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. This is accomplished through the careful study of DNA matches. Aug 05, 2015 at 7:11 pm. Mama said they ran him out of Tennessee not long after that because he was killing so many babies. Copyright 2023 Who are You Made Of? With the judges help, she learned that the clinic sold babies while they were still open. Dr. Thomas Hicks. I had a brother who was given up for adoption by his mother in Tennessee. 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. Some birth mothers knew they were placing a baby for adoption, some thought they had an abortion, and some were told their . 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. He was arrested for performing illegal abortions in 1964. New York Times, accessed 17 September 2019. In next week's column, this family's lineage will be continued with the family and history of Samuel Hicks (2). In other cases, he said their babies were stillborn and died before or during delivery. The method of the illegal adoptions has left many questions for those who started their lives in Hicks clinic. Barbara, I shuttered when I read your comment! 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. It can sometimes be more difficult to pinpoint the exact identify of someones biological parents without closer cousins, such as first cousins. 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. His wife and son both passed away, and his daughter lives in North Carolina, according to Appalachian History. Estimates show Hicks sold about 200 babies from the 1940s to the 1960s.3. 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. They adored Dr Hicks and were fiercely protective of his reputation and legacy. The Dr Hicks who ran the black-market adoptions had a son who became a dentist. https://thednageek.com/dna-tests. Within a decade, he was not only performing illegal abortions but selling newborns on the black market. After watching this documentary I can see how he got away with it for so long. His wife was a Baptist Sunday school teacher, according to PEOPLE. He gave them good care. But not all of the babies have been reunited. Some were children of women Hicks convinced not to have abortions. Mama named my brother Von Gordon. I submitted my DNA in hopes that I might find my brother or some of his family. discoveries. 23andMe is on sale right now, so its a good time to buy. Dr. Hicks did lose his medical license in 1964 due to an infraction unrelated to the illegal adoptions. However, many people are able to discover closer relatives, like aunts and uncles or even half-siblings, through DNA testing. I do truly feel for the Hicks babies for not knowing; I know that must be hard. You are right, Dr Hicks was an evil man. Dr Hicks ran a clinic in McCaysville, Georgia, from about 1945 to 1965. 'Hicks baby' reunited with her birth mother and brother In addition, he did serve time in jail in Tennessee for illegally dispensing narcotics in the 1940s. 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. In the small town, the. This man was worse than the plague! TLC's "Taken at Birth" will explore Thomas J. Hicks. Im so sorry for your familys loss. Clickherefor more information. If so, login to add it. 1997. So telling a mother that her baby died at birth while he sold it out his back door was fine with you? She grieved her the rest of her life for her first born son. me are my real parents or not as i am finding out not every thing they told me about family is real. He induced births, told mothers their babies died and sold them! Does it say where he was born or the name of the doctor? To push the boundaries of DNA science. What he did to all of those families was very wrong. This man told women that their babies had died or were stillborn. Tune in to #TakenAtBirth, a 3-night special event, starting TONIGHT at 9/8c. There are stories that even suggest that some mothers were told that their babies did not survive at birth. I am currently fixing to do my own dna test. Ive heard the same story over and over, that the mother heard her baby cry but was told it was stillborn. Dr. Thomas Hicks was a small-town Georgia doctor who was posthumously accused of selling hundreds of babies in illegal adoptions. Thank you so much. 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. He was her first born and she said she heard him cry yet Dr Hicks told her he was still born. 2016. 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. And he was more than happy to perform abortions. Babies For Sale: The Secret Adoptions That Haunt One Georgia Town 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. He wasnt going around knocking girls up and holding them hostage in his apartment until they delivered their babies so he could sell them.. 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. As a result, he could not provide information that would help the babies find their parents or the other way around.4. 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. There is absolutely NO defense for that.He treated these babies like they were nothing more than a puppy mill money making machine. Those who likely knew what happened may have died as well. Its time the truth came to light. 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 personally think he is a sociopath and I wonder if he could have been a Serial Killer as well. But lets be honest, no one is going to admit that they willingly sold their baby. 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,. Appalachian History says his daughter is still alive and living in North Carolina. 4. When families came to his clinic to adopt babies, Hicks made the women pretend they had just given birth. He then relocated just across the line in McCaysville Georgia. Apparently these women were seeking abortions, not babies. His forged birth certificates did not list biological parents. Exactly! It is in Gods hands. Categories Searching for Biological Family. "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. Are you in all of the DNA databases? She never got over it. Eventually, in 1964, he was caught performing an abortion and was summarily stripped of his medical license. In the documentary they have a positive match for Dr Hicks fathering one of the babies. This is a story of a doctor who saved lives?? I kept yelling at the tv he saved your freaking life!!!! He was born in April 1964 Sumner County TN from what he knows. 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. Until Mother's Day 1997, when his adoptions were exposed. is anything else your are looking? The birth certificates Ive seen were in the 6-7 lb range. Hicks was the beloved town doctor in the tiny mountain town of McCaysville, but women came from miles around to seek his services. Interesting. The illegal adoptions came to an end in 1964, when Hicks was caught performing illegal abortions. https://t.co/900llb4znH, Angel Patriot?? Dr. Thomas Hicks' Death: How Did the Doctor Die? | Heavy.com The story broke across the U.S. in 1997 when an Akron woman named Jane Blasio learned that her parents bought her from a clinic in Georgia. I was waiting for one mother to come on and say that they were told that their baby had died, but nope. Hicks ancestor immigrated from England to Plymouth Colony in 1621 His parents were David Fleming Hicks and Mary Louise Holt. 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. Blasio has dedicated her life to helping reunite Hicks Babies with their biological families. Are you for real?? News, TLC Shows. i just hope i wont go made like them. 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. There was a tip-off, though. That seems to be a repetitive theme amongst the living relatives. 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. Blasio went on to help dozens of Hicks babies so they could track down their birth parents and relatives. All of Dr. Hicks grandparents were born in Tennessee, as were many of his great-grandparents. To have an unequivocal reference sample for any other Hicks children who want to know their origins. Hicks descendants began a migration south from Virginia during late Dr. Hicks was a town doctor who performed illegal abortions. The sentiments were echoed in other news stories. 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: . THIS POOR WOMAN THOUGHT HER TWIN BOYS HAD DIED. My Hicks line starts in New York in 1833. Corinthios, Aurelie. Dr. Thomas J. Hicks performed abortions in the 1950s, long before abortions were legalized in Roe v. Wade. I may have a couple brothers out there. That son adopted Sallie, who was featured in the show. Looking for a DNA test that's accurate and can tell you about your health and heritage? My husband and I said the same thing while watching this show! How can this man NOT be vilified?! Many came forward after their adoptive families said they were from the Hicks clinic. i hope everything gets better for those kids and those parents. Have The Hicks Babies Been Reunited With Their Birth Parents Or Birth Families? The world is full of possibilities, and you are amazing! 23andMe is on sale right now. He is monster!! Brother of Lucy Elizabeth Ketron; John Willie Hicks; Samuel Earnest Hicks; Infant Daughter Hicks and Carrie Ellen Dickson. And then the consistent low birth weights are concerning. IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. I only wish Mama had lived long enough to know her baby is most likely alive. Below is the list of best dr thomas hicks family tree website where you can find anything related to dr thomas hicks family tree. Are you on drugs. I mean no disrespect towards anyone. The same lecture is offered twiceNovember 1 and 2, 2022to accommodate schedules and time zones. 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. | Birch on Trellis Framework by Mediavine, Family Tree Building Basics for Beginners Book, Use DNA to Trace Your Mexican Family Tree Book, Example of Family Tree DNA Family Finder Results, were discovered more than two decades after Dr. Hicks death. My mom had two stillborn they told her. What Happened To Dr. Hicks And His Associates? 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. The judge discovered records showing an unusual number of women visiting Hicks clinic. Absolutely horrifying!!!!! So yes he should be vilified! Aside from families that might eventually tell their adult children, the only hope Hicks babies have of finding their biological relatives is DNA tracking. If you find ANYTHING humane or OKAY about that then God so help you! How can you condone that? 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. Blasio confirmed with the county birth records that she was likely one of the hundreds of babies sold between 1950 and 1965.2. About 15 of the 200+ babies have been reunited with their biological parents. Learn how your comment data is processed. WIKITREE PROTECTS MOST SENSITIVE INFORMATION BUT ONLY TO THE EXTENT STATED IN THE TERMS OF SERVICE AND PRIVACY POLICY. For over 50 years this small town has been hiding a shocking secret. How the hell would YOU feel? Starting in 1955 and running through the early 1960s, Hicks offered secretive abortions and adoptions here. His parents were David Fleming Hicks and Mary Louise Holt. I Just dont understand how anyone could possibly think what he did was right or just or in any way good at all!! He induced birth prematurely to make money. For him to lie to these women is unforgivable. The reason I am writing is this.