Charles and Harriet “Hattie” Hanna married in the late 1800s and went on to have at least six children — including a set of identical triplets.
The three baby girls were born in Buffalo, New York, in September of 1906. They were named Ida, Iva, and Eva.
Surviving identical triplets were rare in those days, making the Hanna sisters somewhat of a curiosity. So, as young children, they traveled throughout the U.S. and Canada as circus sideshow performers.
The girls left the circus to attend school, but began performing again as teenagers. This time around they worked for a musical/comedy theater company in Kansas City, Missouri. One newspaper article mentioned that their talents included “dancing, singing and saxophone playing.”
In their 20s, they retired from show business to get married. Notably, Eva’s husband was George Hulme, better known as the famous mid-20th century circus clown Bumpsy Anthony.
What do you think of Ida, Iva, and Eva as triplet names? Which one of the three do you like best?
P.S. According to the 1910 U.S. Census, two of the triplets’ siblings were named Jennie (older) and Mildred (younger).
Sources:
- Dawdy, Kirk. “Woodstock and the Circus (PDF).” Local History: Woodstock & McHenry County, Woodstock Public Library.
- Find a Grave
- “Wanted — 3 Husbands Just Exactly Alike.” San Francisco Examiner 23 Mar. 1924: 115.
Images:
- The Famous Hanna Triplets by Don Harrison under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
- “Ida, Eva and Iva Hanna.” Buffalo Times 9 Dec. 1906, Comic section: 16.
