Vanessa WoodI’m excited to share that my article “Edith ‘La Reina’ Rule (1902-1973): Hollywood Psychic to Genealogical Source” has been published in The California Nugget, the journal of the California Genealogical Society.
La Reina’s life showcases the remarkable resilience of women in early 20th-century America. She survived the frontier, reinvented herself during the Depression, supported herself and her daughter through unconventional work, and maintained family connections across vast distances.
The Story Behind the Research
Hasn’t every family history researcher at some time wished for psychic powers or maybe divine intervention to figure out a brick wall in their family tree? I stumbled upon La Reina Rule, a psychic and genealogical writer, while searching the Internet for a particularly unusual surname. La Reina was promoted as a psychic in Depression-era Southern California. However, her psychic abilities weren’t what made her notable in genealogical circles. She entered the realm of genealogy with a newspaper column and her book, What’s In A Name.1
La Reina Rule is a name many genealogists encounter when researching surname meanings. Her books Name Your Baby and What’s in A Name? Surnames of America contain thousands of surname origins and meanings—but with no source citations. As genealogists, we naturally want to know: who was this woman, and how reliable were her sources?
Was it Source or Sorcery?
La Reina Rule’s story illustrates the importance of understanding our sources. Behind every genealogical resource is a real person with their own background, motivations, and limitations. By researching the researchers, we become better genealogists ourselves.
FEATURED IMAGE: Microsoft Copilot (Bing AI), Illustration of La Reina Rule, 9 June 2024, 8:45 PM. Illustration adapted from 1939 photograph. “La Reina Rule,” photograph, Bakersfield Californian Newspaper, 14 March 1939, page 17, columns 6-7; imaged, NewspaperArchive (https://access.newspaperarchive.com/us/california/bakersfield/bakersfield-californian/1939/03-14/page-17/).
