Daisy and Violet Hilton

AKA:
The Hilton Sisters
Birth Name:
Daisy and Violet Hilton
Birth Date:
February 5, 1908
Birth Place:
18 Riley Road, Brighton, England
Death Date:
January 4, 1969
Place of Death:
2204 Weyland Avenue, Charlotte, North Carolina
Age:
60
Cause of Death:
Hong Kong flu
Cemetery Name:
Forest Lawn West
Claim to Fame:
The Odd and the Interesting
Daisy and Violet Hilton, born in the early 1900s in Brighton, England, were conjoined twins joined at the hip and buttocks. Their lives were a blend of exploitation and fame, marked by challenges and achievements. Born to an unmarried barmaid, Kate Skinner, the twins were sold to her employer, Mary Hilton, who saw their potential as a spectacle. Under Mary Hilton's care, they were trained as performers and toured extensively, particularly in the U.S., where they were exhibited as "freaks" in sideshows and carnivals. After Mary's death, the twins became the wards of her daughter and son-in-law, Edith and Meyer Myers, who continued exploiting them financially and refusing to allow them out in public unless they were performing. They later gained legal independence in 1931 after suing the Myers family, receiving $100,000 in restitution (far below what they earned). The Hiltons became vaudeville stars, captivating their audiences with their talents including dancing, singing and playing instruments. Despite their fame, the Hilton sisters faced significant personal challenges. Exploitation in their early years left them unprepared to manage their finances and lives independently. They attempted romantic relationships, but societal prejudice and legal barriers prevented marriage. Their brief appearance in Tod Browning's 1932 cult classic film Freaks and the 1951 biopic Chained for Life showcased their lives but didn't lead to lasting success. As vaudeville declined, the sisters struggled financially. They ended up working in a grocery store in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1969, they died of the Hong Kong flu, passing within days of each other due to their physical connection.

What an Interesting Life …

The Hiltons’ last public appearance was in 1961, at a drive-in theater in Charlotte, North Carolina. Without warning, their tour manager abandoned them there with no means of transportation or income. They applied for a job in a nearby grocery store called the Park ‘n Shop, offering to work for one salary. The owner Charles Reid hired them at two full salaries and designed a discreet two-person cashier station so that customers could not tell the sisters were conjoined. The Hiltons rented a small two bedroom home courtesy of the shop owner’s church, Purcell United Methodist, and settled into a quiet life, involving work and church. During the holidays they remembered fellow employees and favorite customers with Christmas gifts.

At the time of their birth in 1908, Daisy and Violet Hilton were not separated because the Sussex Medico-Chirurgical Society unanimously decided that the operation would likely kill one or both of the twins. The twins were the first conjoined twins to be born in the UK and survive for more than a few weeks. However today the conjoined twins could have been separated through a low-risk surgery as they didn’t share any vital organs or blood vessels. ⁠

While declared dead on January 4th, in late December Violet caught the Hong Kong flu but recovered. Daisy then caught the flu and lingered for a week. When found it looked like Violet dragged Daisy to the heating grate in the living room of the small house to keep her warm. Daisy died on approximately January 1, 1969 while Violet died 2 days later. They never answered the phone as they lied dying in there home.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Forest Lawn West

4601 Freedom Drive

Charlotte, North Carolina, 28208

USA

North America

Map:

Map of Forest Lawn West in Charlotte, NC
Map of Forest Lawn West in Charlotte, NC

Grave Location:

Thompson Family Plot, Section M, Lot 313, Grave 2

Grave Location Description

As you enter the cemetery, drive straight ahead until the road ends at Section L. Turn right and drive 200 feet to the end of the road and turn left. Drive 100 feet (6 rows of monuments) and park. Look to your left and count 2 memorials in and look for the “Thompson” upright monument. The Hilton Sisters rest together as in life.

Grave Location GPS

35.256353, -80.916929

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Read More About Daisy and Violet Hilton:

Videos Featuring Daisy and Violet Hilton:
Jordon the Lion: Conjoined Twins Grave Daisy and Violet Hilton
Freaks (1932) - Daisy and Violet Scene
Daisy and Violet Hilton: The Siamese Twins of Vaudeville
Siamese twins performing household tasks (1924)
Tragic Lives Of Conjoined Twins Daisy And Violet Hilton
The Hilton Sisters (singing siamese twins) 1951
Bound by Flesh - Official Trailer
Love Thief - Violet and Daisy Hilton
The intriguing story of Daisy and Violet Hilton

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popular name: Amelia Maggia

date_of_death: September 12, 1922

age: 25

cause_of_death: Radium sarcoma, industrial poisoning

claim_to_fame: The Odd and the Interesting

best_know_for: Amelia ‘Mollie’ Maggia was the middle child of seven Maggia sisters; listed in order of age: Louise, Clara, Albina, Mollie, Quinta, Irma and Josephine. Children of Italian immigrants, Albina, Mollie, Quinta and Irma all worked in the radium-dial factory. Mollie was an exceptional dial-painter – but paid the price. She was the first dial-painter to die in September 1922. The initial effects of radium seemed harmless, and the substance was popular amongst the younger girls in the factory. They would go home from a day of painting with their clothes glowing from the radium exposure. Some would even paint the buttons on their dresses or their nails, but the joy of the radium glow was short lived. Long-term radiation sickness symptoms soon became present among many of the women who worked with radium paint. Common issues included bone cancer, anemia, lesions, and sores. These problems were exhibited in Amelia Maggia, the first dial painter to die from radiation sickness. Amelia worked in the factory for almost a decade and was known to be a diligent employee. Amelia had initially gone to the doctor complaining of a toothache and got an extraction. However, the ache in her jaw continued. During a routine exam, when the doctor gently probed here jaw, her jawbone literally fell out of her mouth into his hands. Upon closer examination he found extensive deterioration of her lower jaw bone and tissue damage from the radiation. Most of her jaw was removed and she developed severe anemia and lesions with massive infections. Amelia passed away in September of 1922 at the age of 25 when the radiation caused a jugular vein to rupture and she bled to death in front of her family. Her death was wrongly attributed to syphilis.

John King

popular name: John King

date_of_death: September 27, 1880

age: 62

cause_of_death: Crushed by an adult Asian elephant

claim_to_fame: The Odd and the Interesting

best_know_for: John King was a John Robinson circus trainer which, at the time was one of the largest traveling circus shows in the country. John Robinson had elephants and a huge menagerie featuring other creatures. On September 27, 1880 when the circus was unloading from the railcars in Charlotte, North Carolina, a bull Asian elephant named Chief saw John King and raced over and threw King into the side of the railcar, killing him instantly.

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popular name: Chang and Eng Bunker

date_of_death: January 17, 1874

age: 62

cause_of_death: Chang: cerebral blood clot/Eng: unknown

claim_to_fame: The Odd and the Interesting

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