The Bearded Lady of Circus Fame

      Giles Edwin Calvin and Grace Gilbert married in South Bend, Indiana, on 26 October 1910. Giles was 51 and Grace, 34. But the marriage was more unusual than just the age difference.

    Grace Gilbert was born 2 February 1867 to Giles Edward and Arosina (Hallock) Gilbert. At birth, Grace was covered with a fine layer of hair. Eventually, it thickened and grew longer on her chin. By the time she was a young adult, Grace had realized that she could support herself by joining the circus. So in 1901, she joined Ringling Brothers Circus.

    By 1903, Grace had moved to the Barnum & Bailey circus. The 1903-1904 Circus Route Book included a photo of Grace Gilbert, the Bearded Lady. She stayed with Barnum till around 1905 when she signed with various other circuses including Hagenback-Wallace. Although Grace was naturally a redhead, for a time, she bleached her beard and was known as "The Girl with the Golden Whiskers." But she got tired of the upkeep and went back to her natural color. 

 

    Grace and Gilbert were supposedly childhood sweethearts despite their age difference. They may have also been cousins. When Gilbert was widowed, he followed Grace from show to show, asking her to marry him often. Some stories even suggested that Grace and Gilbert lived together for a time after her father's death. She finally took pity on him and agreed to marry him in South Bend Indiana.

    Gilbert reached South Bend first and attempted to apply for a license, only to be told to come back with the bride. Their appearance, the next day, caused a stir in the license office angering the groom. The sheriff was called to provide calming assistance. On the license, Grace gave her occupation as "Circus Exhibitor, Bearded Lady". A newspaper article stated that "The bridegroom was smooth shaven, and wore a long ulster that concealed his bifurcated garments, and when the judge opened the ceremony he became badly mixed." He looked at Grace and asked if she would "take this woman to be her wife". The judge was set straight and the ceremony went on.

    Grace traveled wearing a heavy veil to cover her 18-inch beard. After the ceremony, she told reporters, "I am going to my husband's farm and try to make him a good wife."

    Articles about the wedding appeared in newspapers around the country including the one above, found in the Daily Times of New Philadelphia, Ohio. Dated 6 January 1911, the belated article was complete with a cartoon depiction of the bride and groom.

    Most articles discussed Grace's career with the various circuses and emphasized that Giles was a farmer. While Grace did try to be a good farmer's wife, the pull of the circus proved too great. By 1916, she had returned to circus life, working summers at Coney Island in New York. She and Gilbert spent summers in New York and winters in Kalkaska Michigan. They kept this up until January of 1924 when Grace fell ill and died suddenly. She is buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Kalkaska County, Michigan. When Giles died in 1936, he chose to be buried near Grace rather than his current wife, Katie Priestly Dunham.    

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Sources:

"Indiana Marriages, 1811-2019," database with image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZCG-4ZD : accessed 20 August 2021); Giles E. Calvin and Grace Gilbert, 25 October 1910: citing St. Joseph, Indiana, Marriage License, Indiana Commission on Public Records, Indianapolis, IN; FHL microfilm 5,206,299.

"Michigan, Death Records, 1867-1952," Grace Calvin, 11 January 1924, Kalkaska County, Michigan; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 August 2021).

"Day by Day with Barnum & Bailey Season, 1903-1904," p. 72, Circus Route Book, Milner Library, Illinois State Library (https://digital.library.illinoisstate.edu/digital/collection/p15990col15/id/9749 : accessed 20 August 2021).

"Bearded Lady is Whiskerless Farmer's Wife," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, (St. Louis, Mo.), 6 November 1910, p.61, col.2; digital image, newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 August 2021). Note: An ulster is a long man's coat.

"Bearded Lady of Circus Fame Weds," The South Bend Tribune (South Bend Ind.), 26 October 1910, p.10, col. 5; digital image, newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 August 2021).

"The Daily Times," (New Philadelphia, Ohio), 6 January 1911, p.7, col.5; digital image, newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 August 2021).

Find a Grave, database with images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 20 August 2021), memorials 0973132 and 10915660, Grace Gilbert (1876-1924) and Giles E. Calvin (1857-1936), Maple Grove Cemetery, Leetsville, Kalkaska County, Michigan; gravestone photo by Steve Martin.