Yes, a Battle Creek man was buried alive in Oak Hill cemetery back on August 23rd, 1846.  I’m sorry did I forget to put that in my title.  It was reported he died of “kidney difficulties”.  Michael Delaware informs us of this tragedy. Michael relaunched his YouTube channel in 2020 and began talking about the history of Battle Creek, and Calhoun County

Dorrance Williams was a man that came to Battle Creek in 1828 as a land surveyor.  Michael then tells us that in 1831 he purchased approximately 400 acres “on the Goguac Prairie, an area just south of downtown Battle Creek”.   He was buried in 1846 and then his grave was dug up to be moved to another part of the cemetery.  That is when things got really interesting.  The people who dug up the grave discovered what they believe is evidence that he was buried alive.  After viewing the video below that evidence is pretty strong.

How many people are buried alive accidentally each year?  Good question, I had the same one.  I could not find any reputable sites that gave us any numbers I could even come close to trusting.  With today’s advanced medical equipment, I will assume almost is buried alive.  In the far past, that assumption probably could not hold water.  I found a website called mentalfloss.com that had a piece titled “4 People Who Were Buried Alive (And How They Got Out)”.  That article gives us 4 people who died back in 1822, 1867, 1915 and 1937.  Really in 1937!  You may find the article interesting.

The Oldest Cemetery In Lansing

The Ghost Town & Cemetery of Shackhuddle

More From WKFR