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. Hicks ancestor immigrated from England to Plymouth Colony in 1621 View Ancestry DNA Matches By Ancestor With ThruLines. Many of the Hicks babies were able to do DNA testing as part of the TV show. 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 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. I know this first hand because of how it deeply hurt my mother for many, many years! Geni requires JavaScript! How can this man NOT be vilified?! Thank goodness your grandmother was there and knew what to do. TAKEN AT BIRTH How Dr. Hicks sold over 200 children on the - Starcasm Im so sorry for your familys loss. The adopted child or biological mother can call and provide information about their gender and birthdate. The illegal adoptions came to an end in 1964, when Hicks was caught performing illegal abortions. The biological mother was not mentioned, and there was no court record or other official document connecting the babies to their biological parents. What he did has no merit. In next week's column, this family's lineage will be continued with the family and history of Samuel Hicks (2). GOOD NIGHT DEAD DAD, GOOD NIGHT GOOD NIGHT. If it wasnt Hicks, there was someone doing the same thing during the war years adopting babies out to Akron. There is absolutely NO defense for that.He treated these babies like they were nothing more than a puppy mill money making machine. His Georgia clinic was located only a short distance away from his previous practice in Tennessee right across the border. He was protecting himself & looking out for his own financial interest!!! 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. She grieved for him her entire life! I sincerely hope more can make connections before its too late. 'Black market baby' meets biological father in Gallatin 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. Stories of young girls dying from botched abortions in the early 50s still exist in the living memories of those from the region. What Happened to Dr. Thomas Hicks? 'Taken at Birth' True Story Blasio says that 50 of the 200+ children have been identified and located. When mothers came in to the clinic and expressed hesitancy about carrying their pregnancies to term, the doctor would persuade them to have their babies. Hicks didnt oversee legal adoptions. Surnames in his family tree include Thomas, Fitch, Green, Waddell, and Johnson. 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'. They were all corrupt! Investigators opened the mausoleum, searching for records of the illegal adoptions, but found it was empty. This man told women that their babies had died or were stillborn. I agree totally with you.This all sounds awful. Perhaps your dad was referring to the equipment used to save preemies. Dr Thomas Jugarthy "Tommy" Hicks Jr. - Find a Grave These lists include people who are genetically related to us. My mother was soooo lucky compared to all of the hudreds of babies Hicks Babies. Did the births take place at the Hicks Clinic? But he didn't stop the illegal adoptions. They can arrange a meeting if a match shows up and both sides want to meet. Instead of killing the children he delivered live infants, told the mothers their babies were dead, and gave the babies away to parents who wanted them. Many people who fell victim to the Hicks baby market hope these DNA tests will help them find closure. For over 50 years this small town has been hiding a shocking secret. My mother/father picked me up from a nurse in a hotel in 1967. 2015. They did have several that admitted they went in for an abortion Im sure the guy was no saint, but i think he was saving these babies. Her name is Alana honey boo boo if you dont know who she is you can google her. His wife and son both passed away, and his daughter lives in North Carolina, according to Appalachian History. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. I am from Tennessee before Dr Hicks moved across the state line to McCaysville Ga. Dr. Thomas Hicks' Death: How Did the Doctor Die? | Heavy.com 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). 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. Just keeping an RN on duty, even in the 1950s -60s, was a big expense. We will never know the hell they have suffered. Youve got poor, pregnant, unmarried women, who then need to come up with a story for their friends and/or families as to why there is no newborn . He died in 1972 and it took three decades before Hicks' actions were brought to light. My name is Judy Swafford Walker. Who is Parent 1 or Parent 2 on Ancestry DNA? He lied to those women whether they wanted their children or not. I think, at first, it was under the table, and then he had seen there was money involved. Dr Thomas Hicks Family Tree Do You Know These Top Templates? You are absolutely correct in your assumption. I submitted my DNA in hopes that I might find my brother or some of his family. Theres nothing there, Linda, one of the Hicks Babies, told Narratively. The reason I am writing is this. 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. me are my real parents or not as i am finding out not every thing they told me about family is real. He also delivered the babies early, between 31 & 34 wks causing them to have low birthweight and health issues. Hicks Babies Update (2023) All You Need to Know - KnowYourDNA His family did not live like they had money in fact most of his money appeared to be put right back into the town of McKaysville into businesses which kept folks employed and kept the town thriving. How the hell would YOU feel? There is no evidence that any of the babies that were adopted through the actions of Dr. Hicks are related to him. You arent responsible for their sins. He was married and had three children. Have you heard the story of Dr. Hicks? 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. My parents were a young married couple and very much wanted their baby! If you havent been there, you cannot possibly imagine what that is like. What an awful tragedy. This is a different story than what I expected! Youre as crazy as he was if you think he should even get a pat on the back for his time and services. 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. 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. It would give me great peace to know I found him or his family for my sweet Mama. I dont know the truth, the people involved back THEN know. My mom had two stillborn they told her. Thankful for the granddaughter who went beyond what most would have to get answers. Anyways the family is from Georgia and they film there as well. He was a monster, a murderer, and a kidnapper, but he wasnt a good man doing a good thing for helpless women. 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. This type of adoption is just one way that many babies are adopted through illegal, black market adoptions. He delivered many babies in Tennessee before they ran him out of the state. The cost is the same for you. There was no reason not to dig up his grave. I hope you guys can find what your looking for. There are stories that even suggest that some mothers were told that their babies did not survive at birth. 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. Many of the Hicks babies also began searching for their biological families. Theres probably a lot of dead babies because of his practices. Why am I rehashing this. I have had two of my children die. Several in the town told the outlet the story was sensationalized. To protect their privacy, I have chosen not to mention any of the individuals who were adopted by name in this article. I had a brother who was given up for adoption by his mother in Tennessee. This is accomplished through the careful study of DNA matches. The townspeople believed he encouraged pregnant women who came to him to carry their babies to term instead. When I told my parents about this documentary.. My dad said well back then they didnt have the equipment to deal with infants like they to do today my response was oh they didnt know to clear the air passage way and slap a baby on the bottom? was there more than one Dr. Hicks mentioned in the Taken AT Birth documentary or just one? Then hed place a baby in their arms. She carried him to full term and went to Dr Hicks to deliver her baby! Thank you so much. Curiously, Dr. Thomas J. Hicks is not buried in a mausoleum that bears his name, but beside it. And he was more than happy to perform abortions. 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. Cristine Santander is a content writer for KnowYourDNA. Thomas, or Dr. Hicks, was one of six children. Cock being laughed at each time someone ask his name. He surrendered his Georgia medical license to halt his prosecution.2. In the small town, the. One thousand dollars in 1955 would be nearly $10,000 today. Now fast forward 50 years, memories are skewed, you feel differently now, maybe you wish things were different. Tlc Presents the Untold Story Behind the "Hicks Babies" Black Market He was buried in Crestlawn Cemetery in Polk County, Tennessee. No one with half a brain can even think that is good. but i can't find me any where an i don't know if the people that raised. Dr. Hicks did lose his medical license in 1964 due to an infraction unrelated to the illegal adoptions. After 57 Years Dad Gets To Meet Son He Believed Died At Birth - Shareably To have an unequivocal reference sample for any other Hicks children who want to know their origins. Login to find your connection. I hope all the people that are involved will find what ever it is they are looking for. 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. Same ears, chin/jaw line, nose, and eyes. TLC's 'Taken at Birth' Investigates Black Market Adoption Ring - People In 2014, around 30 suspected Hicks Babies traveled to Tennessee to undergo DNA testing. So telling the one mother her twin boys were stillborn is acceptable to you. Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks, the man behind the Hicks Babies, ran a small clinic in the tiny town of McCaysville, Georgia. Bragg, Rick. The Hicks Babies - The DNA Geek Love and hugs to them all! What is the Egypt DNA Region on Ancestry? You gotta wonder if this was a routine operation throughout history. Ray, you bring up an excellent reason why everyone has the right to know who their biological family is. can you imagine waking up one day to find out accidently that you were adopted and come to find out through this show or other means that your wife is your sister or first cousin? 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. Are you in all of the DNA databases? 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. Looking for a DNA test that's accurate and can tell you about your health and heritage? saying the baby was stillborn could have been nothing more than a cover story for them. Learn how three Hicks babies were able to find biological family using DNA. Dr. Thomas Hicks was a small-town Georgia doctor who was posthumously accused of selling hundreds of babies in illegal adoptions. Some on here commented that the bio moms were likely unwed and didnt want the babies. Expand. The story has been featured in many TV specials, including on TLCs, Taken At Birth, which originally aired in 2019. During the years that he ran his clinic, the town was at its population peak of between 1,800-2,000 residents. His daughter is living in North Carolina, according to Appalachian History. Thomas, or Dr. Hicks, was one of six children. Appalachian History, accessed 17 September 2019. i am interested in the hicks babies i supposely had a brother who died in the early 1950s i would like to know if he is still alive, DNA geek, She noted to the TV station many of them went to good homes and led successful lives. She said she heard her baby cry then Doc Hicks told her he was still born. Today, these babies are referred to as "Hicks babies.". Shameful + Sinful + Criminal + Evil!! I am currently fixing to do my own dna test. What he did to all of those families was very wrong. a fun fact is that me and my mom and my dead grandfather only have his blood. So far, there are no positive DNA matches between babies and parents from the database. I am watching the TV documentary on Dr. Hicks and do not believe he should be so vilified. A New York Times profile of Blasio appeared in 1997, which was around the. Instead, he illegally sold the babies for approximately $800 to $1,000 each.1. It is possible that deaths like these convinced Dr. Hicks that something needed to be done.. WIKITREE PROTECTS MOST SENSITIVE INFORMATION BUT ONLY TO THE EXTENT STATED IN THE TERMS OF SERVICE AND PRIVACY POLICY. Are you on drugs. So all of what you said is ridiculous. READ NEXT: Jane Blasio, The Hicks Baby Who Broke the Black Market Baby Adoption Case: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Dr. Thomas Hicks: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. I would love to be able to find him or maybe some of his family. HE WAS A HORRIBLE MAN, JUST HORRIBLE!!! He wasnt going around knocking girls up and holding them hostage in his apartment until they delivered their babies so he could sell them.. 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. Nor did he put women in touch with legal adoption providers. #TakenAtBirth, a 3-night special event, begins Wednesday at 9/8c. If you have any questions about something that you read in this post, please join in the discussion below. It was discovered that Dr. Thomas J. Hicks had been selling newborns from the small-town facility's backdoor for $1000. . Geni requires JavaScript! Don't miss out on the opportunity to learn more about yourself. 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. My thoughts exactly. Her initial search was unsuccessful, so she contacted a Georgia probate attorney. My heart breaks for your mama and for your whole family. His parents were David Fleming Hicks and Mary Louise Holt. I so agree with you. 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. So yes he should be vilified! 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. Prior to that, he was practicing just across the state line in Copperhill, Tennessee, and could well have been selling babies then. 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. 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. Furthermore, over 200 babies! Thomas Hicks was a well-respected doctor in the small town of McCaysville, Georgia. New TLC Special Taken At Birth Dives into Shocking Hicks Babies Black Market Adoption Scandal. Otherwise he wouldnt have needed to lie about them being stillborn. 23andMe is on sale right now. He also has a living granddaughter named Sally Sompayrac. Just horrible! I hope youre able to solve your case soon. And in 1972, Hicks died at age 83. I understand the concept of not being able to conceive and being grateful to receive a child but that was not a win/win situation by any stretch of the imagination. 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. I think that you did well with pointing out that this is not on and well done. Dr. Hicks died of leukemia in 1972 at the age of 83. The news captivated many outside McCaysville. Busted not for selling babies, but for the abortion clinic. 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. Absolutely horrifying!!!!! Tune in to #TakenAtBirth, a 3-night special event, starting TONIGHT at 9/8c. Hicks initially lost his clinic for doing illicit abortions. The man that is Dr.Hicks first stolen, one of the twins. Dr. Thomas J. Hicks performed abortions in the 1950s, long before abortions were legalized in Roe v. Wade. I just wanted to say I watch this show about a little girl. Both of Dr. Hicks parents were born in Tennessee. This is how those who were adopted can identify the parents or grandparents of their biological parents. Jane Blasio, who broke the story of the Hicks Babies and leads investigative efforts, wrote her thoughts about Hicks on her website. The motives of Hicks actions are unclear. Dr Hicks told some of the mothers that their babies died, then he sold them. But advocates hope it will someday happen. Many are still trying to find their biological relatives. His wife and son have both passed away. Dr. Hicks obviously cannot give his side of the story. Sompayrac believes her grandfathers actions helped the birth mothers in need and gave the babies life. And he was stealing babies telling mothers that they delivered a still born. Those few cases were a woman gave birth knowing she did not want the baby, and Dr. Hicks found someone wanting to adopt, are far and few between! Buying or selling A CHILDTHERE IS EVERYTHING WRONG WITH THAT! Hed do anything for anybody sometimes hed pay a price for it, she said. I dont trust my own memories, let alone 50 year old memories. So telling a mother that her baby died at birth while he sold it out his back door was fine with you? He was born October 18, 1888. Her decade-long search for her birth parents led to the exposure of Hicks' illegal babies. What he was doing in a lot of cases is absolutely wrong because of stuff like this. Some of the ads and links on this website are affiliate links which pay me a commission if you purchase through them. https://t.co/900llb4znH, Angel Patriot?? In addition, he did serve time in jail in Tennessee for illegally dispensing narcotics in the 1940s. The Dr Hicks who ran the black-market adoptions had a son who became a dentist. At least one Hicks baby submitted his DNA to Ancestry.com and found a half-sister. Shameful + Sinful + Criminal + Evil!! Dr Harshi Dhingra is a licensed medical doctor with a specialization in Pathology. He did not have any choice but to lie on the birth certificates. 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. Thomas is 21 degrees from Jennifer Aniston, 20 degrees from Drew Barrymore, 22 degrees from Candice Bergen, 26 degrees from Alexandre Dumas, 17 degrees from Carrie Fisher, 32 degrees from Whitney Houston, 20 degrees from Hayley Mills, 20 degrees from Liza Minnelli, 20 degrees from Lisa Presley, 21 degrees from Kiefer Sutherland, 17 degrees from Bill Veeck and 22 degrees from Brian Nash on our single family tree. Unless you were one of the babies there is no way you could know what its like to have this to happen to you. To give Sallie an answer. Chang, Juju, Jasmine Brown, Geoff Martz and Lauren Effron. Dr. Hicks had a granddaughter, Sally Sompayrac, who empathizes with the plight of the Hicks babies. The same lecture is offered twiceNovember 1 and 2, 2022to accommodate schedules and time zones. Dr. Hicks died a disgrace in 1972, one year before the Roe v. Wade decision. 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. Maybe hes out there and will search for you. And the $1k sounds about like what my Dad was sold for. Table, Dave. CONTENT MAY BE COPYRIGHTED BY WIKITREE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. Father of Dr Thomas Jugarthy Hicks, Jr; Dr Walter Lynn Hicks and Private 23andMe is on sale right now, so its a good time to buy. To date, seven of the biological mothers have come forward. The Hicks babies were babies sold by Dr. Thomas J. Hicks to different families. Women came to give birth, and were told their babies were stillborn! Did you like this post? It may be that I never find my brother but maybe I could find his children.