Edwin Burkhart, Sculptor of the Cardiff Giant.

It was my great great grandfather who carved the Cardiff Giant and here is
what my mother says about it: 

     ... my mother's grandfather, Edwin Burkhardt (1833-?), a German immigrant
who lived in Chicago, was a stone cutter (ususally sculpted angels for
tombstones). He was hired to carve the giant for someone in Maine. I don't
know if he was aware it was to be used as a fake human.  It was shipped by
train (not cart) to Maine, where it was buried on that farm for a year or
two, "to season it", according to what I know. EB died shortly after it
was shipped and he got no money for it. His widow had about 7 sons and a
daughter to support, and kept trying to get some of the Cardiff Giant
money, but in the end she got only $10. 

	My grandfather, William Burkart, was the "success" in the family,
becoming a dentist. He was terribly ashamed of his father for carving a
hoax, and mostly wouldn't talk about it. We learned that we weren't
supposed to ask. Back when my father met my mother, he [Edwin Burkhart]
said, "You are the son of the man who carved" etc, and WGB was very
embarrassed. Of course, everyone knew about it, but no one was supposed to
mention it.
...
 
Karen Edwards