When you hear the phrase 10 historical accounts of people who woke up in their coffins, you might picture ghost stories or horror movies. Yet these are true, documented incidents that span centuries and continents, proving that premature burial was a very real fear. Below, we walk through each chilling case, from a 17th‑century Englishwoman to a French lady who gave birth in a grave, all rewritten with a dash of humor and a heap of facts.
10 Historical Accounts of Premature Burials
10 Essie Dunbar
In the sweltering summer of 1915, 32‑year‑old Essie Dunbar of South Carolina suffered a severe epileptic seizure that left her seemingly lifeless. Doctors, convinced she had passed, placed her in a coffin with a slated burial for the following morning at 11:00 a.m. The plan was to give her sister, who lived out of town, a final chance to say goodbye. Unfortunately, the sister arrived just minutes after the casket was lowered into the earth, prompting an urgent exhumation so she could pay her respects.
Against all expectations, the supposedly deceased Essie sprang to life inside the coffin, flashing a grin at her bewildered sister. In the chaos, the three ministers overseeing the ceremony tumbled into the open grave; one even snapped three ribs while the others scrambled over him to escape. The ministers fled with the sister and the rest of the burial party, while Essie, never one to shy from drama, chased after them, creating a ruckus in the nearby town.
Legend has it that whispers of Essie’s “zombie‑like” return persisted for decades. She ultimately died in 1955 (some sources claim 1962), and a South Carolina newspaper famously headlined her second farewell: “Second funeral is held for South Carolina woman.”
9 Matthew Wall
Every October 2nd, the modest village of Braughing in Hertfordshire rings its church bell not in memory of elderly men, but in celebration of Matthew Wall, who narrowly escaped a premature burial in 1571. Wall, on the brink of marriage, was being carted to St. Mary’s Church in a coffin when a pallbearer slipped on damp leaves, sending the casket crashing to the ground.
The sudden impact jolted Wall from his near‑death trance. He thrashed inside the coffin, pounding on the wood and shouting to be released. After this miraculous revival, he went on to wed, father two sons, and live another 24 years, finally passing away in 1595.
His will stipulated an unusual tradition: on the second of October each year, the church bell should toll once for a funeral and again for a wedding, and the lane where the pallbearer slipped—Fleece Lane—must be swept clear of leaves. To this day, villagers honor his wishes, ringing the bell and sweeping the lane in a quirky homage to his close call.
8 Mrs. Blunden
Hampshire’s Mrs. Blunden suffered the misfortune of being declared dead twice, each time only to awaken within her coffin. On July 15, 1674, after ingesting poppy‑infused water, she fell into a profound sleep. Her body grew cold, breathing ceased, and there was no detectable pulse, prompting a swift burial despite her husband’s objections—he was away and intended to bury her upon his return.
Some mischievous children playing near the grave reported eerie noises, leading to an exhumation. Inside the coffin, Mrs. Blunden was found bruised and scratched from frantic attempts to escape. Yet, once again, she showed no signs of life, and officials declared her dead a second time, reinterring her.
The following day, during a coroner’s inspection, another exhumation revealed further injuries: a bloody mouth from biting herself and torn clothing. A guard stationed at the grave claimed he saw nothing, though speculation suggests he abandoned his post. Mrs. Blunden’s tragic double‑awakening remains a macabre footnote in burial history.
7 Unnamed Girl
In the 1850s, a young, unnamed girl on Edisto Island, South Carolina, succumbed to diphtheria while on vacation. To prevent the contagious disease from spreading, authorities hastily declared her dead and arranged an immediate burial in a local family’s mausoleum.
Years later, when the family opened the mausoleum to inter a son lost to the Civil War, they discovered a skeletal figure tucked just behind the heavy doors. The remains unmistakably belonged to the girl, confirming she had indeed awoken in her coffin and attempted a desperate escape before being sealed away forever.
6 Margaret “Maggie” Dickson
On September 2, 1721, Edinburgh’s Margaret “Maggie” Dickson faced a grim fate: tried and hanged for concealing an out‑of‑wedlock pregnancy. After a scandalous affair with an innkeeper’s son, she gave birth to a frail infant who died within days. To avoid scandal, she disposed of the baby in a river, where it was swiftly recovered and traced back to her.
Following her execution, Maggie’s body was placed in a coffin and transported 10 kilometers (about six miles) to a burial site. Mid‑journey, she miraculously revived, startling onlookers. Many interpreted this as divine intervention—a second chance granted by a higher power.
Reuniting with her husband, Maggie bore more children and earned the nickname “Half‑Hangit Maggie.” Her story, blending tragedy and redemption, remains a haunting reminder of the era’s harsh moral codes.
5 Unnamed French Gendarme
On March 17, 1889, the Press Democrat chronicled a bizarre incident near Grenoble, France, involving an unnamed gendarme. After indulging heavily in potato brandy, the officer slipped into a trance‑like sleep that lasted an entire day. His friends, noting the stiffening of his limbs—a hallmark of death—declared him dead.
As the coffin descended, the gendarme’s eyes snapped open. He pounded frantically on the wood, demanding release. The undertakers halted the burial and pried the coffin open, but tragedy struck: the officer had struck his head on the lid during his struggle and succumbed instantly.
4 Eleanor Markham
In the summer of 1894, Sprakers, New York resident Eleanor Markham suffered a series of heart troubles. After two weeks of worsening symptoms under the care of Dr. Howard, the physician pronounced her dead on the morning of July 8. A death certificate was promptly issued, and two days later, her body was placed in a coffin awaiting interment.
As the coffin was being loaded onto the carriage destined for the cemetery, Eleanor awoke with a startled cry, alerting the burial party that she was about to be interred alive. The coffin was swiftly opened, and a bewildered Eleanor exclaimed her terror. Dr. Howard, present among the mourners, soothed her, promising that the mistake would be rectified.
Later, Eleanor recounted that she had remained fully conscious throughout the entire burial preparation, hearing every whispered conversation and even the faintest rustle of fabric. Her harrowing experience underscores the era’s limited medical diagnostics.
3 Unnamed Three‑Year‑Old Boy
On April 25, 1913, an unnamed three‑year‑old child, son of Mrs. J. Burney, startled his community in Butte, California, by sitting up in his coffin just moments before burial. The boy fixed his gaze on his 81‑year‑old grandmother, Mrs. L. Smith, who, upon witnessing the scene, suffered a fatal shock.
After this terrifying episode, the child lost consciousness once more, slipping back into the coffin. Physicians later confirmed his death, and he was formally declared deceased.
The tale bears a chilling resemblance to the 2012 case of Kelvin Santos, a two‑year‑old Brazilian boy who, moments before burial, sat up, asked his father for water, and then fell back into the coffin, never to be revived.
2 Octavia Hatcher
In January 1891, James and Octavia Hatcher of Pikeville, Kentucky, mourned the loss of their only son, Jacob. Overwhelmed by grief, Octavia fell into a deep depression, refusing to leave her bed. She soon fell ill, slipped into a coma, and was declared dead on May 2. A swift burial followed.
Within days, family members observed that several townspeople who had also been in comas were reviving. Local folklore suggested a bout of sleeping sickness—transmitted by the tsetse fly—had afflicted the community, including Octavia.
Fearing they had interred a living woman, James and relatives rushed to the grave and exhumed it, only to discover Octavia had indeed awakened. Her coffin’s inner lining was torn, her hands stained with blood, and she had tried desperately to escape. James reburied her, erecting a monument depicting her cradling baby Jacob. To this day, visitors claim to hear a woman’s cries or a kitten’s mew from the grave, and the statue’s arm sometimes appears turned opposite its original direction on anniversaries. James, terrified of his own fate, had previously commissioned a custom‑made coffin that could be opened from within, should he ever face a similar ordeal.
1 Madame Bobin
On November 16, 1901, The Hereford Times reported the tragic case of Madame Bobin, who succumbed to yellow fever after arriving in Pauillacin, France, from Senegal. Her body hardened, her face turned ashen, and she was hastily interred.
A vigilant nurse, who had examined Madame Bobin before burial, noted that her body was not as cold as expected and observed subtle abdominal movements, suggesting she might still be alive. She warned that the woman could be buried prematurely.
Bobin’s father, alarmed, ordered an exhumation. To his horror, he discovered his daughter had given birth inside the coffin. A subsequent autopsy revealed she had not suffered from yellow fever and was, in fact, alive when buried. Unfortunately, she suffocated within the grave. The family pursued legal action and secured a compensation of 8,000 francs.