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. So that he could make money. Are you kidding me. Women came to give birth, and were told their babies were stillborn! My parents were a young married couple and very much wanted their baby! And he was stealing babies telling mothers that they delivered a still born. If so, login to add it. 2016. My mom had two stillborn they told her. You gotta wonder if this was a routine operation throughout history. Unless you were one of the babies there is no way you could know what its like to have this to happen to you. Labor was induced at 31-34 weeks (based on the birth weight of the survivors). These werent all women seeking abortions, a number of these women were seeking medical care for themselves and their unborn babies only to be robbed of that precious life. She was 23. 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'. Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts by email. 4. 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. Appalachian History says his daughter is still alive and living in North Carolina. I am currently fixing to do my own dna test. These babies were later sold to adoptive families. Dr. Hicks did lose his medical license in 1964 due to an infraction unrelated to the illegal adoptions. Some birth mothers knew they were placing a baby for adoption, some thought they had an abortion, and some were told their infants died. He lost his medical license in 1964, but he faced no jail time for the illegal abortions. Have you checked the adoption registries to see if hes looking for his biological family? Could you imagine carrying your baby a whole pregnancy having a nursery all set up and you go to the hospital deliver your baby and be lied to that your baby died smh Im speechless. 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. But lets be honest, no one is going to admit that they willingly sold their baby. The Hicks babies seemed to have mixed feelings about his actions from the Narratively profile. That is when my older brother was born and my mother was told he was still born even though she told me she heard her baby cry. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3186644/Adopted-woman-51-SO Dr Thomas Jugarthy Hicks, Sr worked as Physician. Please! All of Dr. Hicks grandparents were born in Tennessee, as were many of his great-grandparents. Instead, he illegally sold the babies for approximately $800 to $1,000 each.1. How can this man NOT be vilified?! TLC's Taken at Birth, which first aired in 2019, is a three-part . The birth certificates Ive seen were in the 6-7 lb range. Dr. Hicks, who passed away at the age of 83, was born in 1888 in Picket County, Tennessee. Im so sorry for your familys loss. His daughter is living in North Carolina, according to Appalachian History. And he was more than happy to perform abortions. My YDNA indicates I am not Hicks. Youre as crazy as he was if you think he should even get a pat on the back for his time and services. Thank you. I kept yelling at the tv he saved your freaking life!!!! There was no reason not to dig up his grave. You can see for yourself google him. What he provided were lies to young mothers and fathers who wanted their babies ! I wondering how far the rabbit hole goes with him. 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. Dr. Hicks died a disgrace in 1972, one year before the Roe v. Wade decision. Janice, I am from Polk County Tennessee as well and Dr Hicks delivered my oldest brother before they ran him out of Tennessee. We could be related. Babies born that early would need to remain in the hospital. Despite the obstacles, the investigative team - with the blessing and cooperation of the Hicks Babies community - works tirelessly to try and bring answers to the families impacted by Dr. Hicks' actions, from conventional DNA searches and door-to-door interrogations, to a mausoleum search. These include the nurse, the secretary who signed the false documents, Hicks lawyer, and the sheriff who investigated Hicks illegal abortion clinic. 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. Some theorized Hicks was buried beside his mausoleum because of concern the grave would be vandalized. Just keeping an RN on duty, even in the 1950s -60s, was a big expense. There were mothers who were told their babies died. Perhaps your dad was referring to the equipment used to save preemies. Aside from families that might eventually tell their adult children, the only hope Hicks babies have of finding their biological relatives is DNA tracking. My decision is there was something very wrong going on. At least 200 babies had their identities stolen. He induced labor and delivered low birth weight babies that were in danger of dying. Blasio says that 50 of the 200+ children have been identified and located. But what does anyone think was normally done with illegally aborted babies during that time I can tell you, they were likely disposed of in with the garbage. Interesting. He was protecting himself due to his many illegitimacies & looking out for his own financial interest!!! After watching this documentary I can see how he got away with it for so long. "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (. Read our best DNA test page to find the best one for you. They should at least be thankful that they werent aborted. Babies were handed out to them through the door or window. is anything else your are looking? As far as they know the first baby that was adopted out was a twin. He gave them good care. Prior to that, he was practicing just across the state line in Copperhill, Tennessee, and could well have been selling babies then. 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. I think that you did well with pointing out that this is not on and well done. Hicks was providing a service, Ken Rush, director of the Ducktown Basin Museum, told Narratively. The motives of Hicks actions are unclear. I hope your brother decides to test someday. I mean no disrespect towards anyone. 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 . Both of Dr. Hicks parents were born in Tennessee. "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. Why dig up a grave when dna could have given these people the answer if they were siblings? The illegal adoptions came to an end in 1964, when Hicks was caught performing illegal abortions. My heart aches for your mother and your whole family. Thomas, or Dr. Hicks, was one of six children. 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: . Powered by. 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. Somehow I missed this Documentary the first time it aired. And youve had children with them??? I only wish Mama had lived long enough to know her baby is most likely alive. This is a story of a doctor who saved lives?? 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. Ray, you bring up an excellent reason why everyone has the right to know who their biological family is. He was born October 18, 1888. Did the births take place at the Hicks Clinic? That evil man lied to my mother and stole my oldest brother and by the way, $1000 was alot of money in the 1930s, 40s and 50$ in the Appalachian Mountains. I can promise you this, if theres a hell, he is in the front row seat! Clearly, you have never lost a child. Categories Searching for Biological Family. Hed do anything for anybody sometimes hed pay a price for it, she said. The adopted child or biological mother can call and provide information about their gender and birthdate. How is the river any worse, I ask you? After years of wondering about her birth family, will Diane finally have closure? These babies were born between 3.5 and 4.75 lbs.. very unfavorable!! But many aspects of his clinic remain a mystery to this day. Are you in all of the DNA databases? Hicks was forced to give up his medical license in 1964 after being charged with performing illegal abortions, and he died in 1972 at the age of 83. He buried them for her (such a nice guy) and gave her a birth certificate stating they were stillborn. Would love to have help, Im mr.hicks grate grate grand daughter sadly, hes from my moms side of the family. I dont trust my own memories, let alone 50 year old memories. 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. You should be ashamed of yourself because you have no idea of the pain he caused many families! Many of the Hicks babies also began searching for their biological families. v. Wade legalized abortions. I will find out who my mother was and why my dad was killed. 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. I was waiting for one mother to come on and say that they were told that their baby had died, but nope. Could you imagine the survival rate back then for babies 3lb or 4lbs. Yes. The man that is Dr.Hicks first stolen, one of the twins. 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 . What Dr Hicks did was illegal. Some of Hicks Babies, as they are sometimes referred to as, have done DNA tests in order to identify relatives who might be able to help them learn who their birth parents were. She did NOT go to him for an abortion, she went to deliver MY BROTHER. 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. My Mama and Daddy were young parents and though they were very poor they both wanted their first born with all their heart! You dont want to vilify him? New TLC Special Taken At Birth Dives into Shocking Hicks Babies Black Market Adoption Scandal. And the $1k sounds about like what my Dad was sold for. 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. He took HUGE risks for essentially very little in return, in fact he did lose his medical license in 1964 for performing an abortion. My Mama and Dad were married and biological parents to my brother. It is possible that deaths like these convinced Dr. Hicks that something needed to be done.. The method of the illegal adoptions has left many questions for those who started their lives in Hicks clinic. If he is out there and looking he may have tried the dna route. I was warned about ever asking those questions again, this man said I know who you are, please let it alone. What we have now is the mothers side of the story. It can sometimes be more difficult to pinpoint the exact identify of someones biological parents without closer cousins, such as first cousins. He surrendered his Georgia medical license to halt his prosecution.2. Her name is Alana honey boo boo if you dont know who she is you can google her. They were not, and he sold those babies. I may have a couple brothers out there. 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. These folks deserve to know where they came from! we do not know where these births occured most of our family is deceased. They may not even know theyre adopted. Shameful + Sinful + Criminal + Evil!! I have hicks show up in my DNA results. I do hope your brother survived and is out there somewhere. The townspeople believed he encouraged pregnant women who came to him to carry their babies to term instead. Dr. Hicks died of leukemia in 1972 at the age of 83. Hicks Baby Adoptee Sold by Georgia Doctor 50 Years Ago Reunites With Birth Mother, Brother. He was born October 18, 1888. In a small town filled with economical hardships, Hicks saw a need among pregnant women, although abortions conflicted with his faith, according to Narratively. ALL OF THOSE CHILDREN WERE MESSED UP FROM THIS. In other cases, he said their babies were stillborn and died before or during delivery. What if, you are a scared young woman, 16 or 17 or even 19, pregnant in rural GA or TN, shame ridden as some would have felt, just wanting this to be taken care of. Such an evil man to cause such heart ache! There is living proof, with dna, of one man, who along with his twin brother, was reported dead and buried by Dr. Hicks. If it wasnt Hicks, there was someone doing the same thing during the war years adopting babies out to Akron. a fun fact is that me and my mom and my dead grandfather only have his blood. I personally think he is a sociopath and I wonder if he could have been a Serial Killer as well. Otherwise he wouldnt have needed to lie about them being stillborn. Why am I rehashing this. Theyre an invaluable resource for parentage searches. To protect their privacy, I have chosen not to mention any of the individuals who were adopted by name in this article. Sims Family Tree View These Best Collection, Mishima Family Tree Find Best Design For You. Dr. Hicks served as a town doctor in McCaysville, Ga., and was known for performing abortions, which were illegal at the time. She always thought she had a boy out there somewhere. My mother grieved for her baby the rest if her life! He also has a granddaughter who is sympathetic to the efforts of the Hicks Babies. He was married and had three children. TLC "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 Dr. Thomas J. Hicks is the "bad guy" featured in a three-part docuseries titled Taken At Birth. We Delivering you Souvenirs from China;Our site is Specialized in Selling Chinese Special Versions of Stamps, Currency (Coins / Paper), also Selling Souvenirs From the Most Famous Chinese Tourist Sites www.ChinaCoinz.com Part of NTD E-Commerce Co. LTD www.ChinaCoinz.com Part of NTD E-Commerce Co. LTD,. 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. Dr. Hicks was married and had two kids a son and a daughter. I owe my life to him, but he has also been the cause of so much pain and suffering. Hicks may not have been in Georgia during that time, but if he was in TN that might be a lead. I agree totally with you.This all sounds awful. 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. She noted to the TV station many of them went to good homes and led successful lives. amd im 13 so i have a long way to go . Blasio and 200 others were taken from their mothers at birth in the 1950s and '60s and sold illegally on the black market out the back door of a clinic run by Dr. Thomas J. Hicks. It would give me great peace to know I found him or his family for my sweet Mama. He was buried in Crestlawn Cemetery in Polk County, Tennessee. Genealogy for Dr Thomas Jugarthy Hicks, Sr (1888 - 1972) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. "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. I was born in 1967. The motives of Hicks actions are unclear. Natalie. They look exactly alike. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Bragg, Rick. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. He wasnt going around knocking girls up and holding them hostage in his apartment until they delivered their babies so he could sell them.. saying the baby was stillborn could have been nothing more than a cover story for them. Dr. Hicks was a town doctor who performed illegal abortions. Sompayrac believes her grandfathers actions helped the birth mothers in need and gave the babies life. That son adopted Sallie, who was featured in the show. Investigators opened the mausoleum, searching for records of the illegal adoptions, but found it was empty. Most biological mothers disappeared after giving birth to their babies. But there was nothing in it. News, TLC Shows. What Happened To Dr. Hicks And His Associates? As I say, not perfect, but a good man, Doris Abernathy told WKYC. Remember that these women had no where else to go, no one to turn to. He reportedly performed abortions, which were illegal at the time, for $100. These women often came away from faraway places. Hicks performed illegal abortions in the 1950s and 1960s, along with the illegal adoptions, until he faced legal troubles in 1964 for the abortions. I am happy to offer a dna sample if possible. According to the neonatalogist interviewed in the show many other babies must have died. Did your mother give birth in Akron or in McCaysville? He also has a living granddaughter named Sally Sompayrac. Hicks lied, blatantly, to some of these women, hell probably 90% of them. 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. 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. Many of the Hicks babies were able to do DNA testing as part of the TV show. When she ask Dr Hicks about it he told her it was the medication making her think that. I Just dont understand how anyone could possibly think what he did was right or just or in any way good at all!! ABC News, accessed 17 September 2019. I cannot imagine being one of these babies. Kriste Hughes is reunited with her mother, Thelma Tipton, and big brother Roger Tipton, after Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks illegally sold her to adoptive parents . He told women their babies had died when they hadnt. 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.