Mama had seven more babies after that(Im the youngest)she never stopped grieving for her oldest son. I just wanted to say I watch this show about a little girl. They were not, and he sold those babies. The Hicks Community Clinic has been closed for years, but the building still stands. And the $1k sounds about like what my Dad was sold for. She worked with TLCs Long Lost Family to locate biological family members. My Dad was a black-market baby in 1941 in Akron OH. The story has been featured in many TV specials, including on TLCs, Taken At Birth, which originally aired in 2019. Investigators opened the mausoleum, searching for records of the illegal adoptions, but found it was empty. Those who were adopted have few places to turn to track down their origins. ALL OF THOSE CHILDREN WERE MESSED UP FROM THIS. Those who were adopted have few places to turn to track down their origins. Prior to that, he was practicing just across the state line in Copperhill, Tennessee, and could well have been selling babies then. It may have started with good intentions, but these babies deserve the truth and they deserve it now. 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. 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. Did you like this post? Hicks was providing a service, Ken Rush, director of the Ducktown Basin Museum, told Narratively. I came from a messed up family, too. Who is Parent 1 or Parent 2 on Ancestry DNA? Please! 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. Dr. Hicks died of leukemia in 1972 at the age of 83. Interesting. 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. To push the boundaries of DNA science. Cristine Santander is a content writer for KnowYourDNA. I do truly feel for the Hicks babies for not knowing; I know that must be hard. I used AncestryDNA to solve all of the Hicks cases I worked on. 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. 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. There is absolutely NO defense for that.He treated these babies like they were nothing more than a puppy mill money making machine. He was her first born and she said she heard him cry yet Dr Hicks told her he was still born. I know this first hand because of how it deeply hurt my mother for many, many years! You should be ashamed of yourself because you have no idea of the pain he caused many families! His wife and son have both passed away. The adopted child or biological mother can call and provide information about their gender and birthdate. Blasio has dedicated her life to helping reunite Hicks Babies with their biological families. He was wrong and he did wrong so did the mayor and chief of police. Dr. Hicks served as a town doctor in McCaysville, Ga., and was known for performing abortions, which were illegal at the time. She was 6 years old when her adoptive father sat her down about it. In these cases, Hicks would forge a birth certificate and give the baby to adoptive parents in secret from his Georgia clinic. 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! Im going to play a little devils advocate. He was married to a Baptist Sunday school teacher, according to PEOPLE. She never got over it. Copyright 2023 The DNA Geek Ascension WordPress theme by, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), New TLC Special Taken At Birth Dives into Shocking Hicks Babies Black Market Adoption Scandal, Babies For Sale: The Secret Adoptions That Haunt One Georgia Town, Hicks Baby Adoptee Sold by Georgia Doctor 50 Years Ago Reunites With Birth Mother, Brother, Busted not for selling babies, but for the abortion clinic, 23andMe Introduces the Automated Family Tree , The Hicks Babies The DNA Geek | Ups and Downs of Family History V2.0, https://thednageek.com/how-to-transfer-your-ancestrydna-test-to-other-databases/, Book Review: I Know Who You Are, by Barbara Rae-Venter, Up Your DNA Game With New Courses in 2023, Verogen Increases Costs for Law Enforcement Again, A Board of Certification for Investigative Genetic Genealogy Is Announced. According to the New York Post, Jane is just one of more than 200 newborns sold by Dr. Hicks, during the 1950s and '60s.. As part of his practice, Hicks performed abortions, which were illegal at the time. PS Ancestry DNA is a crook. What Happened to Dr. Thomas Hicks? 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. 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. To give Sallie an answer. In the 40s, 50s, and 60s, a doctor was selling babies from his small town abortion clinic in the heart of McCaysville, Georgia. 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. Our filters are much different than the ones from that period of time. "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. Hicks faced legal trouble for illegal abortions, but not for the illegal adoptions. Ive heard the same story over and over, that the mother heard her baby cry but was told it was stillborn. I hope your brother decides to test someday. These babies were born between weighing only 3.5 and 4.75 lbs.. ALL very unfavorable conditions!!!! i just hope i wont go made like them. I have hicks show up in my DNA results. Categories Searching for Biological Family. Tune in to #TakenAtBirth, a 3-night special event, starting TONIGHT at 9/8c. 'Hicks Baby' Adoptee Sold by Georgia Doctor 50 Years Ago Reunites With Birth Mother, Brother, Who are the Hicks babies? That seems to be a repetitive theme amongst the living relatives. If it wasnt Hicks, there was someone doing the same thing during the war years adopting babies out to Akron. You gotta wonder if this was a routine operation throughout history. Babies born that early would need to remain in the hospital. The so-called Hicks Babies had falsified birth certificates, and Dr Hicks kept no records tying them to their biological families. I can attest to the fact that some of the mothers were married (yes, to the biological fathers) at the time their infants were sold. This man not only took away peoples family history, but ruined their future as well. Thank you. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. The townspeople believed he encouraged pregnant women who came to him to carry their babies to term instead. To date, no one knows the exact number of babies he stole and sold on . Why dig up a grave when dna could have given these people the answer if they were siblings? Husband of Chassie Hicks I realize Dr. Hicks is not here to defend himself or answer questions, but I cannot imagine how you can defend him after what you heard. Hicks may not have been in Georgia during that time, but if he was in TN that might be a lead. #TakenAtBirth, a 3-night special event, begins Wednesday at 9/8c. As a result, he could not provide information that would help the babies find their parents or the other way around.4. It is possible that deaths like these convinced Dr. Hicks that something needed to be done.. I hope you guys can find what your looking for. I personally think he is a sociopath and I wonder if he could have been a Serial Killer as well. My mother was soooo lucky compared to all of the hudreds of babies Hicks Babies. What Does It Mean If You Have 1% Native American DNA? What Dr Hicks did was illegal. You are right, Dr Hicks was an evil man. 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. Dr. Thomas Hicks was a small-town Georgia doctor who was posthumously accused of selling hundreds of babies in illegal adoptions. His wife was a Baptist Sunday school teacher, according to PEOPLE. but i can't find me any where an i don't know if the people that raised. Why am I rehashing this. Not to mention the fact that some of these birth mothers thought their babies DIED! This was rural Appalachia in the 50s and 60s, a lot of poor families. He induced births, told mothers their babies died and sold them! Blasio went on to help dozens of Hicks babies so they could track down their birth parents and relatives. That is crazy! The motives of Hicks actions are unclear. I can empathize because of some similarities, but I cannot fully understand. His clinic, the Hicks Clinic, was in operation between about 1945-1965. During the documentary they interviewed a dr that runs a NICU and he said absolutely many of these babies died from there extremely low birth weight and the adoptive parents would have had no choice but to just discard them. I dont know. My heart breaks for your mama and for your whole family. Im sorry but thats a totally twisted way of thinking in my view!! Town Secret Is Uncovered In Birth Quest. 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. Thomas, or Dr. Hicks, was one of six children. Do you know how that can mentally affect a woman? In this post, learn who the Hicks Babies are, how they got their name, and how some of them are using DNA to discover their biological origins. My dad moved us to New Mexico when I was in my early teens but I have a brother who stayed in Michigan. So yes he should be vilified! In a small town filled with economical hardships, Hicks saw a need among pregnant women, although abortions conflicted with his faith, according to Narratively. "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MGFJ-W52: accessed 10 April 2021), Thomas J Hicks in household of D Fleming Hicks, Civil District 10, Sullivan, Tennessee, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 162, sheet 7B, family 136, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9119259/thomas-jugarthy-hicks, See: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:McCaysville%2C_Georgia Dr Hicks told some of the mothers that their babies died, then he sold them. Think about it, some of these folks could fall in love with a relative and not even know it. So many of the women were told their babies had died. That son adopted Sallie, who was featured in the show. Janice, I am from Polk County Tennessee as well and Dr Hicks delivered my oldest brother before they ran him out of Tennessee. How can you condone that? The son, Gillam Thomas Hicks, and his family will be featured in next week's column. The birth certificates Ive seen were in the 6-7 lb range. is anything else your are looking? Have you taken a DNA test yourself? (@Angel5Christine) October 8, 2019. 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. He was born in April 1964 Sumner County TN from what he knows. Shameful + Sinful + Criminal + Evil!! What we have now is the mothers side of the story. What Happened To Dr. Hicks And His Associates? Same ears, chin/jaw line, nose, and eyes. Just horrible! If hes alive, hopefully hell see the TV show and decide to test. All of Dr. Hicks grandparents were born in Tennessee, as were many of his great-grandparents. "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. I know your heart aches. 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. Personally I hope that Dr Hicks is burning in hell! I think, at first, it was under the table, and then he had seen there was money involved. Perhaps your dad was referring to the equipment used to save preemies. 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. 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 Family Tree Do You Know These Top Templates? In 1964, the town sheriff arrested Hicks for performing illegal abortions. about dr thomas hicks family tree please comment if we missed anything here, please let us know. The illegal adoptions that were allegedly arranged by Dr. Hicks were not discovered until after his death. "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. He told some of the biological mothers that they had undergone an abortion. Expand. me are my real parents or not as i am finding out not every thing they told me about family is real. 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. 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. Im sure there are also many, many Hicks babies out there that have no idea they are Hicks babies. During the years that he ran his clinic, the town was at its population peak of between 1,800-2,000 residents. I was born in 1967. Theres probably a lot of dead babies because of his practices. 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. The illegal adoptions came to an end in 1964, when Hicks was caught performing illegal abortions. Are you nuts? He died in 1972 and it took three decades before Hicks' actions were brought to light. Cock being laughed at each time someone ask his name. Hicks died at age 83 in 1972. He sold at least one more baby after he was shut down. To protect their privacy, I have chosen not to mention any of the individuals who were adopted by name in this article. My decision is there was something very wrong going on. Dr. Thomas J. Hicks performed abortions in the 1950s, long before abortions were legalized in Roe v. Wade. Now, my family has to wonder, is he out there? she weighed a little over 4lbs I wonder if theres any connection between those doctors. Enter a grandparent's name. We could be related. When she ask Dr Hicks about it he told her it was the medication making her think that. The method of the illegal adoptions has left many questions for those who started their lives in Hicks clinic. And in 1972, Hicks died at age 83. Time is running out. When they opened it up there was great excitement. There were mothers who were told their babies died. It is unknown whether Hicks paid the biological mothers for the babies. Then you missed the entirety of the story. 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. Never has been black market babies, she told WKYC. We dont know anything about the adults he has seen. 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. She did not go to him for an abortion or to give her baby away. 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. 2019. My mother grieved for her baby the rest if her life! Doctor Hicks was NO saint and we recognize his dysfunction, the pain he caused many, and have learned to bear it, she wrote. He surrendered his Georgia medical license to halt his prosecution.2. Until Mother's Day 1997, when his adoptions were exposed. pic.twitter.com/aTH43ks3Co. She hopes DNA testing will enable them to find their birth parents. Appalachian History says his daughter is still alive and living in North Carolina. 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. New TLC Special Taken At Birth Dives into Shocking Hicks Babies Black Market Adoption Scandal. So no, I cant completely vilify as I just dont know. This lecture will be retired after this offering, so dont miss out! The Hicks babies were babies sold by Dr. Thomas J. Hicks to different families. Some babies were that small but not all of them. Does it say where he was born or the name of the doctor? Several in the town told the outlet the story was sensationalized. Babies came to the mountains with him and babies left the mountains with him. Theres a documentary on the Hicks Babies that Im assuming you havent seen. I still dont know, one of the Hicks Babies, Melinda, told the publication. Holy smokes! Dr. Thomas Hicks McCAYSVILLE, Ga. - Services for Dr. Thomas J. Hicks, Sr., 83, of McCaysville will be at 2 p.m. Monday in Finch's Chapel here, burial in Crestlawn Cemetery in Copperhill, Tenn. Dr. Hicks, who operated Hicks' Clinic from around 1945 until he retired in 1965, died of leukemia Sunday. Hed ask them to put on a medical gown and lay down on a table. "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MN5X-3HV: 3 February 2021), Thomas J Hicks, 1920. 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. Stories of young girls dying from botched abortions in the early 50s still exist in the living memories of those from the region. 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. I think that you did well with pointing out that this is not on and well done. Besides his charitable practices, he performed unauthorized abortions. He delivered my oldest brother. Now, they are using the power of DNA to reunite with their biological families. In the 1950s and 60s a small-town Georgia family doctor illegally sold hundreds of babies from the back door of his practice. You arent responsible for their sins. If you find ANYTHING humane or OKAY about that then God so help you! A fake birth certificate was produced, listing the adoptive parents as the parents of the child. She was 23. The story is told on Taken at Birth. This is a different story than what I expected! I will find out who my mother was and why my dad was killed. We can tell ourselves stories, and they become our truths. He told women their babies had died when they hadnt. I am wondering if any possible hicks babies that have not found relatives has DNA done? Shame on him and all those who covered for him and his horrific lies. IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. Hicks' wife and son had already passed away. For perspective, $1000 in 1950 is equal to about $10,900 in todays dollars. No one with half a brain can even think that is good. Busted not for selling babies, but for the abortion clinic. Jane needs to get a DNA test and compare it to Doris Abernathy, the town historian. Some on here commented that the bio moms were likely unwed and didnt want the babies. Categories: Fannin County, Georgia | McCaysville, Georgia | Hicks Clinic, McCaysville, Georgia, WIKITREE HOME | ABOUT | G2G FORUM | HELP | SEARCH. I am watching the TV documentary on Dr. Hicks and do not believe he should be so vilified. 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. He was protecting himself due to his many illegitimacies & looking out for his own financial interest!!! amd im 13 so i have a long way to go . GOOD NIGHT DEAD DAD, GOOD NIGHT GOOD NIGHT. I cannot imagine being one of these babies. A New York Times profile of Blasio appeared in 1997, which was around the. These lists include people who are genetically related to us. Jane Blasio, who broke the story of the Hicks Babies and leads investigative efforts, wrote her thoughts about Hicks on her website. Both of Dr. Hicks' parents were born in Tennessee. Join the search for truth. But those he left behind have differing opinions on his actions. Did your mother give birth in Akron or in McCaysville? 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. There is living proof, with dna, of one man, who along with his twin brother, was reported dead and buried by Dr. Hicks. 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. Thomas, or Dr. Hicks, was one of six children. [But] I dont think it initially started that way., SAD STORYwith a happy ending for a brother & sister, John & Cindy were just 2 of more than 200 newborns sold by Dr. Thomas Hicks, a doctor in Georgia who was selling babies out of the back door of his clinic in the 50s & 60s. She said the whole time she was having the babies that there was a very nice dressed lady sitting in the room across the hall from her. I am by no means defending Dr Hicks black-market adoption practices, but its important to remember that, even today, people die from asthma attacks. This man told women that their babies had died or were stillborn. Eventually, in 1964, he was caught performing an abortion and was summarily stripped of his medical license. HE WAS A HORRIBLE MAN, JUST HORRIBLE!!! 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. She carried him to full term and went to Dr Hicks to deliver her baby! Apparently these women were seeking abortions, not babies. Mama never got over this. Those who likely knew what happened may have died as well. The same lecture is offered twiceNovember 1 and 2, 2022to accommodate schedules and time zones. All of the babies were children of mothers who were persuaded to give up their children for adoption, and were not biological children of Dr. Hicks.
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