Time to wrap up another year of Mystery Monday posts. This month we’re going across the pond to the town of Hexham, Northumberland, England.
Beaumont Street in Hexham (Public Domain)
Florence and John Pollock were married in the 1940s. Florence gave birth to two sons before welcoming their first daughter, Joanna, in 1946. In 1951, the Pollocks had a second daughter named Jacqueline.
Even with their five-year age difference, the two girls shared a close bond. Joanna took on both the role of big sister and also type of mother to Jacqueline since Florence stayed busy running the family’s grocery business.
Supposedly Joanna claimed she would remain a child forever and not grow up to be a lady. In 1957 when she was eleven and Jacqueline was six, the two girls were walking to church with a friend named Anthony. An erratic driver came up behind the children, hitting all three, and killing the girls instantly. Anthony died of his injuries while on the way to the hospital.
As you might imagine, Florence and John Pollock were grief-stricken over the deaths. Florence fell into a deep depression. John held the spiritual belief the girls were in Heaven or that they would be reincarnated. This put a strain on their marriage—Florence was a strict Catholic and didn’t hold to any beliefs in reincarnation.
However, the two of them remained together and Florence became pregnant again. John was convinced Florence would give birth to twin daughters, even though there wasn’t a family history of twins. The doctor claimed there was a single fetus, and Florence said she never felt like she was carrying two babies.
John remained insistent and on October 4, 1958, Florence gave birth to identical twin girls—Gillian and Jennifer. Jennifer had a small birthmark on her left hip and one on her forehead. Jacqueline had a similar birthmark on her hip as well as a scar on her forehead.
When the twins were three months old, the family moved to Whitley Bay which is east of Hexham. After they were old enough to talk, they began asking for toys that belonged to Joanna and Jacqueline. They were able to identify these toys by name, and even divided them in the same way their sisters did.
John and Florence also noticed the girls had similar personalities to Jacqueline and Joanna. Gillian, born ten minutes before Jennifer, was protective of her sister much in the same way Joanna was to Jacqueline. The twins enjoyed many of the same games and foods as their older sisters.
As the girls got older, they seemed to have vivid memories of Hexham despite them being too young to remember living there. They would sometimes panic upon seeing cars and supposedly knew about street safety without their parents telling them.
When Jennifer and Gillian were four, the family returned to Hexham. The girls pointed out landmarks they had never seen before, including the school Joanna and Jacqueline attended, Hexham Abbey, and a playground where their deceased sisters loved to play. Jennifer and Gillian seemed to know their way around the playground.
Florence continued to reject the idea of reincarnation until she overheard the girls talking about Joanna and Jacqueline’s car accident. Gillian cradled Jennifer’s head saying, “The blood is coming out your eyes. That’s where the car hit you.”
Shortly after they turned five, memories of their “past life” began to fade. However, their story drew the attention of Dr. Ian Stevenson, a psychologist who studied reincarnation. He believed their story was real.
John and Florence claimed they never talked about Joanna and Jacqueline to the twins, but many skeptics believe they heard stories from their older brothers.
Whatever the case, this remains a strange and bizarre mystery.
37 Responses
Past lives are a strongly held belief in most schools of Buddhism, and age five is a common age for ‘forgetting’. But for the two girls to return as twins in the same family is something extra special and rare. Thanks for sharing this fascinating story, Joan. Have a wonderful week. Hugs 💕🙂
The question I’ve always had about reincarnation is which babies get new souls and which get reincarnated souls and how that process works.
Great questions, Liz! 💕🙂
Thanks, Harmony!
I agree with Harmony. Great question to ponder.
Thanks, Joan.
I believe it’s also common in Hinduism. It is strange about returning as twins. Thanks, Harmony.
A very bizzare mystery, indeed. That must have been very disconcerting for the twins’ parents.
I agree, Liz. I can’t imagine what they went through.
Bizarre story. In an age without access to Google maps and other things it becomes even stranger.
I agree, Craig.
An interesting story indeed. I think I heard about it on a podcast once.
I don’t recall where I first heard this story, but it is interesting.
What a bizarre and fascinating story, Joan! I personally don’t believe in reincarnation but this kind of stuff is very hard to explain away. A great Mystery Monday share!
I’m like you, I don’t believe in reincarnation, but this story fascinated me. It’s certainly bizarre.
That. Is. Bizarre. The concept of reincarnation has always fascinated me, so I’ll be doing some more digging into this story. Thanks, Joan!
I’ve never believed in reincarnation, but I found this story intriguing. Now, if you want to talk about time travel… The idea of that has always fascinated me.
Same! Any book description or movie that mentions time travel, and I’m there.
Absolutely fascinating, Joan. I’ve had a few baffling experiences that prompted me to wonder about reincarnation. Could it be that some souls decide to return to earth to help loved ones or to learn to be better people? This would be a great coffee table discussion, especially with a glass of wine. 😊
Gwen this comment just now showed up. WordPress is acting weird today. That would make for some fascinating discussion. I’ve never thought of the possibility of reincarnation that way.
It’s hilarious. Who knows what’s going on with WP? 😂
What a fantastic story, Joan. Absolutely intriguing. There’s so much we don’t know, and even more that can’t be explained. I tend to believe this one. 😊
There are a lot of things that can’t easily be explained. This is one of them.
As a full believer in reincarnation, I stand with John. There are too many synchronicities to dismiss. What a fabulous story!! And what a way to end your Mystery Mondays for 2022!
This story sure leaves anyone with a lot of questions. Thanks, Jan. Hard to believe this is my last Mystery Monday for the year. Where has the time gone?
I believe the girls came back to them. How the father knew they would too. Sad and hopeful at the same time.
What’s strange is the father was adamant it would happen. Very strange indeed.
Great story, Joan. I do believe we lead many lives and that the reincarnated soul is forever. Thanks for sharing this one.
Glad you enjoyed this one, John.
😁
I don’t know what I think about reincarnation, but my grandfather was a dark Dane, who came to America when he was young. He thought a soul had to keep coming back until it got it right. Earth was a classroom that you had to pass to move on.
That’s interesting, Judi. I not a believer but I will say there are many things in this world that aren’t easily explained.
I think there are still many things we’ve yet to learn about life and death, so I’m not one to say reincarnation can’t exist. Maybe it does!
Good point, Priscilla. We’re still learning about a lot of things.
A fascinating story. I believe in reincarnation and that we are to learn from each life experience.
If only we would learn from whatever situation we’re in. Thanks, Karen.
How interesting. I would love it if reincarnation was real. This was a creepy story but also really cool. Thanks for sharing, Joan.