William M. Branham was born near Burkesville, Kentucky, on April 6, 1909,[4][5][6] the son of Charles and Ella Harvey Branham, the oldest of ten children.[7][lower-alpha 1] He claimed that at his birth, a "Light come [sic] whirling through the window, about the size of a pillow, and circled around where I was, and went down on the bed".[5] Branham told his publicist Gordon Lindsay that he had mystical experiences from an early age;[4] and that at age three he heard a "voice" speaking to him from a tree telling him "he would live near a city called New Albany".[4][5] According to Branham, that year his family moved to Jeffersonville, Indiana.[5] Branham also said that when he was seven years old, God told him to avoid smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages.[4][9] Branham stated he never violated the command.[4]