Category: Near Death Experience
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John (Jack) Britton
Date: Circa. 1872.Location: Leeds, UK. The following case appears to point to a hallucinatory origin of the music heard. It is an interesting case and worth quoting in an abbreviated form. It is printed in the “S.P.R. Journal,” Vol. IV, p. 181. Here the subject was a deaf mute, John Britton, who was taken dangerously…
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Emily Ainsworth
Date: Circa 1870’s. Location: Near Chicago, Illinois, USA. The following case is entirely second hand and very old. It must pass for what it is worth. The man who reports it is an intelligent person and, with the two instances in his own family briefly mentioned in a later letter, it may have a place…
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The Parish Visitor
Date: Circa. 1869.Location: Yorkshire, England From Canon —, who does not wish his name to be given:— October 6th, 1888 Sir—At your request I send you the following account of a curious occurence which came under my experience nearly 20 years ago. In the year 1869 I had the care of a small country parish on…
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Daisy Irene Dryden
Date: October 8th, 1864Location: San José, California The following account of the last days of a little child was published in the “Journal of the American S.P.R.,” edited by Dr. James H. Hyslop (Vol. XII, No. 6), and a considerably abridged report was compiled by Miss H. A. Dallas, a summary of which is given…
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Mr. James J. Kane of the U.S. Navy
Date: Most Likely Summer of 1864Location: Gulf of Mexico The “Daily Mail,” for October 1st, published a remarkable narrative of an experience of passing out of, and return to, the physical body. Mr. James J. Kane, for thirty years chaplain in the United States Navy, says that he had been eight times at the point…
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Sergeant-Major Albert Adams
Date: February, 1862. (Battle of Fort Henry, American Civil War) Location: Near Stewart County, TN, USA. April 22nd, 1884 I received my degree from Rush Medical College, Chicago, Ill., at the close of the session 1857-8, and having said so much will proceed to give you as clear and complete a statement of the occurrence…
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U.S. Civil War Artilleryman
Date: Circa, 1861-1865 [U.S. Civil War] Location: Undetermined, USA. Some years ago I became acquainted with a stalwart ex-soldier of our Civil War. He was an artilleryman, and was sitting on the ammunition chest of his gun when it was hit by a shell from the enemy’s gun and exploded. The man was thrown into…
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Mr. F. W. Thurstan: An Anglo-Indian’s Experience
Date: Circa. Early 1860s.Location: Near Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka It was, perhaps, only a dream, but [I] felt it was more than that, and while all other dreams of [my] childhood have vanished, this one forever remained as a real vision of another world to influence [my] career in this one. It came about in…
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Mrs. A’s Out-of-Body Experience
In June 1857, Mrs. A., residing with her husband, a British Army colonel, and their infant on Woolwich Common near London, experienced a surreal event. Waking suddenly, she felt as if observing her own lifeless body beside her husband. Initially believing she had died, she contemplated the impact on her loved ones before feeling herself…
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The Passing of Minna
Date: Prior to April 11, 1857. Location: Unknown, probably USA. After a bounteous repast I was led into a little room where lay Minna. She smiled sweetly as my gaze met her own, and I at once felt myself in the presenece of a purely spiritual being. And yet I experienced no restraint; for, if…
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Fanny Smith
Date: Prior to August 23, 1856. Location: Probably near Hopkinton, MA, United States. Nancy Andrews of Hopkinton, (Massachusetts, we suppose) in a brief communication refers to the closing scene in the earthly-life of Fanny Smith, a young lady on whose fair cheek the roses of fifteen summers had bloomed and faded. Our correspondent says, Fanny…
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Report of Dean Plumptre
In April 1854, a mother, lying on her death-bed, spoke in near-unconsciousness, unexpectedly naming her deceased children, including William, whose name had long been unspoken. She also mentioned Priscilla, who had passed away two days prior, unbeknownst to her.
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To See Her Children
Date: Circa. 1854 Location: Egypt A lady and her husband (who held a position of some distinction in India) were returning home (A.D. 1854) after an absence of four years, to join a family of young children, when the former was seized in Egypt with an illness of a most alarming character, and, though carefully…
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Edward Young
Date: Prior to Dec. 25, 1852 Location: USA? My Dear Friends:— In accordance with my promise to you, the other evening, I now proceed to give you an account of my, while laying on the bed of death. I felt an internal consciousness, from my first being taken sick, that that was my last sickness:…
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Mrs. Watress’s Rose
Date: Prior to October 25, 1852. Location: Worchester, NY?, USA?. Mr. Editor:— While visiting at Mrs. Bassett’s, in Worchester, a married sister of hers, Mrs. Watress, related to me a succinct account of a wonderful and remarkable vision, which she was favored with a few months previous to my visit. One Sunday afternoon, feeling an…
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Pittsburgh Vision
Date: Before September 13th, 1852. Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Some few days ago, we noticed the fact of a young lady, residing in this city, being in a trance, since the previous Saturday. At first we have inclined to treat the rumor as a hoax, but we have since made inquires about the case, and find…
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Henry Clay’s Alledged Experience
Date: June 29, 1852. Location: Washington, D.C., USA. When the dissolution of the body is gradual, it not unfrequently occurs that in proportion as the external senses are obscured, the soul experiences an immortal quickening; so that the forms of departed spirits are rendered visible, and the other life becomes a present occurrence, and tangible…
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The Headache
Date: Prior to June 19, 1852. Location: NY, USA? We have given a new title to the following article from the Sunday Dispatch. Such things are of daily occurrence, and secular papers publish them approvingly, so long as they are labeled Pathological Phenomena.—Ed. Singular Pathological Phenomena.— A case presenting features of a most strangely intereseting…
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I Don’t See Out of my Eyes
Date: 1851 Location: USA A little lad, robust, fun-loving, free, until he was eight years old, began then to fail in body and to mature in mind, until his spiritual nature seemed to have absorbed mental and physical, in development for another world. One evening, as it began to draw toward the first day of the…
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Dr. Passavant’s Account of a Peasant Boy
Date: Undetermined (Probably mid-19th Century [~1850])Location: Undetermined (Probably in Pennsylvania, US) Dr. Passavant relates the case of a peasant boy, who after a short but painful illness, apparently died, his body being perfectly stiff. He, however, revived, complaining bitterly of being called back to life. He said he had been in a delightful place, and…
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Margaret Hangley
Date: September 20, 1849 Location: Bangor, Maine. The following communication refer to a palpable case of spiritual transit to the other world, and the prophetic announcements are among the facts which forever remain to puzzle and rebuke the skepticism of unbelieving men. [Ed.] To Editor of the Telegraph: Dear Sir: During the summer of 1849,…
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Meanwhile in India
Date: Circa. 1830 – 1840. Location: United Kingdom, India The following incident was sent to the “Spectator” by “H. Wedgwood” in 1882. He says: Between forty and fifty years ago a young girl, a near connexion of mine, was dying of consumption. She had lain for some days in a prostrate condition taking no notice…
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Admiral Francis Beaufort
Date: Circa. 1825Location: Portsmouth Harbour, England The following letter, addressed by Admiral Beaufort to Dr. W. H. Wollaston, giving an account of the feelings of the former when apparently on the very point of death from drowning, was originally published in the Life of the late Sir John Barrow. It will well repay perusal: The…
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Christiane
Date: Circa, 1816. Location: Weinsberg, Germany In September 1820, my daughter Christiane, who was still overwhelmed by an unrelenting longing for her deceased brother, experienced a sudden episode while sitting quietly in the living room. She fell into a deep sleep. During this state, she later described the following vision: ‘I found myself walking along…
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A Young Lady and Her Soldier Lover
Date: Circa. 1807-1814 Location: Ross-Shire, Scotland. Dr. Macnish noticing the following case, which he says may be confidently relied on, is one of the most striking examples of identity between the dream and the real circumstances, with which I am acquainted:—Miss M— a young lady, a native of Ross-shire, was deeply in love with an…
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Old Man Westburn
Date: Circa 1757-1758 Location: Undetermined (Most likely near Edinburgh) Sir Bernard Burke, in his book entitled Family Romance, thus describes the dream and death of Westburn, about 1757 or 1758. Westburn, who was an elderly man, and not in very strong health, was in the habit of reposing during an hour after dinner, and his…
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Mrs. Birbeck of Cockermouth
Date: 1739 Location: Cockermouth, UK. In 1739 Mrs. Birbeck, the wife of William Birbeck, banker, of Settle, and a member of the Society of Friends, was taken ill and died at Cockermouth, while returning from a journey to Scotland, which she had undertaken alone—her husband and three children, aged seven, five, and four years respectively,…
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Johann Schwerzeger
Date: 1733Location: Undetermined. UK? In the year 1733 Johann Schwerzeger fell into a state of trance, after an illness, but revived. He said he had seen his whole life, and every sin he had committed, even those he had quite forgotten—everything had been as present to him as when it had happened. He also lamented…
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Thomas Say
Date: Circa, 1725. Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Vision During A State of Coma This case has a resemblance to this vision of Dr. Wiltse, in Proceedings, Vol. VIII. p. 180 (quoted in Human Personality, Vol. II. p. 315), and is still more interesting in that, if the statements given are to be implicitly trusted, the patient…
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Mrs. Goffe
Date: June 3rd, 1691 Location: Rochester, England The case of Mrs. Goffe is also of remote date, 1691, but it taken from a contemporary report made by the Rev. T. Tilson in a letter he addressed to the famous divine, Richard Baxter, who published it in a book he wrote. The case is given in…
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Monk of Evesham’s Vision
Date: Circa, 1196. Location: Evesham Abbey, Worcestershire England In those days a monk belonging to the convent of Evesham fell ill, and for fifteen months he was terribly afflicted with bodily pain. Food and drink made him so nauseous that sometimes he would take nothing but the smallest drop of cold water for nine days…
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Vision of Tundale
Date: Circa, 1149. Location: Cork, Ireland. As many inhabitants of the city of Cork, who were present then, may testify, he lay dead for three days and three nights; and later he spoke bitterly of all that he suffered during this period because of his previous easy carelessness, as his present life bore witness. For…
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Tortgyth’s Vision
Date: Prior to 731 A.D. Location: England, perhaps near Barking. When Ethelburga, the devout Mother of this God-fearing Community, was herself about to be taken out of this world, one of the sisters whose name was Tortgyth saw a wonderful vision. This nun had lived many years in the convent, humbly and sincerly striving to…
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The Vision of Drythelm
Date: Circa 696 – 699 A.D. Location: Cunningham, Northumbria (Modern day Northern England and Sourthern Scotland) About this time, a noteworthy miracle, like those of olden days, occurred in Britian. For, in order to arouse the living from spiritual death, a man already dead returned to bodily life and related many noteable things that he…
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The Soldier (via Gregory the Great)
Date: Prior to 590 A.D. Location: Undetermined. Most likely in the Middle East. Continued from Stephen At that time a certain soldier was also brought to the point of death. In a similar way his soul was carried out of his body, so that he lay void of any sense of feeling. But he quickly…
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Stephen (via Gregory the Great)
Date: Prior to 590 A.D. Location: Constantinople, modern day Istanbul, Turkey. Continued from Peter the Monk But because the human heart is worse than obdurate and hard, it happens that though others have the same vision and see the same punishments, they do not always reap the same profit. The honerable man Stephen, whom you…
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Peter the Monk (via Gregory the Great)
Date: Prior to 590 A.D. Location: Perhaps Spain? A certain Slav was a monk and lived with me here in this city in my monastery. He used to tell me that when he lived in the wilderness he knew a monk named Peter, who was born in Spain. He lived with him in the vast…
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Vision of Salvius (6th Century Monk)
Date: September 10th, 584 A.D. Location: Modern-day France. Although I am fain to continue this History from the point reached in the foregoing books, a feeling of veneration bids me first say somewhat on the death of the holy Salvius, who died, as is well known, in this year. As he himself used to relate,…
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Vision of St. Peter (St. Peter’s Apocalypse)
Date: Circa, 2nd Century A.D. Location: Undetermined, possibly Egypt or Palestine. And my Lord Jesus Christ our king said to me, “Let us go to the holy mountain.” And his disciples went with him praying. There were two men there, and we could not look on their faces, for a light came from them shining…
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Er of Pamphylia
Date: Prior to 375 BCE.Location: Pamphylia (Modern-day Southern Turkey) Well, I said, I will tell you a tale; not one of the tales which Odysseus tells to the hero Alcinous, yet this too is a tale of a hero, Er the son of Armenius, a Pamphylian by birth. He was slain in battle, and ten…
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Thespesius of Soli
Date: During or before 1st century A.D. Location: Soli—Modern day Mezitli, Turkey. Then I spoke as follows:—The Solian, Thespesius, an associate and friend of that Protogenes who was here with us, having led a very dissipated life in his youth, and in a short time squandering his property, for a while on account of his impoverished condition…
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