What is General Tom Thumb?
{{Infobox Person |name = General Tom Thumb |image = Charles Stratton Portrait.jpg |image_size = |caption = General Tom Thumb in 1883, the last year of his life |birth_name = Charles Sherwood Stratton |birth_date = {{birth date|1838|1|4}} |birth_place = Bridgeport, [[Connecticut]] |death_date = {{Death date and age|1883|7|15|1838|1|4}} |death_place = Bridgeport, [[Connecticut]] |resting_place = Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport, [[Connecticut]] |nationality = [[United States|American]] |citizenship = |other_names = |employer = [[P. T. Barnum]] |occupation = Entertainer |height = 25 inches in 1842 |spouse = [[Lavinia Warren]] |children = None |parents = Sherwood Edward Stratton<br />Cynthia (Thompson) Stratton |relations = }} '''General Tom Thumb''' (January 4, [[1838]] &ndash; July 15, 1883) was an [[Americans|American]] entertainer. He was a four year old child when [[P. T. Barnum]] introduced him to show biz. The boy (who was passed off as a young adult) created a sensation at Barnum's [[American Museum]] in [[New York City]]. He toured [[Europe]], appeared before royals, and returned to America rich. Thumb married [[Lavinia Warren]] in 1863, and continued to tour. Show biz took its toll on his health however. He died of a [[stroke]] in 1883. ==Early life== General Tom Thumb was born Charles Sherwood Stratton in Bridgeport, [[Connecticut]], to Sherwood Edward Stratton, a [[carpenter]], and Cynthia (Thompson) Stratton, an inn worker. He stopped growing at 18 months. He was 25 inches tall and weighed 16 pounds in 1842 when [[P. T. Barnum]] persuaded his parents to exhibit him at $3 a week. The boy was four years old when he left home for Barnum's [[American Museum]] in [[New York City]]. ==Barnum== Barnum molded the boy into an [[entertainer]], and provided the child with an expensive and exquisitely tailored wardrobe. He was presented as General Tom Thumb and his age bumped up to eleven years. He debuted on December 8,