It was December 14, 1799, and George Washington, first president of the United States, lay on his deathbed, the result of male obstinance, a sudden change in the weather, a desire to be prompt which led to dinner in soggy clothes, and medical practices of the day that were useless in the face of whatever illness was attacking his body. Actually, just useless in general. As he could feel his time of departure drawing near, he spoke to his secretary and good friend, Tobias Lear, uttering what were in all probability his last words . . .
“I am just going. Have me decently buried; and do not let my body be put into the Vault in less than three days after I am dead.”
His secretary, unable to speak, nodded his agreement but Washington, unwilling to take a nod as confirmation, looked Lear in the eyes and asked, “Do you understand me?” to which Lear said yes. Only then was Washington satisfied.
So, why was it so important to George Washington that his burial instructions—including a three day waiting period—be followed exactly as he left them? Because George suffered from taphophobia . . . the fear of being buried alive. In his estimation, three days should provide enough time for any signs of life to manifest themselves . . . and any signs of death to become equally obvious. His sister-in-law Hannah was even more cautious. She wanted to remain above ground until her body literally began to decay or, as she put it, “no physician in the world can possibly tell whether or not a person is dead until putrefaction takes place and many have most assuredly been buried before they were dead . . . I therefore most earnestly pray that I may be allowed to remain in my bed just as I did whilst living until putrefaction by every known sign Justifies my being put into the coffin.”
In Washington’s day—and many days thereafter—the certainty of death was anything but. The advanced medical equipment and knowledge of today wasn’t even a distant dream then, and it was entirely possible—and probable—that many people were literally buried or entombed alive. Take for instance, the tale of Margorie McCall from Lurgan, County Armagh in Northern Ireland whose tombstone reads “Lived Once, Buried Twice.” According to the legend, Margorie died of a fever and her physician husband had her quickly buried, fearful that the sickness would run rampant resulting in more deaths. Unfortunately, he acted just a bit too hastily. And he buried Margorie still wearing her rather valuable wedding band. It was an open invitation to grave robbers who decided to remove Margorie’s finger since they couldn’t remove the band due to swelling. All it took was that first cut to bring Margorie “back from the dead.” And probably to send the grave robbers running. She made her way home (I’m sure much to the surprise and embarrassment of her doctor spouse), recovered from her illness, and lived a much longer life, complete with bearing children and, eventually, burying her husband.
In order to avoid this fate that really was worse than death, the creative minds of the world devised measures that would hopefully save those who might otherwise perish unbeknownst to their families who thought they already had. The simplest of these devices was a bell, placed above ground with a string that ran from it to the body of the allegedly deceased. Should they just happen to awaken from their death-like state, they could ring the bell to alert those overhead. Of course, if no one was close by . . .
Then there was the patented “safety coffin” which sported not only an alarm system but a ventilation tube as well so air could flow freely and sustain life until such time as the newly not deceased could be unearthed. If that time never came, the tube would be removed so the odor of decomposition didn’t fill the air around the grave.
Earlier this week, we shared a link on our Facebook page about Thomas Pursell and his handy, dandy escape burial hatch which allowed someone incorrectly entombed to survive until such time as they could be rescued. There’s no word if that was ever necessary, but I’m sure the thought provided a sense of relief for those who would eventually be placed in one of the chambers.
As much as we might like to believe instances of premature burial are a thing of the past, today we still read of those few unfortunate souls who find themselves in body bags or at the funeral home before their time has actually come. And although you might believe these only take place in third-world countries where medical practices may not be as advanced, you would be wrong. The United States has seen its fair share of the undead being proclaimed deceased. For example, there’s Thomas Anthony Hoover from Kentucky who woke up as he was being prepped for organ donation in 2021. Or Timesha Beauchamp from Michigan who was discovered alive in a body bag by the embalmer who was preparing to begin his work. That was in 2020. Then there was 16-year-old Sammy Berko of Missouri City, Texas, who was declared dead after over two hours of attempted resuscitation. The medical professionals, as a compassionate final act, left his parents to say goodbye to their son, only to have his mother notice his carotid artery moving. That, good people, was in January of 2023.
In much earlier times, people might request that their heart be removed before burial, or their head be separated from their body—both actions that would certainly assure the deceased was just that, even if they weren’t beforehand (spoiler alert—embalming will do the same thing). It seems the fear of being buried alive was so great, they were willing to die to avoid it.
About the author: Lisa Shackelford Thomas is a fourth-generation member of a family that’s been in funeral service since 1926 and has worked with Shackelford Funeral Directors in Savannah, Tennessee for over 45 years. Any opinions expressed here are hers and hers alone and may or may not reflect the opinions of other Shackelford family members or staff.
