Pearl Rambo, Age 14
Pearl Rambo was a carnival entertainer from Council Bluffs, IA. She was billed as the heaviest woman in the world. She died in 1918 of the Spanish Flu.
Obituary:
Pearl H. Rambo
"Pearl, the fat girl" is dead. The end came at Tupelo, Mississippi, October 11, where she was associated with the Patterson shows playing there. Death was due to Spanish influenza.
Council Bluffs people, whose memory goes back ten to twenty years, will recall Miss PEARL H. RAMBO, who made her first appearance as a carnival attraction here in the fall of 1902, on the occasion of a big week's show put on by the local lodge of Elks. Pearl was discovered by Miss Blanche Scott, now Mrs. Blanche Lee, well-known singer, and proved to be one of the big attractions of the carnival. Mrs. Lee delivered the "spiel" inside the tent with all the effectiveness of an old showman.
Several physical curiosities were numbered in the Rambo family. A son, who appeared at the same carnival was called at that time "Ko-Ko," the Australian. He had a surplus of toes. Another daughter had a surplus of fingers.
Pearl was 27 years old. She was born on a farm near Crescent and up to the time of the carnival had never been farther from home than Omaha. She was brought here and established in a tent at the carnival. Following the show she had many offers from showmen and eventually followed that business.
Pearl weighed 205 pounds when she was 12 years old and at the time of her death was said to be the heaviest woman in the world, weighing over 455 pounds. She was bright and active. Her mother is Mrs. Caroline Rambo, 921 Avenue L, this city. The news of her death was contained in a telegram and letter received by the mother recently. Her father, Joseph M. Rambo died several years ago. The parents were of small stature.
Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil, Tuesday, October 22, 1918, page 5
Obituary:
Pearl H. Rambo
"Pearl, the fat girl" is dead. The end came at Tupelo, Mississippi, October 11, where she was associated with the Patterson shows playing there. Death was due to Spanish influenza.
Council Bluffs people, whose memory goes back ten to twenty years, will recall Miss PEARL H. RAMBO, who made her first appearance as a carnival attraction here in the fall of 1902, on the occasion of a big week's show put on by the local lodge of Elks. Pearl was discovered by Miss Blanche Scott, now Mrs. Blanche Lee, well-known singer, and proved to be one of the big attractions of the carnival. Mrs. Lee delivered the "spiel" inside the tent with all the effectiveness of an old showman.
Several physical curiosities were numbered in the Rambo family. A son, who appeared at the same carnival was called at that time "Ko-Ko," the Australian. He had a surplus of toes. Another daughter had a surplus of fingers.
Pearl was 27 years old. She was born on a farm near Crescent and up to the time of the carnival had never been farther from home than Omaha. She was brought here and established in a tent at the carnival. Following the show she had many offers from showmen and eventually followed that business.
Pearl weighed 205 pounds when she was 12 years old and at the time of her death was said to be the heaviest woman in the world, weighing over 455 pounds. She was bright and active. Her mother is Mrs. Caroline Rambo, 921 Avenue L, this city. The news of her death was contained in a telegram and letter received by the mother recently. Her father, Joseph M. Rambo died several years ago. The parents were of small stature.
Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil, Tuesday, October 22, 1918, page 5
Date & Place:
Not specified or unknown.
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