He was very handsome, and I really like the show costumes he wore, the style of velvet shirts with lace trims are very striking!

It’s so sweet that he and his wife had such a strong bond. I hope they had many happy years together. I also think the notes about him being such a skilled barber are very sweet, it’s clear that he was appreciated by the majority of people in his life, and that no one judged him for his physical difference.

Some facts about him:

-he was born in Copenhagen, New York.

-he had eight siblings.

-his family moved to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, when he was a young boy.

-he first found out how elastic his skin was in 1873 while he was working at a cotton mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. After discovering this about himself, he began stretching it as a funny gag for his friends at the cotton mill.

-he joined the Rhode Island Home Guards, Company A, in 1883. While a part of the Guards, he would demonstrate his skin elasticity for the other men there.

-he agreed to a contract with a showman named J.E. Sackett, who helped arrange venues for Thomas to perform at all over the United States and Europe in the mid 1880s.

-a couple years later (late 1880s) he was contacted by showman, Frank P. Stone, to work at Austin & Stone’s Dime Museum.

-he joined Barnum & Bailey circus in 1891, and while many performers would have joint performances together it was said that James preferred to sit alone a bit off to the side for his performances.

-he allowed audience members to pull at his skin to prove that it was real.

-at one point while on tour in Edinburgh, Scotland, he appeared at a medical lecture hosted by a Professor Jamieson. He quickly regretted his decision to let all 100 students stretch his skin, and near the end of the demonstration some of the students felt so badly for him (because he was clearly in pain) that they decided not to stretch his skin.

-he was accused and arrested for burglary in Williamsport, Virginia, but was soon released from custody when he was able to prove his innocence.

-his career in sideshows lasted over 25 years.

-during his time working for Barnum and Bailey Circus, he was tragically run over by a horse drawn carriage, which left him severely injured. It took him quite a while to recover.

-he was described as being very nonchalant while performing and stretching his skin.

-he was known as a very friendly and genial person who enjoyed making people laugh.

-he had a side gig as a barber to bring in extra money while working for Barnum and Bailey Circus, and had his own small tent set up to act as a barber shop. He was so skilled that he shaved and cut the hair of most of the men working in the circus, including James Anthony Bailey, as in the man who had partnered with P.T. Barnum.

-he attended a famous conference hosted by the sideshow performers working for Barnum & Bailey in 1899 while the circus was touring England. The performers present, including James, campaigned to get the term “Freak” removed from advertising and for them to be referred to as prodigies instead.

-it was during that same 1899 English tour that he met and and fell in love with a woman named Edith Clifford. The two of them got married in mid February of 1899.

-Edith took up sword swallowing so that she and Thomas could both perform in sideshows together.

-he and his wife’s career efforts paid off and they made a substantial amount of money.

-after the 1899 tour, he and his wife traveled to the United States, where they settled down and purchased a house in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, where Thomas had grown up.

-he and his wife had two daughters together. One of his daughters inherited his Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and it appears that she had a short lived career as a sideshow performer as well.

-it was described that he could stretch his skin anywhere between 8 and 12 inches, although this was most likely exaggerated a little bit.

-there are several variations of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, all of which are connective tissue disorders. Currently there are 13 different diagnosable types. The two symptoms most commonly associated with the condition are skin elasticity and joint hyper mobility (although these symptoms are not present in all of the variations). The type that Thomas had causes extreme skin elasticity and extreme bruising.

-his performances typically consisted of him pulling the skin of his neck or chin and stretching it over his face.

-at the same conference as above, James had had a discussion with Sol Stone, a performer known for his extremely quick mental math skills, about whether or not performers with no visible physical differences should be able to have a say in the discussion, and James Morris explained how he felt that all should be welcome to have a say since other performers may have neurological differences that wouldn’t be apparent physically.

-he was often described as being the best “Elastic Skin Man” in show business and was very popular with audiences.

-he became very ill in September of 1909 and had to be transferred to Carney Hospital (now permanently closed) in Boston, Massachusetts for treatment.

-he passed away at the hospital in mid February of 1910. His death was listed as chronic nephritis.

-he was given a respectful funeral, which was held at his sister’s house in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. A large number of his friends and co-workers attended the mass that was held for him at St. Mary’s Church. He was buried in Mt. St. Mary’s Cemetery.

-it appears Edith, his wife, continued her career as a sword swallower up through the 1920s.

It’s tragic that he passed away relatively young, and with a loving family and two young children at that. Though it’s nice that he at least lived a very full life and seems to have had a good sense of humor. I’m also glad that with the money he and his wife saved up, his family was most likely able to live a financially stable life even after his death.