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The Woman Who Was Declared Dead 3 Different Times During Her Life Before Being Revived Just Before Burial

In 1905, a young British woman was believed dead for eight hours before the undertaker discovered she was still alive — remarkably the third time in her life this had happened

Andrew Martin
4 min readJan 31, 2023

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It has long been a fear of many of being mistaken for deceased and subsequently placed in a grave while still very much alive. Imagine the terror of a Hapton, England woman around the turn of last century, who had multiple instances in her life where she was believed to be dead, but was revived just as she was about to be buried.

The January 18, 1905 issue of the Chicago Tribune told the strange story of a 28-year-old woman identified as Esther Holden. She had just undergone the horrifying experience of feeling poorly, being subject to fainting spells and collapsing. She was believed by her family to be dead, with her corpse laying in wait for the undertaker for hours covered by a sheet. It was only after she was being measured for a coffin that it was discovered she was actually still alive.

Mrs. Holden recalled:

“I only remember kissing my husband and feeling I was getting colder and colder. Everything…

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Andrew Martin
Andrew Martin

Written by Andrew Martin

Dabbler in soccer, history, investing & writing. Master’s degree in baseball history. Passionate about history, diversity, culture, sports, film and investing .

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