http://narrative.ly/babies-for-sale-the-secret-adoptions-that-haunt-one-georgia-town/. But these abortions did not entirely mesh with his beliefs. Then, he handed her a baby girl. It can sometimes be more difficult to pinpoint the exact identify of someones biological parents without closer cousins, such as first cousins. ''He made house calls. Instead, he illegally sold the babies for approximately $800 to $1,000 each. Think he may have figured it was more hassle than just enjoying his life. He's been searching for his biological family for decades. TLC recently aired a very long 3 part documentary series on the Hicks Babies who were adopted out. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. In all, hundreds of babies were born and illegally sold out of Hicks Community Clinic in McCaysville, Ga., in the early 1950s to mid 1960s, their real identities completely erased. 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. How many of Dr Hicks babies found relatives? 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. All the sales were arranged by a West Akron Goodrich employee who bought four babies for herself. | 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. But Hicks record-keeping left few clues. Until Mothers Day 1997, when his adoptions were exposed. Women who wanted abortions would be talked into keeping the pregnancy so he could sell the baby once it arrived. Dawson says in 1962, her adoptive parents paid $1,000 for her. The doctor kept no known records of the birth mothers, who discreetly vanished. Stephen Dilbeck, 64, from Blue Ridge. Stephen Dilbeck was adopted by a family who did not seem to want him. Thelma was a single mother, but she did not choose to give Kriste up for adoption. It could take up to three months to test all the participants samples, but whats 90 days compared to the lifetime these baby boomers have been waiting to find their birth families? The doctor threw in a fake birth certificate that listed the buyers as birth parents, erasing the real mother from the child's past. 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. "This is actually happening. In the 1950s and 1960s, Dr. Thomas Hicks (1888-1972) sold over 200 babies. 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. Word spread that his clinic would take care of desperate pregnant women. 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. It tells the story of Dr. Thomas Hicks, a small-town physician who illegally sold babies throughout the 50s and 60s. Mrs. Walters hid the pillow in the attic. ''I thought my mother must have been like Katharine Hepburn. Born and raised in the city of London, Alexander Johnson studied biology and chemistry in college and went on to earn a PhD in biochemistry. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. During the years that he ran his clinic, the town was at its population peak of between 1,800-2,000 residents. Hicks surrendered his medical license in 1964 for performing an illegal abortion. For perspective, $1000 in 1950 is equal to about $10,900 in todays dollars. June 12, 2021 News, TLC Shows Dr. Thomas J. Hicks is the "bad guy" featured in a three-part docuseries titled Taken At Birth. Stolen Babies of Spain, a documentary movie is available to stream now. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Did Dr Hicks father any of the Hicks babies? In the 1940s, Hicks served time in prison. Paul Payne was adopted in 1952. Another baby-selling ring has been exposed, operating out of McCaysville GA, although most of the babies were sold (for as low as $800) to families in Akron OH. . But when the child's birth certificate arrived, it showed the birthday as Dec. 6, 1964. Thomas Hicks stolen babies are now adults, and they want answers. How can I find my sister who was adopted? They also came from Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan. But it was Dr. Hicks whos been cast as the lead in this story. One reason that our program is so strong is that our . Privacy policy | About 15 of the 200+ babies have been reunited with their biological parents. A very small number were reconnected with their birth parents. The story of Dr. TLC is following her and five other Hicks Babies as they reunite with their birth families. It turns out that Bernie Drexler did. I've never seen anything ugly here, said Doris Abernathy, 92. SOLD ON THE BLACK MARKET. The birth mother in this case was 18 years old and married, but her husband had a history of disappearing for months at a time, so the marriage wasn't stable. She gave him the name of a woman she believed was his mother, where she went to college, what her father did. At least those women who had abortions were able to get them done by a medical professional. ''It was much better for the birth mothers to do this than to have an abortion,'' Judge Davis said. Hicks mausoleum in search of birth records. In fact, Raymanns birth father didnt find out until more recently that his son was even alive. She did not choose to give her child/children up for adoption. She never found her, but the search for her mother shook loose a secret. He provided a service to the unwed mothers, and adopted babies out that may not have had a chance otherwise. His work remained buried as well. 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. When her adoptive mother, Judith Johnson, was murdered in Barberton in 1998, and Dawsons husband at the time, Clarence Elkins, was arrested, she spent about seven years investigating the case and eventually winning Elkins release from prison. She had been told when she was 5 years old that she was adopted, but in 1988 she learned that she was purchased in the drowsy little town of McCaysville, Ga., just across the Tennessee line. The mother had also left home to work at a factory when she was 13 years old so it seems unlikely that she had family support. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Blasio blew the whistle back in the 1990s. And so on Saturday, they congregated at Oconee River Inn, just five miles from McCaysville, where they believe they were born, then exchanged for anywhere from $100 to $1,000. ''If I wasn't so personally involved, I'd think they were making it all up.''. Dr. Hicks, who passed away at the age of 83, was born in 1888 in Picket County, Tennessee. It is unclear if she is a full or half sister or what Beulah's marital/financial status was at the time of Stephen's birth, but all evidence shows she did not chose to give up her son. In the small town, the. I kind of agree. Have you heard the story of Dr. Hicks? 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. He performed abortions in the 1950s, long before Roe v. Wade became law. Its something we all deserve.. Its a six-hour documentary special thats broken into three separate episodes. ''When they handed me out the door, I still had the blood on me'' from the delivery, said Mrs. Blasio, who is now 32 and living in a green suburb of North Canton, Ohio. Warner's mother voluntarily put her up for adoption. Hicks baby-selling ring centered in Akron, OH 1950s-60s. But many aspects of his clinic remain a mystery to this day. Some may find them alive, some may not be alive, but at least theyll know where they came from, she said. , Does Wittenberg have a strong Pre-Health professions program? I don't know why it happened. The "Hicks. 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. He performed abortions, which were strictly illegal at the time and led to the loss of his medical license. Diane Conrad, 56, drove in from Akron, Ohio. 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.. Many of them have been here before, their hopes ignited then dashed after another Hicks baby, Jane Blasio, spearheaded a similar DNA testing effort in 1997. More to the point, he also facilitated over 200 illegal adoptions. Where can I watch the documentary taken at birth? He also forged birth certificates, putting the adoptive parents as the biological parents. But not every woman who came to. ''All my life, I've felt like I didn't belong, like I didn't fit in. At least 49 of the babies were sold to parents in the Akron, Ohio area. I just get it. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. ''Back then, it was a horrible disgrace,'' said Doralese Tipton, who is in her 60s now, and knew a boy who would bring girls up from the University of Alabama when they got pregnant. Babies born and sold out of McCaysville Ga. Dr Hicks clinic She still remembers the day her adoptive mother, Judith, broke the news. At a small inn tucked behind a Chevron gas station just off U.S. 64, men and women in their 50s and 60s trickled into room 109 Saturday morning. To protect their privacy, I have chosen not to mention any of the individuals who were adopted by name in this article. as I say, not perfect, but a good man, Abernathy said. When she turned 51 in February, she decided the time was right to resume her search. Many of the babies were adopted by families in Akron, OH: The Fannin County Courthouse records list 49 babies, for example, who went to Summit County in Ohio. Like other adoptees, all he's uncovered is a birth certificate he believes Dr. Hicks falsified. A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. Mr. and Mrs. Walters made the drive down in January 1965. The way some townspeople see it, Dr. Hicks was saving the life of an innocent with each infant he sold on the black market. People buff it all the time, with their selective memories. Who was our mom?" You need to ask yourself questions and then do problems to answer those questions. In 1997, the shocking news story broke, revealing that . Hicks had told him to bring cash, and when he got down there, they handed the baby out the back and he gave them the cash.. According to Blasio, only about 50 of the 200-plus children, referred to as Hicks Babies, have been identified and located so far. TLC recently aired a very long 3 part documentary series on the Hicks Babies who were adopted out. 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. This is accomplished through the careful study of DNA matches. Two weeks later, he learned shed died. It is unclear whether or not Stephen ever had a twin brother. But there were a few stories of him declaring babies as stillborn.. then sold them off. White baby? Jack was 16-years-old when his girlfriend got pregnant and they were told the baby was stillborn. This is how this group of babies, who are now all grown up, came to be called Hicks Babies. The doctor kept no known records of the birth mothers, who discreetly vanished. Doc Hicks died in 1972 so there is mystery to this day. Hicks lost his medical license in 1964 and died in 1972. She is close with the group, however, and is considered part of the family. In a sense, Mrs. Blasio sees it that way, too. Im being optimistic, but Im a realist, said Payne, as the testing drew to a close Saturday. Mother and Father are the biological parents of J.S. View Ancestry DNA Matches By Ancestor With ThruLines. Wittenberg is a nationally ranked liberal arts institution with a particular strength in the sciences. Her birth parents were never named on the one-page document, only the names of her adoptive parents. 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. 2014 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Over three nights, new series Taken At Birth chronicles attempts to reunite families after a doctor named Thomas Hicks sold over 200 newborn babies from the back steps of his clinic in Georgia. 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. All of Dr. Hicks grandparents were born in Tennessee, as were many of his great-grandparents. Despite the fact that Hicks, his wife, and his son have all passed away, his daughter is still living. Dilbeck did get to meet a sister who is 10 years younger than him. The documentary originally aired in 2019 on TLC, but has since migrated to Hulu. However, it wasnt until years later that he learned the dark secret they had been keeping. His death occurred in 1972, long before any of the children that had been adopted illegally through Dr. Hicks clinic had discovered the truth about their origins. They plunked down their money and got a baby, and a birth certificate that was genuine, except for the lies. He died in 1972 at age 83, which was 25 years before the shocking story of his black market baby ring came to light. In an interview with Inside Edition, she said: A lot of the mothers didnt know that they even had a baby because the doctor lied and had said that the babies had died., To this day, a cloud of secrecy remains around Dr. Hicks himself and the notorious adoption ring that changed the course of hundreds of lives.. This week, Hailee talks about the Hicks Clinic, a small, community clinic in McCaysville, GA where a doctor sold over 200 babies and performed illegal abortions, sometimes against the will of the mother, in the 50s and 60s. Who was our dad? The birth mothers often had needs, the babies had needs. Dawson is one of hundreds who say they were victims of Dr. Thomas Hicks. 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. Hicks got his medical degree from Emory University in Atlanta. In the 1950s and 1960s, Dr. Thomas Hicks (1888-1972) sold over 200 babies. It's unfortunate, but it happens. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Staggering snowfall in California mountains leaves residents trapped for days, Garland testifies before Senate panel amid ongoing special counsel probes, Colon cancer rates rising in younger age group, study finds, Firefighter dies battling blaze in downtown Buffalo, mayor says, Several hospitalized after Lufthansa flight diverted to Dulles due to turbulence, Explosive found in checked luggage at Pennsylvania airport, feds say, Prosecution wraps its case at Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Georgias Hicks Babies adoptees search for answers, Millions of Americans nearing retirement age with no savings. They call themselves the Hicks Babies. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Dr. Hicks charged $100 for the abortion, but what is the price tag on respectability? 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