America’s most inbred family began with identical twin brothers whose children married each other – causing genetic defects that caused some of them to grunt instead of speak.
Growing up in a run-down estate in Odd, West Virginia, the Whittaker family was known to communicate through grunts and barks.
may reveal a string of identical twin brothers that sparked the family’s incest storyline when Henry and John Whittaker’s children married and had their first child in 1937.
Filmmaker Mark Laita has put the family in the spotlight in a short documentary in which some of them struggle with mental and physical abnormalities.
One family member, Ray, seems to be suffering the most, communicating with Laita through sounds rather than words and points to show him objects in her home.
The now infamous Whittaker family grew up in a run-down estate in Odd, West Virginia and were known to communicate by grunting and barking
In April last year, he revisited the Whittaker family, whom he first met in 2004 and filmed in 2020, and spoke about it on the channel.
Laita says the family’s genetic complications have caused a variety of behavioral problems, describing it as “out of control.”
The first time he approached them was in the early 2000s, when he was initially shot with a shotgun by “protective” neighbors.
has unearthed multiple birth records showing the Whittaker family’s inbreeding began in 1887 with twin brothers John and Henry Whittaker.
John married his own first cousin Ada Riggs – the daughter of Mary Perkins who was the sister of John and Henry’s mother Eliza.
Ada and John had nine children, including Gracie Irene Whittaker, who was born in 1920.
John’s brother Henry married Sally Burton and they had seven children, including John Emory Whittaker, born in 1913.
Gracie and John were first cousins but married in November 1935 and had their first daughter, Aileen Violet Whittaker, in 1937.
Freddie and Ray, siblings, pictured with their nephew Timmy, who lives at the family home in Odd, West Virginia
Born in 1937, Aileen Violet Whittaker was the first child of first cousins Gracie and John Whittaker
Aileen was the first of the couple’s 15 children, several of whom were filmed for the 2020 documentary Soft White Underbelly.
She died of a heart attack in June 1997 and had a son named Frankie with her husband.
The couple then had a baby boy, Emery Lee Whittaker, in 1938, who died of pneumonia a month later.
Barbra Whittaker was born in September 1940 and did not appear to be marrying before she died in October 2008 after a short illness.
An obituary shows that she died at St. Mary’s Hospital in Huntington, and she was described as a homemaker who loved picnics with her family.
Not much is known about the next two sisters, Nannie Lou Whittaker, born in 1942, and Connie Jean Whittaker, born in 1943.
The couple then had a baby boy, Emery Lee Whittaker, in 1938, who died of pneumonia a month later
Laita says the family’s genetic complications have caused a variety of behavioral problems, describing it as “out of control.”
John Wade Whittaker died in 2022 after being born in 1950 and had five children, several grandchildren and one great-grandson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkGiFpJC9LM
Both married and still live in Lowe, with Nannie Lou losing her husband William, later remarrying a man named Leonard and Connie living with her husband James.
Born in 1944, Freddie Lee Whittaker was part of the documentary produced in 2004 and was part of the family portrait along with his brother Ray.
He died in May 2013 after a long illness and is buried near the family home in Odd. It’s not clear if his illness is related to his genetic complications.
Another family member included in all parts of the updated documentary in 2021 is Lorene Whittaker who was born in 1946 and has a son named Timmy Whittaker who was born in 1979.
Timmy and Lorene welcomed the documentarians with open arms and were spotted at breakfast showing them the difference GoFundMe’s donations had made.
The family was able to replace the roof of a property and purchase some vehicles to get around.
Mary Madeline Whittaker was born in 1948 and died the following year, although the cause is unclear.
John Wade Whittaker died in 2022 after being born in 1950 and had five children, several grandchildren and one great-grandson.
can reveal that a series of twin brothers sparked the family’s incest storyline when Henry and John Whittaker’s children married and had their first child in 1937
Barbra Whittaker was born in September 1940 and did not appear to be marrying before she died in October 2008 after a short illness
He suffered a long battle with cancer and died with his loving wife Sophia at his side and being cared for at Bowers Hospice House.
Betty Ann Whittaker is considered the matriarch of the family and is said to have promised her mother not to marry and to take care of her 14 siblings.
Born in 1952, she features a lot in the documentary, doing the shopping to make sure the members who live in the small run-down property eat enough.
Danny Ray Whittaker, known as Ray, was born a year after Betty and makes up a large part of the documentary.
Both he and Lorene both appear unable to speak and only grunt – but other family members can speak for them.
In the latest episode, he is keen to show Laita the new things they had at the property and seemed excited that he had returned.
The family didn’t know their genetic issues stemmed from inbreeding, they told the filmmaker, adding that they don’t remember much about their parents or other family members.
To improve the living conditions of Whittaker and provide home improvement, Laita previously started a GoFundMe in 2022 which has since raised $46,433.
Nannie Lou Whittaker, born in 1942, is still alive and has remarried after losing her first husband, William
To improve the living conditions of Whittaker and provide home improvement, Laita previously started a GoFundMe in 2022 which has since raised $46,433
Michael “Stevie” Whittaker died in July 2001 at the age of 40, while Judy died in August 2021 – although it’s unclear how they both died
The family seemed to spend a lot of time on their porch, where they have a couch, armchair, and other household items
Born in 1956 and 1957 respectively, Larry Whittaker and Kenneth Whittaker also appear in the latest documentary and talk about how their lives have improved.
The last two siblings are Judy Kay Whittaker, born 1959, and Michael Stevie Whittaker, born 1960.
Michael died in July 2001 at the age of 40, while Judy died in August 2021 – although it’s unclear how they both died.
One of the filmmaker’s latest videos from 2021 showed the decrepit conditions of the family, where the group lives with several animals in a small and overcrowded home.
Laita said he returned to the house on a whim to see how the family was doing.
He then decided to pick up his iPhone and take pictures of their “poverty level” and living conditions.
One of the filmmaker’s latest videos from 2021 showed the decrepit conditions of the family, where the group lives with several animals in a small and overcrowded home
The family seemed to spend a lot of time on their porch, where they have a couch, armchair, and other household items.
A relative said to Laita: “You understand what you are talking about.
“If they don’t like it, they start yelling – let them know they don’t like that idea.”
In one scene, Laita asked Betty why she thought her family had so many anomalies. She said she didn’t know.
He pushed the question further, with Kenneth specifically asking why her eyes weren’t forward. He replied, “Could be coal mining.”
Documents obtained by DailyMaill.com show that her father was John Bergmann and was listed as the head of household in the 1950s US Census.
Despite Laita’s fundraising, many people have found filmmaking to be exploitative.
West Virginia is one of the poorest states in the country. The village of Odd, where Laita went to document the family, has a population of just 800.
In one scene, Laita asked Betty why she thought her family had so many anomalies. She said she didn’t know
Almost 17 percent of West Virginia’s 1.77 million residents live in poverty, according to the census.
The US average is 11.6 percent. Only Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico and Arkansas were worse.
Melody West and Shane Simmons, who run the Real Appalachia YouTube channel, said they were having trouble with the film.
They said that Laita “supposedly does all this good work for her and raises money for her.”
But, they argue, the documentary “preserves the stereotype that has existed for decades” relating to inbreeding in the Appalachia.
“I just feel like there’s a lot more that could be done for these people,” West said.
“I think he tries to pretend he does a lot for her.”