Their lower-priced test is fine for your purposes. Then hed place a baby in their arms. But many aspects of his clinic remain a mystery to this day. Its time the truth came to light. i never thought it was real when i was little either. What Happened to Dr. Thomas Hicks? 'Taken at Birth' True Story When she ask Dr Hicks about it he told her it was the medication making her think that. He buried them for her (such a nice guy) and gave her a birth certificate stating they were stillborn. He would sell the babies to parents who wanted to adopt but couldnt afford to do so legally. Barbara, I shuttered when I read your comment! Absolutely horrifying!!!!! There are many people who were adopted at birth who can use similar strategies to learn more about their recent and distant ancestry. Hicks initially lost his clinic for doing illicit abortions. And most of these women were likely unmarried, which was a huge no-no at the time. Those few cases were a woman gave birth knowing she did not want the baby, and Dr. Hicks found someone wanting to adopt, are far and few between! Who Is Dr. Thomas J. Hicks? - The True Story Behind Taken At Birth DNA ancestry testing offers a way for people interested in family history (genealogy) to, Our Verdict: My reports from GPS Origins arent nearly as comprehensive as the ones, FamilyTreeDNA has tons of features and information that you wont get with most of, There are plenty of cheap DNA tests you can purchase if you want to, The offerings from each DNA testing service vary wildly, so it can be difficult. After I watched your show on TLC, I took a trip up to the mountains., looked the house that was HIckscock and made a big mistake when I asked some questions. She did tell me she heard her baby cry and Dr Hicks told her he was still born. | Birch on Trellis Framework by Mediavine, Family Tree Building Basics for Beginners Book, Use DNA to Trace Your Mexican Family Tree Book, Example of Family Tree DNA Family Finder Results, were discovered more than two decades after Dr. Hicks death. In these cases, Hicks would forge a birth certificate and give the baby to adoptive parents in secret from his Georgia clinic. This is a story of a doctor who saved lives?? I understand the concept of not being able to conceive and being grateful to receive a child but that was not a win/win situation by any stretch of the imagination. It sits in a plaza in McCaysville, Georgia with a pizza shop on one end and a barbecue restaurant on the other, according to Narratively. I am wondering if any possible hicks babies that have not found relatives has DNA done? You dont want to vilify him? He was arrested for performing illegal abortions in 1964. We can tell ourselves stories, and they become our truths. Thank you! in Psychology and enjoys writing about health and wellness. She hopes DNA testing will enable them to find their birth parents. As a result, he could not provide information that would help the babies find their parents or the other way around.4. Those who were adopted have few places to turn to track down their origins. Personally I hope that Dr Hicks is burning in hell! My oldest would have been born in Akron in 1960. These babies were born between weighing only 3.5 and 4.75 lbs.. ALL very unfavorable conditions!!!! It is in Gods hands. PS Ancestry DNA is a crook. I am honored to be part of the behind-the-scenes team of passionate and compassionate people who helped some of them in their journeys. Theyre an invaluable resource for parentage searches. She said she heard her baby cry then Doc Hicks told her he was still born. My Hicks line starts in New York in 1833. The illegal adoptions that were allegedly arranged by Dr. Hicks were not discovered until after his death. i am from polk county tenn we are trying to find if our brother danny is still alive we have learned 3 dead babies in my family it is interesting. about dr thomas hicks family tree please comment if we missed anything here, please let us know. What years was he operating in TN, and where? Janice, I am from Polk County Tennessee as well and Dr Hicks delivered my oldest brother before they ran him out of Tennessee. We only know about the ones who survived. I was warned about ever asking those questions again, this man said I know who you are, please let it alone. Since these adoptions were discovered more than two decades after Dr. Hicks death, there are many details of the story that may never be uncovered. Hicks died at age 83 in 1972. Some theorized Hicks was buried beside his mausoleum because of concern the grave would be vandalized. Women who wanted abortions would be talked into keeping the pregnancy so he could sell the baby once it arrived. And then the consistent low birth weights are concerning. At least 200 babies had their identities stolen. Oh well for them, I was raised in those mountains and Im not afraid of them. He induced births, told mothers their babies died and sold them! Brother of Lucy Elizabeth Ketron; John Willie Hicks; Samuel Earnest Hicks; Infant Daughter Hicks and Carrie Ellen Dickson. About 15 of the 200+ babies have been reunited with their biological parents. In these cases, Hicks would forge a birth certificate and give the baby to adoptive parents in secret from his Georgia clinic. Shameful + Sinful + Criminal + Evil!! Dr Hicks didnt keep records of the births and adoptions, so the only way to find your brother, if hes still alive, would be if he decided to look for you using DNA. His birth certificate when he ent into the service was different than the one his parents had, so all I know its June 19 or 20, 1941. saying the baby was stillborn could have been nothing more than a cover story for them. And youve had children with them??? According to the neonatalogist interviewed in the show many other babies must have died. I kept yelling at the tv he saved your freaking life!!!! Town Secret Is Uncovered In Birth Quest - The New York Times AND IN ALL ACTUALITY HICKS LIED TO HER TO GET HER TWIN BOYS AND MADE OVER 2000 OFF OF HER PAIN. They wanted to be rid of their babies and were desperate. So for that reason, I think were putting too much faith in these womens stories. On the documentary the officer in the second episode claimed he gave a relative of his a shot and she died 30min later. Sompayrac believes her grandfathers actions helped the birth mothers in need and gave the babies life. Evil does not begin to describe this man. A legacy linked to illegal adoptions in rural North Georgia, Woman illegally sold to couple by doctor as newborn speaks out with new book: 'story isn't just about me'. Her only health problem was asthma. His wife and son have both passed away. So far, there are no positive DNA matches between babies and parents from the database. How HEARTLESS can someone be then to tell a parent their childTHEIR CHILD died just so he could profit? THE ONE FAMILY HAD TWIN BOYS AND THE MAN WAS IN A FAMILY THAT HATED HIM HIS ENTIRE LIFE. The Hicks babies seemed to have mixed feelings about his actions from the Narratively profile. He also has a living granddaughter named Sally Sompayrac. So, what you are saying is, when my mom went to deliver my BROTHER and was told he was born dead, yet she has nightmares TO THIS DAY that she heard her baby cry for her. Wow! Ideas for Getting Responses from DNA Matches. This is accomplished through the careful study of DNA matches. What he did was awful feel so bad for those mothers and children. In 1964, the town sheriff arrested Hicks for performing illegal abortions. I dont know the truth, the people involved back THEN know. More than 200 babies, known as the Hicks Babies, were sold by Hicks through a back window of the Hicks Community Clinic in McCaysville, Georgia during the 1950s and 1960s. 1910 - Civil District 10, Sullivan, Tennessee, USA, Lucy E Hicks, Carrie E Hicks, Laura A Hicks, David Fleming Hicks, Mary Louise Hicks (born Holt), Thomas Jugarthy Hicks Jr, Walter Lynn Hicks, Margaret Mary Brown (born Hicks), est Hicks, Lucy Elizabeth Ketron (born Hicks), John William Hicks, Hicks, Carrie Ellen Dickson (born Hicks), Anna Laura Bradley (born Hicks), Samuel Ernest Hicks, Lucy Elizabeth Ketron, John William Hicks, Unknown Hicks, Carrie Ellen Dickson, Anna Laura Bradley (born Hicks), Samuel Earnest Hicks, Lucy Elizabeth Hicks, John William Hicks, Unknown Hicks, Carrie Ellen Dickson (born Hicks), Annie Laurie Hicks, Lucy E Hicks, Carrie Ellen Hicks, Anna Laura Wisdom Bradley (born Hicks), Thomas Jugarthy Hicks, Walter Lynn Hicks, Margaret Brown (born Hicks), Mary Edith Rogers Davis, Thomas J Jr Hicks, W Lynn Hicks, Margaret Hicks, Bloomingdale, Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States, Copperhill, Polk County, Tennessee, United States, Crestlawn, Polk County, Tennessee, United States. What is the Egypt DNA Region on Ancestry? Thank you. Blasio confirmed with the county birth records that she was likely one of the hundreds of babies sold between 1950 and 1965.2. Im going to play a little devils advocate. What's additionally staggering is it's believed that more than 200 infants, known as the "Hicks Babies," were victims of the doctor's scheme during the '50s and '60s. I am helping a relative looking for his birth parents or siblings. And he gave the babies to equally desperate childless parents. I know abortion was illegal at the time, and then I think he was running into people who couldnt afford adoptions, he told the New York Post. You are absolutely correct in your assumption. "Tennessee State Marriage Index, 1780-2002," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VNX9-1PS: 4 December 2014), Thos J Hicks and Chassie Copeland, 07 Jun 1917; from "Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: 2008); citing p. 222, Polk, Tennessee, United States, Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, Tennessee. The truth about the adoptions came to light in 1997, more than two decades after his death, as some of the Hicks Babies began seeking out their biological parents. Starting in 1955 and running through the early 1960s, Hicks offered secretive abortions and adoptions here. I dont trust my own memories, let alone 50 year old memories. My heart aches for your mother and your whole family. Do you have your fathers original birth certificate? He sold those babies for a profit. Thank you so much. All of Dr. Hicks grandparents were born in Tennessee, as were many of his great-grandparents. Oh my gosh Barbara, he also delivered the babies early, like induced at between 31 & 34 wks causing them to have low birthweight, failure to thrive and other health issues. These folks deserve to know where they came from! Busted not for selling babies, but for the abortion clinic. Hicks faced legal trouble for illegal abortions, but not for the illegal adoptions. Who Are the Hicks Babies? - Who are You Made Of? Im disgusted that someone would think that this is ok. And he was more than happy to perform abortions. Many of those from Hicks small town defended his actions. "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (. Are you kidding me. Moves to NE Ohio and then to Michigan from 1868 to this day. His family did not live like they had money in fact most of his money appeared to be put right back into the town of McKaysville into businesses which kept folks employed and kept the town thriving. In the small town, the. And the $1k sounds about like what my Dad was sold for. I did do a DNA test with no response. I have been advised by a man named Bill Miller from Cleveland Ohio that I was a Hicks baby but cannot find out if this is true. He told some of the biological mothers that they had undergone an abortion. They werent all there for abortions!! https://t.co/900llb4znH, Angel Patriot?? Babies For Sale: The Secret Adoptions That Haunt One Georgia Town. What he did was completely illegal, but was it less moral than aborting these babies? Quietly, because the clinic he'd been running since the mid-1940s was not a licensed adoption agency. Think about it, some of these folks could fall in love with a relative and not even know it. So telling the one mother her twin boys were stillborn is acceptable to you. Taken at Birth: The Hicks Clinic Stolen Babies, Best Food Sensitivity Test To Take At Home (2023), The Best DNA Tests (for Health, Ancestry, and Ethnicity), Best At-Home Allergy & Intolerance Tests (2023), We Took The Viome Gut Test Heres Our Verdict. "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MSZD-WWR: accessed 10 April 2021), Thos J Hicks in household of D Flem Hicks, Civil District 10, Sullivan, Tennessee, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 110, sheet 7A, family 118 we are not in the dna data bases but i would be glad to give my dna to find out what happened just point me in the right direction i will be watching tlc hicks babies. How Did People Find Out About the Hicks Babies? She never got over it. If they went there to have abortions and he told them what they wanted to hear, saved the lives of their babies and put them into the arms of loving parents, that makes him a hero in my eyes. Many of the Hicks babies also began searching for their biological families. Dr. Hicks had a granddaughter, Sally Sompayrac, who empathizes with the plight of the Hicks babies. There were cases where Hicks talked women out of abortion. Dr. Hicks was a town doctor who performed illegal abortions. Within a decade, he was not only performing illegal abortions but selling newborns on the black market. I have my ancestory DNA done and would love to try to match some names with my DNA relatives. Town Secret Is Uncovered In Birth Quest. But advocates hope it will someday happen. Test prices are here: https://thednageek.com/dna-tests/ Estimates show Hicks sold about 200 babies from the 1940s to the 1960s.3. Hicks beliefs did not fully mesh with abortions, and he would sometimes convince women that he would handle adoptions if they carried the babies to term, according to WKYC in Cleveland, Ohio. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. However, many people are able to discover closer relatives, like aunts and uncles or even half-siblings, through DNA testing. Looking for a DNA test that's accurate and can tell you about your health and heritage? He was a monster, a murderer, and a kidnapper, but he wasnt a good man doing a good thing for helpless women. I dont know. He was buried in Crestlawn Cemetery in Polk County, Tennessee. At the other end of the transaction, adoptive parents drove to a window in the alley behind the clinic, shelled out $1,000 or morebig money for the timeand were handed a newborn. Would love your thoughts, please comment. You should be ashamed of yourself because you have no idea of the pain he caused many families! "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZ6P-BJM: 23 February 2021), Thos J Hicks, 1917-1918. Now, my family has to wonder, is he out there? Jane Blasio, who broke the story of the Hicks Babies and leads investigative efforts, wrote her thoughts about Hicks on her website. The sentiments were echoed in other news stories. Even though Dr. Hicks is not suspected to be biologically related to any of the Hicks Babies, some people might find his ancestry and family tree to be of interest. The adoptive parents paid $1,000 for the baby, and Hicks would provide housing for the mothers for several months at his farm, a hotel, his apartments or a telephone company building, according to Appalachian History. Same ears, chin/jaw line, nose, and eyes. My YDNA indicates I am not Hicks. The method of the illegal adoptions has left many questions for those who started their lives in Hicks clinic. Selling 200 babies in illegal adoptions at $1000 each could have made a person very wealthy in 1950, though his exact motivations may never be known. He was born October 18, 1888. He then relocated just across the line in McCaysville Georgia. If he is out there and looking he may have tried the dna route. Cristine Santander is a content writer for KnowYourDNA. Instructions for how to transfer the raw data file to MyHeritage and FTDNA are here: https://thednageek.com/how-to-transfer-your-ancestrydna-test-to-other-databases/. Because the adoptions were illegal and their birth certificate were forged, there are no records of their biological parents which would allow them to find their origins. #TakenAtBirth, a 3-night special event, begins TONIGHT at 9/8c. I can promise you this, if theres a hell, he is in the front row seat! 2019. How is the river any worse, I ask you? The method of the illegal adoptions has left many questions for those who started their lives in Hicks clinic. Just one grandparent can lead you to many You gotta wonder if this was a routine operation throughout history. 'Hicks baby' reunited with her birth mother and brother Dr. Thomas J. Hicks performed abortions in the 1950s, long before abortions were legalized in Roe v. Wade. They should at least be thankful that they werent aborted. thank you so much for the information danny has 5 sisters and 1 brother looking for him, Should anyone believe or just want to be a part of the DNA registry for The Nicks Babies..please visit us on our webpage (Hicks Adoptees), Thank You She grieved for him her entire life! In 2020 a 4lb baby as a very good chance of not making it even with amazing NICUs in todays age. These closer relatives can provide important clues that can help determine exactly which child descended from the grandparents (identified through the 2nd-3rd cousins) was likely the biological mother or father. Blasio blew the whistle back in the 1990s. He told women their babies had died when they hadnt. He was born October 18, 1888. My Mama and Dad were married and biological parents to my brother. At the very least, she helps them learn more about their birth stories and roots. Labor was induced at 31-34 weeks (based on the birth weight of the survivors). As I say, not perfect, but a good man, Doris Abernathy told WKYC. I agree that in those cases he did the right thing, but everything else he did was just horrible! Yes. We will never know the hell they have suffered. Babies born that early would need to remain in the hospital. Don't miss out on the opportunity to learn more about yourself. Just keeping an RN on duty, even in the 1950s -60s, was a big expense. Interesting. Do you know how that can mentally affect a woman? I was sold on the black market by my mum's doctor - The Sun Dr. Dhingra has of over a decade in diagnostic, clinical, research and teaching work, including managing all sections of Pathology laboratory including histopathology, cytology, hematology and clinical Pathology. She carried him to full term and went to Dr Hicks to deliver her baby! But not all of the babies have been reunited. Bruen, Matthew Steven. The source for today's story was the book The Hicks Family Tree; The Magnificent Journey of Our Branch of the Hicks Family Tree, 1455 to 2011, and The Families That Made a Difference, written by Gale Hicks Thompson and Bob G. Hicks. Dr Thomas Jugarthy Hicks Sr Born 18 Oct 1888 in Bloomington, Pickett, Tennessee, United States Ancestors Son of David Fleming Hicks and [mother unknown] [sibling (s) unknown] Husband of Chass (Copeland) Hicks married 7 Jun 1917 in Polk, Tennessee, USA Father of Thomas Jugarthy Hicks Jr Died 5 Mar 1972 at age 83 in Tennessee, United States Are there any unresolved feelings or unanswered questions you're still working to unravel? i just hope i wont go made like them. They may not even know theyre adopted. 23andMe is on sale right now, so its a good time to buy. Nor did he put women in touch with legal adoption providers. Some were children of women Hicks convinced not to have abortions. For over 50 years this small town has been hiding a shocking secret. How Did Hicks Black Market Babies Business Work? He lied to many and told them their babies died! I may have a couple brothers out there. Barbara, you clearly have no idea what you are talking about. What is the Levant DNA Region on Ancestry. She named him Von Gordon. There were mothers who were told their babies died. It is unknown whether Hicks paid the biological mothers for the babies. I hope youre able to solve your case soon. TLC's 'Taken at Birth' Investigates Black Market Adoption Ring - People She did not go to him for an abortion or to give her baby away. Have you taken a DNA test yourself? I personally think he is a sociopath and I wonder if he could have been a Serial Killer as well. My dad moved us to New Mexico when I was in my early teens but I have a brother who stayed in Michigan. The story has been featured in many TV specials, including on TLCs, Taken At Birth, which originally aired in 2019. I am a mother of a baby born in 2016 at 30 weeks 3lbs in an amazing NICU I couldnt imagine if my son was born in his condition back then. Time is running out. Jane Blasio's search for her birth mother in McCaysville, Ga, brings to light the black-market sale of as many as 200 babies delivered there by the late Dr Thomas Jugarthy Hicks between 1951 and . Hicks was the beloved town doctor in the tiny mountain town of McCaysville, but women came from miles around to seek his services. My mother remarried in 1969 in GA, I cannot locate any information about her daughter except a clipping cutout from the obituaries in michigan, NO GRAVE, BIRTH OR DEATH RECORDS can be found, can you help, The connections of Georgia and Michigan and Ohio seemed odd, we desperately desire to locate her, Do you know where she was born (which clinic or hospital)? Dr. Thomas J. Hicks performed abortions in the 1950s, long before abortions were legalized in Roe v. Wade. Youve got poor, pregnant, unmarried women, who then need to come up with a story for their friends and/or families as to why there is no newborn . She worked with TLCs Long Lost Family to locate biological family members. I hope you guys can find what your looking for. My Mama and Daddy were very young yet very poor when this evil man told my Mama her first born son, my oldest brother was dead. It was Mother's Day of 1997 when Reymann saw a story in the Akron Beacon Journal featuring the story of Jane Blasio who had discovered she had been illegally sold as an infant for $1,000 from a clinic run by Dr. Thomas Hicks in McCaysville, Ga. some three decades earlier. In the mid-1940s, Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks opened the Hicks Community Clinic in the small town of McCaysville, Georgia, mere steps from the Tennessee state line. ALL OF THOSE CHILDREN WERE MESSED UP FROM THIS. Those who likely knew what happened may have died as well. I think that you did well with pointing out that this is not on and well done. What part of that is okay? Not sure how you can justify robbing mothers of their babies (some were told the babies died) or destroying the records so those that wanted to find their biological parents had no way of doing so. His wife and son both passed away, and his daughter lives in North Carolina, according to Appalachian History. The birth certificates Ive seen were in the 6-7 lb range. The Hicks Community Clinic has been closed for years, but the building still stands. At-home DNA testing wasnt available until recently. She assumed it was a legal adoption until he told her otherwise. Thomas, or Dr. Hicks, was one of six children. Dr Hicks told some of the mothers that their babies died, then he sold them. These lists include people who are genetically related to us. Some of those in his town defend his actions, according to Narratively, saying he was providing a service. It turned into a business. Some babies were that small but not all of them. If so, login to add it. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/aTH43ks3Co. He induced birth prematurely to make money. The adoptive parents paid $1,000 for the baby, and Hicks would provide housing for the mothers for several months at his farm, a hotel, his apartments or a telephone company building, according to Appalachian History. First of all, it was a small town clinic and back then it was not unheard of for any woman in a small town to go to a clinic to deliver their baby so to say hes some kind of hero for what he did is beyond disgusting. Thank goodness your grandmother was there and knew what to do. READ NEXT: Jane Blasio, The Hicks Baby Who Broke the Black Market Baby Adoption Case: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Dr. Thomas Hicks: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. I submitted my DNA in hopes that I might find my brother or some of his family. Theres nothing there, Linda, one of the Hicks Babies, told Narratively. Brother of Infant Daughter Hicks, U.S. Social Security Death Index (SSDI)Listed as Thomas HicksBirth: Oct 18 1888Death: Mar 1972Last residence: Copperhill, Tennessee 37317, USA, News report: [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3186644/Adopted-woman-51-SO]. The story is told on Taken at Birth. Many people who fell victim to the Hicks baby market hope these DNA tests will help them find closure. He was inducing them around 30 weeks handing out 4lb babies to people. Learn how your comment data is processed. Youre as crazy as he was if you think he should even get a pat on the back for his time and services. You saw it. Babies For Sale: The Secret Adoptions That Haunt One Georgia Town Aside from families that might eventually tell their adult children, the only hope Hicks babies have of finding their biological relatives is DNA tracking. Investigators opened the mausoleum, searching for records of the illegal adoptions, but found it was empty. Dr Thomas Jugarthy "Tommy" Hicks Jr. - Find a Grave Decades-old secret adoptions solved by modern DNA for Akron area - WKYC To push the boundaries of DNA science. was there more than one Dr. Hicks mentioned in the Taken AT Birth documentary or just one? So yes he should be vilified! He is buried in Crest Lawn Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia. He also delivered the babies early, between 31 & 34 wks causing them to have low birthweight and health issues.