By Titilayo Kupoliyi
Millie and Christine McKoy were African American conjoined twins born on July 11, 1851, in Columbus County, North Carolina to Jacob and Monemia McKoy, who were slaves.
They were conjoined at the lower spine and shared one pelvis, but each sister had two arms and two legs.
They were known as “The Carolina Twins” and “The Two-Headed Nightingale,” who were exhibited as circus and sideshow attractions in the United States and Europe, eventually becoming successful performers.
The twins’ unusual anatomy attracted curious visitors, and they were sold to a showman at ten months old and later exhibited as “The Carolina Twins” and “The Two-Headed Nightingale” in circuses and sideshows.
They were sold three times between the ages of 6 months and 6 years.
They were educated, able to read, write, speak multiple languages, sing, and play the piano.
They were known for their singing abilities and were often billed as “The Two-Headed Nightingale”.
The twins toured extensively in the United States and Europe, becoming well-known and successful performers.
They were reunited with their mother, Monemia, in Birmingham, England, after being separated from her for most of their young lives.
In 1869, the twins issued their autobiography, “History and Medical Description of the Two-Headed Girl”.
After a thirty-year career, they retired to North Carolina, where they purchased the property where they were born.
Sadly, a fire in 1909 destroyed their home, leaving them in financial ruin.
Millie died of tuberculosis in October 1912, and Christine died the following day after being heavily sedated by doctors. They were buried in a double coffin.
Aged 61, the twins’ grave marker was made of two lead sheets shaped into two arches joined by a bridge inscribed “A soul with two thoughts. Two hearts that beat as one”.
brightonmuseum.og.uk
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