Real Name: Georgia Rudolph
Case: Reincarnation
Location: Marietta, Ohio
Date: 1914
Case[]
Details: Forty-one-year-old nurse Georgia Rudolph of Macon, Georgia claims she is the reincarnated spirit of a Marietta, Ohio woman named Sandra J. Jenkins, who committed suicide in 1914. Georgia claimed that, since she was a child, she has had strange visions about a woman and the 1900s. Sometimes, they would appear as memories, but other times, she would perceive them as dreams. Her visions and memories began appearing when she was adopted at the age of five. Throughout childhood, she often drew the face of a young woman, along with a house. Each drawing was almost the same. The drawings were of the woman she always dreamt about.
Georgia claims that she saw the woman at two different ages: as a young woman (around eighteen) or as a young girl (around eight or nine). The memories were brief visions that seemed to have taken place around the turn of the century. There were no automobiles or airplanes. However, she did see wheels from an old-fashioned boat. A river played an important part in her dreams. Also, there were images of a young man in her visions.
In 1984, Georgia went through several regressive hypnotic sessions with psychologist Douglas Smith. During these sessions, she revealed that she might be the reincarnation of the woman in her visions, whom she called "Sandra Jean Jenkins". She claimed that Sandra was born in 1895 and had a fiancee named Tommy Hicks, who was the man she had seen in her visions. From the hypnotic sessions, she determined that the old-fashioned boat she had seen had belonged to Sandra's family. She also claimed that in 1914, Tommy had died after falling off the side of a ship. Sandra had committed suicide in despair after she learned that she was pregnant. She believes that Sandra was buried in an unmarked grave because of her suicide.
During her sessions, Georgia repeatedly said the word "Marietta" which she later learned was a place in Ohio. At the turn of the century, this city was a major river port. In 1985, Georgia traveled to Marietta and met with a resident and newspaper writer named Ted Bauer. She and Ted went throughout the city, and she pointed out several places that she claimed to remember from her visions. One place was an insurance company, which she claimed was an ice cream parlor at the turn of the century. Ted confirmed that there had been an ice cream parlor at that spot in the early 1900s; the parlor had been changed in 1937, several years before she was born.
Possible photograph of Sandra Jean Jenkins
Despite her recollections, Georgia could find no record of a "Sandra Jean Jenkins" in Marietta. She traveled to the small farming community of Newport, five miles away. While there, she was able to find the house where she believed she lived in during the past life. She also found a church that had been in many of her dreams. From her dreams, she knew that the grave-site of Sandra's grandmother was nearby. Georgia was able to locate the gravestone of "Mary Bevan Greene" whom she believes was Sandra's grandmother. Through research, Georgia was able to discover that the home she believed was Sandra's had belonged to the Greene family. Also, the Greenes had owned the same type of boats that Georgia had seen in her dreams.
Georgia was unable to find any birth or death records for either Sandra or Tommy. However, she believes she has found records that confirm the existence of Tommy's parents, Thomas and Jennifer Hicks. She was also able to locate the nearest living relatives of the Greene family, who could possibly be relatives of Sandra. One relative gave Georgia a picture that had been taken in 1908. In the center of the photograph, she found the face of the woman in her dreams, the woman she believes is Sandra Jenkins. Another relative said that the girl had drowned in the river behind the house. However, Georgia wants to find more information about Sandra in order to prove her past life.
Extra Notes: The case was featured as a part of the February 14, 1990 episode.
Georgia Rudolph is not to be confused with psychic Georgia Anne Rudolph.
Results: Unresolved. After the broadcast, thirty-six-year-old college professor Jack Turnock came forward, claiming that he was the reincarnation of Sandra's boyfriend Tommy Hicks. He stated that in September 1988, over a year before the broadcast, he had gone through regressive hypnotic sessions. During these sessions, he claimed that he was Tommy Hicks. He had several of the same memories that Georgia had. He said that he was from the turn of the century, had several memories about a river, and had a girlfriend with long, dark brown hair. In September 1990, he again went under regressive hypnosis, this time with Dr. Smith. Smith tried to determine if he was faking his memories or not. After the session, he was convinced that Jack was telling the truth.
However, whether this is a coincidence or a true example of reincarnation is unknown. Sadly, Georgia Rudolph died in 2013.
Links:
- Georgia Rudolph at Unsolved.com
- Strangers see parallel in former life
- I Died 78 Years Ago ... and was born again in 1948!
- The Strangers Were Lovers
- The reincarnation of Sandra Jean Jenkins
- Georgia Ann Rudolph Obituary
- Georgia Ann Rudolph at Find a Grave