Last Sunday, I became acquainted with The Kentucky Giant and his wife.
Martin Van Buren Bates was a captain in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He was also 7 feet, 9 inches tall, hence his nickname. What’s amazing is that he met, fell in love with, and married somebody who was taller than him. Anna Bates was 7 feet, 11 inches tall!
After they married in London, the couple moved to Seville, Ohio, not too far from where I live in Medina They built a custom farm house because, honestly, what house existed at the time to accommodate two people of such height?
When Anna passed away in 1888 at the age of 41, Martin had her buried in Seville with a spectacular monument. It still stands in the Mound Hill Cemetery to this day.
My wife, who is doing historical research at our local library, learned about the Bates, which led to us visiting the monument and the Seville Historical Society Museum last Sunday. This gave me the chance to learn about the Bates, as well!