If a person was extremely tall or exceptionally tiny in stature, chances of their getting into show business back in the 1870s were there for the taking. A Greene native, Francis Flynn, became a showman of demand by age 4. Francis was 23 inches tall, weighed 12 pounds and toured by the name of General Mite.
Francis Joseph Flynn was born Sept. 16, 1872, to Edward Francis Flynn and wife Mary Anne (Casey) in Greene. Their first child, Francis weighed between 2 and 21/2 pounds.
Edward Flynn had a clothing store in Greene, which was destroyed by fire in 1873 under suspicious circumstances. Flynn got some insurance money and started another store, but it was unsuccessful. The family then moved to another town in the area.
In 1875 Flynn was arrested in Hamilton and charged with arson. He was eventually acquitted of the charge.
Edward and Mary Ann knew early on that their first-born was not growing at a normal pace. In 1876 a Norwich news reporter wrote an article about Francis, referring to him as Frankie.
The reporter mentioned how, "Frankie's grandmother brought him in as one would a good-sized cat. He is not so large as one of Tom Thumb's legs He is smaller than anyone can conceive who has not actually seen him "His wrist is of the size of an ordinary man's thumb; his ankle but a slight increase " He stands 23 inches in his shoes, and weighs, clothes and all, 12 pounds Still he is a lively, sprightly boy, very active, climbing into chairs and getting down; walks around with his hands in back of him 'like his grandpa' and talks and laughs, and is cute as any boy of his years." Francis was 4 years old at the time.
Americans had a hearty entertainment appetite for unusual appearing people during the 1870s and were willing to pay to gape at them. The Flynns decided to cash in on the nation's desires and put young Francis on display.
People of varying sizes had stage names. On tour during this time were the likes of Major Atom, Admiral Dot or Chang Woo Gow, the Chinese Giant. Francis was first exhibited in 1876 at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia and contracted with Frank Uffner, taking on the stage name of General Mite the next year. Travels across the U.S. followed.
Francis' career as a showman truly took off at age 8, when he traveled to England with a traveling showman's caravan. His parents traveled with the show. Meanwhile, three siblings were home being raised by uncles and aunts.
While in Manchester, Francis married another little person, Millie Edwards. Although it was merely a publicity stunt, it resulted in a lifelong companionship, beginning at age 12. Travels continued through Belgium and Germany.
The novelty of General Mite's kind of show had worn off in the U.S. by 1890, so the next destination was Australia. Francis and Millie were accompanied by their parents as they extensively toured that country.
General Mite performed his last show in October 1898 in Broken Hill, Australia, a small but vibrant mining town in the Australian outback. It was there he died on Oct. 5 at age 25 from kidney failure. As an adult, Francis had grown to 27 inches tall.
Town of Greene historian Peg Ross and her daughter Valerie wondered what had happened to General Mite and began searching for the answer, which took several years. An unmarked grave was discovered in the Australian outback, that of Francis Flynn. Some local businesspeople near Broken Hill organized a thoughtful memorial plaque for Francis, as General Mite, where the Greene native rests today.
On Monday, it was 1954 when a Norwich man ran for New York governor.
City Historian Mark Simonson's column appears twice weekly. If you have feedbackabout the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or e-mail him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com.
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