question for old house owners...

[1880 Stick Victorian]

rather than tagging on tonyp's thread in general information...this is kind of a morbid question but i am curious would you have bought your house had you known that people passed on in your house...would you have purchased it if someone was murdered or committed suicide in your house?

i never really gave it much thought until tonyp mentioned buying a funeral home... i really never knew that anyone had died in our house until i started doing research through old newspapers...which lead me to the town clerk's office looking up death certificates. Out of the 7 people who died while living here i can now confirm that 5 (possibly 6) died in the house, the 7th died in an automobile accident on his way back to the house from college. Four of them had the funerals or services here in the house... had we known this before hand it wouldn't have made a difference...the house is 132 years old...times were so different back in the 1800s than they are now.

[cs]

There was a thread about this back in 2006: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10134&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit

For me it would not make a bit of difference... unless the death was so notorious that house became a subject of fascination for the morbidly curious. THAT would be a pain.

Chris
http://www.saracenihouse.com

[Josiecat]

Nope. I'm sure people were laid out in the parlor. That's the way it was. There are several pictures of victorian post-mortem pictures of dead and sometimes live/with dead people and a lot are taken in the house.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thanatosdo ... 0887340360

[jwesevich]

I remember seeing a picture of an upstairs window in one house that was situated so they could easily move a coffin. Shrug...

[James]

In 250 years or thereabouts I am sure a lot of folks lived, and died, in this house. Can't imagine letting that freak you out. but some folks do I guess.

[Daniel Meyer]

Here ya go!
http://youtu.be/RyLE6t1MxiY

[housecrazy sarah]

It's a really interesting question... I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I agree with the other posters that death is a natural part of life and history. I find it intriguing to think that people may have died in my 1870's house. It makes me feel connected to history.

On occassion, however, i wonder if someone ever died in the house under tragic circumstances... like falling down the dangerous spiralling staircase. I wonder if any children died in the house? Or who or how many were born in this house? So many mysteries about this old house!

[Sashguy]

Consider that, for the most part, we all have very old homes. I would be quite surprised if there is anyone on this forum who hasn't had someone pass in their home.

[CivilWarHome]

I know for sure that two people died in our house after 1920. Since it was built in the late 1850s I bet there are a few more that I do not know about.

[nezwick]

Just like the funeral home question, it would absolutely not change my mind at all if I knew someone died in the house (the exception being what Chris said about too much publicity - anyone else enjoy American Horror Story on FX? - one of my fav new shows). In fact, I'd insist that the seller/realtor tell me exactly where in the house the murder/suicide/death occurred.

I know for sure that there was at least one funeral service held in our house - that of Mr. McCullough - and I imagine his wife who had passed earlier was "sent off" in the house too. I know that Mr. McCullough died in Erie in a home, but I don't know what became of Mrs. McC.

Being the curious skeptic that I am though, I'd probably be inclined to try to seek out any resident spirits (benevolent OR evil) and that might just get me in some trouble!