1921 Tulsa Race Massacre grave investigation continues, making significant progress

Remembering Black Wall Street A person walks out as pictures from the Tulsa Race Massacre adorn doors leading to a prayer room dedicated to the massacre at the First Baptist Tulsa church during centennial commemorations, Sunday, May 30, 2021, in Tulsa, Okla. The church made the room to provide a place to explore the history of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 and to prayerfully oppose racism. (AP Photo/John Locher) (John Locher/AP)

By Ben Morgan and FOX23.com News Staff

TULSA, Okla. — The City of Tulsa’s search for victims and relatives from the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre continues as the 103rd anniversary of the Massacre approaches.

Intermountain Forensics is the laboratory assisting the City of Tulsa with DNA analysis for the investigation and is making significant progress, the City announced.

The City of Tulsa said with help from the public, Intermountain Forensics has updated the surnames in the genealogy profiles from several of the burials.

“Through family stories and DNA comparison thanks to assistance from the public, both from people who have submitted information online and from families of interest who have returned emails and phone calls from the genealogy team, Intermountain Forensics has refined and adjusted the surnames of interest for many of the burials,” the announcement said.

The City said it’s working with Intermountain Forensics to update the public with these findings to help make progress on identifications.

Intermountain Forensics has also identified two additional genealogy profiles from previously exhumed burials.

According to the City’s announcement, one of these profiles has associated surnames and locations of interest, and the other is close to having identified surnames and locations of interest.

The announcement provided the following information on the two additional genealogy profiles:

Burial 45 – Second Excavation

  • Surnames/Locations of Interest:
    Suggs surname of Edgecombe County, North Carolina
    Hamilton, Brooks, and Thomas surname of Eufaula, (Barbour County) Alabama
  • About the burial: Adult male buried in a simple wooden casket. He was exhumed and DNA was collected in 2022. No evidence of trauma was observed during the forensic analysis.

Burial 119 – Third Excavation

  • Surnames/Locations of Interest:
  • TBD – Genealogists are working to identify more information from potential DNA relatives before being able to release surnames and locations of interest for this burial.
  • About the burial: Adult female buried in a simple wooden casket who was exhumed in 2023.  Evidence of trauma was not observed during the forensic analysis.

The announcement provided the following information on the updated genealogy profiles from previously identified burials:

Burial 1

  • New Surnames/Locations of Interest:
  • Hightower, Mason, Brittman, and Marshall surnames from Shelby County, TN, Grenada County, MS, and Marshall County, MS, 1880-1920.
  • Mathews surname from Tennessee, 1880-1920.
  • Existing Surnames/Locations of Interest:
  • Jones and Medler surnames of Clay County, Mississippi, 1880-1900.
  • About the burial: A female exhumed in 2021, with additional DNA collected in a 2022 exhumation. The burial was found in a matching casket to Burial 13 with an “At Rest” plaque. No apparent gunshot wound or trauma was present.

Burial 3

  • New Surnames/Locations of Interest: N/A
  • Existing Surnames/Locations of Interest:
  • Daniel, Meriwether, Scott, Sims, and Bohanon surnames of Coweta County, Georgia.
  • Removed Surnames/Locations of Interest: None.
  • About the burial: A male was exhumed in 2021, and additional DNA was collected in a 2022 exhumation. The burial was found in a plain wooden casket. No apparent gunshot wound or trauma was present.

Burial 13

  • Updated Surnames/Locations of Interest:
  • Thompson surnames of Sealy, Texas, and Austin County, Texas, and nearby Colorado County, Texas.
  • Meadors (variation of Meadows), Johnson, Ballard, Core, Wright, and Buchanan surnames of the Alabama counties of Tallapoosa, Lee, Macon, Elmore, and Coosa.
  • Lovejoy, Birmingham, and Zeigler surnames of Alabama counties of Elmore and Jefferson and of Oklahoma during the Indian Territory designation, specifically Chickasaw by 1900 and Blaine County, Oklahoma by 1911.
  • Carter and Strong surnames (related to the Lovejoy family) of Oklahoma during Indian Territory designation, specifically Chickasaw by 1900.
  • Bremby surnames (also spelled Bembry, Brembry, Brimbry, etc.) of Sealy County and Austin County, Texas, and nearby Colorado County, Texas.
  • Some members of the Bremby family from Texas briefly visited Tulsa, so the genealogy team is looking to connect with Oklahomans who may have variations of that surname.
  • Removed Surnames/Locations of Interest:
  • Maggett surname of Mississippi.
  • Strong and McGee surnames of Union Parish, Louisiana, and Texas.
  • Still surname of Oklahoma during Indian Territory designation.
  • About the burial: A female was exhumed in 2021, and additional DNA was collected in a 2022 exhumation. The burial was found in a matching casket to Burial 1 with an “At Rest” plaque found. No apparent gunshot wound or trauma was present.

Burial 15

  • New Surnames/Locations of Interest:
  • Genealogists have added locations of interest to the Holden surname, namely Natchitoches Parish in Louisiana from 1870-1920 and the Sabine Parish in Louisiana until 1910.
  • Additionally, the Luckett surname of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, St. Charles County, Missouri, and Loudoun County, Virginia.
  • Existing Surnames/Locations of Interest:
  • Holden surname of Sabine Parish, Louisiana, and the Luckett surname of Rapides Parish, Louisiana.
  • Removed Surnames/Locations of Interest:
  • Larrimore surname of Sabine Parish, Louisiana.
  • Mayre surname of Rapides Parish, Louisiana.
  • About the burial: A male was exhumed in 2021, and additional DNA was gathered in a 2022 exhumation. The burial took place in a plain wooden casket, and no apparent gunshot wound or trauma was present.

Burial 17

  • New Surnames/Locations of Interest:
  • Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, has been added as a potential location of interest to the Traylor and Taylor surnames.
  • Brown and Mack in Georgia and Louisiana late 1800s to present
    • Descendants went to: Oklahoma City, Arkansas, Arizona and Los Angeles by 1930s
  • Existing Surnames/Locations of Interest:
  • Traylor surname of Louisiana and Bowie County, Texas.
  • Removed Surnames/Locations of Interest:
  • Rentie, Kernal, Grayson, Island, and Smith families who were Muscogee (Creek) Freedmen in the 1800s.
  • The Davis family of Kaufman, Texas, and Okmulgee, Oklahoma, from the early 1900s.
  • The genealogy team would like to express their gratitude to the community for the reference testers who allowed them to remove the previous surnames.
  • About the burial: A male from the 2021 exhumation. The burial was in a plain wooden casket, and no apparent gunshot wound or trauma was present.

Burial 41

  • New Surnames/Locations of Interest:
  • Black, Thompson, Parks, Kerns, Fletcher, Hinson, and Dixon surnames of Cabarrus County, North Carolina, specifically near the communities of Huntersville, Long Creek, and Deweese, North Carolina, from 1870-1920.
  • Crawford and Watt(s) surnames of Taylorsville, North Carolina, and Alexander County, North Carolina in the 1870s.
  • Existing Surnames/Locations of Interest:
  • Alexander surname of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
  • Removed Surnames/Locations of Interest: None
  • About the burial: A male from 2022 exhumation. The burial was in a plain wooden casket and no apparent gunshot wound or trauma was present.

People with any of these surnames and locations of interest in their family trees are asked to visit the website linked HERE and click the “Provide Information” button.

“I’m so thankful for our experts who have been pouring over the samples and data for the better part of the past year to help move this investigation forward,” Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “Six years ago, we wanted descendants and the community to have more answers and today we are one step closer on the identification side. I feel a great sense of responsibility to follow through on what we promised and I’m eager for the process to continue.”

“All of us at Intermountain Forensics are both humbled and honored to contribute to such a pivotal initiative, which also serves as a template for addressing similar historical injustices nationwide,” Intermountain Forensics Director of Laboratory Development Danny Hellwig said. “The assistance from the public has been invaluable, and continued support of family stories and DNA comparisons will be crucial as we move forward in this historic work. We are pleased to report significant progress in our work on the 1921 Tulsa Graves Project, having now successfully generated eight usable forensic genetic genealogy profiles from the Oaklawn cemetery excavations. Our team, alongside our dedicated partners, are engaged in an intensive effort to research DNA relatives to identify individuals who have been lost to their loved ones for over 100 years.”

The City of Tulsa work continues with DNA samples from previously exhumed burials, and the public will be notified with updates as progress is made.

For burial and surname information along with an updated exhumation map, click here.