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The death of Hope Branham: Difference between revisions
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Most message followers believe that her death was a direct result of the [[Ohio River flood of 1937]], but is this factual? | Most message followers believe that her death was a direct result of the [[Ohio River flood of 1937]], but is this factual? | ||
=The story as told by William Branham= | |||
William Branham stated (see the quotes below) that his wife contracted pneumonia just before Christmas, 1936 and that he did not find out that she had TB until weeks after the [[Ohio River flood of 1937]], which took place in January and early February of 1937. He also stated that she was twenty years old when she died. In another place, he said she was twenty-one years old when she died. | |||
He also stated that he found out that his daughter, Sharon Rose, was sick after his wife died. | |||
=The facts= | =The facts= | ||
[[Image:1937 sharon death.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Death certificate of Sharon Branham]] | |||
According to the death certificate signed by Dr. Sam Adair, Hope Branham died on July 21, 1937. She had been diagnosed with tuberculosis in January, 1936 and the diagnosis had been confirmed by X-Ray. The death certificate also states that she was twenty-four years old when she died (her date of death was 5 days after her 24th birthday). | |||
Hope Branham appears to have been diagnosed with TB about the time that she became pregnant with her daughter. This is likely why the child died an early death. | |||
The death certificate of Sharon Branham states that she died on July 26, 1937 at the age of 8 months, 28 days. She was diagnosed with tubercular meningitis on July 20, 1937, the day before her mother died. Her death certificate also states that she also had pulmonary tuberculosis at the time of her death. | |||
=Conclusion= | |||
William Branham tells a heart-wrenching story of the early death of his wife and daughter. That much is true. | |||
But his tale of not finding out about his wife's illness until after the flood, appears to have been a complete fabrication. The doctor diagnosed Hope Branham with TB over a year and a half before she died. And how do you get your wife's age wrong by 4 years? | |||
Furthermore, the death certificate of his daughter states that she was diagnosed with tubercular meningitis the day before her mother died, and not the day after. | |||
That significant portions of this story is a fabrication is further confirmed by [[Hope Branham's Nurse|the details he relates about Hope's nurse]]. | |||
The question we can't answer is why William Branham made up portions of this story as sermon material. Was it to make it more dramatic for the audience? We can never know for sure... | |||
=Quotes of William Branham= | =Quotes of William Branham= | ||
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[[Hope Branham's Nurse|She called the nurse, Miss Cook. She said, "Come here." She said, "Set down just a minute. I've just got a few minutes left." And she was Hope's friend.]] And she was biting her lip. She said, "When you get married, I hope you get a husband like mine." And that… You know how it made me feel. She said, "He's been good to me, and we've loved each other the way we have." And said, "I hope you get a husband like mine." I—I turned my head; I couldn't stand it…?… walked out of the room. I walked over to her I said, "Sweetheart, you're not going to leave me, are you?" | [[Hope Branham's Nurse|She called the nurse, Miss Cook. She said, "Come here." She said, "Set down just a minute. I've just got a few minutes left." And she was Hope's friend.]] And she was biting her lip. She said, "When you get married, I hope you get a husband like mine." And that… You know how it made me feel. She said, "He's been good to me, and we've loved each other the way we have." And said, "I hope you get a husband like mine." I—I turned my head; I couldn't stand it…?… walked out of the room. I walked over to her I said, "Sweetheart, you're not going to leave me, are you?" | ||
''...She threw her hands up like that. And I kissed her good-bye. She went to be with God. That's my date with…?… I'm living as true as I know how to keep it. Someday I'll be there by God's grace. | ''...She threw her hands up like that. And I kissed her good-bye. She went to be with God. That's my date with…?… I'm living as true as I know how to keep it. Someday I'll be there by God's grace. When I returned home, oh, how I felt. I just couldn't hardly stand it, how they'd—they taken her down to the undertaker morgue and then they embalmed her body and laid her out. I was laying there that night; I happened to look. Somebody knocked at the door, Mr. Broy come up, he said, "Billy," said, "I hate to tell you the bad news." I said, "Brother Frank, I know she's down there in the morgue." I said… He said, "That's not all of it." Said, "Your baby's dying too." I said, "My what? Sharon's dying?" Said, "Sharon's a dying." Said, "They just took her to the hospital, and Doctor Adair said she can't live but just a little bit longer."<ref>William Branham, 51-0415A, Life Story, para. 104</ref> | ||
''About few weeks after that, things begin to happen. The flood come on later from that. And the first thing you know, wife got sick, Billy got sick; during that wrong. Right after that, the little girl… Just eleven months difference between Billy and his little—his little sister, which was Sharon Rose. | ''About few weeks after that, things begin to happen. The flood come on later from that. And the first thing you know, wife got sick, Billy got sick; during that wrong. Right after that, the little girl… Just eleven months difference between Billy and his little—his little sister, which was Sharon Rose. I wanted to name her a Bible name. So I couldn't call her the Rose of Sharon, so I called her Sharon Rose; and I—I named her that. She was a darling lovely little thing. And the first thing you know, the flood came up. She was laying there with pneumonia. And our doctor, Dr. Sam Adair came. And he's a brother to me. He looked at her, he said, "Bill, she's seriously ill." Said, "Don't you go to bed." Right at Christmas time. He said, "Don't you go to bed tonight. You give her orange juice all night long. Make her drink at least two gallons tonight to break that fever. She's got a fever of hundred and five," and said, "You must break that fever right away."<ref>William Branham, 52-0720A, Life Story, para. 102-103</ref> | ||
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And then I tried to find my wife. And when I got to the hospital, it was covered over with water. The dike had broke, and all the waters gushed in. Where was my wife and baby? I begin to find people [Blank.spot.on.tape—Ed.]… see if there was anyone drowned, but they got away on a train. And here I was setting on an island by myself. God give me a chance so—whether to call people trash or not. I said, "God, I know I've mis—I've misbehaved myself. Don't let my wife be killed." | And then I tried to find my wife. And when I got to the hospital, it was covered over with water. The dike had broke, and all the waters gushed in. Where was my wife and baby? I begin to find people [Blank.spot.on.tape—Ed.]… see if there was anyone drowned, but they got away on a train. And here I was setting on an island by myself. God give me a chance so—whether to call people trash or not. I said, "God, I know I've mis—I've misbehaved myself. Don't let my wife be killed." | ||
'''''Weeks later when the waters went down, I found her almost dead. TB had hit her'''; my two children were sick. And I loved my wife. And I run through the building trying to find her. And I screamed for her. And I seen her laying on a cot in a refugee's camp. And her eyes were way back. And she raised her hands; it was real bony. And I started weeping. And she said, "Oh Bill, I—I—I'm sorry I look like this."<ref>William Branham, 55-0626A | '''''Weeks later when the waters went down, I found her almost dead. TB had hit her'''; my two children were sick. And I loved my wife. And I run through the building trying to find her. And I screamed for her. And I seen her laying on a cot in a refugee's camp. And her eyes were way back. And she raised her hands; it was real bony. And I started weeping. And she said, "Oh Bill, I—I—I'm sorry I look like this." | ||
''...And then she opened her eyes. Oh, I shall never forget it. And when I—she looked at me, she tried to raise her—raise her hands for me. And I got down close to her. She said, "Oh, Billy, I love you so much. Billy, I'm going away, and I want you to be a good boy." '''She was twenty-one. She was twenty-one. I was twenty-three.'''<ref>William Branham, 55-0626A - My Life Story, para. 21-24</ref> | |||
''My mind goes back tonight, many miles away on a hillside tonight, where marks the very place of my beloved wife, that left me at—when '''she was twenty years old'''. I laid my darling little eight months old Sharon on her arm, as I buried them together.<ref>William Branham, 56-0917 - The Lamb And The Dove, para. 2</ref> | |||
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