Barbara Raymond is the author of one of the most important books (In my opinion) because it kept Georgia Tann from fading into history. If Barbara hadn't stumbled across Georgia's story while working on an article she thought was going to be about an adoption reunion in the 1990s, Georgia could very well have faded into obscurity. Thanks to her diligence and excellent investigative skills, she uncovered the truth behind Georgia Tann and her crimes.

Georgia Tann was born and raised in Hickory, Mississippi. Her father was a judge. She wanted to be a lawyer, they wanted her to become a concert pianist. She learned law, but her father forbade her from attempting to become a lawyer as that wasn't suitable for a woman at the time, so instead she became a social worker. Georgia ran the Memphis branch of the Tennessee Children's home society from the 1920s-1950 when she died from cancer.

During that time, she ran a massive black market child trafficking business. She saw wealthy people as above poor people, and decided that if you were poor you could not raise your children properly. She began stealing babies and children from the poor, selling them to the wealthy and famous, and using them to manipulate law-makers. She popularized adoption by running ads for children in papers all across the country. Approximately 500 babies and children died while in her "care". Unfortunately she died before she would face justice.

Georgia Tann is the mother of modern adoption in the United States.

Buy a copy of "The Baby Thief" for yourself to learn more about the mother of modern adoption.

The podcast Criminal is one of my favorite podcasts, and they did an excellent episode about Georgia Tann with Barbara called "The Baby Snatcher".

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