Robert, 95–96.
Houdini, Harry, 208.
Howard, Cordelia, 227, 230.
Howe, Elias, Jr., 231.
Howells, W. D., 213.
_Humbugs of the World, The_, 274–283.
Hunt, Henry M., 368.
Hurd, S. H., 291, 313.
Hutchinson, J. L., 327, 343.
_Illustrated News, New York_, 110, 203.
Indians, Exhibitions of, 71–72, 240–242.
Industrious Fleas, The, 52.
“Iranistan,” 106–107, 117, 231.
Irving House, 150, 161.
Irving, Washington, 168.
Ivy Island, 3, 7, 45.
Jaeger, Mme. von, 133.
James, William, quoted, 213.
Jay, John, 154, 185.
Jerome, Chauncey, 219–220, 221.
Jerome Clock Company, 219–221.
Jerrold, Douglas, 121.
Job, Book of, 248, 250.
Johnson, President Andrew, 302.
Jo-Jo, the Dog-Faced Russian Boy, 355.
Jones, Anson, Dr., 157.
Jumbo, 333–347, 348.
Kalakaua, King, 315–317.
Kamehemeha V, King, 316.
Keats, John, 92.
Ker, David, 353.
Kilmorey, Earl of, 362.
Kimball, Moses, 56.
King, William Rufus, 87.
Kipling, Rudyard, quoted, vi.
Knapp, Miss Julia, 149–150, 152.
Knox, Col. Thomas W., 353.
Kossuth, Louis, 160.
Lamb, Mrs. Martha J., quoted, 24.
Leake, Anna, the armless woman, 308.
Leopold, King, of Belgium, 85, 91.
Lincoln, President Abraham, vii, 3, 240, 254–255, 268, 270, 290.
Lind, Frau, 122–123.
Lind, Jenny, arrival in New York, 147–151;
birth and education, 121–124;
charities, 141, 148, 164–165, 171–174;
concert, first in U. S., 161–165;
concerts, receipts of, 174, 186–187, 193;
contract with Barnum, 118–119, 153–157;
departure from U. S., 193–195;
disagreement with Barnum, 177–178, 185–186;
marriage, 191–192;
musical education, 123–126;
object in American tour, 117–118;
object of Barnum in engaging her, 114–115;
religious influences on, 122–124, 134, 135–136, 195–196;
retirement and death of, 195–196;
stage, her dislike for, 118, 134–136;
triumphs, American, 163–164, 166–169, 171, 175–177, 178–180, 183;
triumphs, European, 128–134.
Lind, Nicolas Jonas, 121–122.
Lindsay, R. W., 28–30, 34–35.
Loder, George, 151.
Longfellow, H. W., 172, 176.
Lotteries, 13–14, 16–18, 22.
Lowell, J. R., 337.
Lundberg, Mlle., 122.
Lyman, Levi, 30, 33–34, 57, 61–62.
Macready, Charles, 170.
Madigan, P. F., 19.
Madison Square Garden, 312–313.
Maelzel, showman, 31.
Magnetism, animal, 67–68.
Magri, Count Primo, 272–273.
Malibran, Mme. Maria, 125, 128, 139.
Mangin, Monsieur, 278–280.
Mario, Giuseppe, 187.
Matthew, Father, 183.
Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix, 130–131, 132, 133.
Merritt, Consul-General, 342.
Meyerbeer, Giacomo, 126, 127, 128, 130, 131.
Miller, Joaquin, 350–351.
Murray, Charles, 81.
Museum, Barnum’s American, see Barnum’s American Museum.
Musical Fund Society, New York, 151, 194.
Napoleon Bonaparte, 86, 90.
Napoleon, Louis, 205–206, 271, 342.
_Nation, New York_, 297.
Negro turning white, 204.
Negro violinist, 54.
Newell, Major (“General Grant, Jr.”), 271.
Newman, William, 342.
New York Museum Company, 46–48.
Niagara Falls, 50–51, 191, 287.
Niblo, William, 27, 30, 44.
Noah, M. M., 46.
Noble, William H., 218, 289.
Nutt, Commodore, 253–255, 256–260, 262–265, 270–271.
_Observer, The New York_, 286.
Oglesby, General, 298.
Olmsted, Francis W., 43–48, 63.
Orphean Family, The, 64.
Paine, Albert Bigelow, quoted, 213.
Pastor, Tony, 65, 293.
Peale’s Museum, 46, 63, 67.
Peel, Sir Robert, 86, 92, 94.
Peirce, Benjamin, 177.
Pentland, Joe, 39.
Persiani, Mme., 128.
Philadelphia Museum, 107.
Philippe, King Louis, 81, 87–90.
Phillips’s Fire Annihilator, 203.
Pius IX, Pope, 271, 272.
Poe, Edgar Allan, 3, 104.
Pokorny, Herr, 120.
Polk, President James K., 98.
Pond, Major J. B., footnote, 304, 324, footnote, 332.
Potter, Bishop, 269.
Poultry Show, 72.
Publicity, Barnum’s use of, see Barnum, Phineas Taylor.
Puke, Count, 122–123.
Putnam, George P., 143–144.
Rameses II, 367.
Redfield, J. S., 143.
Reid, Whitelaw, footnote, 315.
Ringling Brothers, footnote, 372.
Ripley, George, 143, 144.
Rossetti, William Michael, 93.
Rothschild, Baroness, 80.
Royal Theater of Sweden, 122–125.
Ruskin, John, 334.
Sala, George Augustus, 362.
Schmidt, Johann, 333.
Scott, Matthew, 342.
Scudder’s American Museum, 43–44.
_Sears’ Pictorial Illustrations of the Bible_, 41.
Seeley, C. Barnum, 372.
Senior, Nassau, 136–137.
Shakespeare’s home, Barnum’s attempt to purchase, 95, 334.
Siam, Prince of, 354.
Siamese Twins, The, 242, 305.
Sickles, General Daniel B., 353.
Siebold, Dr. Ph. Fr. von, quoted, 60–61.
Smith, Albert, 87, 228–229.
Smith, Le Grand, 177, 182–183, 184, 187, 189.
Sontag, Henriette, Mme., 128, 187.
Sothern, E. A., 65.
_Southern Literary Messenger_, 212.
St. Paul’s Church, 50, 66–67.
Stanley, Bishop and Mrs., 134–135.
Stevens, Benjamin, 328.
Stoddard, Rev. C. A., 286.
Stoddard, R. H., 145.
Stowe, Mrs. Harriet Beecher, 165.
Stratton, Charles S., 73–74. (See Thumb, General Tom.)
Stratton, Sherwood E., 73, 91–92.
_Sun, The Evening_, 371.
Swann, Anna, giantess, 255.
Swiss Bell Ringers, 96, 308.
_Tait’s Edinburgh Review_, 212.
Talbot, Lord, 79.
Taylor, Bayard, 144–145, 164.
Taylor, Mary, 40.
Taylor, Phineas, 3, 4, 6, 14, 15–16, 45.
Taylor, Rev. Dr., 270.
Tekow, Miss Pwan, 204.
Terry, Theodore, 219.
Thackeray, W. M., 132, 228–229.
Thalberg, Sigismund, 130, 164, 187–188.
Thayer, William Roscoe, quoted, vii.
Theebaw, King, 348–349.
Thomas, Rev. Abel C., 120.
Thumb, General Tom, age, 73;
appearance, 73–74;
birth, 73;
courtship, 257–265;
death, 272;
discovery by Barnum, 72;
earnings, 75, 96, 98;
entertains Queen Victoria, 82–85;
marriage, 265–271;
name, 73–74;
personality and character, 271–272;
relations with Commodore Nutt, 253–254.
Thumb, Mrs. Tom. (See Warren, Lavinia.)
_Times_, London, 335, 337–340.
Toung Taloung, Sacred White Elephant, 348–354.
Tripler, A. B., 153.
Trollope, Mrs., 22, 25, 49, 50.
Tufts College, 285, 347.
Turner, Aaron, 36–39, 45, 184.
Tussaud’s, Mme., Wax Works, 95, 364.
Twain, Mark, quoted, vi, 213, 301, 367.
Universalism, 120, 276, 283–287.
Van Amburgh’s Menagerie, 300–301, 303, 306.
Vanderbilt, Mrs. Cornelius, 268.
Vauxhall Garden, 40.
Viardot, Mme. Pauline, 125.
Victoria, Queen, 79–86, 95, 138, 147, 170, 242, 271, 330, 332, 334,
362.
Vivalla, Signor, 32–33, 36, 38.
Wagner, Johanna, 187.
Wagner, Richard, 130.
“Waldemere,” 304.
Wales, Prince of (King Edward VII.), 82, 84, 242–243, 250, 334,
362–363.
Wales, Princess of, 362.
Wallack, Lester, 293–294.
Warner, M. H., 356.
Warren, Lavinia, 255–273.
Warren, Minnie, 255, 270–271.
Washington, Augustine, 28–30.
Washington, George, 28–31, 33–35, 180.
Webster, Daniel, 68, 179, 180.
Welles, Gideon, 19–21.
Wellington, Duke of, 86, 132.
West, Captain, 149.
Westervelt, Leonidas, footnote, 40.
Whales, Barnum’s, 243–247, 291.
“What Is It?”, 242.
Wheeler & Wilson, 226–227, 287.
Whitman, Walt, 132, 168, 326.
Whittier, J. G., 371.
Wild West Show, Barnum’s, 71, 240.
Wildman, Colonel, 95.
Williams, Barney, 65.
Willis, N. P., 139.
Wilton, John Hall, 115–117, 120.
Winchilsea, Lord, 334.
Woodhull, Mayor Caleb S., 157, 165.
Wood’s Museum, 303.
Woolly Horse, The, 99–102, 212.
Wordsworth, William, 93, 94.
Wyckoff, Chevalier, 116–117.
Yankee, Mrs. Trollope’s definition of, 22.
Young, Brigham, 304–305.
Zoölogical Society, Royal, 333–340.
Transcriber’s Notes
Punctuation, hyphenation, and spelling were made consistent when a
predominant preference was found in the original book; otherwise they
were not changed.
Simple typographical errors were corrected; unbalanced quotation
marks were remedied when the change was obvious, and otherwise left
unbalanced.
Illustrations in this eBook have been positioned between paragraphs
and outside quotations. In versions of this eBook that support
hyperlinks, the page references in the List of Illustrations lead to
the corresponding illustrations.
Footnotes, originally at the bottoms of the pages that referenced them,
have been collected, sequentially renumbered, and placed near the end
of the book, just before the index.
The index was not checked for proper alphabetization or correct page
references.
Page 358: “carried to his birth” was printed that way.