Mystery of the Pollock Sisters: Is It Possible To Have Twins Without a Family History of Them?

The Pollock twins from England attracted worldwide attention as many believed they were evidence of reincarnation, but was it possible for parents to deliver twins without history in the first place?

The Mystery of Pollock Twins

Joanna Pollock, 11, and her younger sister, Jacqueline, 6, were hit by an unpredictable driver in May 1957 while traveling to church in the small English town of Hexham with their friend Anthony. The two young girls died almost immediately. Meanwhile, Anthony, 9, passed away on the way to the hospital.

Later on, it was found that the driver, a local lady under the influence of several drugs, hit the three kids on purpose after being taken away from her children by force. Later on, the matter garnered national attention in Britain, and the woman was admitted to a mental health facility.

The parents of the girls, John and Florence Pollock, were heartbroken by Joanna and Jacqueline's deaths. However, John was persuaded that the two daughters would be reborn into the family as twins when Florence later became pregnant.

Florence's doctor had expected a single birth; thus, the possibility of having twins was low. Neither parent had a history of having twins.

On Oct. 4, 1958, Florence gave birth to twin girls, and they named them Jennifer and Gillian. Despite being identical, the twins' distinct birthmarks are thought to be extremely unique.

Jennifer developed a little birthmark that resembled Jacqueline's birthmark on her left hip. In addition, she had a birthmark on her forehead that matched Jacqueline's tiny scar in the same location.

The family moved to Whitley Bay, east of Hexham when the twins were three months old. As the girls grew older, it became evident that although they had not grown up in the small town, Gillian and Jennifer appeared to recall Hexham in great detail.

The twins identified and pointed out places in Hexham Abbey they had never seen before, including the playground their departed sisters cherished and the school Joanna and Jacqueline had attended. The family had returned to Hexham when the girls were four years old. Even though they had never visited the playground, the two appeared to know how to get there.

The ordeal was dubbed the "Mystery of the Pollock Sisters" or "Mystery of the Pollock Twins," with some citing it as the first evidence of reincarnation. However, science may have something else to say about it.

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Is It Possible To Have Twins Without History?

One of the most common misconceptions about having twins is that it should run in the family. However, that's not the actual case. In this thread, several individuals shared about having a family member with twins, even if they didn't have a history of it. Apparently, it was the first time their family tree had welcomed twins.

Some speculate that twins skip generations. Since the genetic components of twins exclusively originate from the side of the gestational parent, it is most likely true that twins skip generations. Due to the rarity of twins, there is a mathematical probability that a cisgender father who has a mother who has fraternal twins will not have fraternal twins themselves.

The higher likelihood of having twins may have "skipped" a generation in the lives of some people who did not have twins but had twin grandchildren. However, the theory that twins skip generations is still entirely anecdotal.

So, to answer the question -- Yes, having twins without history is possible. Unlike fraternal twins, identical twins are usually not inherited and account for three to four births out of every 1,000 worldwide.

There might be a hereditary component in rare instances because a few families report a higher-than-expected number of identical twins. However, identical twins usually have an unknown source.

The likelihood of having identical twins may rise with the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART). According to a 2016 study, fresh blastocyst transfers during in-vitro fertilization cycles considerably raised the rate of identical twin pregnancies.