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Daily Record
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Inbred family who communicate by barking started after two cousins had 15 children together
The Whittaker family grunt and bark to communicate with others, but can understand what people say. A family said to be the "most inbred in America" consists of several generations who grunt and bark to communicate, starting when the children of two identical twins married and had several kids of their own together. The Whittaker family, from the village of Odd, West Virginia, live in a cramped mobile home 75 miles from the city of Charleston. They grabbed the headlines after featuring in filmmaker Mark Laita's 2020 documentary, which revealed their difficult background, living with complex needs. They had previously endured visitors making nasty comments, resulting in their protective neighbours guarding them armed with shotguns. It took Mark over 16 years to establish a relationship with them, due to their reluctance to let outsiders in or mix with new people. When he first met them in 2004, he was greeted with a chaotic scene of multiple members running, screaming and barking at him, which he described as the "craziest thing". It was also compared to 1972 film Deliverance, in which a group of friends are hunted and terrorised by locals in the woods, the Mirror reports. Speaking on the Koncrete KLIPS podcast, Mark said: "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. "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." The inbreeding began with identical twins Henry and John Whittaker, whose children married each other and had over a dozen of their own together. Henry and his wife Sally had seven children, including John Emory Whittaker, born in 1913. John and his wife Ada, also his first cousin, had nine kids, including Gracie Irene Whittaker in 1920. John and Gracie were double cousins, sharing both sets of grandparents. They married in 1935 and had 15 kids of their own. Several of them suffered from a number of serious physical and mental illnesses, believed to be a result of their inbreeding. Their oldest child Aileen died in June 1997 following a heart attack, while son Emery passed away just a month after his birth in 1938 due to pneumonia. Betty, born in 1952, took on the role of matriarch and promised her mum she would not get married so she could care for her 14 siblings. Ray and Lorene, who have a son called Timmy, born 1979, are both said to be unable to speak and only communicate via grunting and barking. Timmy is the only family member who has graduated from high school. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Speaking about their communication, a relative said: "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 family even make their own customised concrete headstones, with only mum Gracie having a professionally-made one. However, they sometimes require help from the public. Mark returned in 2022 for a follow-up visit after creating a GoFundMe page for them to improve their home, which waised $55,000 (£44,000). They spent it all on a new truck, roof, updated kitchen and a coal heater. However, they are now back in a small home across the road after a fire destroyed their original one last year. Another fundraiser was set up to cover clearing the debris and delivering, situating and furnishing a new trailer, stating that 100% of the money would directly benefit the family. This divided social media users, with one commenting on YouTube: "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."
Edinburgh Live
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
How Inbred family who can only communicate by grunting 'started'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info 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. READ MORE - Kate Middleton's brilliant response after being mistaken for William's assistant READ MORE -Kate Middleton's 'very strict' rule for her children 'just as important as maths' 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."
Daily Mirror
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Squealing inbred family who speak in grunts started with two identical twins
The Whittaker family can be found living in their small West Virginian home in the US. The inbred family struggle to communicate without using body language and barking due to their genetic defects A group of relatives dubbed "America's most inbred family" first started with two identical twins whose children went on to create several generations who would grunt and bark as their only form of communication. The Whittaker family, who live in the village of Odd in West Virginia, can be found huddled in a cramped home 75 miles from Charleston. The family hit headlines after filmmaker Mark Laita released a documentary in 2020, which revealed their troubled background, living with complex needs. The family had previously been subjected to cruel comments and visitors, leading them to be guarded by their protective neighbours with shotguns. They rarely let outsiders in or mix with anyone new, which is why it took Mark over 16 years to build a relationship with them, after first visiting their mobile home in 2004. When Mark first met the family, he was initially greeted with several members running, screaming and barking in his direction. He described the chaotic scene as the "craziest thing" he had ever seen. The photographer compared the moment to the 1972 thriller Deliverance, which is about a group of pals who were hunted and terrorised by locals in the woods. Speaking on the Koncrete KLIPS podcast, he said: "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. "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." The inbreeding started with a set of identical twin brothers, Henry and John Whittaker, whose children got married and had over a dozen kids together. Henry and his wife Sally had seven children, including John Emory Whittaker in 1913. While John and his spouse Ada Riggs, who was his own first cousin, had nine kids, including Gracie Irene Whittaker, in 1920. John and Gracie, who were double cousins and shared both sets of grandparents, married in 1935 and went on to have 15 children. Many of their children had a number of severe physical and mental impairments, which are believed to have resulted from inbreeding. Their eldest, Aileen, passed away in June 1997 after suffering from a heart attack, while the oldest boy, Emery, died a month after being born in 1938, after suffering from pneumonia. Betty, who was born in 1952, has taken on the role of the family matriarch and promised her mother she would not marry so she could look after her 14 siblings. Ray and Lorene, who have a son named Timmy, who was born in 1979, are both seemingly unable to speak and can only communicate through grunts and barks. Timmy is the only member of the Whittaker clan who has graduated from high school. Speaking about their communication, a relative said: "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 family even craft their own concrete headstones, with only their mum, Gracie, having a professionally made one. However, the family sometimes need outsiders help. Mark returned in 2022 for another follow-up after setting up a GoFundMe page, which raised $55,000 (£44,000), so they could improve their home. They had spent the entire sum on a new truck, roof, kitchen refit and a coal heater. However, the family are back living in a small home across the road after a fire tore through their residence last year. A fundraiser was launched to cover the costs of clearing the debris, transporting and situating a new mobile home, and furnishing it, stating that every penny raised will benefit the family directly. YouTube viewers were left divided by the fundraiser, with one stating: "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."
