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Jim Tarver, Texas Giant

They say everything is bigger in Texas so it shouldn't come as a surprise that in 1880 there were 4 brothers from White Rock, Texas, each 7' 11" that toured with the Barnum & Bailey circus as the "Texas Giants." In the early 1900's, the Texas Giants left the circus and were replaced by a man from Terrell, Texas, "Tex" Baker, who grew 11 inches in just 7 months. He stopped growing, but when he did, he was 8' 2" tall. In 1909, another Texan, Jim Tarver who was born on a ranch in Franklin, joined the circus. Billed as "The Texas Giant," he stood 8' 6" and weighed 460 pounds. He was declared to be the tallest man in the world.

When asked how he came to be in the circus, he said he was working as a cowboy on a Texas ranch until he got bigger than his horse. About that time, the circus came to town and he went to see it with a couple of his friends. When he proved to be taller than the "World's Tallest Man" at the sideshow, the circus hired him.

For almost 24 years, the Texas Giant made a very nice living as he traveled with the circus. In addition to his relatively large salary, he made extra money selling souvenir rings that were the exact same size as the one he wore through which a half-dollar coin could pass. He bought a car which had to be customized for him by removing the front seat so he could drive from the rear one. Always gentle and amiable, he often astonished onlookers by standing by the driver's door of his car and opening the door for his passenger by reaching over the top of the car. 

Jim always said he was grateful to the circus for giving him a job, but what he really wanted was to be a farmer. After a few years of being frugal with his money, he had saved enough to buy a farm in Turrell, Arkansas which is where he then went during the winters when the touring season for the circus was over. He spent some of that time making furniture which would fit his large size and enlarging doorways in his house.

In 1933 while performing in El Paso, Texas, a man named Jack Earle came to see the show. When several people said it seemed to them that Jack was taller than "The Texas Giant," the sideshow people measured him. He was indeed taller, by one inch and was hired on the spot. No longer owning the title of "Tallest Man in the World," Jim lost his circus job. He earned some money for a while by making personal appearances and landed an acting job in the role of Blunderbore, the giant in the movie Jack and the Beanstalk. Just a couple of years after the circus though, failing to generate a steady income, Jim retired to the life he had always wanted as a full-time farmer at his place in Arkansas.

After he retired, he shunned publicity and made the farm into a profitable success. His neighbors in tiny Turrell all liked and greatly respected him, the area's children all flocked to him and evidently unmarried women were attracted to him as well. He was married 3 times - his first wife divorced him because she found it too difficult to live with his over-sized furniture and his second wife died.

Jim passed away at age 72 in 1958 from complications of diabetes. His funeral was attended by hundreds of friends. The Texas Giant was laid to rest in a custom-made casket in Crittenden Memorial Park Cemetery, 1 mile west of Marion, Arkansas. His grave is in section 5, lot 6...and 7.


 

15 comments:

  1. I think he was a good man and had been to cottonwood texas before . I have heard that he was kin to my great grandfather. All of us are 6 feet and taller,most are 6ft5and better

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  2. Tall genes in your family! Thanks for your comment.
    Ken

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  3. He's was my great great uncle. My grandfather said he use to tease him by telling him he ate little boys for breakfast, so my grandfather would hide whenever he came to visit Haha. Wish I knew more about him. Very cool.

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  4. If I was a little boy and thought someone as big as him ate little boys, I'd run and hide too! :-)

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  5. Was the ring pictured above a souvenir that one could have acquired at the Ringling shows? Relatives in Glengarry County Ontario are said to have a ring exactly like this in their possession?

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    1. It very well could be. Having one of these rings would be a really nice keepsake!
      Ken

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  6. I recently acquired a very unique item. It is a tall, 3ft, ashtray on a stem and floor piece that has a Tarver ring resting on top of the floor stand with the stem through it. Have you ever heard of such an item? I would like to have it authenticated. Thank you.
    Lon Melton. Coyotestew@gmail.com

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    1. I haven't heard of an item like the one you have. I know around his time, many oversized rings were being manufactured by an unknown company as a novelty item. They were purchased with a blank face which could later be inscribed with a name or personal message. I'm sure some of these were turned into fake Tarver rings. That doesn't mean yours isn't real though. As far as I know, the real Jim Tarver souvenir rings came with the face inscribed "J.G. Tarver Texas Giant" and measured 1 1/4" in diameter and 3/4" high. When a person bought one from his show, he would put the ring on for a few seconds before handing it to the buyer. I'm not an expert on antique's though so I would suggest you get an official appraisal done. You should probably try to find an expert near you or you might want to try an online site like www.valuemystuff.com. I'm not affiliated with them in any way, but have heard they do a good job. Before deciding to spend an amount of money on an appraisal, be aware a good number of these rings exist and generally only sell for anywhere from $40 to $80. Good luck with your item and thanks for stopping by!
      Ken

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  7. My Grandfather Earl Soncrant worked in one of the circuses with him.
    My Grandfather used to jump barrels in the circus. I have a pic of him with his friend who worked in the circus with him from 1907 Eugene Bauldwin.
    I have the JG TARVER ring that my Grandfather got.it looks just like the one in the pic above.

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    1. Very cool! It's great to have such an interesting family history like yours. Thanks for visiting this site and leaving your comment!
      Ken

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  8. I'm related as well through my grandfather Doyle Tarver from Dallas

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    1. Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment!
      Take care!
      Ken

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  9. He was my great uncle. My dad says he had this wonderfully booming voice and drove a car with the front seat removed so that he could sit in the back and drive. My dad says he was one of the nicest people he ever met.

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    1. Cool! Feel free to share stories. Thanks for your comments!
      Ken

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  10. HEATHER TARVER FEARJuly 1, 2021 at 3:23 PM

    I am also related to Big Jim and have been hearing about him my whole life!! My father was Samuel Lee Tarver, also born in Franklin, TX. My dad mentioned that about the front seat being removed from his car so that he could drive. My father said that he was a very kind man, liked by all.

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