At the close of the war Captain Bates had attained his
great height of 7 feet 2 1/2 inches. His body was well
proportioned and his weight increased until it reached 450
pounds. He traveled as a curiosity from 1866 to 1880, being
connected with various amusement organizations. He visited nearly
all the large cities and towns in the United States, Canada,
Great Britain, France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and
Russia. While in England in 1871 the Captain met Miss Anna H.
Swann, known as the "Nova Scotia Giantess," who was two years the
junior of her giant lover. Miss Swann was justly proud of her
height, 7 feet 5 1/2 inches. The two were married soon afterward.
Their combined height of 14 feet 8 inches marked them as the
tallest married couple known to mankind.
Captain Bates' parents were of medium size. His father, a native
of Virginia, was 5 feet 10 inches high and weighed 160 pounds.
His mother was 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 125 pounds. The
height of the father of Mrs. Anna Swann Bates was 6 feet and her
mother was 5 feet and 2 inches high, weighing but 100 pounds.
A recent newspaper dispatch says: "Captain M. V. Bates, whose
remarkable height at one time attracted the attention of the
world, has recently retired from his conspicuous position and
lives in comparative obscurity on his farm in Guilford, Medina
County, O.
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