Tragic Facts About Ella Harper, The Girl With The Backward Knees
Ella Harper bravely turned her unique legs into a moneymaker—but life continued to serve up horrible sorrows until she finally met her tragic end.
1. She Wasn’t Like Other People
Ella Harper was born with a deformity in her legs that made her look quite different from every other person. When people saw her attempts at using her misshapen legs for walking they cruelly called her “The Camel Girl”. Though Harper eventually used her disability to generate a steady income, her misery didn’t end there.
2. She Was A Mystery
Ella Harper’s birthplace is a bit of a mystery, but most believe it's Hendersonville, Tennessee, around 1870. If this is true, Harper shared her hometown with some incredibly noteworthy people. Both Taylor Swift and Kelly Clarkson lived in Hendersonville for periods of time. Like these future stars, Harper was destined for fame, but for a far more harrowing reason.
3. They Were An Ordinary Family
Before her birth, Harper’s family had no clue what the future had in store for them. Her father, William Harper, was a farmer who raised stock, while her mother, Minerva Ann Childress, likely tended to their growing family. They had a growing brood—but when Ella was born, she changed their lives forever.
4. It Was A Special Delivery
Ella Harper had a twin brother named Everett—but that wasn't the most extraordinary aspect of this birth. When her parents saw Ella for the first time, they must have known that something was terribly wrong. You see, on the census that went through the United States at the time, her parents listed her as “disabled”. Further down the page, they ticked off “deformed”.
