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. 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. 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 . Blasio has dedicated her life to helping reunite Hicks Babies with their biological families. A New York Times profile of Blasio appeared in 1997, which was around the. Theyre an invaluable resource for parentage searches. Husband of Chass Chassie Hicks This man told women that their babies had died or were stillborn. Categories: Fannin County, Georgia | McCaysville, Georgia | Hicks Clinic, McCaysville, Georgia, WIKITREE HOME | ABOUT | G2G FORUM | HELP | SEARCH. 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. Most biological mothers disappeared after giving birth to their babies. Babies came to the mountains with him and babies left the mountains with him. 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. discoveries. [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. That son adopted Sallie, who was featured in the show. Theres nothing there, Linda, one of the Hicks Babies, told Narratively. Does it say where he was born or the name of the doctor? Women came to give birth, and were told their babies were stillborn! Blasio blew the whistle back in the 1990s. He was her first born and she said she heard him cry yet Dr Hicks told her he was still born. Jane needs to get a DNA test and compare it to Doris Abernathy, the town historian. Who is Parent 1 or Parent 2 on Ancestry DNA? He was married to a Baptist Sunday school teacher, according to PEOPLE. He may have done it to avoid suspicion and keep the transactions discreet. 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/. Please! Table, Dave. So telling the one mother her twin boys were stillborn is acceptable to you. Hicks was the beloved town doctor in the tiny mountain town of McCaysville, but women came from miles around to seek his services. She did tell me she heard her baby cry and Dr Hicks told her he was still born. Ideas for Getting Responses from DNA Matches. These babies were later sold to adoptive families. For perspective, $1000 in 1950 is equal to about $10,900 in todays dollars. "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. What people dont realize is Doc Hicks started his practice in Tennessee. This is how those who were adopted can identify the parents or grandparents of their biological parents. i never thought it was real when i was little either. If you have any questions about something that you read in this post, please join in the discussion below. 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. My Hicks line starts in New York in 1833. One twin has not been found yet but the one that was found was adopted into a horrible family and had a really sad childhood. I cannot imagine being one of these babies. 1997. I know your heart aches. These folks deserve to know where they came from! Thats a totally twisted way of thinking!!! Hopefully he got his comeuppance. 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. Hicks faced legal trouble for illegal abortions, but not for the illegal adoptions. Thank you for visiting dr thomas hicks family tree page. In the 40s, 50s, and 60s, a doctor was selling babies from his small town abortion clinic in the heart of McCaysville, Georgia. He wasnt going around knocking girls up and holding them hostage in his apartment until they delivered their babies so he could sell them.. Blasio went on to help dozens of Hicks babies so they could track down their birth parents and relatives. 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. "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 was told i was born in raymond wa. If shes still alive and knows shes adopted, she may be looking for you using DNA. I only wish Mama had lived long enough to know her baby is most likely alive. Leave a message for others who see this profile. I do truly feel for the Hicks babies for not knowing; I know that must be hard. My oldest would have been born in Akron in 1960. I hope all the people that are involved will find what ever it is they are looking for. My Dad was a black-market baby in 1941 in Akron OH. It is in Gods hands. Has your family done any dna tests like 23andme or ancestry? 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. Can never know. When Dr. Hicks began his illicit practice, abortions were illegal in the United States, Phil Trexler wrote in the article. 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. The so-called Hicks Babies had falsified birth certificates, and Dr Hicks kept no records tying them to their biological families. Are you in all of the DNA databases? we do not know where these births occured most of our family is deceased. Login to find your connection. I so agree with you. It turned into a business. 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. Expand. 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. They may not even know theyre adopted. Oh well for them, I was raised in those mountains and Im not afraid of them. 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. All in all, I cannot condemn him. I was waiting for one mother to come on and say that they were told that their baby had died, but nope. Just one grandparent can lead you to many So all of what you said is ridiculous. They can arrange a meeting if a match shows up and both sides want to meet. So far, there are no positive DNA matches between babies and parents from the database. I came from a messed up family, too. 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. Her decade-long search for her birth parents led to the exposure of Hicks' illegal babies. Im going to play a little devils advocate. i come from to sides of a family that are both messed up. He died at age 83 in 1972 of leukemia, according to Appalachian History. As a result, he could not provide information that would help the babies find their parents or the other way around. Since you cant know which one in advance, your most cost-effective strategy is to test with AncestryDNA and 23andMe and then transfer the raw data file into the other databases for free. So many of the women were told their babies had died. It may have started with good intentions, but these babies deserve the truth and they deserve it now. You got a problem with that? He also delivered the babies early, between 31 & 34 wks causing them to have low birthweight and health issues. my sister some how never got the gene or blood of him. I personally think he is a sociopath and I wonder if he could have been a Serial Killer as well. Yes he had a choice he just made the wrong one for greed!! Hicks didnt oversee legal adoptions. However, only four of his siblings survived to adulthood. When she ask Dr Hicks about it he told her it was the medication making her think that. Thankful for the granddaughter who went beyond what most would have to get answers. I am currently fixing to do my own dna test. Just recently I have been confirmed to be the last of the Hicks babies. She was 6 years old when her adoptive father sat her down about it. Shameful + Sinful + Criminal + Evil!! He was married and had two children, a son and a daughter. I hope youre able to solve your case soon. In the documentary they have a positive match for Dr Hicks fathering one of the babies. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3186644/Adopted-woman-51-SO Dr Thomas Jugarthy Hicks, Sr worked as Physician. You people have no idea how many states/commonwealths this Hicks was in., he was known in the mountains of Pa as Hickscock. 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. 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. The illegal adoptions that were allegedly arranged by Dr. Hicks were not discovered until after his death. Thank you for visiting dr thomas hicks family tree page. 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. When they opened it up there was great excitement. now that im older and i actually understand what happened i think its horrible. To date, no one knows the exact number of babies he stole and sold on . Bruen, Matthew Steven. Dr. Hicks, who passed away at the age of 83, was born in 1888 in Picket County, Tennessee. Dr Thomas Hicks Family Tree With Complete Detail, Goler Clan Family Tree Check All Members List. And in 1972, Hicks died at age 83. 'Hicks Baby' Adoptee Sold by Georgia Doctor 50 Years Ago Reunites With Birth Mother, Brother, Who are the Hicks babies? New TLC Special Taken At Birth Dives into Shocking Hicks Babies Black Market Adoption Scandal. Some of those in his town defend his actions, according to Narratively, saying he was providing a service. Corinthios, Aurelie. How is the river any worse, I ask you? Interesting. Theres a documentary on the Hicks Babies that Im assuming you havent seen. Mama had seven more babies after that(Im the youngest)she never stopped grieving for her oldest son. How can this man NOT be vilified?! But those he left behind have differing opinions on his actions. Hicks Baby Adoptee Sold by Georgia Doctor 50 Years Ago Reunites With Birth Mother, Brother. The second would have been no later than 1962. If you find ANYTHING humane or OKAY about that then God so help you! He surrendered his Georgia medical license to halt his prosecution.2. pic.twitter.com/aTH43ks3Co. My husband and I said the same thing while watching this show! They were all corrupt! His clinic, the Hicks Clinic, was in operation between about 1945-1965. You should be ashamed of yourself because you have no idea of the pain he caused many families! Use your brain, IF good old dr hicks was such a good doctor then why did he need to tell the women that their baby died?? What he was doing in a lot of cases is absolutely wrong because of stuff like this. He would sell the babies to parents who wanted to adopt but couldnt afford to do so legally. Thomas, or Dr. Hicks, was one of six children. One of those babies he delivered in Tennessee was my oldest brother who was supposedly still born.