By 1850, Anna stood 4 foot 6 inches tall. This seemed odd to her parents. Alexander was 5 foot 7 inches and Ann was 5 foot 3 inches.
Some thought Anna was a dafter, which is an old Scottish term for a person who is ignorant or slow. She was neither. At age 4, she could carry a pail of water in each hand up the steep hill from the brook. People often wondered why a grown woman was playing with the Swan children. When Anna was 8, she could wear her mother's clothes.
Alexander Swan took Anna to Halifax in 1851. She appeared in an exhibition there and was billed as "Infant Giantess." The newspaper in Halifax wrote the following:
"This healthy child, 4 years old, 7 months, was as rosy as a milkmaid, weighed 94 lbs., and already has arms and wrists as large as a full-grown man."
In 1852, Anna's parents moved the family to New Annan, Nova Scotia. Anna's father had to renovate and enlarge her room several times over the years to accommodate her large bed.
When Anna started school, she found the classroom environment very uncomfortable. The desks, which were the perfect size for most children, were far too small for her. Local men modified a table. They set it on planks so Anna could sit on a high stool to study. Everyone in the community did all they could to make the child comfortable. Often, even at home, she found her comfort by sitting on the floor.
Anna loved being outdoors. Here, she wasn't confined. She loved to walk the pastures and meadows of the community. Her favorite pastime was sitting beneath a tree, reading a book. Anna excelled at literature and music. She was a very intelligent young lady.
By the time Anna was 15, she stood over 7 foot tall. She moved to Truro to live with an aunt. While there, she enrolled in Teacher's College.
Anna wasn't happy in Truro. People considered her an oddity. She was homesick and wasn't comfortable in her aunt's home.
A Quaker had seen Anna before she left for Truro and had told Phineas T. Barnum of a giantess who lived in Nova Scotia. Barnum, always on the lookout for people who were different, to display to the public, was curious about this young woman. He requested measurements and was astounded to learn that Anna stood 7 foot 11 inches tall and weighed 400 lbs. He sent a scout to bring Anna to his museum in New York City. Anna refused Barnum's offer.
