A father of three who was married to a Baptist Sunday school teacher, Hicks died at age 83 in 1972, long before Blasio's digging led to the first headlines about the scandal in 1997. He's been searching for his biological family for decades. It turns out that Bernie Drexler did. Since the undercover operation was exposed, many Hicks Babies have desperately searched for their origins, yet decades later, they are still looking for their birth parents. His parents were David Fleming Hicks and Mary Louise Holt. However, only four of his siblings survived to adulthood. grocery, where the parking lot is partly in McCaysville, partly in Copperhill, Tenn. She does not know if her mother held her, or even saw her face. Hicks would tell mothers their babies were dead. In the 1950s and 1960s, Dr. Thomas Hicks (1888-1972) sold over 200 babies. And my mom, who sees all these matches and wants to know how the fuck she has so many relatives? I mean, what was the alternative for those babies? HICKS, J. On Mother's Day 1997, the small US town of McCaysville, Georgia was thrown into the spotlight. The black market adoptions were discovered in 1997 and a community of Hicks babies has been in contact since that time. In the late 90s, Dawson and her adopted mother, Judith Johnson, shared their story on television talk shows like The Maury Show. But she aborted her search in 1998, when her husband, Clarence Elkins, was falsely convicted of murdering Johnson. You need to ask yourself questions and then do problems to answer those questions. Born in 1963, inside a non-descript cinder block building in McCaysville, Georgia, she was delivered by the town's only doctor, Thomas Hicks. If she wants to come forward, there are no strings, no blame. Thomas, or Dr. Hicks, was one of six children. She is tall and redheaded, the product of an ancestry she does not fully know. It was Mother's Day of 1997 when Reymann saw a story in the Akron Beacon Journal featuring the story of Jane Blasio who had discovered she had been illegally sold as an infant for $1,000 from a clinic run by Dr. Thomas Hicks in McCaysville, Ga. some three decades earlier. I don't care where you lived, day or night. and J.P.S. | 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. Think he may have figured it was more hassle than just enjoying his life. About 1920, he established a practice just across the state line in Copperhill, Tenn. But it was only one of the doctor's sidelines. Her husband walked in to see her nursing the baby from a bottle. ''If I wasn't so personally involved, I'd think they were making it all up.''. He died in 1972 at age 83, which was 25 years before the shocking story of his black market baby ring came to light. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. They named her Jane, wrapped her in a blanket and drove due north for eight hours, far away from the South, to a place where the winter winds pick up speed on Lake Erie and make people curse the cold. As a small-town doctor in rural Georgia, Hicks was known for being able to discreetly and safely perform abortions at a time when the procedure was still illegal. The birth mothers were believed to have never met the people who bought their babies. All of them paid up to $1,000 for a baby no one could trace back to its mother. The story of Dr. TLC is following her and five other Hicks Babies as they reunite with their birth families. On June 21, the Cincinnati-based DNA Diagnostic Center will have a representative at the Ocoee River Inn in Ducktown, Tenn., to collect DNA samples from anyone living in that area who believes they may be related to one of the babies that Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks arranged to sell from his McCaysville clinic in the 1950s and '60s. Theres a documentary on the Hicks Babies that Im assuming you havent seen. This is accomplished through the careful study of DNA matches. More than 200 babies, known as the "Hicks Babies," were. They also came from Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan. Sometimes, with poor girls from the Tennessee mountains and with big-city girls from Atlanta, he persuaded them to carry the child to term, to give it up for what he called adoption. I kind of agree. Taken At Birth will share the untold stories of the Hicks Babies, the name given to more than 200 newborn babies illegally sold or given away from the back steps of a small-town Georgia clinic run by Dr. Thomas J. Hicks during the 1950s and 1960s. But when the child's birth certificate arrived, it showed the birthday as Dec. 6, 1964. Nearly ready to give birth, her mother was on her way to Hicks clinic when a sympathetic stranger took her instead to a nearby medical center where Burgess was adopted through legal channels. Blasio has dedicated her life to helping reunite Hicks Babies with their biological families. She is close with the group, however, and is considered part of the family. Now, shes on another mission, struggling to find her birth parents. 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 it turns out, Raymanns adoptive parents had actually purchased him illegally from Dr. Thomas J. Hicks, the creator of a black-market baby ring. Today, those men and women are talking again. Birth records show that 49 babies were born in Fannin County to parents in Summit County, Ohio, alone. And thats perhaps the most troubling thing in all this, Payne said. 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 . A fake birth certificate was produced, listing the adoptive parents as the parents of the child. TLC is at it again, with a new sort of mystery docu-drama about a very real scandal in a small town more than 50 years ago. 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. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Where can I watch the documentary taken at birth? The birth mothers often had needs, the babies had needs. Its something I deserve. This lucrative . So far, many people may think Dr. Hicks was helping these women. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. From 1951 to 1965 Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks began to quietly offer babies for adoption from his Hicks Community Clinic in McCaysville, GA. Some would have been victims of abuse as well as others who were careless or ignorant.and there was a LOT of ignorance back then about how not to get pregnant. From the Inside Flap Jane Blasio is a Hicks Baby, sold at birth and passed through the back door of a clinic in North Georgia. Occupation: Dentist Spouse: Sallie Cobb Johnson Adopted children: Thomas J. III and Sallie Cobb Hicks Son of Chassie Copeland and Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks Sr. who performed illegal late term abortions, sold infants on the black market and is the subject of the TLC documentary Taken At Birth.. (This is not part of the TLC documentary) As part of the 2014 DNA tests, Kriste Hughes was reconnected with her birth mother Thelma Tipton. To protect their privacy, I have chosen not to mention any of the individuals who were adopted by name in this article. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Dr. Thomas Hicks died of leukemia, a type of blood cancer. She was about 7 years old. Couple turns old garage into beautiful 370 sq ft home perfect for grandma, Hero rescue dog finds shivering 3-year-old girl in a ditch, Couple get note in the mail humiliating them for eyesore unpainted home but then kindness wins, Man offers to hold strangers baby in waiting area clueless his actions will make headlines, Mom gets emotional when teacher sends photo of 5-yr-old son with classmate he insists is his twin, Couple are inspired to build a small two story cottage that is incredibly unique. You're now subscribed to the latest stories. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. After learning about her past, Blasio became motivated to help fellow Hicks Babies discover the truth about their identities. Copyright 2023 Farlex, Inc. | It does not store any personal data. Not only was she illegally adopted out of the Hicks Clinic, but her adoptive mother was murdered in 1998. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Over three nights this October, TLC's TAKEN AT BIRTH will share the untold stories of the "Hicks Babies," the name given to more than 200 newborn babies illegally sold or given away from the back steps of a small-town Georgia clinic run by Dr. Thomas J. Hicks during the 1950s and 1960s. 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. Blasios search, aided by Judge Linda Davis of the Fannin County probate court, turned a spotlight on the town and the doctor who sold them. They would give birth at the clinic, and circumventing all legal formalities Hicks would hand over the babies to adoptive parents along with forged birth certificates which listed the adoptive parents as the biological parents. 60+ wardrobe fails people had to point and call out immediately. It was discovered that Dr. Thomas J. Hicks had been selling newborns from the small-town facilitys backdoor for $1000. It was daytime, "wide open daytime," Grace Postelle recalled when the Michigan couple arrived at her house in the 1950s with a baby boy still soiled from his birth. If he only convinced women to adopt out instead of abortion, then maybe. People even flew in, to a red-dirt airstrip, for abortions. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. If you have any questions about something that you read in this post, please join in the discussion below. Dec 15, 2021 Season 2 Episode 6. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. I don't understand why they think he was so horrible. Eager families from the Midwest came to this town on the Tennessee-Georgia border. What Dr Hicks did was illegal. He told them he was aborting the baby but instead induced the babies, or told Them they were stillbornhow is this positive? Stephen Dilbeck is the oldest of the "Hicks Babies," a nickname given to the 200 babies Dr. Thomas Hicks sold from his clinic in the small town of McCaysville, Georgia. Jack was 16-years-old when his girlfriend got pregnant and they were told the baby was stillborn. ''The villain is the circumstance'' that made a young mother feel she had to abort her baby in secret in the north Georgia mountains, or else give it away because community mores would have branded her forever for having an illegitimate child, Mrs. Blasio said. It is unclear how far along she was, but Hicks convinced her to carry the pregnancy until he induced her. Like many others, Raymann was a healthy newborn that became wrapped in a web of deceit. Her birth is believed one of the last in his black-market business, but just the beginning of an unusual understanding between the aged doctor and many in his loyal town, one that would last until Mrs. Blasio came here for answers. We have a little jail over there, but Ive never seen anybody in there.. Sally Sompayrac is Hicks granddaughter. Source. 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. ''I used to fantasize about my mother,'' Mrs. Blasio said. Complicating matters, Hicks provided fake birth certificates that listed the buyers as the birth parents, erasing any evidence of the babies real mothers. Which led Judy and Melinda to Maury in April 1998. Everywhere, in this little pocket of the world, are testimonials to him. Hicks made sure the birth certificates listed the people adopting as birth parents. 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. He had second thoughts about disrupting her life. 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. - one of the Hicks babies was found to have been born in another place by another doctor so now they are on the search for another illegal baby . The primary purpose of this post is to explain how those children who were adopted through the Hicks Clinic have been able to use their DNA to discover close relatives, and sometimes, the identities of their biological parents. The documentary originally aired in 2019 on TLC, but has since migrated to Hulu. What's in U.S. foods that Europe deems unfit for human consumption? Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Something is not right. He was married and had three children. Adoptive parents must jump through many complicated hoops to be approved, yet any low life, abusive, drunk, dishonest, thieving, jobless meth head, or even killer, can get pregnant, (or sire a baby). But not every woman who came to. Some people may be familiar with Georgia Tann and the black market adoption ring known as the Tennessee Children's Home Society. 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. Word spread. It is unusual for full term pregnancy to produce a singleton this small which suggests Hicks may have been inducing women early. It tells the story of Dr. Thomas Hicks, a small-town physician who illegally sold babies throughout the 50s and 60s. One thousand dollars in 1955 would be nearly $10,000 today. They're hoping for one last clue, through modern science and DNA, for one last answer. ''Over all, he done more good than otherwise.''. Watch it on Tubi Free Movies & TV on your Roku device. Did any of the Hicks babies find their biological parents? Copyright 2023 Who are You Made Of? TLC recently aired a very long 3 part documentary series on the Hicks Babies who were adopted out. Indeed no one knows for sure whether Hicks, generally beloved by the townspeople of McCaysville, sold the babies for profit or simply recouped the cost of caring for the mothers. His birth father, Paul Jack, was only 16-years-old at the time, but remembers his girlfriend was told their child was stillborn. How much can you sell a baby for black market? Through a confidential registry, Mrs. Blasio and Judge Davis want to try to reunite as many as possible of the now-grown babies with their real mothers, fathers or siblings. He performed abortions in the 1950s, long before Roe v. Wade became law. He gave up his medical license to help women out. "My mom took me for a car ride and just stopped and proceeded to tell me that even though she loved me, she was not my real mom, that I had come from a clinic in Georgia," she said. Why do people buy babies on the black market? About 15 of the 200+ babies have been reunited with their biological parents. Too many unwanted babies today are killed or abandoned to die, it's so sad. There is no evidence that any of the babies that were adopted through the actions of Dr. Hicks are related to him. And to the local courthouse, where she learned that her birth certificate was held in a special file. Thanks to the shows Hulu debut, the series is generating buzz, so a second season isnt out of the question. Then, he handed her a baby girl. ''He saved my life,'' said Herb Hood, 69, who had pneumonia when he was a boy. Like many of those who gathered here Saturday, Dawson is one of about 200 co-called Hicks babies, infants given up by their birth mothers and sold in the 1950s and 1960s from Dr. Thomas Hicks . According to ABC News, Dr. Hicks convinced a few of these young moms to keep the babies and put them up in a hotel in town until they gave birth. They call themselves the Hicks Babies. Ric Flair, the famous wrestler, was one of these children. Her birth certificate was falsified, listing her adoptive parents . Blasio was one of about 200 infants placed in an illegal black-market baby ring run out of a small Georgia clinic by Dr. Thomas J. Hicks during the 1950s and 1960s. . He died in 1972 at age 83, having never been held accountable for these black market babies. 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. Delivered by Hicks in 1957--- she's grasping to one last glimmer seeking her birth family, to finally know who she looks like, or what traits they share. All the fathers who bought them worked in the Akron tire companies, except for a Cuyahoga Falls doctor who bought two babies. Previous coverage from the AJC, From 2021: Georgias adoption laws evolve, aim to address past concerns, Photos: The Hicks babies gather in North Georgia. According to Blasio, only about 50 of the 200-plus children, referred to as Hicks Babies, have been identified and located so far. Whats additionally staggering is its believed that more than 200 infants, known as the Hicks Babies, were victims of the doctors scheme during the 50s and 60s. He told women their babies were stillborn and then sold the babies. Many are still trying to find their biological relatives. '', Her expectations have changed with time. More to the point, he also facilitated over 200 illegal adoptions. Nobody wanted us to help us at all, said Melinda Dawson, one of the first go public. No one knows if he paid them, but at least once, he asked the buyers to give the mother a new suit of clothes. One woman, Pam Helton Stepp, a 49-year-old hairdresser from Ringgold, said she wanted to show her support because her sister had been given up as a Hicks baby. I just get it. He was an abortion doctor to thousands of young women but he talked over 200 girls into carrying their babies to term, hiding them in . She often receives calls from people anxious to become parents, asking whether they should buy a baby from traffickers. She wonders if her mother gave her away because she did not want her, or -- and she hopes this is true -- that her mother did want her, but had to give her up. Receives calls from people anxious to become parents, asking whether they should buy a baby from traffickers was! 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