Descendants of Eng and Chang Bunker, the original Siamese twins, have donated a rifle, silverware, and other possessions of their famous ancestors to the UNC libraries.
The new additions to the Eng and Chang collections are in theNorth Carolina Collection of the Wilson Special Collections Library.
Vance Haynes donated the .41 caliber rifle of his great-grandfather, Chang Bunker, along with a powder flask, iron ball mold, copper funnel, and a tin of percussion caps. He also presented to the Library a map of Canada and one of Europe. The twins used the maps during their world tours in the mid-nineteenth century. Haynes is a retired professor of archaeology at the University of Arizona.
Harriet McMaster donated four pieces of the twins’ silverware, with “CE” engraved on the back. She also gave a chain that Chang wore. McMaster, of Columbia, S.C., is a great-granddaughter of Chang Bunker.
The conjoined twins were born in Siam (now Thailand) in 1811, but settled in Wilkes County, N.C. They married sisters Adelaide and Sarah Yates and fathered 21 children between the two families.
Haynes and McMaster are part of an extensive network of Bunker descendants who gather periodically and remain in close touch.
The UNC libraries have assembled the largest known collection of documents and memorabilia related to Eng and Chang Bunker. Visitors to Wilson Library can view letters that the twins wrote, account books and documents from their business, and advertisements for appearances that they made.
Published June 1, 2012.