Tallest Married Couple in History

Anna Haining Swan met Martin Van Buren Bates when the Circus she was in went through Halifax, California, where Martin happened to be visiting. They quickly fell in love and were married on June 17, 1871, in London, England. What makes their relationship so unique is that Martin was 7 feet 8 inches tall, and Anna was 7 feet 11 inches tall, making them the tallest married couple in history.

They eventually were able to buy a nice spot of land in Seville, Ohio, with 130 acres where Martin would supervise the construction of a house that would fit his and his wife’s needs. The ceilings were 14 feet tall, and the doorways were almost twice as wide and 8 feet tall.

They would go on to birth two children, neither of which were able to survive more than a few hours. The first, a girl, was born 18 pounds in May 1872. A few years later, in 1879, the couple gave birth to a boy that weighed 23 pounds 9 ounces and was 30 inches tall. Their boy is the largest baby ever born.

Anna passed away in her sleep from heart failure on August 5, 1888, one day before her 42 birthday. Martin moved into town after Anna’s passing and died on January 19, 1919, at 81-years-old from inflamed kidneys.