dr thomas hicks family tree

v. Wade legalized abortions. The cost is the same for you. Oh well for them, I was raised in those mountains and Im not afraid of them. 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. You are absolutely correct in your assumption. was there more than one Dr. Hicks mentioned in the Taken AT Birth documentary or just one? 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 . Unfortunately, Hicks kept no records of the birth mothers. "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. IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. But honestly, my suggestion would be for them to live for today. I dont know. Are you for real?? Time is running out. Blasio confirmed with the county birth records that she was likely one of the hundreds of babies sold between 1950 and 1965.2. Surnames in his family tree include Thomas, Fitch, Green, Waddell, and Johnson. I am from Tennessee before Dr Hicks moved across the state line to McCaysville Ga. He was born October 18, 1888. If so, login to add it. But he didn't stop the illegal adoptions. Perhaps your dad was referring to the equipment used to save preemies. His forged birth certificates did not list biological parents. The second would have been no later than 1962. He also delivered the babies early, between 31 & 34 wks causing them to have low birthweight and health issues. So, what you are saying is, when my mom went to deliver my BROTHER and was told he was born dead, yet she has nightmares TO THIS DAY that she heard her baby cry for her. Her name is Alana honey boo boo if you dont know who she is you can google her. He also has a living granddaughter named Sally Sompayrac. Such an evil man to cause such heart ache! Husband of Chass Chassie Hicks Dr Hicks quickly hushed the nurse and gave my grandma something to make her sleep. Please! This is accomplished through the careful study of DNA matches. pic.twitter.com/77eyWNLdHM. Thank you. Test prices are here: https://thednageek.com/dna-tests/ You arent responsible for their sins. He deserved to be paid for his time and services as well after all, this was time he could have spent seeing other patients, and medical equipment and supplies are not cheap. Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts by email. A lot of the babies that were sold were under 5lbs which could indicate that he induced labor which would make the childs death more believable since the baby came early. You should be ashamed of yourself because you have no idea of the pain he caused many families! The world is full of possibilities, and you are amazing! Theres a documentary on the Hicks Babies that Im assuming you havent seen. 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 . Maybe hes out there and will search for you. Thomas, or Dr. Hicks, was one of six children. After watching this documentary I can see how he got away with it for so long. Natalie. Genealogy for Dr Thomas Jugarthy Hicks, Sr (1888 - 1972) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. I may have a couple brothers out there. Dr Thomas Jugarthy Hicks Sr Born 18 Oct 1888 in Bloomington, Pickett, Tennessee, United States Ancestors Son of David Fleming Hicks and [mother unknown] [sibling (s) unknown] Husband of Chass (Copeland) Hicks married 7 Jun 1917 in Polk, Tennessee, USA Father of Thomas Jugarthy Hicks Jr Died 5 Mar 1972 at age 83 in Tennessee, United States 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. Cristine Santander is a content writer for KnowYourDNA. 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. There was no reason not to dig up his grave. 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 did see it just yesterday. Hopefully he got his comeuppance. In the documentary they have a positive match for Dr Hicks fathering one of the babies. There are many people who were adopted at birth who can use similar strategies to learn more about their recent and distant ancestry. Her decade-long search for her birth parents led to the exposure of Hicks' illegal babies. I know this first hand because of how it deeply hurt my mother for many, many years! She did not go to him for an abortion or to give her baby away. He may have done it to avoid suspicion and keep the transactions discreet. Prior to that, he was practicing just across the state line in Copperhill, Tennessee, and could well have been selling babies then. Personally I hope that Dr Hicks is burning in hell! Can never know. Hicks faced legal trouble for illegal abortions, but not for the illegal adoptions. 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. I just wanted to say I watch this show about a little girl. 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. 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. Many of the Hicks babies also began searching for their biological families. Some birth mothers knew they were placing a baby for adoption, some thought they had an abortion, and some were told their infants died. About 15 of the 200+ babies have been reunited with their biological parents. Ideas for Getting Responses from DNA Matches. Hicks' wife and son had already passed away. All of the babies were children of mothers who were persuaded to give up their children for adoption, and were not biological children of Dr. Hicks. Were it not for him encouraging these women to have their babies, these children would have never been given a chance at life. Town Secret Is Uncovered In Birth Quest. Did you like this post? My Hicks line starts in New York in 1833. THIS POOR WOMAN THOUGHT HER TWIN BOYS HAD DIED. Hicks faced legal trouble for illegal abortions, but not for the illegal adoptions. These include the nurse, the secretary who signed the false documents, Hicks lawyer, and the sheriff who investigated Hicks illegal abortion clinic. TLC's Taken at Birth, which first aired in 2019, is a three-part . Quietly, because the clinic he'd been running since the mid-1940s was not a licensed adoption agency. survivors include his mother, diann loftice barker of mckinney; stepfather, don barker of mckinney; three brothers: billy loftice of princeton, ron and jasen loftice both of mckinney; two sisters: lisa murphy of culleoka, artie stone of princeton . https://thednageek.com/dna-tests. If hes alive, hopefully hell see the TV show and decide to test. Dr Hicks told some of the mothers that their babies died, then he sold them. Dr. Hicks obviously cannot give his side of the story. And he gave the babies to equally desperate childless parents. He lied to those women whether they wanted their children or not. How HEARTLESS can someone be then to tell a parent their childTHEIR CHILD died just so he could profit? Not a mother who wanted to give her baby up for adoption, but a mother who trusted her doctor? Kriste Hughes is reunited with her mother, Thelma Tipton, and big brother Roger Tipton, after Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks illegally sold her to adoptive parents . No one with half a brain can even think that is good. My YDNA indicates I am not Hicks. The good Dr told the mother they were still born. Dr Hicks sold over 200 babies from his clinic in McCaysville during the 50s and 60s Credit: YouTube. He died at age 83 in 1972 of leukemia, according to Appalachian History. The extra mouths to feed were simply too expensive. discoveries. His work remained buried as well. But there was nothing in it. 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. Jane Blasio, The Hicks Baby Who Broke the Black Market Baby Adoption Case: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. In these cases, Hicks would forge a birth certificate and give the baby to adoptive parents in secret from his Georgia clinic. 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. 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. "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MGFJ-W52: accessed 10 April 2021), Thomas J Hicks in household of D Fleming Hicks, Civil District 10, Sullivan, Tennessee, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 162, sheet 7B, family 136. They were all corrupt! By learning about the family trees of their 2nd-3rd cousins, they can identify groups of DNA matches who are related to each other through the same common ancestor. You really have no idea what you are talking about! Investigators opened the mausoleum, searching for records of the illegal adoptions, but found it was empty. In 1964, the town sheriff arrested Hicks for performing illegal abortions. 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. Dr. Hicks is horrible. The method of the illegal adoptions has left many questions for those who started their lives in Hicks clinic. It is in Gods hands. Table, Dave. 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. He let loose some real chaos into this world.. Janice, I am from Polk County Tennessee as well and Dr Hicks delivered my oldest brother before they ran him out of Tennessee. Father of Dr Thomas Jugarthy Hicks, Jr; Dr Walter Lynn Hicks and Private 2019. I know your heart aches. 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. Thank you so much. Hicks lied, blatantly, to some of these women, hell probably 90% of them. Are there any unresolved feelings or unanswered questions you're still working to unravel? HE WAS A HORRIBLE MAN, JUST HORRIBLE!!! And the $1k sounds about like what my Dad was sold for. we do not know where these births occured most of our family is deceased. Dr Hicks ran a clinic in McCaysville, Georgia, from about 1945 to 1965. He surrendered his Georgia medical license to halt his prosecution.2. If you havent been there, you cannot possibly imagine what that is like. Did your mother give birth in Akron or in McCaysville? is anything else your are looking? So many of the women were told their babies had died. They may not even know theyre adopted. Those who are among the babies that were adopted through the Hicks Clinic can take DNA tests to help discover who their biological parents might have been. I have had two of my children die. To date, seven of the biological mothers have come forward. ABC News, accessed 17 September 2019. It is suspected that many of them did and there is rumor that perhaps he disposed of those little bodies in the river. 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 dad moved us to New Mexico when I was in my early teens but I have a brother who stayed in Michigan. You have several options when it comes to learning about your DNA, KnowYourDNA is the best source for finding all things related to DNA. And he was stealing babies telling mothers that they delivered a still born. 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. The story of the "Hicks Babies" broke almost 20 years ago when a researcher discovered that between 1950 and 1965, a Dr. Thomas Hicks of McCaysville, Georgia, sold babies he delivered in his clinic to couples looking to adopt children. Im sorry but thats a totally twisted way of thinking in my view!! Hicks' wife and son had already passed away. He was a monster, a murderer, and a kidnapper, but he wasnt a good man doing a good thing for helpless women. At least one Hicks baby submitted his DNA to Ancestry.com and found a half-sister. Dr. Thomas Hicks was a small-town Georgia doctor who was posthumously accused of selling hundreds of babies in illegal adoptions. 4. Leave a message for others who see this profile. 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. And youve had children with them??? A fake birth certificate was produced, listing the adoptive parents as the parents of the child. He is monster!! Uncover your ancestry, paternity, and health risks for peace of mind, Get affordable medical tests that you can privately take at home, Test your gut bacteria and learn ways to restore its balance, Discover healthy diets and apps that can help you lose weight, Lose weight without sacrificing your nutrition and health, Straighten your teeth at home and see visible results in months. 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 those from Hicks small town defended his actions. So all of what you said is ridiculous. They should at least be thankful that they werent aborted. Did you like this post? How many women died themselves never knowing that they had a child or children out there and how many children, now adults, will never know their biological parents because its just too late and most of them have passed? Copyright 2023 The DNA Geek Ascension WordPress theme by, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), New TLC Special Taken At Birth Dives into Shocking Hicks Babies Black Market Adoption Scandal, Babies For Sale: The Secret Adoptions That Haunt One Georgia Town, Hicks Baby Adoptee Sold by Georgia Doctor 50 Years Ago Reunites With Birth Mother, Brother, Busted not for selling babies, but for the abortion clinic, 23andMe Introduces the Automated Family Tree , The Hicks Babies The DNA Geek | Ups and Downs of Family History V2.0, https://thednageek.com/how-to-transfer-your-ancestrydna-test-to-other-databases/, Book Review: I Know Who You Are, by Barbara Rae-Venter, Up Your DNA Game With New Courses in 2023, Verogen Increases Costs for Law Enforcement Again, A Board of Certification for Investigative Genetic Genealogy Is Announced. I was born in 1967. He lost his medical license in 1964, but he faced no jail time for the illegal abortions. I grew up with this story from my grandfather when i was little. He delivered my oldest brother. She assumed it was a legal adoption until he told her otherwise. I only wish Mama had lived long enough to know her baby is most likely alive. 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. She named him Von Gordon. Holy smokes! I do truly feel for the Hicks babies for not knowing; I know that must be hard. And most of these women were likely unmarried, which was a huge no-no at the time. #TakenAtBirth, a 3-night special event, begins Wednesday at 9/8c. What is the Levant DNA Region on Ancestry. There was a tip-off, though. Apparently these women were seeking abortions, not babies. We could be related. In the small town, the. 2015. Many came forward after their adoptive families said they were from the Hicks clinic. His parents were David Fleming Hicks and Mary Louise Holt. He was arrested for performing illegal abortions in 1964. I mean no disrespect towards anyone. 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. It turned into a business. The adoptive parents paid $1,000 for the baby, and Hicks would provide housing for the mothers for several months at his farm, a hotel, his apartments or a telephone company building, according to Appalachian History. Eventually, in 1964, he was caught performing an abortion and was summarily stripped of his medical license. You people have no idea how many states/commonwealths this Hicks was in., he was known in the mountains of Pa as Hickscock. Dr. Thomas J. Hicks performed abortions in the 1950s, long before abortions were legalized in Roe v. Wade. Genealogy for Dr Thomas Jugarthy Hicks, Sr (1888 - 1972) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. Login to find your connection. She always thought she had a boy out there somewhere. Dr. Hicks was married and had two kids a son and a daughter. He was wrong and he did wrong so did the mayor and chief of police. She grieved for him her entire life! Blasio first traveled to McCaysville in 1988 to search for her birth mother. Try DNA ancestry.comI found my biological father this waybest way to find out if you have family is through DNA, Take a ancestry dna That is the test they are using. The method of the illegal adoptions has left many questions for those who started their lives in Hicks clinic. Who was Thomas J. Hicks? Theyre an invaluable resource for parentage searches. When she woke she only had one baby. She did tell me she heard her baby cry and Dr Hicks told her he was still born. They look exactly alike. Some residents seemed to know the double life he was leading. Are you kidding me. This man not only took away peoples family history, but ruined their future as well. Her initial search was unsuccessful, so she contacted a Georgia probate attorney. I have been advised by a man named Bill Miller from Cleveland Ohio that I was a Hicks baby but cannot find out if this is true. What Happened to Dr. Thomas Hicks? Dr Hicks induced some babies early, and they would have been put in incubators had then been born that early today. In addition, he did serve time in jail in Tennessee for illegally dispensing narcotics in the 1940s. she weighed a little over 4lbs I wonder if theres any connection between those doctors. 23andMe is on sale right now. Dr Thomas Hicks Family Tree With Complete Detail, Goler Clan Family Tree Check All Members List. Women came to have abortions and he told them it was a successful procedure, only to take that premature baby and sell it to someone. I hope youre able to solve your case soon. And he was more than happy to perform abortions. So no, I cant completely vilify as I just dont know. Clearly, you have never lost a child. Adopting families from out of town often drove up to the door. i was told i was born in raymond wa. He died in 1972 and it took three decades before Hicks' actions were brought to light. So telling the one mother her twin boys were stillborn is acceptable to you. Thank you. My mother remarried in 1969 in GA, I cannot locate any information about her daughter except a clipping cutout from the obituaries in michigan, NO GRAVE, BIRTH OR DEATH RECORDS can be found, can you help, The connections of Georgia and Michigan and Ohio seemed odd, we desperately desire to locate her, Do you know where she was born (which clinic or hospital)? If it wasnt Hicks, there was someone doing the same thing during the war years adopting babies out to Akron. This was rural Appalachia in the 50s and 60s, a lot of poor families. So that he could make money. I am a mother of a baby born in 2016 at 30 weeks 3lbs in an amazing NICU I couldnt imagine if my son was born in his condition back then. Hi, the category is just Category:McCaysville, Georgia. Hed ask them to put on a medical gown and lay down on a table. Some of the ads and links on this website are affiliate links which pay me a commission if you purchase through them. Enter a grandparent's name. 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. 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. Despite the illegality of the abortions, Hicks would advertise the service at phone booths, bus stations and bridges, according to Appalachian History. It is possible that deaths like these convinced Dr. Hicks that something needed to be done.. But lets be honest, no one is going to admit that they willingly sold their baby. This man told women that their babies had died or were stillborn. Somehow I missed this Documentary the first time it aired. Why dig up a grave when dna could have given these people the answer if they were siblings? 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. I wondering how far the rabbit hole goes with him. His clinic, the Hicks Clinic, was in operation between about 1945-1965. The birth certificates Ive seen were in the 6-7 lb range. He lied to many and told them their babies died! Some on here commented that the bio moms were likely unwed and didnt want the babies. His wife was a Baptist Sunday school teacher, according to PEOPLE. The judge discovered records showing an unusual number of women visiting Hicks clinic. Women who wanted abortions would be talked into keeping the pregnancy so he could sell the baby once it arrived. can you imagine waking up one day to find out accidently that you were adopted and come to find out through this show or other means that your wife is your sister or first cousin? a fun fact is that me and my mom and my dead grandfather only have his blood. Hicks was providing a service, Ken Rush, director of the Ducktown Basin Museum, told Narratively. Then you missed the entirety of the story. Thank you for visiting dr thomas hicks family tree page. What Dr Hicks did was illegal. Many of the Hicks babies were able to do DNA testing as part of the TV show. How Many Babies Did Thomas Hicks Put Up For Adoption? These folks deserve to know where they came from! Dr. Thomas Hicks died of leukemia, a type of blood cancer. However, only four of his siblings survived to adulthood. She grieved her the rest of her life for her first born son. WIKITREE PROTECTS MOST SENSITIVE INFORMATION BUT ONLY TO THE EXTENT STATED IN THE TERMS OF SERVICE AND PRIVACY POLICY. Are you on drugs. Her only health problem was asthma. His wife and son have both passed away. 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. i come from to sides of a family that are both messed up. My mother grieved for her baby the rest if her life! You made your decision. Evil does not begin to describe this man. 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?? I will find out who my mother was and why my dad was killed. Blasio knew she was adopted at a young age. I did do a DNA test with no response. 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. 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. What he did to all of those families was very wrong. In 2014, around 30 suspected Hicks Babies traveled to Tennessee to undergo DNA testing. 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 have a great sample of relatives going back many generations. According to the neonatalogist interviewed in the show many other babies must have died. Read our best DNA test page to find the best one for you. Babies came to the mountains with him and babies left the mountains with him. 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. Looking for a DNA test that's accurate and can tell you about your health and heritage? But those he left behind have differing opinions on his actions. What if, you are a scared young woman, 16 or 17 or even 19, pregnant in rural GA or TN, shame ridden as some would have felt, just wanting this to be taken care of. Learn how your comment data is processed. my sister some how never got the gene or blood of him. Would love to have help, Im mr.hicks grate grate grand daughter sadly, hes from my moms side of the family. However, many people are able to discover closer relatives, like aunts and uncles or even half-siblings, through DNA testing. New York Times, accessed 17 September 2019. This man was worse than the plague! Dr. Hicks was married and had two children, a son and a daughter. TLC 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/. PS Ancestry DNA is a crook. You can see for yourself google him. His family did not live like they had money in fact most of his money appeared to be put right back into the town of McKaysville into businesses which kept folks employed and kept the town thriving. He was her first born and she said she heard him cry yet Dr Hicks told her he was still born. He reportedly performed abortions, which were illegal at the time, for $100. 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. Mama named my brother Von Gordon. It can sometimes be more difficult to pinpoint the exact identify of someones biological parents without closer cousins, such as first cousins. His wife and son both passed away, and his daughter lives in North Carolina, according to Appalachian History.