Deed pertaining to Charles S. Stratton's purchase of a burial plot in Mountain Grove Cemetery. The document is signed by James Loomis, President of the Mountain Grove Cemetery Association, and is dated October 28, 1864. The burial plot is identified as number 38 in section 4. In the lower right there is an embossed seal, to the left of it, a small postage stamp that has been marked in ink. Charles Stratton was better known by his stage name, "General Tom Thumb." He was a little person and an entertainer and performer who achieved fame and fortune at a very young age. At the time he purchased this burial plot he was 26 years old, and had been married less than two years. Stratton's employer and friend, P. T. Barnum, had helped establish and design the park-like cemetery in the late 1840s. At the time of its creation and the time of Stratton's plot purchase in 1864, the cemetery was within the boundaries of the town of Fairfield, neighboring Bridgeport. In the 1870s, the eastern portion of Fairfield was annexed by Bridgeport, the cemetery's location name today. For his cemetery monument, Stratton had a life cast made which was used to carve a full-figure likeness of him in Italian white marble. His death occurred years later, when he was 45. His widow, Lavinia Warren, remarried but chose to be buried with Charles upon her own death, which occurred in 1919. Charles S. Stratton was born on January 4, 1838, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He was introduced to P. T. Barnum in November 1842 when still a very young boy. He was less than two feet tall at the time, having virtually ceased growing at seven months of age. Stratton's parents signed him with Barnum and the family went to live in New York City where Stratton performed at Barnum's American Museum, located on Broadway at Ann Street. The little boy took quickly to performing, and on tours he entertained audiences worldwide, including royalty. Stratton's performances brought him renown, becoming one of the biggest celebrities at the time, and considerable wealth. In 1863, Stratton married fellow performer and little person M. Lavinia Warren; the two had a happy marriage, and continued touring and performing, including a three-year tour around the world. On July 15, 1883, Stratton suffered a stroke and passed away.
