He visited nearly all the large cities and towns in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Russia.
While in England in 1871 the Captain met Miss Anna H.

Swann, known as the "Nova Scotia Giantess," who was two years the junior of her giant lover.

Miss Swann was justly proud of her height, 7 feet 5 1/2 inches.
The two were married soon afterward.

Their combined height of 14 feet 8 inches marked them as the tallest married couple known to mankind.
Captain Bates' parents were of medium size.

His father, a native of Virginia, was 5 feet 10 inches high and weighed 160 pounds.