Huldah Pierce Warren Bump (June 2, 1849 – July 23, 1878), better known as Minnie Warren, was an American proportionate dwarf and an entertainer associated with

P. T. Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding with James Anthony Bailey the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He was ...

. Her sister Lavinia Warren was married to

General Tom Thumb Charles Sherwood Stratton (January 4, 1838 – July 15, 1883), better known by his stage name "General Tom Thumb", was an American with dwarfism who achieved great fame as a performer under circus pioneer P. T. Barnum. Childhood and early ...

. They were very well known in 1860s America and their meeting with

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

was covered in the press.Kunhardt, Philip B., Jr., Kunhardt, Philip B., III and Kunhardt, Peter W., Alfred A. (1995) ''P.T. Barnum: America's Greatest Showman''. Knopf. .

Early life

Warren was born in

Middleborough, Massachusetts Middleborough is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,405 as of 2023. The census-designated place of Middleborough Center, Massachusetts, Middleborough Center corresponds to the main village and commercia ...

, the daughter of Huldah Pierce (Warren) and James Sullivan Bump. She was from a respected family whose roots went back to the beginning of the colony. Minnie and her sister had both been born at a normal birth weight but then stopped growing early in their lives. Their siblings were of a normal stature.

Career

In addition to the public interest in her tiny stature, Minnie performed as a singer. She married Edmund Newell, who was also a dwarf and paid performer for

Death

Warren died from complications in childbirth on July 23, 1878. The baby, a girl who weighed 6 pounds, died a few hours later. She is buried in Nemasket Hill Cemetery, Middleborough, Massachusetts.

References

1849 births 1878 deaths American women entertainers Deaths in childbirth Entertainers with dwarfism Sideshow performers Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus People from Middleborough, Massachusetts {{US-entertainer-stub