America's most inbred family who speak in barks and grunts have private cemetery
America's most inbred family, the Whittakers, have their own private cemetery and even make their own headstones. Despite their complex history with inbreeding, which has led to some members suffering from severe genetic defects, they are known for their warm and welcoming nature.
Although all members of this West Virginian family can understand spoken words, some members can only communicate through grunts and body language. Over time, photographer Mark Laita has formed a close bond with the family, documenting their unique lifestyle.
Mark often takes the family on outings, like trips to the supermarket, the fair, and recently, a visit to their family cemetery in Raleigh County, West Virginia. In a YouTube video, Mark is seen driving the Whittakers to pay respects to their departed loved ones.
While exploring the cemetery, Mark noticed that one of the gravestones had a misspelled name - James Thomas Whittaker (1872-1959) was written as J.T Whitaker. The headstones of Freddy Whittaker (1944-2013) and Barbara Whittaker (1940-2000) were also shown, with some numbers written backward.
The family has been crafting their own concrete headstones since the 1970s, with only their mum, Gracie, having a professionally made one. After a visit to the cemetery, Mark treats them to a Burger King meal where Ray is recognised by a fan.
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After learning about their unique family history and lifestyle, photographer Mark set up a GoFundMe page for the YouTube channel Soft White Underbelly to "help the Whittaker family purchase a new home."
On the fundraising page, he stated: "Soft White Underbelly is trying to help the Whittaker family of Odd, West Virginia purchase a new home. This GoFundMe campaign was created to avoid confusion with the previous campaign which was created in 2022 to help with the Whittaker family's expenses. $12,000 has already been donated towards the house on that campaign."
The family's history of inbreeding began with identical twin brothers, Henry and John, whose children married each other and had kids together. Harry and his wife Sally had seven children, including John Isom Whittaker, born in 1882. John fell for his first cousin, Ada Rigg, and they had nine children, including their daughter Gracie Irene Whittaker in 1920.
Barbara Whittaker's headstone, which was made by the family (Soft White Underbelly/Youtube)Gracie married her double cousin, John Emory Whittaker, in 1935. They shared both sets of grandparents and had 15 children, many of whom were born with severe physical and mental impairments due to inbreeding.
Their eldest child, Aileen, died in June 1997 from a heart attack, while their oldest son Emery died a month after birth in 1938 from pneumonia. Today, Betty, born in 1952, is the head of the family, having promised her mother she would remain unmarried to care for her 14 siblings.
In July 2020, photographer Mark visited their home in Odd and spoke to the family about their daily lives and heritage. When asked about her parents, Betty initially didn't reveal if they were related but later confirmed they were double first cousins.
Her siblings, Ray and Lorene, communicate through grunts, barks, and movements rather than words. However, they seemed to understand the filmmaker's questions without any difficulty.
Photographer Mark took the Whittaker family to Burger King (Soft White Underbelly/Youtube)It was revealed that Lorene's son, Timmy, was born in 1979 after she suffered abuse. A family member shared: "They understand what you're talking about. If they don't like it, they start yelling- they let you know they don't like that idea."
Timmy is the only one in the Whittaker family who finished high school. The neighbours look out for them and get quite cross if any strangers come by, like when photographer Mark visited and got a telling-off.
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On Mark's latest YouTube video, a viewer commented: "This channel has shown me how fragile the human spirit is but also how strong we can be. For people that can't afford to donate money just show a little kindness when given the opportunity."
Someone else said: "I love how absolutely pure and innocent this family is. Almost like they haven't been corrupted by the outside world." Another person mentioned: "Timmy has the sweetest spirit. He's adorable." And another viewer remarked: "I love the 'fan' of the show, how kind he was, how encouraging with the crossword puzzle."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.
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