She is a brave woman who helped a lot of people find answers. Try again later. If he does, youll want to be in whichever database he decides to use. The corrupt doctor's misdeeds didn't end at illegitimate adoptions; he also. The secret of the baby-for-sale scandal lay pretty much unknown until around 1997. Ray, you bring up an excellent reason why everyone has the right to know who their biological family is. Some on here commented that the bio moms were likely unwed and didnt want the babies. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. You really have no idea what you are talking about! THIS POOR WOMAN THOUGHT HER TWIN BOYS HAD DIED. We just were not there and will never know his thoughts. Hicks, a family physician who performed illegal abortions in the 50s and 60s in McCaysville, Ga., also delivered babies and sold them to couples in off-the-books adoptions. The Dr Hicks who ran the black-market adoptions had a son who became a dentist. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. 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. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Relationship Prediction Tools: Which Is Best? "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 so agree with you. Book Review: I Know Who You Are, by Barbara Rae-Venter, Up Your DNA Game With New Courses in 2023. You should be ashamed of yourself because you have no idea of the pain he caused many families! "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. This man was worse than the plague! Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Walter Hicks (9119311)? [Jane] has been fighting for me and for all of us for years, says Stapleton, who retired from the Army a few years ago. i am from polk county tenn we are trying to find if our brother danny is still alive we have learned 3 dead babies in my family it is interesting. I Just dont understand how anyone could possibly think what he did was right or just or in any way good at all!! Dr. Thomas J. Hicks is the "bad guy" featured in a three-part docuseries titled Taken At Birth. Hed do anything for anybody sometimes hed pay a price for it, she said. Some mothers gave up more than one baby. According . 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. ", Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Try again later. I may have a couple brothers out there. ABC News, accessed 17 September 2019. 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. Learn more about managing a memorial . To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. Dr. Hicks was a town doctor who performed illegal abortions. If he is out there and looking he may have tried the dna route. But sometimes, when women came to him for an abortion, he instead coaxed them to carry their babies to term then took the infants off their hands and sold them for anywhere between $100 and $1,000. Her only health problem was asthma. Holy smokes! I only wish Mama had lived long enough to know her baby is most likely alive. 2016. 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. He buried them for her (such a nice guy) and gave her a birth certificate stating they were stillborn. Thank you. TAKEN AT BIRTH How Dr. Hicks sold over 200 children on the black market in small-town Georgia Violeta Idyll June 14, 2021 True Crime In the 1950s and 60s a small-town Georgia family doctor. a fun fact is that me and my mom and my dead grandfather only have his blood. 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. My parents were young and married and wanted their first son! And he gave the babies to equally desperate childless parents. After watching this documentary I can see how he got away with it for so long. He told women their babies had died when they hadnt. Several in the town told the outlet the story was sensationalized. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Thomas Hicks (9119259)? Do you have your fathers original birth certificate? But there was nothing in it. Several of the Hicks babies visited the grave and found it appeared to be vandalized. "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. No matter where they grew upmost often in the industrial cities of Ohiotheir birth certificates said they were born in the Hicks Clinic in McCaysville, Georgia. However, he was found guilty of illegally selling narcotic pain killers and income tax invasion and severed time in federal prison. She travels to McCaysville and enlists TLCs Long Lost Family hosts Chris Jacobs and Lisa Joyner to help investigate. His wife was a Baptist Sunday school teacher, according to PEOPLE. One thousand dollars in 1955 would be nearly $10,000 today. He then relocated just across the line in McCaysville Georgia. Doctor Hicks was NO saint and we recognize his dysfunction, the pain he caused many, and have learned to bear it, she wrote. Barbara, I shuttered when I read your comment! Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. This is a carousel with slides. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Not sure how you can justify robbing mothers of their babies (some were told the babies died) or destroying the records so those that wanted to find their biological parents had no way of doing so. I had a brother who was given up for adoption by his mother in Tennessee. Dr Hicks induced some babies early, and they would have been put in incubators had then been born that early today. 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. 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. He gave the adoptive parents a fake birth certificate and left no records of the birth mothers. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. My heart breaks for your mama and for your whole family. Once you sit down and start meeting people individually and you start listening to everybodys story, its like a big family, adds Stapleton. My father burst into tears when he found out, Stapleton tells The Post. Corinthios, Aurelie. Clearly, you have never lost a child. In the 40s, 50s, and 60s, a doctor was selling babies from his small town abortion clinic in the heart of McCaysville, Georgia. TLC's "Taken at Birth" will explore Thomas J. Hicks. I used AncestryDNA to solve all of the Hicks cases I worked on. Learn how three Hicks babies were able to find biological family using DNA. What he did was completely illegal, but was it less moral than aborting these babies? Add to your scrapbook. It is in Gods hands. Hicks' wife and son had already passed away. ). Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Honestly, I am grateful for the life I have had. During the 1950s-early 1960s, he allegedly sold more than 200 newborn children through his Hicks Community Hospital in Cooperhil-McCaysville. Does it say where he was born or the name of the doctor? How did Dr. Hicks die? 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. He was married to a Baptist Sunday school teacher, according to PEOPLE. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. I agree totally with you.This all sounds awful. 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. She named him Von Gordon. He was a graduate of Tusculum College, Carson-Newman College and Emory University Medical School. Ive heard that many times in my life by a lot of people. It includes a handout, plenty of time for questions and discussion, and access to the recording for 2 weeks. 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 died - apparently of leukemia - at the age of 83 on March 5, 1972. Hicks faced legal trouble for illegal abortions, but not for the illegal adoptions. Babies born that early would need to remain in the hospital. The late Georgia doctor, Dr. Thomas Hicks had quiet a great earning considering his career as a successful doctor and also through his illegal activities. In 2020 a 4lb baby as a very good chance of not making it even with amazing NICUs in todays age. He did not have any choice but to lie on the birth certificates. These babies were born between weighing only 3.5 and 4.75 lbs.. ALL very unfavorable conditions!!!! In spite of the illegal practices of selling babies and performing abortions in the two states, he was never charged criminally with either of these offenses. He was married and had two children, a son and a daughter. The story is told on Taken at Birth. Thanks for your help! Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. It is suspected that many of them did and there is rumor that perhaps he disposed of those little bodies in the river. No one with half a brain can even think that is good. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. There is absolutely NO defense for that.He treated these babies like they were nothing more than a puppy mill money making machine. He reportedly performed abortions, which were illegal at the time, for $100. He induced labor and delivered low birth weight babies that were in danger of dying. He lost his medical license in 1964, but he faced no jail time for the illegal abortions. My heart aches for your mother and your whole family. 23andMe is on sale right now, so its a good time to buy. But it wasnt till the late 90s that a darker truth was revealed to him in a newspaper article. Her decade-long search for her birth parents led to the exposure of Hicks' illegal babies. He was her first born and she said she heard him cry yet Dr Hicks told her he was still born. 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. 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. Wow! pic.twitter.com/aTH43ks3Co. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. These babies were born between 3.5 and 4.75 lbs.. very unfavorable!! And then the consistent low birth weights are concerning. View upcoming funeral services, obituaries, and funeral flowers for Finch-Cochran Funeral Home in McCaysville, GA, US. Dickson and Mrs. George Bradley, both of Kingsport, Tenn. "We Loved Thee for Thy Astute Mind, but We Loved Thee Better for a Heart that was Gentle and Kind. He advertised on phone booths, bus stations and bridges. After years of wondering about her birth family, will Diane finally have closure? Hicks was performing abortions long before Roe. 116 reviews Leave a review . He was a very generous person. was there more than one Dr. Hicks mentioned in the Taken AT Birth documentary or just one? You have several options when it comes to learning about your DNA, KnowYourDNA is the best source for finding all things related to DNA. It is unknown whether Hicks paid the biological mothers for the babies. Since then and with the successful development of DNA evidence, many adopted babies now in their 50s-70s have been able to reconnect with their natural parents. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Within a decade, he was not only performing illegal abortions but selling newborns on the black market. Many of the Hicks babies were able to do DNA testing as part of the TV show. As a matter of fact she grieved the rest of her life for her first born she thought had died! Entombment, Family Mausolem at Crestlawn Cemetery, Copperhill, Tenn. Finch Funeral Home, McCaysville, Ga. This account has been disabled. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Dr Thomas Jugarthy Hicks Sr. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Categories: Fannin County, Georgia | McCaysville, Georgia | Hicks Clinic, McCaysville, Georgia, WIKITREE HOME | ABOUT | G2G FORUM | HELP | SEARCH. He performed illegal abortions before Roe v. Wade. One week later, he sold the newborn for $1000. 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. Stories of young girls dying from botched abortions in the early 50s still exist in the living memories of those from the region. READ NEXT: Dr. Thomas Hicks, The Doctor Who Sold More Than 200 Babies: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. PS Ancestry DNA is a crook. I saw him do more good than I think he did harm. Dr Thomas Hicks was a small-town Georgia doctor who was posthumously accused of selling hundreds of babies in illegal adoptions. He soon developed a clandestine reputation of a physician who could provide a baby for adoption. At least 200 babies had their identities stolen. Our filters are much different than the ones from that period of time. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Hicks died from leukemia, according to Appalachian History. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. I mean no disrespect towards anyone. 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. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. He and Mrs. Hicks were so kind to so many people. Babies For Sale: The Secret Adoptions That Haunt One Georgia Town. What part of that is okay? So all of what you said is ridiculous. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. You made your decision. TLC is following her and five other Hicks Babies as they reunite with their birth families. Resend Activation Email. Please enter your email and password to sign in. But decades later, many of the Hicks Babies are still looking for their birth parents. They adored Dr Hicks and were fiercely protective of his reputation and legacy. cemeteries found in Polk County, Tennessee, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Apparently these women were seeking abortions, not babies. He ran the Hicks Community Clinic and offered his services to poor copper mining families. Bragg, Rick. You saw it. 1997. Thus, the legacy of Dr. Thomas Hicks remains an unanswered mystery of many residents in the dual border towns of Copperhill-McCaysville. One of the Hicks Babies, Melinda Dawson, told CBS that her adoptive parents paid $1,000 for her in 1962. In spite of the illegal practices of selling babies and performing abortions in the two states, he was never charged criminally with either of these offenses. He was born October 18, 1888. [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. Are you sure that you want to delete this flower? NOTE: Dr. Hicks son, Lynn, Jr would also follow in the footsteps of his father & g-father and become a doctor, his daughter Debra died in 1971 from cancer and his daughter, Tamsen became an RN. Weve updated the security on the site. 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. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Yes, thats a horrible thought. She hopes DNA testing will enable them to find their birth parents. I am only human.. We only know about the ones who survived. And, even though it was illegal, many women thought they were having an abortion. How can this man NOT be vilified?! Still, she defends her late grandfathers actions. i just hope i wont go made like them. 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. Blasio first traveled to McCaysville in 1988 to search for her birth mother. Oops, we were unable to send the email. 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. And youve had children with them??? On the documentary the officer in the second episode claimed he gave a relative of his a shot and she died 30min later. If you find ANYTHING humane or OKAY about that then God so help you! The television program Nightline spoke with several people who have found out they. The story has been featured in many TV specials, including on TLCs, Taken At Birth, which originally aired in 2019. It has the capacity to compare over 700,000 DNA matches using the latest advanced technology. Some matches were successful, others were not. After submitting his DNA to Ancestry.com last year, he has found key family members though not all of them were keen on a warm, fuzzy reunion. And most of these women were likely unmarried, which was a huge no-no at the time. Same ears, chin/jaw line, nose, and eyes. Doris Abernathy, who knew Hicks and his wife personally, told the media outlet he was a good, but imperfect man. English He delivered my oldest brother. Personally I hope that Dr Hicks is burning in hell! Babies were handed out to them through the door or window. A system error has occurred. How is the river any worse, I ask you? Dawson has known since age 7 her parents got her from the McCaysville clinic run by Hicks, who died in 1972. Jane needs to get a DNA test and compare it to Doris Abernathy, the town historian. He let loose some real chaos into this world.. Thomas is 21 degrees from Lance Reddick, 28 degrees from Bruno Cremer, 19 degrees from Angie Dickinson, 17 degrees from Don Knotts, 31 degrees from Jimmy Little, 32 degrees from Helen Mirren, 31 degrees from Pat Morita, 23 degrees from Leslie Nielsen, 21 degrees from Kyra Sedgwick, 21 degrees from Tom Selleck, 21 degrees from Efrem Zimbalist and 18 degrees from David Draper on our single family tree. The so-called Hicks Babies had falsified birth certificates, and Dr Hicks kept no records tying them to their biological families. Failed to delete memorial. Learn more about merges. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. 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! What he was doing in a lot of cases is absolutely wrong because of stuff like this. At-home DNA testing wasnt available until recently. Hicks was providing a service, said Ken Rush, director of the Ducktown Basin Museum. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? However, he had another objective in urging the babies to be born and would often tell the natural mother that the child was still born and was deceased at birth. Dr Hicks quickly hushed the nurse and gave my grandma something to make her sleep. At the center of the show is Jane Blasio, a Hicks baby determined to learn the truth about the late physician and her own origins. Then hed place a baby in their arms. Im going to play a little devils advocate. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Before Doctor Hicks opened his practice in Georgia he was just across the state line in Polk County Tennessee in the 1930s. Are you kidding me. Jane Blasio, who broke the story of the Hicks Babies and leads investigative efforts, wrote her thoughts about Hicks on her website. John Stapleton, another one of the Hicks Babies, said he did not think Hicks started in the business for profit. We could be related. Elkins was exonerated through DNA testing and the true killer was convicted. She was 6 years old when her adoptive father sat her down about it. She grieved her the rest of her life for her first born son. The motives of Hicks actions are unclear. He took HUGE risks for essentially very little in return, in fact he did lose his medical license in 1964 for performing an abortion. Busted not for selling babies, but for the abortion clinic. Year should not be greater than current year. Failed to delete flower. Dr. Thomas Hicks died more than two decades before the black market baby adoptions came to light, but the doctor was not buried with his secrets. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. More than 200 babies, known as the "Hicks Babies," were sold. Now, more than half a century later, TLCs upcoming special Taken At Birth will reveal untold stories about the Hicks Babies and their ongoing search for their biological families. A Skilled and Talented Physician, He Lived, Served and Died for Others. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. I would love to be able to find him or maybe some of his family. I still dont know, one of the Hicks Babies, Melinda, told the publication. These women often came away from faraway places. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. She said she heard her baby cry then Doc Hicks told her he was still born. "THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTION 20 May 1967HICKS- Dr. Walter Lynn Hicks, 44, Copperhill, Tenn., died unexpectedly Thursday at the home of his parents, he is survived by one son, Mr. Walter Lynn Hicks, Jr., Macon, Ga.; two daughters, Miss Debra Hicks, and Miss Tamsen Hicks; one sister, Mrs. Reed L. Brown, Chattanooga, Tenn.; one brother, Dr. Thomas J. Hicks, Jr., Atlanta. We will never know the hell they have suffered. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. 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? He soon developed a clandestine reputation of a physician who could provide a baby for adoption. Find contact information, view maps, and more. When they opened it up there was great excitement. Just keeping an RN on duty, even in the 1950s -60s, was a big expense. I hope you guys can find what your looking for. Oh well for them, I was raised in those mountains and Im not afraid of them. TLC Cleveland State Softball Wins Two In Regular Season Finale, Cleveland State Baseball Ends Regular Season; Prepares For Post Season, McCallie Track Claims Relay Wins At The Vol Classic And Sets Record At The Front Runner Championship, Shannon Scores Big With Second Consecutive UCRA Victory At Fort Payne Motor Speedway, 2 Teens Arrested In "Kia Boys" Auto Theft Attempt, General Duke Z. Richardson To Be Chief Reviewing Officer For Armed Forces Day Parade, A Space To Use Your Voice: Podcasting Lab Opens In May, John Shearer: Random Thoughts About Station Street, Morgan Wallen, Marijuana, Writing, and Emmett Till, Catoosa County To Host Pet Rabies & Registration Clinic, Global Activist Rev. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. (@Angel5Christine) October 8, 2019. Hicks is buried beside the mausoleum in a grave marked with a headstone. my sister some how never got the gene or blood of him. i never thought it was real when i was little either. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Hicks would not have been doing it. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. So for that reason, I think were putting too much faith in these womens stories. What years was he operating in TN, and where? The pain these mothers felt I could never imagine and not to mention how many of these babies died from being delivered wayyyy too prematurely. Blasio was undeterred. 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. If shes still alive and knows shes adopted, she may be looking for you using DNA.
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