The Watseka Wonder in later poltergeist literature

Record summary

The Watseka Wonder involved Lurancy Vennum, whose family and supporters described trance states, spirit communication and an apparent personality transition in the 1870s. During the first half of the twentieth century it was repeatedly cited in psychical and occult literature as evidence for possession or discarnate personality, while medical and skeptical interpretations emphasized suggestion and social context. It offers a comparison between apparition belief, mediumistic language and case-history construction. The original episode predates the scope, so this is specifically a study of later transmission.