“Hattie Waldrop Raised from the Dead”

William Branham alleged that at least ten different people were raised from the dead during his ministry. (A list of all ten people can be viewed here.)

One of the ten people was an older woman named Hattie Waldrop who allegedly died in a prayer line of his in 1947.

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.

In the following statements of his, he specifically claimed that Hattie Waldrop died in his prayer line with “cancer of the heart, colon, and liver”,

“Turn around. Sister Waldrop, would you stand up? There’s a lady that died in my prayer line with heart, colon and liver, about eight months ago, or two years. Is that right, Sister Waldrop? I told you’d have a sick spell. And you had it, didn’t you, sister? So you see, there she was.” “Experiences” (47-1207).

“Here was Miss Hattie Waldorf from Phoenix, Arizona, died in the prayer line. She told the intern and them, when they was bringing her through, said, “Take me through, anyhow.” And when she got up there, been dead.... Here's her address, name, number, everything. She's living today. Had cancer of the heart, colon, and liver.”

“At Thy Word, Lord, I'll Let Down The Net” (54-1207).

He also claimed that she was “dead in the prayer line for hours”,

“Would you happen to know Hattie Waldrop, in Phoenix? Died in the prayer line with cancer of the heart, seven years ago. She’s living in Phoenix today, normal and well.

She was dead in the prayer line for hours, before they got her in. A cancer that had went through her heart, colon and liver. Her doctor… I believe her address is in that book the girls got.” “Jesus Christ The Same Yesterday, Today, And Forever” (53-1107).

In addition, he claimed that she was dead and “covered up” in the prayer line,

“And I was with a lady the other day at Phoenix, Arizona, Mrs. Hattie Waldrop at her.... She had died with cancer of the heart and the liver. And he.... And her doctor was there and said, “Just want to shake your hand.” And he had....

She was dead—been laying dead in the prayer line, covered up. And she.... That was three years ago or more; she's just as well and normal as she can be.” “Exhortation of Divine Healing” (51-0501).

He even claimed that a doctor confirmed that she had died,

“Sister Waldrop, God bless you. Here’s a lady, certainly knows what healing was. She was brought back to life fifteen years ago in the prayer line, [Sister Waldrop says, “Yes, it was seventeen years.”—Ed.] seventeen years ago, died with cancer in her heart. The doctor has a record of it here. Mrs. Waldrop. How many knows that to be so, in Phoenix, raise your hands?” “God's Word Calls For A Total Separation From Unbelief” (64-0121).

“One of them testified over this pulpit when I was first here, second time here, Mrs. Hattie Waldrop. You remember? Phoenix, Arizona. Died with cancer of the heart and colon. The next was a lady, or a man, rather, in my city by the name of Lij Perry, killed in an accident, taken laid out by the doctor, died.

Hattie was raised up from the dead, living today, worked on the Pennsylvania Railroad. And the next was this baby over here.

. . .

But anyhow, I know those three doctors statements that they were dead.” “Testimony” (53-0510).

After dying, William Branham said that she “raised up from the dead” in the prayer line, as follows,

Hattie was raised up from the dead, living today, worked on the Pennsylvania Railroad.” “Testimony” (53-0510).

None of the people in William Branham's prayer lines were dead when the alleged “supernatural” event occurred.

From these statements, it is apparent that the meeting took place in Phoenix, AZ in 1947.

“Now, in Phoenix, that was during the time that Mrs. Waldroff here had died in a prayer line, with cancer in her heart, and was healed. She usually comes to the meetings. She is probably here now. And then…Mrs. Hattie Waldroff. Then we find out that her doctor had the testimony of it, give the—the photographs, or not the…What you call it, x-rays? X-rays of it, where the—the woman was had the cancer. And she is living today. And that was sixteen years ago. Now I’m quite sure that mister…Yes, there is Mrs. Waldroff, right there now. That’s right. [Someone says, “That’s been seventeen years, this March.”—Ed.] That’s seventeen years, this March. There is a lady that was dead, and come to life again, with cancer in her heart. Because, it was THUS SAITH THE LORD. Now notice them times.” “His Unfailing Words Of Promise” (64-0120).

“When sister, old Hattie Waldrop of Phoenix, Arizona, she was coming up the sidewalk, in my first meeting. The intern and her husband was bringing her; cancer of the heart. She had made her stand, in trying to get there to the meeting, but she was so bad she was…couldn’t breathe no more, the blood was dropping back through her heart where the cancer had eat into her heart. Now, cancer of the heart! That’s about eighteen, nineteen years ago, maybe twenty, 1947 is when it was.” “Desperations” (63-0901E).

Of the six recorded sermons of William Branham in 1947, five were recorded at the meetings in Phoenix, AZ. (All five sermons can be read and listened to here).

From a close examination of the sermons, it is apparent that none of the people he ever prayed for or addressed in the prayer lines were dead, let alone had been raised from it.

William Branham contradicted his claims that Hattie Waldrop “died in the prayer line” by stating that she “passed out with a cancer.”

In the fourth of the five sermons in Phoenix, AZ, he makes his only reference to Hattie Waldrop. As is evident therein, he did not state or indicate that she died with cancer, but instead said that she had “passed out, right here, with a cancer”, as follows,

“Everything is put in the hand of God. While I was praying for the lady, the vibration stopped on my hand. Now, that case means a whole lot. That woman wants to live same as the rest of us. [Blank spot on tape—Ed.]

And now, I believe with all my heart… She’s a Phoenix woman; you’ll see her on the street again, well. Now…?… Now, I thank you for your kindness of how you kept your heads bowed and things. You’re awfully nice and I—I know that faith… I wished I’d have had that lady that had the… Sister Waldrop here to testify to her. I don’t know where she’s from.

And I wonder, Sister Waldrop, if you’d walk out now and give her a testimony, tell her your condition. Here goes one of your Phoenix women was dying of cancer. Fact had already had passed out, right here, with a cancer, when I was here in the other meeting. How many knows her, let’s see your hand? Mrs. Waldrop, there she is.”

“Experiences” (47-1207).

There were only two other references he made to women with cancer in any of the five meetings in Phoenix in 1947 and they can be read here. (As is clear, both were of women who were still alive and not dead.)

Additional evidence that Hattie Waldrop had only “passed out” in the meeting.

From the following statements of William Branham, it is further evident that she had only “passed out” during the meeting,

“Is Mrs. Hattie in here tonight? Mrs. Waldrop? Well, here she is right here. That passed out here with a cancer of the heart, colon, and liver… She’s a living, isn’t she? My, very much, aren’t you, sister. There you are. Her doctor’s got the X-Rays here and so forth.” “The Angel Of God” (48-0304).

William Branham also stated that Hattie Waldrop merely “lost consciousness” and admitted that he did not think that she was dead,

Now, she said to her husband and the intern, “If though I die in this line, take me up there.” Desperation. She lost conscious. I don’t think she was dead; she claimed she was. Now, she might have been. She may hear this tape, you see. Now I—I—I…She, she claimed she was dead; I don’t know. They told me, “There’s a dead woman coming up the line.” And when the woman come by, she was lifeless. And when they brought her up there, the Word of the Lord came; and I went and laid hands upon her, and she rose up and went home, walking. This has been about, I’d say, safely, eighteen years ago, and she’s just as healthy and hearty…She’ll be at Tucson to meet me when I get down there.” “Desperations” (63-0901E).

Conclusions:

Based on all of the above, it is abundantly clear that all of William Branham's claims of Hattie Waldrop dying and being “raised up from the dead” in his prayer line are entirely false and fictitious.

Because she only “passed out” and did not die, the story is, in fact, one of the most glaring and patently false stories that William Branham ever told.

As a result of his decision to fabricate a fictitious story about her (i.e. lie), none of William Branham's stories about the other people he claimed were “raised from the dead” can be believed and accepted as true.

The stories of six other people are also demonstrated to be unbelievable at the following links,

Baby Raised from the Dead in Mexico

Boy Raised from the Dead in Finland

Edmund Way Raised from the Dead

Elijah Perry Raised from the Dead

Hartford Woman Raised from the Dead

Woman Raised from the Dead in Jonesboro

And since the stories of a total of seven of the eight people are unbelievable, his claims of having more people raised from the dead than Jesus Christ must be categorically rejected,

“Remember, there was only about three people raised from the dead by Jesus Christ; and we have on record, doctor's record, five.” “Is This The Sign Of The End, Sir?” (62-1230E).

Despite William Branham's claims, no doctor's records exist to confirm that any of the people had died or raised from the dead for the likely reason that none of the people had actually died.

All of William Branham's many related claims of Hattie Waldrop can be read here.