“Hartford Woman Raised from the Dead”

​

Ten different people were allegedly raised from the dead during William Branham's ministry. (A list of all ten people can be viewed here.)

​

One of the ten people was a woman who allegedly died of an unknown condition in a meeting of his in Hartford, Connecticut.

 

As demonstrated below, the alleged “raising” of the woman from the dead, is one of the most glaring and patently false stories that William Branham ever told.

 

Of all of his 1,205 tape recorded sermons, there is only one that was recorded in Hartford, Connecticut. That is his sermon entitled, “The Queen of Sheba”, which he preached on May 3, 1958 in an auditorium at Weaver High School, which can be read in full here.)

 

William Branham claimed that all of the following occurred in the Hartford meeting,

 

• A woman died when he was getting ready to make the altar call and when he called the prayer line.

• A dentist and medical doctor by the name Dr. Barton was present who immediately ran over to the woman and determined that she was dead by taking her pulse.

• When he walked off of the platform step and began approaching the woman, the Holy Spirit spoke to him and he called her name.

• When he said, “Mary, looky here” she “come to” and “was all right.”

 

Despite the miraculous nature of the alleged event, William Branham did not mention or claim that it occurred until after he preached fourteen other sermons in New England. In fact, it was not until May 30, 1958 (twenty-seven days later), that he made his first claims that a woman died and returned to life in the Hartford meeting. He did so in a sermon he preached in New York City, as follows,

 

“Just a little hoarse, but very happy in my heart to report to you that there has been great things accomplished for our dear Lord in these New England states.

Just to give you a little view, if some of the brethren hasn’t spoke of it, I was in the meeting one night when a lady died, setting over to my left. And a doctor, there, went to find pulse in her and it was gone. To see the great Holy Spirit turn and call that woman’s name and wake her up again… And that happened in Hartford, Connecticut. And just things like that, that He’s been doing.” “Time-Tested Faith” (58-0530).

 

Thereafter, William Branham did not ever mention or claim the alleged “supernatural” event occurred until 1963 (almost five years later) when he made the following statements in a sermon he preached in Tempe, Arizona,

 

“Not long ago, with this great sponsor of Oral Roberts, doctor up there in Philadelphia, what is that? He’s a…Forget his name now. He’s a dentist. He’s a great sponsor of his television program. I can’t think of his name. And we…[Someone says, “Barton.”—Ed.] Barton. We were having a meeting, and I was just getting ready to make the altar call. And I noticed a woman acted real funny, and her daughter run over there, begin to rub her face. I thought, 'Well, she is subject to fainting.' And all at once, her feet went right out straight, and her hands went back like this.

Dr. Barton run over to where she was, took her pulse. She had none. He looked up at me, shook his head. Well, I tried to keep the people’s mind…They was setting out, a great crowd. Keep it off of it, like that, just going ahead, talking. And so he said, “Go get little Branham.” That was Billy. And Billy seen that dead woman. He had nothing to do with that. See? He didn’t want that. Well, just as I started to speak again…Now, Dr. Barton, as you know him, you might ask him.

Started to speak again, I said, 'Now, everyone, do not be excited. Keep quiet.' Sometime when you see a demon try to come out of a person, they get so irreverent, the crowd gets tore up. That’s the wrong thing to do. 'Set still. Don’t get excited. He is here.'

And while I was speaking like that, I don’t know how it ever happened, but turned over to her and called her name. 'Mary, looky here.' And when she did, she come to herself, come to.” “Awakening Jesus” (63-0117).

 

The only other claims that William Branham made of the woman dying and being returned to life in the Hartford meeting were the ones he made in a sermon he preached in Jeffersonville, Indiana almost six months later in 1963, as follows,

 

“I like to brag on Jesus Christ, His power. But at this time I think we should never try to brag on Him in any way to something He--He--He didn't do. But I've seen Jesus Christ raise up the dead many times, infallible doctor's testing to prove...
For instance, in Connecticut just recently in a meeting, setting in a large, the old some kind of a famous auditorium, there was a Doctor Barten, a Christian doctor on the platform with me, medical doctor. And there was a fine renown Christian woman, a lovely, wealthy woman she was. She was setting kinda to my left. And I'd called the prayer line, and I noticed the woman just all at once...

When anyone, their heart stops... You can close your eyes, but when you are shocked to death, when your heart stops, really your eyeballs turn back and the white part of your eye pushes out. And I noticed it as she sank down. And quickly they called for the medical doctor, and he run to her to take her pulse, and shook his head, put his hand upon her, and his ear to her heart. And she was gone. She sank in the floor, and her daughter screaming which interrupted the meeting... I continued on, 'cause I didn't have no word of the Lord for the woman. And I continued on.
They said something about getting Brother Branham. And they said, "We don't want to call him in the prayer line, 'cause he's under discernment." And they said, "Get little Branham." That was Billy; and Billy... Being it was a woman dead, he didn't want to...

You know, people get suspicion of somebody being dead; that--that's--that's just a hull. There's nothing there. That... People think strange... That... The person isn't there themselves; they've moved on. And so he was afraid to--to go around the woman because she was dead.
And then, immediately the Holy Spirit spoke to me. I turned from the place, walked down the step, come around to where she was; and just as I started to where she was, the Holy Spirit spoke to me; and I said, "Mary!"
She said, "Yes, Brother Branham?" She was all right. And--and she had never seen us before. And it was the first in meeting.” “The Flashing Red Light of the Sign of His Coming” (63-0623E).

 

 

Direct evidence that William Branham's claims are entirely false.

 

When William Branham's sermon from the Hartford meeting (“The Queen of Sheba”) is read to verify his claims about Mary dying and returning to life, it is apparent that no such event ever occurred in the meeting.

 

In fact, it is astounding to learn that the only situation that played out with William Branham, Dr. Barton and a woman named Mary is the entirely different one below,

 

“Dr. Barton, was you talking to the woman something? Was she sick? All right, lady, look at me. All right. Look up here. If thou canst believe, all things are possible. She’s in prayer for somebody else. Mary, that’s her given name. She’s praying for a daughter of hers, and that daughter has a mental break. That’s what she’s praying for. Happens to be you with your hands on her; you’re her daughter too. That’s right. Do you believe me to be God’s servant? I don’t know you, do I? If God will reveal to me what you’re there for, or something to you, will you believe me as His servant? You suffer with arthritis. You do have. That’s right. Your name is Mrs. Picket. That’s right. You come from a place called West Hartford. That’s right. Your house number is 167 North Main Street, Hartford, Connecticut. That’s right. Believe now, and go home well. I challenge you.”
“The Queen Of Sheba” (58-0503).

​

As the sermon's full text and audio reflects, the above excerpt is, in fact, the only part of the sermon where William Branham ever speaks to and interacts with Dr. Barton and a woman named Mary. There are no missing parts, gaps or spaces in the sermon and William Branham's voice was recorded continuously throughout it without interruption. In addition, there are no places in the sermon where he paused or stopped to address an untimely or unexpected event, such as a woman dying. Thus, the sermon is a complete, unabridged record of everything that he said and addressed during the meeting and clearly establishes that the only situation or event that ever unfolded with him and Mary had nothing to do with her dying, but instead was about her praying for her daughter and having arthritis.

​

​​​​From the sermon's excerpt above, it is also evident that Dr. Barton never determined that Mary had no pulse and died, as William Branham later claimed. Had she died, William Branham certainly would not have asked Dr. Barton if he was talking to her and if she was sick, as well as straightaway begun talking to her about her daughter, as he actually did.

​

And because William Branham began talking to Mary about her daughter right after he asked Dr. Barton if she was sick, it is also apparent that he did not need to “step down” from the platform and “come around to where she was” to tend to her in the audience, as he later led people to believe.

 

In addition, there is no part of the sermon in which William Branham told the audience, “Now, everyone, do not be excited. Keep quiet”, “Set still. Don’t get excited. He is here”, as he claimed he said.

 

The sermon also reflects that William Branham never exclaimed, “Mary!” and she never 

returned to life and said, “Yes, Brother Branham?”, as he claimed.

 

Lastly, William Branham's claim that the woman's daughter was “screaming which interrupted the meeting” is also unfounded because there is no part of the sermon that reflects that such a thing happened. (As is evident in the sermon's text and audio, William Branham never had to pause or discontinue his discourse when addressing Dr. Barton and Mary due to any interruption.)

​

The full text of the sermon can be read here.

The full audio of the sermon can be played here.

​

​

Lee Vayle's testimony about Mary confirms that the “Queen of Sheba” sermon is, in fact, the correct sermon to ascertain what really transpired.

 

In 1986, William Branham's close associate and book author, Lee Vayle, gave his testimony about the alleged “resurrection” of “Mary” in the Hartford meeting in 1958.

 

Therein, Lee Vayle indicated that Mary was in the meeting for her daughter, as follows,

​

“Okay. In 1958, then I’m working with Bro. Branham. And he scheduled a whole month of meetings up there in New England. And in New England is where... I won’t take too much time, but I’ll deal with two cases. First of all in Hartford, Connecticut, my good friend, Dr. Barton helped me set that meeting up. I suppose he’s deceased now. A dentist, a very wonderful person who loved Bro. Branham and Bro. Branham loved him. And in there, that city, he knew most people, because he was, not a legend there, but he was well known having lived there, pretty well I guess, all his life and being a dentist of no mean repute. In fact, he was head of the dental association around the world, lectured, and different things like that.

So there was a lady who had a daughter, who was evidently ill all her life. Perhaps crippled? I’m not sure. And the mother had simply exhausted her whole life taking care of that daughter. And she was very old. Okay, in that meeting the woman was there to receive help. And suddenly, I see Dr. Barton in consternation, and people in consternation. And this woman had slumped down, and they took her pulse. There was no pulse, and everybody got excited. And I was not excited, because Bro. Branham was there. I didn’t care if forty people slumped. Wouldn’t have bothered me if 140 slumped because, just as long as he took the time with 140, we’re going to have some good results? So I attracted Bro. Branham for this.

He said, “What’s wrong?”

They said, “Well, we think she is dead.”

And he stood there, and he said, “Mary, come back!’ And Mary came back. Her spirit was just about to go out the door of that auditorium. You see the spirit goes, but the soul lingers. So, we saw the dead raised. Mary came back, and until the day she died, she had beautiful health.”[1]

 

Lee Vayle's testimony about Mary being in the meeting for her daughter compares with what William Branham actually said to her in the “Queen of Sheba” sermon,

 

“All right, lady, look at me. All right. Look up here. If thou canst believe, all things are possible. She’s in prayer for somebody else. Mary, that’s her given name. She’s praying for a daughter of hers, and that daughter has a mental break. That’s what she’s praying for. Happens to be you with your hands on her; you’re her daughter too.”[2]

​

Because Lee Vayle provided details about Mary that compare with what William Branham actually said to her in the “Queen of Sheba” sermon, it is apparent that it is, in fact, the correct sermon to ascertain what really transpired with Dr. Barton, Mary and William Branham at the time.

​

As shown in the previous section, however, the sermon contains no indication or evidence of Mary dying and being raised from the dead “in that meeting”, as later claimed, but instead reflects that the entire situation that unfolded with her, Dr. Barton and William Branham was entirely different.

 

​

 

Footnotes:

[1]  See Lee Vayle, “Reminiscing”, Edmonton, Alberta, (1986), page 20 here and Audio at 1:12:26 of

“Brother Lee Vayle “Reminiscing.” | A Personal Testimony with William Branham April 1986”, 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGkewIW79Fc

[2]  “The Queen Of Sheba” (58-0503).

​