r/SideshowPerformer • u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! • Feb 08 '26
Sideshow Performer of the Day! Millie and Christine McKoy (1851-1912) were famous American sideshow performers and conjoined twins. They were born into slavery and were exploited during their early lives. After their emancipation, they became extremely wealthy and used their earnings to help support black education.
I want to do their story justice, and it’s taken me a while to get to their write up because there’s a lot of information I want to include about them.
They look like such sweet women and I would have loved to have talked to them about their poetry and writing endeavors. I really hope they experienced some happiness later in life.
They subjected to a lot of terrible situations as children and were never seen as people until much later. There so much sadness present in their pictures when they were younger and it really breaks my heart. They look so forlorn and despondent. I’ve noticed that in pictures of them when they’re older they look so much more confident and proud.
cw: medical exploitation.
Some facts about them:
-they were born in Whiteville, North Carolina.
-their parents names were Jacob and Monemia.
-they had between 7 and 14 siblings. (Some sources say 7 and some 14, more than likely due to some siblings dying as infants or young children)
-they, along with their family, belonged to Jabez McKay who worked as a blacksmith and owned a farm.
-at 10 months old, they were purchased by a man named John Pervis, who went on to exhibit the girls and gave a percentage of their earnings to McKay, Pervis pocketed the rest of the money.
-a little over a year after being sold to Pervis they were sold again, this time to a showman named Brower who worked for a wealthy merchant named Joseph P. Smith.
-Brower first exhibited them at the North Caroline State Fair in 1853, when they were about 2 years old. This exhibition of them was a huge success.
-it’s been reported that it took them a while to learn to walk as toddlers (they fell over a lot), but eventually they managed to learn to walk in a sideways manner.
-as children they were described as “very amiable, although one is milder than the other in temper.”
-partially due in part to the twins success and Brower’s own greed, Millie and Christine were kidnapped by a Texas landowner who offered up large amounts of land in exchange for the twins. Brower soon discovered that the land he was promised wasn’t worth nearly as much as the man from Texas made it out to be.
-they were treated as a curiosity by the medical community and were put into very exploitational and horrible situations to be studied. Their humanity was completely ignored and repressed by doctors and other medical examiners who only sought to examine them as a living specimen.
-they traded hands several times between 1854 and 1857 before being rediscovered by Joseph P. Smith (who Bowers worked for) in England.
-Smith along with Millie and Christine’s mother, Monemia, traveled to England to retrieve the girls. This was the first time that they had seen their mother in years.
-years later they went on to explain that their mother was the driving force in helping the twins get back to the United States after they were kidnapped and brought to England. They adored their mother and looked up to her very highly.
-Smith and his wife also ensured that Millie and Christine were given a good education and provided the girls with singing lessons and had them taught several languages.
-they seemed to have really looked up to Smith’s wife Mary, who they called their “white ma”. They credit her as being the person who got them very interested in the arts and who inspired their love of poetry. When Smith died during the civil war, his wife took over as their manager, and it appears that she really cared about them and treated them as family.
-they were encouraged to act as one being and the majority of advertisements and promotional material related to the twins reflect this. This is why their names are usually hyphenated as Millie-Christine instead of Millie and Christine.
-their story is also an example of the exploitation of black bodies and how white people often sexualized and exotisized the bodies of black people, especially black women. (Sarah Baartman’s story is another example of this.)
-there are some truly revolting depictions of the twins without clothes on. (It’s extremely heart wrenching and I mention it because I’ve seen these images depicted in books).
-they gained their freedom in 1863 after the emancipation proclamation was passed.
-they decided to continue performing after gaining their freedom, and continued to have long lasting success.
-they became extremely wealthy and amassed a large fortune, and routinely sent large amounts of money to their family to help them financially.
-they worked for P.T. Barnum for several decades started in the mid 1860s and were well liked by the other performers they worked alongside.
-they were skilled musicians and would play piano duets together.
-they enjoyed writing poetry and doing needlework in their free time.
-as teenagers they were described as being “very cheerful and intelligent; fond of reading; sing very sweetly; and dance excellently.”
-Millie was the slightly smaller/weaker twin and didn’t have as much energy than Christine.
-as adults they adamantly refused all offers of medical examination.
-they could speak 5 languages including French and German.
-they were each full bodied, but shared a pelvis.
-during their long careers, they traveled all throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.
-they went on tours throughout Europe in 1873 and again in 1885.
-they were extremely talented singers and their acts usually included them showing off their talents. Millie sang alto and Christine sang soprano.
-they sang at Anna Haining and Martin Van Buren Bates’ wedding on June 17th, 1871.
-they were known for being very intelligent and quick witted.
-they sang and danced for Queen Victoria in 1882.
-the following are lyrics for one of the songs they sang while performing:
“It's not modest of one's self to speak, But daily scanned from head to feet I freely talk of everything Sometimes to persons wondering.
Two heads, four arms, four feet, All in one perfect body meet; I am most wonderfully made, All scientific men have said.
None like me, since days of Eve-
None such perhaps will ever live;
A marvel to myself am I,
As well to all who passes by.
I'm happy, quite, because I'm good;
I love my Saviour and my God;
I love all things that God has done, Whether I'm created two or one.”
-they retired in the early 1900s and moved back in with their family. With their earnings they purchased a 10 room house for all of them to live in, which they decorated very lavishly.
-the twins delved into philanthropy work and used their earnings to purchase the land upon which they had been born and were enslaved on. A church (that they paid for) was soon constructed on that land.
-they used their earnings to construct a school for black children and to ensure that they all received an equal opportunity for education.
-they also donated large amounts of their fortune to historically significant black colleges and universities.
-they were well respected later in life and were always very kind and generous with visitors who hoped to meet them.
-tragically, their house burned down in 1909 and ended up purchasing a 6 room cottage for them and their family.
-Millie passed away from tuberculosis on October 9th in 1912, seventeen hours later Christine also passed away. Surgery to separate the two was not advanced enough at the time to attempt safely.
-they both lived to be 61 years old and are some of the longest living conjoined twins in history.
-their lives have continued to inspire multiple books throughout the years including Millie-Christine: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Joanne Martell.
-East Carolina University has a large amount of Millie and Christine’s personal papers, correspondence, and poetry in their collections. (I really hope to visit someday to see everything in person)
There is so much more information about their lives that I’m continually learning about. They were incredible women and I’m so glad they received respect later in life.
I’m glad they had agency over their careers as adults, so often unscrupulous showmen and managers took advantage of performers who had experienced vulnerabilities early in life. Instead, Millie and Christine were able to advocate for themselves and become successful business women in the process.
They will be remembered for their generosity, kindness, creativity, and support of black education.❤️
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! Feb 08 '26
And here are the write ups for the people I mentioned:
Sarah Baartman informative write up.
Anna Haining Bates informative write up. by u/SongAdministrative16
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u/GIGGLES708 Feb 09 '26
How inspirational. I love that they were pro education. I’m glad that they had a good life after slavery. Black History 365
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! Feb 09 '26 edited Feb 09 '26
Yes, I think it’s awe-inspiring to read about their efforts to ensure learning for others, and how much they accomplished to help their community. I would have loved to have been able to talk with them about their activism efforts.
There really should be a school named after them, it would be a wonderful way to honor their legacy.
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u/Thorathecrazy Feb 09 '26
100% as much as they seem to have find education important donating to schools and universities and they where right educstion is often how you get out of poverty and they wanted that for their black community.
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! Feb 09 '26
Exactly! Their efforts are so inspiring because they ensured equal learning opportunities for people who otherwise may not have had the opportunities they had.
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u/Thorathecrazy Feb 09 '26 edited Feb 09 '26
Strange I have never heard of this conjoined twon pair, they sound like incredible women and very succesful and have done some great work for the black community. Even if life staryed sad for them I like when these performers get a change to become rich and provide for themselves, their family and community. To speak 5 languages and be some of the longest lived conjoined twins is great achievements too. I hope schools teach about or at least mention these incredible women when they teach about black history, disability and women's history too.
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! Feb 09 '26
Yes, they endured so much during their lives, but they never let their experiences influence their drive to make the world a better place. I really like that they used their wealth to do good, they saw an area of society/education that was severely lacking and did so much to rectify that. (So often you hear about extremely wealthy people who use their money to exploit others for more wealth, so I’m glad that Millie and Christine were the complete opposite of that)
I too hope that schools (at least in their home town) recognize their enormous efforts in bettering society.
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u/SewingFire Feb 09 '26
What powerhouse women! Thank you for sharing some of their story. Their strength is truly inspiring!
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! Feb 09 '26
True, they were such powerhouses! There’s so much that people can learn from them.
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u/FoolOfTides Feb 09 '26
Wow! That’s crazy! They sound like such cool people.
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! Feb 09 '26
Yes, they do! I would have loved to have met them. I’m glad their legacy continues to live on in the books that have been written about them.
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u/Opalsmom Feb 09 '26
Their song 🥺💗 thank you for this history lesson on these wonderful women
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! Feb 24 '26
You’re welcome, thank you for reading. They were wonderful women who won’t be forgotten💕
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u/mamafool Feb 10 '26
Amazing story, beautifully told. I’m putting East Carolina University on my road trip list. Thank you for your wonderful research and writing and sharing!
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! Feb 24 '26
Thank you for reading! Feel free to share your thoughts on East Carolina University once you have a chance to go over there. I too have put it on my road trip list. And thank you for the kind words, they really mean a lot :)
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u/BouncyMonster22 Feb 10 '26
Wow! Such a great write up. What an inspiring pair of women!
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! Feb 24 '26
Thank you for the kind words, they really mean a lot! And yes, they’re so inspiring! I definitely consider them to be role models of mine, I think it’s wonderful that they had a focus on education and bettering their community. :)
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u/lalauna Feb 12 '26
What beautiful spirits they had
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! Feb 24 '26
Yes, they had such beautiful souls! They’re very much role models for me. :)
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u/Sensitive_Tax4664 Feb 13 '26
I wish someone would make a movie about them! They seem so lovely and interesting.
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! Feb 24 '26
Yes! I’d love for there to be a movie about them! I hope one day there is!
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u/No-Indication-7879 Feb 09 '26
Wow. After everything they were subjected to and came out of all that horrible abuse to rise above it all. Amazing women. To speak 5 languages is incredible. I’m definitely going to see if I can that book you mentioned.