Vertus Wellborn Hardiman (1922 - 2007)

Born 9 Mar 1922 in Montgomery Township, Gibson, Indiana, United States

Ancestors

Died 1 Jun 2007 at age 85 in Altadena, Los Angeles, California, United States

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Biography

Vertus Hardiman is Notable.

Vertus Hardiman was a survivor of radiation experiments conducted on Black children by the United States government in 1927. His story was featured in the 2011 documentary, Hole in the Head.^[1]

Vertus Wellborn Hardiman was born in Montgomery Township, Indiana on 9 March 1922 to Claude Melvin Hardiman and Irene Wilma Elliott.^[2]

When he was 5 years old, he and 9 other children from Lyles Station, Indiana were given permission slips for their parents to sign, allowing them to participate in what was being promoted as scalp treatments for ringworm. In reality, the children were subjected to high doses of radiation that resulted in total hair loss and, for many, a lifetime of suffering. Vertus was the youngest of the group and experienced the worst effects; he recalled the nurse shouting, “Oh my God, I’ve given him too much!" He developed progressive necrosis that left him with a disfigured head and a hole in his skull. The children's parents later tried to take legal action, but no one was ever held accountable.^[3]

Vertus wore wigs and beanies to cover his head for the rest of his life. His wounds eventually turned cancerous and claimed his life at age 85.^[4] He is buried at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia
2. ↑ Indiana Archives and Records Administration; Indianapolis, Indiana; Birth Records; Year: 1922; Roll: 006. Accessed via Ancestry
3. ↑ 27 June 2022. Stat. Listen: Vertus Hardiman and the medical tragedies that must not be forgotten. Accessed on 12 November 2023.
4. ↑ "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V3BB-95Q : 12 January 2021), Vertus W Hardiman, 01 Jun 2007; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
5. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/194047856/vertus-welborn-hardiman: accessed 12 November 2023), memorial page for Vertus Welborn Hardiman (9 Mar 1922–1 Jun 2007), Find a Grave Memorial ID 194047856, citing Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier, Los Angeles County, California, USA; Maintained by Grothmann (contributor 47542543).

See also:

• "United States Census, 1930", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHMJ-4X9 : Wed Oct 04 10:02:17 UTC 2023), Entry for Claud Hardiman and Irene Hardiman, 1930.
• "United States Census, 1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V1R1-KHL : Thu Oct 05 15:19:47 UTC 2023), Entry for Claude M Hardiman and Irene W Hardiman, 1940.
• "United States 1950 Census", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6XG4-Z85H : Thu Oct 05 03:11:34 UTC 2023), Entry for Vertus W Hardiman, 7 April 1950.
• "United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6KQY-NZF6 : 10 February 2023), Vertus Welborn Hardiman.