Lizzie Whitlock - Fat Lady of the Circus
Posted by: 
renruts
N 41° 55.186 W 085° 05.855
16T E 657754 N 4642618
Known by the stage name Lottie Grant, Lizzie Whitlock was the heaviest woman in the United States in her time and made a living in the circus!
Waymark Code: WM87QG
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 02/15/2010
Views: 12
Many call her the original fat lady of the circus, who at the age of 18 was already tipping the scale at 500lbs. At the age of 14 (some sources say 16) she ran away from home and started traveling with the circus. Not content with just being the fat lady, she became quite skilled as a snake charmer making her show even more of a spectacle. She traveled with many groups and eventually made it BIG in the freak show circle when she joined Barnum and Baileys show.
Lizzie was proud of her "fat lady" title and was content with the life she led. She married 3 times and mothered 4 children. Born Elizabeth Charlotte Stice in either Iowa or Missouri, she retired in Batavia, MI where she died at the age of 45 in 1899. The last 2 years of her life found her suffering from an unknown ailment and when she passed, they had to remove the windows from her house in order to retrieve her body. At that time she weighed more than 650lbs.
Until 1996, her grave went unmarked. The Branch County Historical Society donated a nice headstone for her and hired a body-witcher to locate her body since the records weren't clear. Today, you can visit her grave in Batavia Cemetery, in Branch County, Michigan as well as visiting a local museum to see the last pair of shoes (size 24) that were made for her that she never had the chance to pick up.
Description:
Born Elizabeth Charlotte Stice in 1853
Died in 1899
Remembered as the Original Fat Lady of the Circus
could not find her actual birthdate or deathdate, but if anyone finds this information, i will update the page!
Date of birth: 01/01/1853
Date of death: 01/01/1899
Area of notoriety: Entertainment
Marker Type: Headstone
Setting: Outdoor
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Not listed
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