- Fanny Mills was dubbed “Ohio Big Foot Girl” when Milroy’s disease led her to have a huge foot as a child
- She earned $150 a week as the “Ohio Girl” with the “biggest foot on Earth” in New York
- Mills married William L. Brown in 1886, gave birth to a stillborn in August 1887, and died in 1899 from an abscess
Fanny Mills, widely known as the “Ohio Big Foot Girl,” was an American woman of British descent who lived from the 1860s until the late 1890s. Milory’s disease, a rare ailment that caused her lower limb to swell immensely, made her famous as an entertainment attraction in dime museums throughout the 1880s.
Mills was born in Sussex, England, but her family moved to Sandusky, Ohio when she was an infant. She went against her family’s wishes by using her condition to make money for them. Unfortunately, she died at the age of 39 in 1899.
Here’s what we’ve gathered about her.
Fanny Mills Was Born In Sussex, England
Either in the latter half of the 1850s or the beginning of the 1860s, Fanny Mills was born in Sussex, England, to George and Sarah (née Ansel) Mills. While some sources claim she was born in 1859, Wikipedia stated that she was born on August 30, 1860.
Mills was a baby when her family relocated to Sandusky, Ohio, in the United States, according to reports. When she was young, she began to exhibit symptoms of Milroy’s disease, a familial disease characterized by lymphedema, most usually in the legs, caused by congenital lymphatic system anomalies. Interestingly, she was her parents’ sole child with the disease, while her siblings were born normally.
According to Wikipedia, her family ascribed her condition to a story they made about how her father forced her mother to bathe a horse’s swollen leg while she was pregnant.
When Mills was a child, the residents of the town took notice of her since it was said that she wobbled more than she walked. Furthermore, her disability and appearance drew the attention of the press.
Her feet were 19 inches long and 7 inches wide, and her body weight was over 100 pounds. She wore a size 30 shoe made from three goat skins and stockings made from pillowcases. However, according to an 1885 New York Times account, she wore size 29 shoes.
“Ohio Big Foot Girl” Used Her Condition To Make Money For Her Family
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Given the media and public attention Mills was receiving, she managed to convert her disability into a lucrative endeavor. After her father George Mills passed away in 1885, Fanny made the decision to exhibit herself after her father initially rejected invitations from showmen to do so. By doing this, she went against the wishes of her family.
Since it was difficult to walk alone smoothly, Mary Brown, a friend of hers helped her to walk and change her shoes.
Midway through her twenties, Mills started displaying herself at the Bowery Museum in New York as “that girl from Ohio” with the “biggest feet on Earth.” She began to profit from it, and by the time she achieved fame, she was bringing in $150 every week.
In fact, a promotion was created to entice suitors by promising $5000 and a well-stocked farm to any suitor ready to marry her. Suitors did show up, but it was all a ruse.
Fanny’s health began to fail in 1892, after touring various cities in the United States and Europe, and she was forced to retire.
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Was She Ever Married?
According to several stories of Fanny Mills’ life, she was married to a guy named William L. Brown, the brother of her friend Mary Brown. In addition, she married him in 1886. This is why the promotion intended to attract potential suitors was dubbed a gimmick.
She became pregnant after the marriage, however, it ended in a stillbirth in August 1987. William L. Brown was said to have accompanied her on a tour of the United States and Europe before to her retirement.
Mills Reportedly Died In 1899 At The Age Of 39
Fanny Mills died on May 3, 1899, in Perkins, Erie, Ohio, at the age of 39, following her deteriorating health. Her death was caused by an abscess, which is a collection of pus anywhere on the body.
She was laid to rest at the Oakland Cemetary in Sandusky, Ohio.
