“[Staples] prayed that he might have liberty granted unto him to dig up the body of his daughter, Abigail Staples, late of Cumberland… in order to try an experiment on Livina Chace, wife of Stephen Chace… sister to the said Abigail… which being duly considered it is voted and resolved that the said Stephen Staples have liberty to dig up the body of the said Abigail, deceased, and after trying the experiment as aforesaid that he bury the body of the said Abigail in a decent manner.”
The ‘experiment’ Staples had in mind involved burning his daughter’s body in the presence of Livina Chace and other family members, so they might stand in and inhale the smoke. This ritual was intended to drive off vampiristic spirits, thus sparing family members from whatever illness had claimed the deceased.
Extant sources reveal at least nine cases of corpse exhumation and burning in Rhode Island and Connecticut in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Probably the best known example was carried out by Captain Levi Young, who settled in Rhode Island after his discharge from the army.
Young became a successful farmer while his wife Anna bore him eight children in the space of 15 years. In the winter of 1827 Young’s eldest daughter Nancy became seriously ill with consumption. She deteriorated over several weeks and died in April, aged 19. Shortly after Nancy’s death other members of Young’s family, including his second child, Almira, developed similar symptoms.
On advice from elderly locals, Young exhumed Nancy’s body and burned it – while his surviving family members stood in the billowing smoke.
Source: Cumberland Town Council minutes, February 8th 1796. Content on this page is © Alpha History 2019-23. Content may not be republished without our express permission. For more information please refer to our Terms of Use or contact Alpha History.