My YDNA indicates I am not Hicks. You made your decision. amd im 13 so i have a long way to go . If you fully watched the documentary you would know that almost all the babies were 4lbs at birth weight or even SMALLER and he was doing this to hurry along the money. Looking for a DNA test that's accurate and can tell you about your health and heritage? Some of those in his town defend his actions, according to Narratively, saying he was providing a service. What he did was awful feel so bad for those mothers and children. Some birth mothers knew they were placing a baby for adoption, some thought they had an abortion, and some were told their infants died. AND IN ALL ACTUALITY HICKS LIED TO HER TO GET HER TWIN BOYS AND MADE OVER 2000 OFF OF HER PAIN. Many of those from Hicks small town defended his actions. 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. The primary purpose of this post is to explain how those children who were adopted through the Hicks Clinic have been able to use their DNA to discover close relatives, and sometimes, the identities of their biological parents. In 1964, the town sheriff arrested Hicks for performing illegal abortions. No one with half a brain can even think that is good. Within a decade, he was not only performing illegal abortions but selling newborns on the black market. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. He died in 1972 and it took three decades before Hicks' actions were brought to light. Dr. Hicks obviously cannot give his side of the story. I just wanted to say I watch this show about a little girl. 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. The reason I am writing is this. His forged birth certificates did not list biological parents. Theres nothing there, Linda, one of the Hicks Babies, told Narratively. Hicks was providing a service, Ken Rush, director of the Ducktown Basin Museum, told Narratively. The biological mothers of these individuals were persuaded to give their babies up for adoption and they were allegedly sold to their adoptive parents through the Hicks Clinic, owned by Dr. Hicks. 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. Hicks faced legal trouble for illegal abortions, but not for the illegal adoptions. My heart breaks for your mama and for your whole family. These babies were born between weighing only 3.5 and 4.75 lbs.. ALL very unfavorable conditions!!!! Source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/206086779/margaret-mary-brown, Samuel Ernest Hicks, Lucy Elizabeth Ketron, John William Hicks, Unknown Hicks, Carrie Ellen Dickson, Anna Laura Bradley (born Hicks), David Fleming Hicks, Mary Louise Hicks (born Holt), Samuel Earnest Hicks, Lucy Elizabeth Hicks, John William Hicks, Unknown Hicks, Carrie Ellen Dickson (born Hicks), Annie Laurie Hicks, 1910 - Civil District 10, Sullivan, Tennessee, USA, Lucy E Hicks, Carrie E Hicks, Laura A 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, Oct 18 1888 - Orebank, Sullivan, Tennessee, United States, Mar 5 1972 - Copperhill, Polk, Tennessee, United States, Thomas Jugarthy Hicks Jr, Walter Lynn Hicks, Margaret Mary Brown (born Hicks), uel Ernest Hicks, Lucy Elizabeth Ketron (born Hicks), John William Hicks, Carrie Ellen Dickson (born Hicks), Anna Laura Bradley (born Hicks), Thomas J Jr Hicks, W Lynn Hicks, Margaret Hicks, Source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/86371930/carrie-ellen-dickson, Bloomington, Pickett County, Tennessee, USA, Crestlawn Cemetery, Polk County, Tennessee, USA, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9119259/thomas-jugarthy-hicks, https://www.geni.com/projects/SmartCopy/18783. Son of David Fleming Hicks and Mary Louise Hicks 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. What we have now is the mothers side of the story. 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. 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. i never thought it was real when i was little either. Are you on drugs. But honestly, my suggestion would be for them to live for today. Thomas, or Dr. Hicks, was one of six children. Chang, Juju, Jasmine Brown, Geoff Martz and Lauren Effron. The same lecture is offered twiceNovember 1 and 2, 2022to accommodate schedules and time zones. My parents lived together for 62 years and went on to have seven more children but my Mama grieved the rest of her life for the son she lost! That $1000. 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. was there more than one Dr. Hicks mentioned in the Taken AT Birth documentary or just one? 4. Dr. Hicks did lose his medical license in 1964 due to an infraction unrelated to the illegal adoptions. As I watched this documentary it made me think of the story my mother told many timesas her grandmother told hershe (my mother) was born in Oliver Springs TN.. (a little over two hours from McCaysville GA) A Dr Stone dilivered her and told her mother that she didnt make it meanwhile shes lying on a cart covered up with a sheet outside the room when her grandmother realizes shes there picked her up blew into her mouth then spanked her bottom and she started crying. These babies were born between 3.5 and 4.75 lbs.. very unfavorable!! His name would have been Von Gordon Prince. Just keeping an RN on duty, even in the 1950s -60s, was a big expense. Evil does not begin to describe this man. There are many people who were adopted at birth who can use similar strategies to learn more about their recent and distant ancestry. v. Wade legalized abortions. Cristine Santander is a content writer for KnowYourDNA. Before Doctor Hicks opened his practice in Georgia he was just across the state line in Polk County Tennessee in the 1930s. A fake birth certificate was produced, listing the adoptive parents as the parents of the child. 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 ABC News, accessed 17 September 2019. 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. 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. 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. The illegal adoptions that were allegedly arranged by Dr. Hicks were not discovered until after his death. Babies born that early would need to remain in the hospital. We can tell ourselves stories, and they become our truths. The story has been featured in many TV specials, including on TLCs, Taken At Birth, which originally aired in 2019. The extra mouths to feed were simply too expensive. 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. Are you kidding me. The cost is the same for you. Dr. Thomas J. Hicks performed abortions in the 1950s, long before abortions were legalized in Roe v. Wade. 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. Dr. Hicks died of leukemia in 1972 at the age of 83. 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. How can this man NOT be vilified?! But not all of the babies have been reunited. I submitted my DNA in hopes that I might find my brother or some of his family. How Did People Find Out About the Hicks Babies? Estimated reading time: 5 minutes From 1951 to 1965 Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks began to quietly offer babies for adoption from his Hicks Community Clinic in McCaysville, GA. His wife was a Baptist Sunday school teacher, according to PEOPLE. 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. At the very least, she helps them learn more about their birth stories and roots. It is in Gods hands. His parents were David Fleming Hicks and Mary Louise Holt. Dr. Thomas Hicks family tree 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. Clickherefor more information. Hicks didnt oversee legal adoptions. If shes still alive and knows shes adopted, she may be looking for you using DNA. You people have no idea how many states/commonwealths this Hicks was in., he was known in the mountains of Pa as Hickscock. 2008 - 2023 INTERESTING.COM, INC. He is monster!! I have so many thoughts racing through my mind. I dont know the truth, the people involved back THEN know. Exactly! Just horrible! Shameful + Sinful + Criminal + Evil!! His wife and son have both passed away. The world is full of possibilities, and you are amazing! Are you for real?? Narratively, accessed 17 September 2019. Dr Hicks induced some babies early, and they would have been put in incubators had then been born that early today. That doesnt mean that my heart doesnt break for the pain that these people have gone through and continue to go through. Curiously, Dr. Thomas J. Hicks is not buried in a mausoleum that bears his name, but beside it. According to the neonatalogist interviewed in the show many other babies must have died. As a matter of fact she grieved the rest of her life for her first born she thought had died! In these cases, Hicks would forge a birth certificate and give the baby to adoptive parents in secret from his Georgia clinic. The good Dr told the mother they were still born. I only wish Mama had lived long enough to know her baby is most likely alive. Shame on him and all those who covered for him and his horrific lies. Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks, the man behind the Hicks Babies, ran a small clinic in the tiny town of McCaysville, Georgia. She had particular qualms with the notion of black market babies.. Unfortunately, Hicks kept no records of the birth mothers. Dr. Hicks had a granddaughter, Sally Sompayrac, who empathizes with the plight of the Hicks babies. Blasio first traveled to McCaysville in 1988 to search for her birth mother. During the years that he ran his clinic, the town was at its population peak of between 1,800-2,000 residents. Janice, I am from Polk County Tennessee as well and Dr Hicks delivered my oldest brother before they ran him out of Tennessee. 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. Apparently these women were seeking abortions, not babies. Im so sorry for your familys loss. Ignorance is a terrible thing smh!!!! Dr Hicks told some of the mothers that their babies died, then he sold them. He was protecting himself & looking out for his own financial interest!!! So far, there are no positive DNA matches between babies and parents from the database. 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. Many of the Hicks babies also began searching for their biological families. He was married and had three children. 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. 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/. 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 "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JRRC-NPT: 9 January 2021), Thomas Hicks, Mar 1972; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing). 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. Hicks performed illegal abortions in the 1950s and 1960s, along with the illegal adoptions, until he faced legal troubles in 1964 for the abortions. She has a B.S. 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. Dr. Thomas J. Hicks died at age 83 on March 5, 1972, after a battle with leukemia. Cock being laughed at each time someone ask his name. As I say, not perfect, but a good man, Doris Abernathy told WKYC. Why am I rehashing this. in todays market he did make money, he also induced those women into early labor to push those babies out putting the babies and mothers in jeopardy(I wonder how many died). My dad moved us to New Mexico when I was in my early teens but I have a brother who stayed in Michigan. New TLC Special Taken At Birth Dives into Shocking Hicks Babies Black Market Adoption Scandal. You dont want to vilify him? Most biological mothers disappeared after giving birth to their babies. Has your family done any dna tests like 23andme or ancestry? What he did has no merit. And the $1k sounds about like what my Dad was sold for. Both of Dr. Hicks' parents were born in Tennessee. The Dr Hicks who ran the black-market adoptions had a son who became a dentist. Jane needs to get a DNA test and compare it to Doris Abernathy, the town historian. Those who were passed through the window as babies to adoptive parents have stopped by to see where their lives changed direction so early in life. So all of what you said is ridiculous. Instead, he illegally sold the babies for approximately $800 to $1,000 each.1. 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. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. Doctor Hicks was NO saint and we recognize his dysfunction, the pain he caused many, and have learned to bear it, she wrote. My mom had two stillborn they told her. Please! Hicks lied, blatantly, to some of these women, hell probably 90% of them. In these cases, Hicks would forge a birth certificate and give the baby to adoptive parents in secret from his Georgia clinic. Mama had seven more babies after that(Im the youngest)she never stopped grieving for her oldest son. 2016. It was a horrible thing he did to my parents and the rest of us when he stole my oldest brother! Furthermore, over 200 babies! Are you nuts? That seems to be a repetitive theme amongst the living relatives. The poverty here in the Copper Basin of southeast Tennessee and far north Georgia, which includes the town of McCaysville, often meant that pregnant women couldnt ask a relative or friend to help raise their children. 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'. About 15 of the 200+ babies have been reunited with their biological parents. This lecture will be retired after this offering, so dont miss out! His wife was a Baptist Sunday school teacher, according to PEOPLE. All of Dr. Hicks grandparents were born in Tennessee, as were many of his great-grandparents. The news captivated many outside McCaysville. 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. Mama said they ran him out of Tennessee not long after that because he was killing so many babies. He was inducing them around 30 weeks handing out 4lb babies to people. These women often came away from faraway places. This is the process by which it was alleged to have worked: The doctor would advertise adoption services and prenatal care, in addition to care related to the termination of pregnancies, in the local community and surrounding areas. Dr Hicks sold over 200 babies from his clinic in McCaysville during the 50s and 60s Credit: YouTube. Melinda, of the Hicks Babies, I have a missing, supposedly deceased infant sister, born in supposedly michigan in 1967, 1968 or 1969. 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: . If he is out there and looking he may have tried the dna route. Now, my family has to wonder, is he out there? He deserved to be paid for his time and services as well after all, this was time he could have spent seeing other patients, and medical equipment and supplies are not cheap. Just watched the documentary. Table, Dave. He then relocated just across the line in McCaysville Georgia. Powered by. Test prices are here: https://thednageek.com/dna-tests/ Busted not for selling babies, but for the abortion clinic. The method of the illegal adoptions has left many questions for those who started their lives in Hicks clinic. Both of Dr. Hicks parents were born in Tennessee. My Grandma has been gone several years now, but she told us numerous times that in 1952 when she gave birth to my aunt that she remembers having two babies and the nurse telling her she had a boy. i come from to sides of a family that are both messed up. I believe that he provided a valuable service, giving women an alternative, giving a baby a chance at life, giving a couple a chance to be parents. Anyways the family is from Georgia and they film there as well. If you have any questions about something that you read in this post, please join in the discussion below. Are there any unresolved feelings or unanswered questions you're still working to unravel? With the judges help, she learned that the clinic sold babies while they were still open. He was married and had two children, a son and a daughter. In 2014, around 30 suspected Hicks Babies traveled to Tennessee to undergo DNA testing. He was born October 18, 1888. Thank you so much. Their lower-priced test is fine for your purposes. And then today, with abortions being legal, aborted babies are having their body parts SOLD what a repugnant thought. she weighed a little over 4lbs I wonder if theres any connection between those doctors. He ran the Hicks Community Clinic and offered his services to poor copper mining families. Could you imagine the survival rate back then for babies 3lb or 4lbs. Most people whose recent ancestors were born in the United States will find that their DNA match lists include people who are related to them at a distance of 2nd-3rd cousins. They werent all there for abortions!! Now fast forward 50 years, memories are skewed, you feel differently now, maybe you wish things were different. Have you checked the adoption registries to see if hes looking for his biological family? 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. Dr Hicks ran a clinic in McCaysville, Georgia, from about 1945 to 1965. John Stapleton, another one of the Hicks Babies, said he did not think Hicks started in the business for profit. #TakenAtBirth, a 3-night special event, begins TONIGHT at 9/8c. Personally I hope that Dr Hicks is burning in hell! I personally think he is a sociopath and I wonder if he could have been a Serial Killer as well. On the documentary the officer in the second episode claimed he gave a relative of his a shot and she died 30min later. Blasio blew the whistle back in the 1990s. 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. The motives of Hicks actions are unclear. Blasio has dedicated her life to helping reunite Hicks Babies with their biological families. He is the man behind the babies who are now called the Hicks Babies. Tune in to #TakenAtBirth, a 3-night special event, starting TONIGHT at 9/8c. It wouldve been 1964. Bloomington, Pickett, Tennessee, United States, Dr Thomas Jugarthy Hicks & Chass Copeland, marriage record, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9119259, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-jul-06-mn-10123-story.html, https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/23/us/town-secret-is-uncovered-in-birth-quest.html, https://www.distractify.com/p/dr-hicks-taken-at-birth, https://narratively.com/babies-for-sale-the-secret-adoptions-that-haunt-one-georgia-town/, https://www.countryliving.com/life/entertainment/a29403041/who-is-dr-thomas-j-hicks/, https://nypost.com/2019/10/08/black-market-babies-reunited-after-more-than-50-years/, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hicks-babies-trying-to-find-their-roots-decades-later/, https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/investigations/decades-old-secret-adoptions-solved-by-modern-dna-for-akron-area-families/95-597582808, https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2014/jun/22/seeking-family-links/250410/, https://globintel.com/usa/dr-thomas-hicks-wiki-taken-at-birth/, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MSZD-WWR, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MGFJ-W52, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZ6P-BJM, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VNX9-1PS, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MN5X-3HV, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SPQ5-SW1, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K4ZJ-HRF, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JRRC-NPT, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:McCaysville%2C_Georgia, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Why dig up a grave when dna could have given these people the answer if they were siblings? The birth certificates Ive seen were in the 6-7 lb range. Some babies were that small but not all of them. Hicks Baby Adoptee Sold by Georgia Doctor 50 Years Ago Reunites With Birth Mother, Brother. He took HUGE risks for essentially very little in return, in fact he did lose his medical license in 1964 for performing an abortion. Dr. Thomas Hicks. If you havent been there, you cannot possibly imagine what that is like. 2015. His death occurred in 1972, long before any of the children that had been adopted illegally through Dr. Hicks clinic had discovered the truth about their origins. More than 200 babies, known as the "Hicks Babies," were. Wow! He would then sell those babies, for prices as high as $1000, to couples who wanted to adopt. A lot of the babies that were sold were under 5lbs which could indicate that he induced labor which would make the childs death more believable since the baby came early. What he provided were lies to young mothers and fathers who wanted their babies ! He lost his medical license in 1964, but he faced no jail time for the illegal abortions. Originally from Tennessee, Thomas Hicks was educated at Tusculum College (now Tusculum University) and Carson-Newman College, both in Tennessee, and Emory University Medical School near Atlanta, Georgia. Did you like this post? Otherwise he wouldnt have needed to lie about them being stillborn. They should at least be thankful that they werent aborted. Some birth mothers knew they were placing a baby for adoption, some thought they had an abortion, and some were told their . She was present when authorities opened the mausoleum. Many people who fell victim to the Hicks baby market hope these DNA tests will help them find closure. Dr. Thomas Hicks was a small-town Georgia doctor who was accused of selling hundreds of babies in illegal adoptions. Hi, the category is just Category:McCaysville, Georgia. The biological mother was not mentioned, and there was no court record or other official document connecting the babies to their biological parents. Ive heard that many times in my life by a lot of people. He told women their babies had died when they hadnt. Hicks was performing abortions long before Roe. So that he could make money. For him to lie to these women is unforgivable. What Happened to Dr. Thomas Hicks? My husband and I said the same thing while watching this show! Thank you. He induced labor and delivered low birth weight babies that were in danger of dying. Have you heard the story of Dr. Hicks? They adored Dr Hicks and were fiercely protective of his reputation and legacy. How Did Hicks Black Market Babies Business Work? $1000 was not a tremendous amount of money when you think about the birth mothers room and board for one month (they had no money, they paid nothing) prior to the birth, plus 24 hr a day Nursing care. She grieved her the rest of her life for her first born son. New York Times, accessed 17 September 2019. The so-called Hicks Babies had falsified birth certificates, and Dr Hicks kept no records tying them to their biological families. He was never formally charged with arranging these illegal adoptions, and for this reason, he never went to jail or faced legal consequences for his actions. Clearly, you have never lost a child. Stories of young girls dying from botched abortions in the early 50s still exist in the living memories of those from the region.
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