How Inbred family who can only communicate by grunting 'started'

Edinburgh Live

25-05-2025

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A family known as "America's most inbred family" began with identical twin brothers, whose children went on to produce several generations of descendants who could only communicate through grunts and barks.
The Whittaker family resides in the village of Odd, West Virginia, in a small, cluttered home located 75 miles from Charleston. Their story gained widespread attention after filmmaker Mark Laita released a documentary in 2020, exposing their complicated history and struggles with complex needs.
The family had previously faced cruel comments and unwelcome visitors, prompting their protective neighbours to guard them with shotguns. They rarely allow outsiders to enter their home or interact with new people, which is why Mark spent over 16 years building a relationship with them after first visiting their mobile home in 2004.
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Mark was initially met with a chaotic scene when he first encountered the family, with several members running, screaming, and barking in his direction. He described the encounter as the "craziest thing" he had ever witnessed, likening it to a scene from the 1972 thriller Deliverance, where a group of friends are stalked and terrorised by locals in the woods.
On the Koncrete KLIPS podcast, he described a surreal scene: "We came around to this road, which turns into a country road, which turns into a dirt road, and we come to this trailer and then a little shack on the other side of the road. And there's these people walking around and their eyes are going in different directions and they are barking at us.", reports the Mirror.
(Image: Youtube/, Soft White Underbelly)
(Image: YouTube/Soft White Undderbelly)
(Image: YouTube/Soft White Underbelly)
"And then one guy, you would look at him in the eye or say anything and he would just scream and go running away, and his pants would fall around his ankles, and he would go running off and go and kick a garbage can. And this would happen over and over. It was out of control - the craziest thing I have ever seen."
Inbreeding within the family began with identical twins Henry and John Whittaker marrying their own children off to each other, producing over a dozen grandchildren. Henry wed Sally and together they had seven kids, including a son named John Emory Whittaker in 1913.
His brother John tied the knot with Ada Riggs, who was also his first cousin, and together they had nine children, among them Gracie Irene Whittaker born in 1920. John and Gracie, double first cousins sharing both sets of grandparents, decided to marry in 1935, eventually having 15 children of their own.
Many of the offspring suffered from pronounced physical and mental disabilities, believed to be the result of their deeply entwined family tree. The family's eldest, Aileen, left this world in June 1997 following a heart attack and the firstborn son, Emery, passed shortly after birth in 1938 due to pneumonia.
Betty, born in 1952, has assumed the role of family matriarch, vowing to remain unmarried so as to care for her 14 siblings, following a promise to her mother. Her commitment is part of the unique dynamic of the Whittaker clan, which includes Ray and Lorene, parents to Timmy, born in 1979, who despite their inability to communicate conventionally – resorting to grunts and barks – have raised a high school graduate.
Delving into the family's unique communication, a relative was quoted saying: "They understand what you talking about. If they don't like it, they start yelling - let you know they don't like that idea."
The Whittakers are also known for their distinctive tradition of crafting their own concrete headstones; an ode which exempts only their mother, Gracie, who has a professionally made one. Despite their self-sufficiency, sometimes outside help becomes necessary.
Mark, a relative, came back on scene in 2022 with a follow-up GoFundMe campaign. The fundraiser racked up $55,000 (£44,000), allowing the family to invest in a new truck, roof, kitchen refit and a coal heater.
Yet hardship struck once more when their home was ravaged by flames last year, forcing them to shift back across the street into a modest abode. A fresh fundraising effort was launched aimed at clearing fire debris, transferring, and setting up a new mobile home, along with furnishing it, ensuring all donations will directly aid the Whittaker family.
The fundraiser sparked a mixed reaction from YouTube viewers, with one commenter saying: "All that Go Fund Me money better not even go to any family member! Give it directly to a clean up crew and you purchase a new trailer for them! ! ! ! No money should ever be given to them again."