“Uneducated Because Father Died”
William Branham often claimed that he was not educated because he had to leave school as a boy after his father's death to work and support his family, as shown in the following accounts:
“And I never heard in my life of this gallant man, Mr. Upshaw. You know in my talk that I'm uneducated. I was raised in a big family of ten children. I got not even a grammar school education. Seventh grade was as far as I got in school. I had to go to work, take care of nine children. My father wasn't very healthy, died young, and I had to work. I never got my education, I would've knew mister Upshaw.” “Who Hath Believed Our Report?” (51-0719).
“I said, "When I was a boy, my father died. I had ten children to take care of, and I had to work and support my mother and the children. Then since the Lord has sent me out, why, I have-haven't had a chance."” “The Faith That Was Once Delivered To The Saints” (53-1129A).
“I said, "Well, I was raised poor, ten of us children; daddy died when I had to take care of them and my widowed mother," and I said...” “I Will Restore” (54-0620A).
“My father died young." I said, "I had to work and take care of ten children." And I said, "I-I didn't get much education, just the seventh grade."” “Leading of the Spirit of God” (55-0807E).
“I said, "Yes, sir, that's right." I said-I said, "I know my grammar's awful." I said, "I'm sorry about that." I said, "I was raised in a family of ten, and I was the oldest. And my daddy died, and I had to take care of ten children, and my mother..." I said, "I didn't get a chance to get an education."” “Expectation” (55-1001).
“Some time ago, there was a-a fellow at Fort Wayne, Indiana, said to me, he said, "Brother Branham..." And he was behind the stage at the Fort Wayne Gospel Tabernacle. He said, "It's a shame, your grammar." I said, "I know it's awful." I said, "I didn't get an education, there's ten of us children. And dad died, and I had to take care of the other nine."” “Thirsting for Life” (59-0414).
Evidence that William Branham was not a boy when his father died, as he claimed.
The official death certificate of William Branham's father, Charles Branham, is evidence that William Branham misled the people and falsely claimed that he was a boy when his father died. (A copy of the death certificate can be viewed here and at the end of this webpage.)
As is clearly indicated on the death certificate, Charles Branham, died on November 30, 1936.
Charles Branham's obituary in the December 1, 1936 issue of the Jeffersonville Evening News also reflects that he died on November 30, 1936. (A copy of the obituary can be viewed here and at the end of this webpage.)
It is clear that William Branham could not have been a boy when his father died, as he claimed, because he was born in the first decade of the 20th century and therefore was an adult in his upper 20s when his father passed away in 1936. (The most commonly accepted year of William Branham's birth is 1909, which is consistent with what is declared on his license of marriage to Meda Broy.[1] However, his birth year is also declared to be 1908 on his license of marriage to Hope Brumbach.[2] In the 1910 census, his parents also entered his age as three years old, which would mean he was born in 1907.[3])
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If William Branham was born in 1907, he was 29 years old when his father died.
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If William Branham was born in 1908, he was 28 years old when his father died.
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If William Branham was born in 1909, he was 27 years old when his father died.
The absurdity of William Branham's claims is further evident by the fact that he said he dropped out of seventh grade to take care of his younger siblings, who would have been the following ages in 1936 when his father actually died:
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Winferd “Humpy” “Edward” Branham – 26 years old if he had not passed away (born May 12, 1910);
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Melvin Francis Branham – 24 years old (born May 27, 1912);
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Edgar L. Branham – 22 years old (born May 14, 1914);
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Jesse Branham – 20 years old (born July 3, 1916);
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Charles R. Branham – 16 years old if he had not passed away (born circa 1920);
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Henry Levi Branham – 15 years old (born April 4, 1921);
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Howard “Duffy” L. Branham – 13 years old (born May 5, 1923);
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James Donald “Donnie” Branham – 9 years old (born August 8, 1927);
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Delores R. Weber Filer – 7 years old (born November 2, 1929).[4]
Not only did William Branham not ever drop out of the seventh grade to take care of his siblings after his father's death, but the following circumstances were instead true about his life and family when his father died on November 30, 1936:
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William Branham had been married to his first wife, Hope Brumback, for almost two and one-half years (since June 22, 1934);[4]
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William Branham was the father of Billy Paul and Sharon Rose who were born on September 13, 1934 and October 28, 1936, respectively;[5]
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His brother, Melvin Branham, had been married to his first wife, Charlotte Brumback, since May 26, 1936;[6]
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His brother, Charles Branham, Jr., who died in an automobile accident on August 5, 1935 at sixteen-years old, had already been deceased for more than a year;[7]
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His brother, Edward W. Branham (Humpy), who died on June 20, 1929 of “Rheumatic Hypertrophy of the Heart” at nineteen-years old, had already been deceased for more than seven years.[8]
William Branham also lived in a small house at 430 Graham Street, Jeffersonville, Indiana with his wife and two children in 1936 when his father died. The city directory from 1935 (which can be viewed here) and the city directory from 1937 (which can be viewed here) reflect that he lived at that address during those years.
Footnotes:
[3] A copy of the 1910 census in which William Branham's parents entered his age as three years old can be viewed here.
[4] The June 22, 1934 marriage date of William Branham and Hope Brumbach is evident on their marriage license here.
[5] The birth year of Billy Paul Branham is evident here. The birth year of Sharon Rose Branham is evident here.
[6] Melvin Branham's marriage to Charlotte Brumback on May 26, 1936 is evident here.
[7] The death of Charles Branham, Jr. on August 5, 1935 due to an auto accident at sixteen-years old is evident here.
[8] The death of Edward W. Branham on June 20, 1929 due to “Rheumatic Hypertrophy of the Heart” is evident here.
Additional evidence that William Branham was not a boy when his father passed away.
It is also apparent that William Branham was not a boy when his father died because he was, “the Rev. William Branham, pastor of the Pentecostal Tabernacle” at the time, as the aforesaid obituary and city directories establish.
The deed of the “Billie Branham Pentecostal Tabernacle” stating that the Tabernacle was purchased on November 9, 1936 is also evidence that William Branham was not a boy when his father died a few weeks later on November 30, 1936. (A copy of the deed can be viewed here.)
In addition, William Branham's statements below demonstrate that he was a Christian minister, and not a boy, when his father died,
“And this morning while laying on bed thinking of that... The first one to go in our family was my brother Edward. And I was out west working on a ranch when he went. I wasn't home, but I saw him, yet a sinner, saw him in a vision before he went.
The next one to go was Charles. I was... He went quickly, suddenly. He was... I was preaching down here at the little, colored Pentecostal church that night, when Charles was killed up on the highway by an automobile.
The next one to go was dad, went in a heart attack, died in my arms. I committed his soul to God: went suddenly, quick.
The next one to go was Howard. I was out in the west on a vacation down the River No Return, when planes flew in, dropped little parachutes, that he was gone. But I, 'course, saw him go, years, two or three years before he went. We knew he was going.” “The Testimony of a True Witness” (61-1105).
“And, here, my daddy dying on my arms. And my brothers died, was killed while I was stand in the pulpit down here at this little, colored Pentecostal church, preaching. Come told me, "Your brother was killed up on the highway. A car hit him and killed him." His own brother's blood dripping off his shirt, where he picked him up on the highway. Right after I buried him, my daddy died. Then, there laid my wife out there.” “Is Your Life Worthy of the Gospel?” (63-0630E).
“I remember my daddy died, he just beginning to gray a little bit at the temples. When he laid there in the casket, and I picked up his head, which he'd died right on my arm. And I picked up his head and his locks of hair fall down, I thought, "Oh, Dad." I looked at his hand. He had had his finger cut off there in the shredder one day. I thought of all the heartaches that I'd caused him. It wasn't "the old man." That was my daddy. I don't care who else, what they thought about him; he was still my dad. I loved him, and I love him today. I had the privilege of leading him to Christ.” “Life Story” (52-0720A).
“I just loved my daddy. He didn't-wasn't a Christian until a little bit before he died. I led him to Christ. But he was Irish through and through, and a real drinker. And no matter what he did, I don't care what he did; he's my daddy anyhow.” “The Resurrection” (53-1205).
Contradictory claims that William Branham made about his father and why he had to quit school when he was a boy.
William Branham also contradicted his claims that he had to go to work because his father died by stating that he had to go to work because his father “wasn't strong” and “was sickly”,
I said, “Well, we was so poor I couldn’t go to school when I was a boy. There was nine of us boys and one girl in the family, and dad wasn’t very strong, so I had to work.” “Jehovah-Jireh” (57-0326).
I said, “I only got a seventh-grade education.” I said, “We had ten children. My daddy was sickly and I had to go to work. I had to quit school, just a little boy.” “The World Is Falling Apart” (63-1115).
William Branham's false and contradictory claims about his father's cause of death.
Notwithstanding the fact that the cause of death on Charles Branham's death certificate is indicated as “Pulmonary Edema and Rheumatic H. Disease”, William Branham also made all of the following contradictory and unfounded claims about the cause of death of his father,
“First thing, I lost my daddy. I run over to the house to see him, picked him up in my arms like that, he looked up at me like that, he smiled. A doctor had give him a dose of medicine that killed him. One overdose of strychnine for his heart, and it killed him. 'Course, there's nothing said about that. The undertaker covers up the doctor's mistakes many times. Nothing I got against doctors, but I say there's nothing said about that.” “Life Story” (50-0200).
“My father drink very, very heavy. Irish and he just... Fact, it's what killed him.”
“Believe Ye That I Am Able” (50-0820).
“And my daddy, just before he left, he-he-he called for me. He'd been... He'd... Poor old fellow, I hate to say this. It just kills me to say it here; he died hungry. That's right. My daddy died hungry. And he... It was during the time of the depression. We work-couldn't work, and couldn't find nothing to work, and he was sickly, and we was just barely making on it, just-just dividing what we could divide. But I know he was hungry, 'cause we hadn't eaten since the day before. And he had a heart attack, and I stood by his bed. And I picked him up on my arms, like that, and he looked at me, and went out to meet God. I believe someday I'll see him again.” “Life Story” (51-0415A)
“My father died early, fifty-two, with a heart attack.” “Exhortation on healing” (51-0501).
“My daddy was killed with a dose of medicine, my own father. The doctor come up to see him; he had something wrong with his heart. He give him a little tablet; he lived five minutes. We called in another doctor, and he said, "Well, he-he give him strychnine." And he went and took that strychnine; it was a half grain of strychnine. He said, "I knowed your dad," said, "His-his heart wouldn't of stood a fortieth of a grain of strychnine." But a dose of medicine killed my daddy.” “Come, Let Us Reason Together” (55-1004).
“But my father died at fifty-two; drinking killed him. But I may live to be old. Usually they-when they get old, they get the palsy, shake, when they get old. That's just the nature of Branhams. Like it was the nature for Isaac to be blind, and Jacob went blind, and so forth like that. It's just the nature of our family.” “Five Junctions of Time” (56-0122).
“I think about my own dad. He's done crossed over. As his locks fell across my arm when a doctor give him a dose of medicine, that killed him with an overdose of strychnine... And it killed him. And he just looked up at me, his little Irish eyes... Wish I could see him walk down through these aisles today. But there's somebody else's dad is here. Will you accept it, brother? Believe on the Lord? All right.” “Jehovah-Jireh” (56-0429).
“And Satan come to me. He said, "Now, will you serve Him? Now, what do you think about Him? Your daddy died about a-two weeks ago in your arms. A doctor killed him with a dose of medicine." Said, "Your brother, less than a month ago, was killed up there on a-on the road, and you picked him up and his blood running out of his body, where a drunk run over him." Said, "There lays your wife down here in the morgue. And now, He's taking your baby out of your arms." Said, "You still love Him?"” “Hear Ye Him” (57-0519A).
“And this morning when that drunk man, maybe setting present now, moved up there to the car and asked for enough-a nickel or a penny, to help him get a drink, while putting my arms around him and said, "Brother, my daddy died drinking. Don't do this. I could not give you money to drink, 'cause I'm a minister." And the tears coming down his cheeks, asking You to bless him.” “Who Is This?” (59-1122).
“And there He let your daddy die right on your arm with an overdose of medicine that killed him." A doctor killed him. Not knowing what he was doing, give him a half grain of strychnine, and it killed him. And I... And he died right on my arms, looking me in the face.” “He Careth For You” (60-0301)
