Millie and Christine McCoy

Millie and Christine McCoy in 1890s.

Millie McCoy and Christine McCoy (July 11, 1851 - October 8, 1912) were American conjoined twins who went by the stage names "The Two-Headed Nightingale" and "The Eighth Wonder of the World".

Millie and Christine were born on July 11, 1851, to parents who were slaves on the plantation of Mr. Alexander McCoy. The plantation was near the town of Whiteville, North Carolina, which resulted in the girls also being referred to as The Carolina Twins. Prior to the sisters' birth, their mother had borne seven other children, five boys and two girls, all of ordinary size and form.

They were sold to a showman named Joseph Pearson Smith at birth, but were soon kidnapped by a rival showman. The kidnapper fled to the United Kingdom but was thwarted, since the United Kingdom had outlawed slavery in the 1830s.

Smith traveled to Britain to collect the girls and brought with him their mother, Monimia, from whom they had been separated. He and his wife provided the twins with an education and taught them to speak five languages, dance, play music, and sing.^[1] For the rest of the century, the twins enjoyed a successful career as "The Two-Headed Nightingale", and appeared with the Barnum circus. In 1869, a biography on the twins, titled History and Medical Description of the Two-Headed Girl, was sold during their public appearances.^[1]

On October 8, 1912, Millie and Christine died of tuberculosis.^[1]

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c} From 'Monsters' to Modern Medical Miracles, 2008-06-21.

References

• Waukesha Daily Freeman; Waukesha, Wisconsin; Thursday, June 29, 1882. "Batcheller and Doris' Great Inter-Ocean Show has a larger amount of canvas than any other show these mammoth tents being a matter of necessity on of the mastodonic proportions of the entertainment furnished. In each and every it exceeds all competitors in novelty and merit of its presentations. In the circus will be found the leading ... etc. In ... addition to a will be found the greatest wonder of the Millie the two headed young woman with but one body and two heads. Miss Christine appeared twice before Queen Victoria at her Majesty's and so pleased was the latter that she presented Miss Christine with a handsome diamond necklace. Unlike natural Millie Christine is pleasant to look upon and charms all with her brilliant conversational abilities. She sings like a nightingale and dances with the grace of a fairy. It should be borne in mind that Millie Christine is a part of the big show and not a side show attraction. This great novelty was secured by Batcheller and at an expense ... for the highest salary paid any single attraction in this or any other country. The menagerie is the most complete ever seen in this including animals that have never before been [seen]. This ... pageant is the [handsomest] and most gorgeous ever, introducing the famous ... the handsomest woman in the world. In line also be open dens of performing animals and bands of music."
• Biographical Sketch of Millie Christine, the Carolina Twin, Surnamed the Two-Headed Nightingale and the Eighth Wonder of the World. Cincinnati: Hennegan & Co. Print, published between 1902 and 1912
• Fayetteville Observer; January 16, 2000. "Millie-Christine, Siamese twins, were born into slavery in Columbus County. But that didn't stop them from becoming world famous, touring Europe or becoming accomplished writers, singers and dancers. They spoke five languages and lived to buy and return to the plantation they were born on. The twins were buried in 1912 in Welches Creek near Whiteville, and for years the graves were neglected. The grave markers were ..."
• Fayetteville Observer; March 1, 2001. "When you think of Siamese twins, you probably think of Chang and Eng, who were born in Siam and settled in North Carolina. Lesser known are Millie-Christine, who are from an area near Whiteville in Columbus County. Joined at the hip with common organs, they were born into slavery and exploited by white owners. But they lived to travel the world and became the toast of Europe. Their lives were pushed into the spotlight again last ..."
• Millie-Christine: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made; Joanne Martell; John F. Blair Publisher (2001)
• Philadelphia Daily News; February 5, 2003. "Woman discovers 'Eighth Wonder of the World' in family tree. As word spread about the miraculous birth, locals trekked across swamps and marshland to the North Carolina farm to see what they called "the strange curiosity." They'd never seen twins like Millie-Christine McKoy. There they were, connected to each other at the lower spine, sharing two heads, four arms and four legs. Born into slavery in 1851, Millie-Christine were sold, traded and stolen over the years. Fluent in five languages, they traveled the world, sometimes displayed as freaks of nature, other times commended for their talent. For Shelda Baldwin Glover of West Philadelphia, the twins are more than an interesting historical ..."

External links

• Biographical Sketch of Millie Christine, the Carolina Twin, Surnamed the Two-Headed Nightingale and the Eighth Wonder of the World. Cincinnati: Hennegan & Co. Print, [between 1902 and 1912].
• Millie and Christine McCoy bibliography
• American National Biography Online: Millie and Christine McCoy

Persondata
Name	Maccoy, Millie And Christine
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	July 11, 1851
Place of birth
Date of death	October 8, 1912
Place of death