Chang and Eng Bunker
Posted by: 
ScubaDewd
N 36° 27.195 W 080° 37.760
17S E 533215 N 4034286
Gravesite of the "Siamese Twins" Chang & Eng.
Waymark Code: WMDK0
Location: North Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 05/27/2006
Views: 167
Chang Bunker and Eng Bunker (May 11, 1811–January 17, 1874) were the twin brothers whose condition and birthplace became the basis for the term Siamese twins (conjoined twins). They were born in Siam (now Thailand), in the province of Samutsongkram, to a Chinese father (Ti-eye) and a half-Chinese/half-Cham mother (Nok).
The Bunkers were joined at the sternum by a small piece of cartilage. Their livers were fused but independently complete. Even though 19th-century surgical technology was not nearly as advanced as it is today, they could have easily been separated. In 1829, they were discovered in Siam by British merchant Robert Hunter and exhibited as a curiosity during a world tour. Upon termination of their contract with their discoverer, they successfully went into business for themselves. In 1839, while visiting Wilkesboro, North Carolina with P.T. Barnum, the twins were attracted to the town and settled there, becoming naturalized United States citizens.
The brothers settled on a plantation, bought slaves, and adopted the name "Bunker." They were accepted as respected members of the community. On April 13, 1843, they married two sisters: Chang to Adelaide Yates and Eng to Sarah Anne Yates. Chang and his wife had ten children; Eng and his wife had twelve. In time, the wives squabbled and eventually two separate households were set up just west of Mount Airy, North Carolina – the twins would alternate spending three days at each home. During the American Civil War Chang's son Christopher and Eng's son Stephen both fought for the Confederacy. Many of their descendants still live in the Mount Airy area, which is also the hometown of Andy Griffith. The twins died on the same day in 1874.
The fused liver of the Bunker brothers is currently preserved and on display at the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Description:
Chang and Eng, born in 1811 in Melange, Siam, gave a new phrase to the English Language. They were the first, the original Siamese Twins, a term used to describe any two humans being joined at birth by living tissue.
When news of the strange and unusual reached the king of Siam, he decided the babies should be put to death. King Rama II thought such a birth was an evil sign, an omen that something bad was going to happen. As time passed and no disaster occurred, King Rama II withdrew his decree of death for the twins.
Date of birth: 05/11/1811
Date of death: 01/17/1874
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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