Starting in 1955 and running through the early 1960s, Hicks offered secretive abortions and adoptions here. Many are hoping DNA will link them to their birth families, and some of them have found biological parents, siblings and parents through DNA, according to WKYC. Dr Harshi Dhingra is a licensed medical doctor with a specialization in Pathology. You really have no idea what you are talking about! 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. In addition, he did serve time in jail in Tennessee for illegally dispensing narcotics in the 1940s. Yes. However, many people are able to discover closer relatives, like aunts and uncles or even half-siblings, through DNA testing. Are you nuts? Dr. Hicks, who passed away at the age of 83, was born in 1888 in Picket County, Tennessee. TLC's Taken at Birth, which first aired in 2019, is a three-part . The Hicks Community Clinic has been closed for years, but the building still stands. I came from a messed up family, too. Geni requires JavaScript! "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SPQ5-SW1: accessed 10 April 2021), A G Hicks, Copperhill, Polk, Tennessee, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 10, sheet 1B, line 89, family 17, "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K4ZJ-HRF: 11 January 2021), Thomas J Hicks, Civil District 3, Polk, Tennessee, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 70-8, sheet 11B, line 42, family 207, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. These babies were later sold to adoptive families. It can sometimes be more difficult to pinpoint the exact identify of someones biological parents without closer cousins, such as first cousins. Would love to have help, Im mr.hicks grate grate grand daughter sadly, hes from my moms side of the family. How Many Babies Did Thomas Hicks Put Up For Adoption? It is possible that deaths like these convinced Dr. Hicks that something needed to be done.. https://thednageek.com/dna-tests. what he did was very wrong and im very sorry for all those kids and parents. She said she heard her baby cry then Doc Hicks told her he was still born. Many had no idea they were adopted until well into adulthood. I was warned about ever asking those questions again, this man said I know who you are, please let it alone. 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. This is how this group of babies, who are now all grown up, came to be called Hicks Babies. McCaysville, which is located in the southern Appalachian Mountains right on the Georgia border with Tennessee, was shocked to hear that their beloved town doctor, Dr. Hicks, was accused of arranging illegal adoptions, and even selling babies, for parents wanting to adopt. Our filters are much different than the ones from that period of time. You saw it. John Stapleton, another one of the Hicks Babies, said he did not think Hicks started in the business for profit. This lecture will be retired after this offering, so dont miss out! Jane Blasio, The Hicks Baby Who Broke the Black Market Baby Adoption Case: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. My heart aches for your mother and your whole family. Ideas for Getting Responses from DNA Matches. 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. Many of the Hicks babies also began searching for their biological families. Some on here commented that the bio moms were likely unwed and didnt want the babies. Both of Dr. Hicks' parents were born in Tennessee. I am helping a relative looking for his birth parents or siblings. They may not even know theyre adopted. She always thought she had a boy out there somewhere. Evil does not begin to describe this man. I hope that you have found this article interesting, and that you understand more about the story of Dr. Hicks and how the individuals who were adopted through his clinic might be able to use DNA results to discover the identities of their biological parents. Some of those in his town defend his actions, according to Narratively, saying he was providing a service. Can never know. If you find ANYTHING humane or OKAY about that then God so help you! #TakenAtBirth, a 3-night special event, begins TONIGHT at 9/8c. Blasio has dedicated her life to helping reunite Hicks Babies with their biological families. | 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. My heart breaks for your mama and for your whole family. A New York Times profile of Blasio appeared in 1997, which was around the. At least one Hicks baby submitted his DNA to Ancestry.com and found a half-sister. It sickens me to see any one make what he did look OKAY! As a matter of fact she grieved the rest of her life for her first born she thought had died! I think he was a good man. we do not know where these births occured most of our family is deceased. Hicks was the beloved town doctor in the tiny mountain town of McCaysville, but women came from miles around to seek his services. Login to find your connection. He was married to a Baptist Sunday school teacher, according to PEOPLE. The story broke across the U.S. in 1997 when an Akron woman named Jane Blasio learned that her parents bought her from a clinic in Georgia. Powered by. 4. 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. Don't miss out on the opportunity to learn more about yourself. 1997. Mama named my brother Von Gordon. And youve had children with them??? In next week's column, this family's lineage will be continued with the family and history of Samuel Hicks (2). THE ONE FAMILY HAD TWIN BOYS AND THE MAN WAS IN A FAMILY THAT HATED HIM HIS ENTIRE LIFE. 23andMe is on sale right now. New York Times, accessed 17 September 2019. me are my real parents or not as i am finding out not every thing they told me about family is real. Looking for a DNA test that's accurate and can tell you about your health and heritage? Did you like this post? Holy smokes! I have my ancestory DNA done and would love to try to match some names with my DNA relatives. Some babies were that small but not all of them. 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 . 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. Have you checked the adoption registries to see if hes looking for his biological family? He also told the mothers that their babies died, gave them death certificates but then sold the baby out the back door for $1000. In the documentary they have a positive match for Dr Hicks fathering one of the babies. Jane needs to get a DNA test and compare it to Doris Abernathy, the town historian. survivors include his mother, diann loftice barker of mckinney; stepfather, don barker of mckinney; three brothers: billy loftice of princeton, ron and jasen loftice both of mckinney; two sisters: lisa murphy of culleoka, artie stone of princeton . The son, Gillam Thomas Hicks, and his family will be featured in next week's column. I am happy to offer a dna sample if possible. He died in 1972 and it took three decades before Hicks' actions were brought to light. My parents were a young married couple and very much wanted their baby! It is suspected that many of them did and there is rumor that perhaps he disposed of those little bodies in the river. She did NOT go to him for an abortion, she went to deliver MY BROTHER. His daughter is living in North Carolina, according to Appalachian History. Several in the town told the outlet the story was sensationalized. After watching this documentary I can see how he got away with it for so long. The biological mother was not mentioned, and there was no court record or other official document connecting the babies to their biological parents. Stories of young girls dying from botched abortions in the early 50s still exist in the living memories of those from the region. I know this first hand because of how it deeply hurt my mother for many, many years! 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'. 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 Why dig up a grave when dna could have given these people the answer if they were siblings? What he provided were lies to young mothers and fathers who wanted their babies ! I hope your brother decides to test someday. If you havent been there, you cannot possibly imagine what that is like. He induced birth prematurely to make money. Dr. Hicks served as a town doctor in McCaysville, Ga., and was known for performing abortions, which were illegal at the time. That is not correct. Hed do anything for anybody sometimes hed pay a price for it, she said. Some theorized Hicks was buried beside his mausoleum because of concern the grave would be vandalized. As a result, he could not provide information that would help the babies find their parents or the other way around.4. Bruen, Matthew Steven. He is buried in Crest Lawn Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia. Otherwise he wouldnt have needed to lie about them being stillborn. 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. Despite the illegality of the abortions, Hicks would advertise the service at phone booths, bus stations and bridges, according to Appalachian History. Surnames in his family tree include Thomas, Fitch, Green, Waddell, and Johnson. His name would have been Von Gordon Prince. You are right, Dr Hicks was an evil man. He lied to those women whether they wanted their children or not. Now, they are using the power of DNA to reunite with their biological families. The townspeople believed he encouraged pregnant women who came to him to carry their babies to term instead. Aside from families that might eventually tell their adult children, the only hope Hicks babies have of finding their biological relatives is DNA tracking. They look exactly alike. The cost is the same for you. I agree that in those cases he did the right thing, but everything else he did was just horrible! i was told i was born in raymond wa. Their lower-priced test is fine for your purposes. Her decade-long search for her birth parents led to the exposure of Hicks' illegal babies. 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. He states that he chased the car down the road from where hicks office was to try and get me before they took off in 1954. She hopes DNA testing will enable them to find their birth parents. Shame on him and all those who covered for him and his horrific lies. CONTENT MAY BE COPYRIGHTED BY WIKITREE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. Dr. Hicks died a disgrace in 1972, one year before the Roe v. Wade decision. Dr. Thomas Hicks died of leukemia, a type of blood cancer. She was present when authorities opened the mausoleum. He ran the Hicks Community Clinic and offered his services to poor copper mining families. Perhaps your dad was referring to the equipment used to save preemies. Dr Hicks ran a clinic in McCaysville, Georgia, from about 1945 to 1965. Hicks' wife and son had already passed away. 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. Ive heard that many times in my life by a lot of people. Then you missed the entirety of the story. Yes he had a choice he just made the wrong one for greed!! I grew up with this story from my grandfather when i was little. Expand. There are stories that even suggest that some mothers were told that their babies did not survive at birth. When they opened it up there was great excitement. His wife was a Baptist Sunday school teacher, according to PEOPLE. She never got over it. Below is the list of best dr thomas hicks family tree website where you can find anything related to dr thomas hicks family tree. In these cases, Hicks would forge a birth certificate and give the baby to adoptive parents in secret from his Georgia clinic. I did see it just yesterday. What is the Egypt DNA Region on Ancestry? Interesting. Thomas, or Dr. Hicks, was one of six children. Yes, thats a horrible thought. Thanks, What Happened To Dr. Hicks And His Associates? Once they have grouped their DNA matches in to several groups, they can study the descendants of the ancestors to find where they connect to each other. You can follow their life-changing stories in a three-night series, Taken at Birth, airing October 9th-11th, 2019, on TLC and some streaming platforms. Were it not for him encouraging these women to have their babies, these children would have never been given a chance at life. 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. 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. pic.twitter.com/3dg3CRes3u. Town Secret Is Uncovered In Birth Quest. But those he left behind have differing opinions on his actions. He was born October 18, 1888. she weighed a little over 4lbs I wonder if theres any connection between those doctors. Uncover your ancestry, paternity, and health risks for peace of mind, Get affordable medical tests that you can privately take at home, Test your gut bacteria and learn ways to restore its balance, Discover healthy diets and apps that can help you lose weight, Lose weight without sacrificing your nutrition and health, Straighten your teeth at home and see visible results in months. It may be that I never find my brother but maybe I could find his children. You people have no idea how many states/commonwealths this Hicks was in., he was known in the mountains of Pa as Hickscock. If shes still alive and knows shes adopted, she may be looking for you using DNA. He took HUGE risks for essentially very little in return, in fact he did lose his medical license in 1964 for performing an abortion. There are always three sides to any story: One side, the other side, and the truth (which is usually somewhere in between). Thank you. i hope everything gets better for those kids and those parents. 'Hicks Baby' Adoptee Sold by Georgia Doctor 50 Years Ago Reunites With Birth Mother, Brother, Who are the Hicks babies? All in all, I cannot condemn him. They wanted to be rid of their babies and were desperate. I Just dont understand how anyone could possibly think what he did was right or just or in any way good at all!! My mother was soooo lucky compared to all of the hudreds of babies Hicks Babies. Prior to that, he was practicing just across the state line in Copperhill, Tennessee, and could well have been selling babies then. She carried him to full term and went to Dr Hicks to deliver her baby! 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. But many aspects of his clinic remain a mystery to this day. Buying or selling A CHILDTHERE IS EVERYTHING WRONG WITH THAT! I dont know the truth, the people involved back THEN know. 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. 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. 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. Curiously, Dr. Thomas J. Hicks is not buried in a mausoleum that bears his name, but beside it. If it was a black-market clinic, there probably arent any records of the transaction. If they were going to have an abortion like some people are saying then there would be absolutely no need to tell the moms that. They werent all there for abortions!! The illegal adoptions stopped in 1964 when Hicks . You arent responsible for their sins. Has your family done any dna tests like 23andme or ancestry? 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]. What Was the Immigration Process at Ellis Island Like? One of those babies he delivered in Tennessee was my oldest brother who was supposedly still born. How would you feel if you found out a child your told was dead is actually alive I wish Hicks was alive to stand trial for what he did, he had no right. When families came to his clinic to adopt babies, Hicks made the women pretend they had just given birth. His work remained buried as well. He also has a living granddaughter named Sally Sompayrac. Babies were handed out to them through the door or window. He was buried in Crestlawn Cemetery in Polk County, Tennessee. The good Dr told the mother they were still born. (@Angel5Christine) October 8, 2019. These types of adoptions can cause extra hurt for families, since they were financial incentives, coercion is often a factor, documents dont exist to help adoptees locate their biological families, and lies are often told to protect the adults involved in the illegal adoption. Labor was induced at 31-34 weeks (based on the birth weight of the survivors). The story of the "Hicks Babies" broke almost 20 years ago when a researcher discovered that between 1950 and 1965, a Dr. Thomas Hicks of McCaysville, Georgia, sold babies he delivered in his clinic to couples looking to adopt children. We dont know anything about the adults he has seen. He lied to many and told them their babies died! Geni requires JavaScript! I used AncestryDNA to solve all of the Hicks cases I worked on. The extra mouths to feed were simply too expensive. is anything else your are looking? If you have any questions about something that you read in this post, please join in the discussion below. The motives of Hicks actions are unclear. Dr. Hicks is horrible. 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 I hope youre able to solve your case soon. Dr. Hicks did lose his medical license in 1964 due to an infraction unrelated to the illegal adoptions. The Hicks babies were babies sold by Dr. Thomas J. Hicks to different families. I owe my life to him, but he has also been the cause of so much pain and suffering. Youre as crazy as he was if you think he should even get a pat on the back for his time and services. And the $1k sounds about like what my Dad was sold for. 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. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks in MyHeritage family trees (Sompayrac Web Site) Dr Thomas Jugarthy Hicks, Sr in 1940 United States Federal Census Thomas Hicks in U.S. Social Security Death Index (SSDI) view all Immediate Family Chassie Hicks wife Dr Thomas Jugarthy Hicks, Jr son Dr Walter Lynn Hicks son Private child Mary Louise Hicks mother 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. Those who are among the babies that were adopted through the Hicks Clinic can take DNA tests to help discover who their biological parents might have been. The six-part, three-night special revisits the case of Dr. Thomas J. Hicks, who sold or gave away more than 200 infants from the '40s to the '60s By Jeff Truesdell Published on October 8, 2019 10: . He delivered my oldest brother. I recommend that you test with AncestryDNA and 23andMe, then consider transferring the raw data file into some of the other databases if you dont have luck at the first two. Maybe hes out there and will search for you. Son of David Fleming Hicks and Mary Louise Hicks There is absolutely NO defense for that.He treated these babies like they were nothing more than a puppy mill money making machine. How is the river any worse, I ask you? Hicks may not have been in Georgia during that time, but if he was in TN that might be a lead. That $1000. Not to mention the fact that some of these birth mothers thought their babies DIED! And he was stealing babies telling mothers that they delivered a still born. To protect their privacy, I have chosen not to mention any of the individuals who were adopted by name in this article. Dr Thomas Jugarthy Hicks, Sr (1888 - 1972) - Genealogy Genealogy for Dr Thomas Jugarthy Hicks, Sr (1888 - 1972) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. Before Doctor Hicks opened his practice in Georgia he was just across the state line in Polk County Tennessee in the 1930s. I kept yelling at the tv he saved your freaking life!!!!

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