7. Millie and Christine McKoy
Millie and Christine McKoy were born into slavery in 1851 in North Carolina. Their parents were slaves owned by a blacksmith named Jabez McKay. McKay saw the commercial value of the twins and sold them for $1,000 to an agent for public exhibition. The twins were sold and bought numerous times before they finally settled with Joseph Pearson Smith and his family. They were hired out to various road shows and became known as the ‘Carolina twins.’
It was
during this period that the girl were kidnapped and taken to England
where they continued to appear at various shows and exhibitions.
However, Smith tracked the twins down and took them back to America. The
girls continued to perform and were soon known as the ‘Two Headed Girl’
or the ‘Two Headed Nightingale‘.
In
1863, the Emancipation Proclamation brought an end to slavery but
Millie and Christine decided to stay with the Smiths. They continued
appearing at various shows and circuses and in 1871 they performed for
Queen Victoria who in turn gave them diamond hairclips.
However,
eventually Millie’s ill health stopped the twins from further
performances and they retired to their home in rural Columbus County
where they continued the charitable work they had started before.
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