Reincarnation Stories: Children Who Remember Their Past Lives

The Case for Reincarnation

Children are known to have vivid imaginations. But how can we tell if our children are making up stories or if they really are the reincarnation of someone who has gone before us? There are many cases that show children who are, in fact, recalling their past lives. Below are the real-life stories of James Leininger and Cameron Macaulay, two children who believe they have lived before.

Imaginary Friends, Made Up Stories . . . Or Evidence of a Past Life?

From an early age, we learn to see and adapt to our surroundings. The life we lead starts to become familiar. We recognize the face of our mother, who holds us in her arms from the day we are born and nurtures us so that we feel safe and loved. As we grow older, our home and our family become familiar and safe, too.

When children start to talk, it is one of the most wonderful things for a parent. Soon the words become a pattern, and the child learns to string sentences together. In most families, this is a normal process. But what happens if your child suddenly says, out of the blue, 'Where is my real Mama? Why am I here with you? I want to go back and live with my real mummy.' Is this a sign of reincarnation? Or do you believe that your child is showing signs of telepathy or other psychic phenomena? As you will see, children sometimes seem to recall memories from another life.

When a child claims they are reincarnated, many people will dismiss this idea. But sometimes, the facts are just staring you in the face. What if the child reports a particular incident that can be fact-checked? For example, stories can be verified by history books, war records or even memories from your elder members of the family.

This isn't as always imagination. We tend to know when a child is making up stories and playing with imaginary friends. We all go through that stage. We expect it from our children. So when do we know it is something different? I believe that we know there is something strange going on when the child makes a statement that is so mind-blowing it must be true—something that can be tested, and when it is, to our astonishment and chagrin, we find out that it is true.

James Leininger's Past Life as a Fighter Pilot

James Leininger, who lives in Louisiana, was just two and a half years old when he started talking about his vivid dreams and strong memories of being a man called Lt. James McCready Huston. He went on to say that he had been a World War II fighter pilot from Uniontown, Pennsylvania, who had been killed in Iwo Jima more than 50 years before.

At the tender age of two, the boy began talking about aviation, and his knowledge of the subject was amazing. He hadn't learned it from his parents, as they knew nothing of flying or being in the Air Force. James started having nightmares about being shot down by a Japanese plane with a red sun on the side. The child's parents began to study the subject, and to their astonishment, they realised that something very extraordinary was happening.

There was no way James could have known this amazingly true information! His nightmares started after his father had taken him to the Dallas flight museum. But there was nothing there that would or could have started these amazing revelations.

Andrea recalled how James would scream at the top of his voice, 'airplane crash, on fire, can't get out, help', and he would be kicking and pointing to the ceiling. At one stage, when Andrea took James shopping, she pointed out a plane in a shop window. 'Look' she said, 'It has a bomb at the bottom'.

She was astounded to hear her two-and-a-half-year-old state, 'That's not a bomb, that's a drop tank'. Andrea had no idea what on earth a drop tank was. He went on to tell his bemused parents that he had flown a plane called a Corsair, which took off from a boat called the Natoma. When his parents served him up some meatloaf for lunch, which he had never eaten before that day, he said, 'meatloaf, I haven't had that since I was on the Natoma'.

James says he was on the escort carrier ship Natoma Bay in his past life.

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Researching James' Story

Bruce, James' father, decided to do some research of his own. He discovered that there had been a small escort carrier called the Natoma Bay, which had been in the Battle of Iwo Jima. Further research proved that there had indeed been a pilot called James Huston! His plane had indeed been hit by Japanese fire and was struck in the engine. This was on March 3rd, 1945.

In a further twist to the story, Huston's sister, Anne Barron, who was now 87 years old, was tracked down. She stated that after listening to little James' story, she totally believed him. 'He knows too many things; for some reason, he knows what happened'.

Huston's cousin Bob, 74 years old at the time of this writing, also had this to say: 'To me, it's amazing, everything the boy has said is exactly the account told to James Huston's father and also my mother, there is no way this child could have known that!'

When James was six years old, in 2004, his father took him to a reunion of veterans who had served on the Natoma. When he was there, James was able to recognise one of his old mates after 60 years. His parents stood in awe as he stated, 'They're so old'.

'It's the Tiny Things That Provide the Truth!'

Ever since James's extraordinary story hit the headlines, the book written by his father has reached all four corners of the globe and has proved to be very popular. I have read excerpts of the amazing story, and most of the really tiny proofs are the most profound of all. It's definitely not something you can dismiss. But is it reincarnation? I believe it is, but you should read it for yourself.

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Cameron Macaulay

Cameron Macaulay lived his whole life in Glasgow, Scotland. But ever since he started talking at the age of two, he has been telling his family about his previous life on the Island of Barra, which is situated off the west coast of Scotland.

Cameron lives with his mother, Norma. He started talking about a white house that overlooked the sea and the beach, and he went on to explain how there were airplanes that used to land on the beach and also that he was very fond of a black and white dog he'd had whilst he was there.

The family had never been to Barra, as it was over 200 miles away from where they lived. To get there, it would take them an hour by plane or longer by sea. His dad on the island was called Shane Robertson, who evidently died by being knocked over by a car. Cameron's actual words were, 'He didn't look both ways'.

Cameron's Past Life on Barra

One of the strangest subjects was the toilets. He used to keep complaining that, on Barra, his parents had three toilets. He also spent ages drawing 'his' house, a long, white building standing on the beach. He would sit on his chair talking about his parents and brothers and sisters, and as time went on, he got more and more upset about leaving his other mother. He would cry continuously and say that he wished his mother could see that he was alright.

The story soon came to the attention of a film company, and after listening to his story, his nursery school teacher suggested that maybe they should film him and go to the island.

2006 Journey to Barra

After setting up a meeting, the film company agreed to take Cameron to Barra. They were also escorted by Dr. Jim Tucker, a child psychologist. When Cameron was told he was going, he couldn't stop jumping up and down. 'I'm going home, I'm going home', he shouted. Upon reaching the island, they were astonished to find that they had indeed landed on the beach! Cameron started to run around yelling, 'I'm back!'

Chattering away about his Barra mother, he told everyone that she had long brown hair that fell all the way down her back and that she read him stories from the Bible. Cameron's mother stated that they were not particularly religious and had never done this at home. They soon booked into a hotel and started to search for clues to Cameron's past.

Cameron went back to Barra in 2006.

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Familiar Things

After contacting the Heritage Centre to find out about the house, they were unable to find records about any house being owned by the Robertson family overlooking the bay. To say they were disappointed would be an understatement. They drove around the island looking for the house but couldn't even see one that resembled Cameron's description.

Then they realised that they were looking in the wrong direction! The planes that Cameron saw would be coming in from the wrong side of the bay. They realised that if Cameron saw them from his bedroom window, they had to be going the other way.

Eventually, the hotel phoned them and told them that, yes, there was a Robertson family home on the other side of the island. So they started to drive Cameron there. They didn't tell him where they were going, but when they arrived, Cameron jumped out of the car and ran straight to the house.

He knew it immediately! But as Cameron walked through the door, he began to get very pale and quiet. Up until now, he had recognised the exact gate at the front; he knew where to go and was so excited. But upon entering the house, he stood to one side, slightly uncertain.

Then he took off, running around the house, pointing out all the rooms where he had 'lived'. He showed them all the nooks and crannies and the three toilets. Much to his mother's surprise, when they went into the garden, he took them to his secret entrance that he had been talking about for years.

Strange Conundrums

The strangest part of the story comes about when researchers managed to find one of the surviving Robertson family members. In most of the reports, they don't state whether this is a man or a woman. I believe in the video, it was a woman. Unfortunately, the relative in question seemed to know nothing about a man called Shane Robertson! But even stranger was the fact that this family, now living in Sterling, had photos of the dog and the car that Cameron had seen in his visions.

Why was this, I wonder? How could Cameron know about everything else but get this wrong? It seems that the relative in question would have been at the house around about the same time as Cameron in his past life.

As he grew older, Cameron began to lose the memories of Barra. After his visit, he settled down, happy to know that his mother in this life believed in his story. One of the last things that Cameron mentioned was when he was talking to his friend, he said, 'Don't worry about dying, you just come back again'.

When his mother asked him, 'How did you get here to me?' He replied, 'I fell through, and went into your tummy'.

My Thoughts on Cameron

I have read many reviews and reports about this story, and the one thing that I have noticed is that Cameron seems to be telling the whole truth about what he believes. So why did that relative not remember his father from the previous life?

Maybe Cameron got the wrong family. But no, that's not possible, because he recognised the car and the dog as well as the house. So what is the explanation? Maybe the relative was too young at the time to know about the father. Maybe it happened before she was born, and Cameron's 'old' mother had married again.

The psychologists believe it was just imagination, but how could it be? Even if he had seen the house on TV, surely it would not make him remember the inside of the house, the gate, the secret entrance, and of course, the view from his bedroom window overlooking the beach where the planes landed.

And why would he make up the story of his father? I believe that the relative that gave the information didn't know all the family members; she would have been too young, and memory can be very deceiving. All we know now is that Cameron is happy to know that he has been allowed to visit his previous home on Barra.

Other Reincarnation Stories

• Is Barbro Karlén the Reincarnation of Anne Frank?
  The remarkable yet true reincarnation story of Barbro Karlen who from an early age remembers being Anne Frank in a previous life. Her terrible memories are beyond doubt. Has Anne really come back?

© 2010 Nell Rose

Comments

Nell Rose (author) from Buckinghamshire UK on August 18, 2020:

Thank you Yashvi for telling me your story. Have you told your parents? And what country do you live in? How interesting.

Nell Rose (author) from Buckinghamshire UK on December 02, 2019:

Thanks Rose, so do I.

Rose Brown on December 01, 2019:

I believe these kids.

Nell Rose (author) from Buckinghamshire UK on November 24, 2019:

Thanks Tony, yes they give me the shivers too! Thanks for reading.

Tony Godsoe on November 23, 2019:

some of these accounts actually give me the shivers just reading the stories

Nell Rose (author) from Buckinghamshire UK on November 01, 2019:

Exactly Apryllia, I totally believe you. I have a weird 'other life' at night when I dream of somewhere else!

Apryllia on November 01, 2019:

I personally have always believed in reincarnation, as has my whole family. I have also had a vision of my past life from when i came into the United States in the 1800s and traveled across the Oregon Trail. Settled out west with my husband and 2 boys which later died and caused my husband to become extremely violent and abusive.

Later on i had a vision of 2 contracts. As i zoomed in closer to have a look at these contracts one stated i was paying for my karma in this life as who i am now and the second contract showed the name Tari Teoni...which was obviously me.

It will be nice, the day in age, that people open their minds to this possibility. Much of the close mindedness was created by the churches. But as we grow Spiritually i do believe there will be no other option but to believe, as truth is presented to those ready to grow.

Nell Rose (author) from Buckinghamshire UK on August 04, 2019:

Hi Alia, yes you may very well be right. I doubt if we will ever really know. But what a great thought! Thank you so much for commenting.

Alia on August 03, 2019:

This is just an opinion by the way. Nobody has to agree with this but.

I think these kids weren't reincarnated at all. It's not the kids speaking, but the soul of the past themselves. Those souls just want to tell their story again or maybe even just have the chance to visit their old home or maybe one of their remaining family members physically. (I'm twelve by the way.)

Nell Rose (author) from Buckinghamshire UK on July 16, 2019:

Thanks Karla. Yes I do believe too, but sometimes have doubts.

Karla Domanski from Cadillac, Michigan on July 15, 2019:

So interesting! I tend to believe in reincarnation. I did a past-life regression years ago and still have vivid recall from it. A small part of me says it could be my very active imagination at work, but the rest shouts that there is more to it than that. Great stories.

Nell Rose (author) from Buckinghamshire UK on May 14, 2019:

Well thank you Hdh!

Hdh on May 13, 2019:

I love it

Nell Rose (author) from Buckinghamshire UK on March 16, 2019:

Thanks Manfred, it sounds fascinating, I will take a look thank you

Manfred Reichelt on March 16, 2019:

Reincarnation is fact. Genetic research concludes that a person's personality cannot be defined by its genetic makeup. Siamese twins can show different characters. Such facts can only be understood if a pre-existent human soul is assumed. With this we are already confronted with reincarnation. Today, this finds, rightly, more and more recognition, because everything speaks for it. That is why a general rethinking is necessary. How the Church has dealt with reincarnation from its beginnings to the present day shows that the dogma of a unique life on earth never experienced any real justification. Read the whole article: https://www.academia.edu/37936734/Genetik_Reinkarn...

I had written also a book (in German), that shows, there´s no conflict between Christianity an reincarnation:https://amzn.to/2u7ncSy

Nell Rose (author) from Buckinghamshire UK on January 12, 2019:

Hi Sukrit, thanks for reading. I will definitely look for that movie, and thank you for sharing those fascinating real life stories.

Sukrit Singh on January 10, 2019:

Hey Nell,

Great read and an interesting one too. India is full of such examples, I don't know if you have read the story of Shanti Devi- a case that even amazed Mahatma Gandhi. And a person in one of India's states, I can't recall his name remembered his past life and took his family members to his past life's village and guess what, his family members were alive and his wife of past too who had grown quite old- it was fascinating. I would recommend you to watch the movie, I origins, if you haven't and the ending will give you goosebumps. Thanks again for these amazing stories.

Nell Rose (author) from Buckinghamshire UK on October 06, 2018:

Thanks again Tim.

Tim Truzy from U.S.A. on October 06, 2018:

In ancient texts of the Zoraster faith there is a book that mentions the soul actually is composed of three parts. One of those parts of the soul may continue to hold those memories; it may not be completely wiped clean.

Who knows? But your article definitely makes interesting and convincing reading.

Thanks again.

Much respect and admiration,

Tim

Nell Rose (author) from Buckinghamshire UK on October 06, 2018:

Thanks so much Tim for your nice comment. yes its pretty weird isn't it? but who knows exactly how it happens, but its miraculous.

Tim Truzy from U.S.A. on October 05, 2018:

Hi, Nell,

Compelling. Revealing. Believable.

I feel sad for the children who lost those memories. But I do believe there is more to life than we are willing to face. Perhaps, because we are frightened of the unknown, we don't want to consider the possibilities. Yet, I do believe the soul is indestructible and God is omnipotent and all-knowing.

You shared some very interesting stories from real life events.

I appreciate it and I enjoyed reading this article.

Much respect and admiration,

Sincerely,

Tim

Nell Rose (author) from Buckinghamshire UK on September 10, 2018:

Hi L, That actually brought tears. How amazing and awful for him to remember that! and blessed now that he has a brand new family who love him.

L Wauters on September 09, 2018:

When my youngest son was 4 years old he wanted the night sky in his bedroom. I bought the small stars that glow when the lights are turned out so he could see the stars as he fell asleep. One evening I was tucking him into bed, telling him to have sweet dreams and that I loved him. My 4 year old said, "I always liked looking up at the stars at night when I slept outside." I told him that he was to young to sleep outside, that I loved him and that's why I wanted him comfy and tucked into his bed. He looked up at me and said, " I know you love me Mom but you know that I'm going to war." I told him, "No, I didn't know that and when he grows up we will pray that there will be no wars." Again, he told me in a very matter of fact way that yes, I knew he was going to war and I knew where it was. I tried to explain that no, I didn't know if there would be a war and we would pray every night that there would be peace and he didn't need to worry about such things. At this point he became frustrated with me and told me that I knew where Vietnam was and that he had to go. I was completely taken back by this as he has never heard anyone around him speak of Vietnam let alone the war. He sensed my concern and confusion and put his hand over mine and said, "Momma, don't worry I know what to do now." Curious and shaken by this, I questioned him as to what he meant by "I know what to do now" He then told me that I knew he was shot, that's what killed him. That this time he wouldn't let them shoot him three times, he can get shot two times and live but it was the third shot that killed him. All I could do was hug him, tell him that he was safe and as long as I was his mom, no one was going to hurt him. He then had me change some of the little star stickers I had placed around him to spell out mom and his name together in the sky that way he knew even in the dark I was there.

Nell Rose (author) from Buckinghamshire UK on July 29, 2018:

Thanks Steve, I look forward to reading your story.

S P Austen from Qualicum Beach, BC, Canada on July 26, 2018:

Just terrific! Well done on the research, Nell. You have put a tremendous amount of effort into this article. I have just posted my own personal experiences of reincarnation on my profile, titled "The Reality of Reincarnation" should you be interested. you are doing great work here on HubPages! Best wishes, Steve.

Nell Rose (author) from Buckinghamshire UK on April 21, 2018:

Hi Larry, thanks for reading, yes I know what you mean. I have seen children and adults tell their stories and its amazing!

Larry W Fish from Roxboro, NC on April 21, 2018:

These are amazing stories, Nell. I have read several stories of reincarnation. A couple of those retold their stories under hypnosis. It does seem strange, but it can't be dismissed as a hoax.It does seem strange, but who am I to judge. There is just to much there to say that it isn't true.

Nell Rose (author) from Buckinghamshire UK on March 16, 2018:

Thank you sadanando, yes I love the hindu religion, thanks for reading.

sadanando kundu. on March 16, 2018:

nice. In fact hindu religion reveals this fact.there is no novelty indeed.to know this you should study hindu religious book.

Nell Rose (author) from Buckinghamshire UK on September 27, 2017:

Hi Lisa, Wow! that is amazing! I am not sure which way to go, but the first thing I would do is put all that info in google and see what comes up! you never know! Second, I would try to find out the name of the lake if its possible from your nephew. Write it all down and get as much info that you can. Maybe check out the library to see if anything fits the description in their records, as they have records that we can't see. Of course not knowing where he was situated is a pain, but good luck and let me know if you find anything! thanks!

Lisa wood on September 26, 2017:

I was wondering if anyone had any tips on trying to verify if a child's stories are true or not. My five year old nephew has been saying for the past year and a half that he has a dad named Ron who died in a fire. That his old name was Steven ant cole and he lived on lake with his son, he never had any daughters and he enjoyed playing baseball... these are some pretty strange things for a 5 year old to make up and run with for over a year. I am trying to do some searching on seeing if anything close to what he has said about his "previous life" is true or not. Any tips or anything?

Nell Rose (author) from Buckinghamshire UK on February 21, 2017:

Thanks so much Amy!

Amy on February 21, 2017:

This is awesome and cool!

Nell Rose (author) from Buckinghamshire UK on February 05, 2017:

Classic genetic memory alan, I wrote about that somewhere here too! lol! fact, we inherit our ancestors memories! the programme on tv you are thinking of is a Ghost inside my child. they actually wrote to me to get me on the programme, but its in america, so they asked me to find cases for them! So far I haven't found one, sadly!

Alan R Lancaster from Forest Gate, London E7, U K (ex-pat Yorkshire) on February 04, 2017:

Interesting stuff, Nell. There's a programme advertised on Reality TV (Freeview channel) about children who've had experience of a previous life.

Although I've never seen it myself, I've had vivid nightmares at times about being trapped underground, as well as being on shaky gangways over deep chasms. I've even had nightmares about being stuck on a high wall.

My great grandad and his dad had been agricultural workers near Kings Lynn, were recruited as big strapping farm lads at a hiring fair in Lincolnshire to work in the ironstone mines during the 'klondike' years in the Cleveland area of North Yorkshire (Guisborough district I think). They lived underground during the week and came out weekends.

The younger one landed on his feet and wedded a local lass who'd inherited her dad's farm at West Rounton near Stokesley (about fifteen miles south-west of Guisborough), and worked it with her. I've only been told the bare bones, but it's possible he was trapped underground. He'd have been glad to work above ground again. The mining - in often damp conditions, where pennies went green in their pockets - had an effect on him in later life, and he had to live in a tent in the back garden during the last months of his life as being indoors made his condition worse.

(There's a dvd titled 'A Century In Stone' from Pancrack Productions, produced by Craig Hornby, that includes interviews with former miners, wives and widows that describes the working conditions and life around the mines. I had the 'recollections' before I ever sat down to this dvd.)