2 new DNA profiles identified

TULSA, Okla. — As the 103rd anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre approaches, forensic experts have identified two new genealogical profiles from previously exhumed burials.

“It’s not an easy process,” said Danny Hellwig, director of laboratory development at Intermountain Forensics. “These samples are very complex, very difficult.”

It's a step forward as they work to connect the remains of potential victims of the massacre.

“They have to think about the possibilities and just know that they are related to a burial,” said Alison Wilde, director of forensic investigative genetic genealogy at Intermountain Forensics. “They share DNA at a funeral, but they don’t know how. They don't know why. It's a really emotional process.

Intermountain Forensics is the team getting closer to identifying the remains. The ultimate goal is to allow families to turn the page.

“You're talking about profiles from 100 years ago, so there's no real guide on how to achieve this,” Hellwig said.

The 103rd anniversary of the massacre takes place this week. As we remember the destruction in Greenwood, a genealogy team is working to connect DNA profiles collected from remains in Oaklawn Cemetery to living family members.

In total, the team identified eight DNA profiles. For all but one, they were also able to find potential last names and places of interest. It's a very methodical process.

“It’s all about funneling data from a large network to a family of interest to an individual or interest,” Hellwig said. “It takes time. It's meticulous, but we're definitely making a lot of progress and we're excited about what we've achieved so far.

The team says dozens of people have submitted their DNA, making the identification process easier. Family histories also helped them narrow down family names and places of interest. The city says additional work on the ground is expected to take place in the coming months.

New genealogical profiles:

Burial 45 – Second excavation

• Last Names/Places of Interest:
  • Suggests surname of Edgecombe County, North Carolina.
  • Hamilton, Brooks and Thomas, surname of Eufaula, (Barbour County) Alabama
• About the funeral:
  • Adult male buried in a simple wooden coffin. He was exhumed and his DNA collected in 2022. No evidence of trauma was observed during forensic analysis.

Burial 119 – Third excavation

• Last names/places of interest:
  • TBD — Genealogists are working to identify more information from potential DNA relatives before they can release last names and places of interest for this burial.
• About the funeral:
  • An adult female buried in a simple wooden coffin was exhumed in 2023. No traces of trauma were observed during forensic analysis.

Updated genealogy profiles:

Burial 1

• New family names/places of interest:
  • Hightower, Mason, Brittman, and Marshall surnames of Shelby County, Tennessee, Grenada County, MS, and Marshall County, MS, 1880-1920.
  • Last name Mathews of Tennessee, 1880-1920.
• Existing surnames/places of interest:
  • Jones and Medler surnames from Clay County, Mississippi, 1880-1900
• About the funeral:
  • A female exhumed in 2021, with additional DNA collected during an exhumation in 2022. The burial was found in a coffin matching burial 13 with an “At Rest” plaque. No apparent gunshot wounds or trauma were present.

Funeral 3

• Existing surnames/places of interest:
  • Surnames Daniel, Meriwether, Scott, Sims, and Bohanon from Coweta County, Georgia.
• Surnames/Places of Interest Removed: None.
• About the funeral:
  • A male was exhumed in 2021 and additional DNA was collected during an exhumation in 2022. The burial was found in a simple wooden coffin. No apparent gunshot wounds or trauma were present.

Burial 13

• Last names/places of interest updated:
  • Thompson surnames from Sealy, Texas, and Austin County, Texas, and neighboring Colorado County, Texas.
  • Surnames Meadors (variant of Meadows), Johnson, Ballard, Core, Wright, and Buchanan from the Alabama counties of Tallapoosa, Lee, Macon, Elmore, and Coosa.
  • Lovejoy, Birmingham, and Zeigler surnames of Alabama counties of Elmore and Jefferson and Oklahoma during the designation of Indian Territory, specifically Chickasaw in 1900 and Blaine County, Oklahoma in 1911.
  • Carter and Strong surnames (related to the Lovejoy family) of Oklahoma during the designation of Indian Territory, specifically Chickasaw in 1900.
  • Bremby surnames (also spelled Bembry, Brembry, Brimbry, etc.) of Sealy County and Austin County, Texas, and neighboring 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 last name.
• About the funeral:
  • A female was exhumed in 2021 and additional DNA was collected during an exhumation in 2022. The burial was found in a coffin matching burial 1 with an “At Rest” plaque. No apparent gunshot wounds or trauma were noted.

Funeral 15

• New family names/places of interest:
  • Genealogists have added places of interest to the Holden family name, namely Natchitoches Parish in Louisiana from 1870 to 1920 and Sabine Parish in Louisiana until 1910.
  • Additionally, the Luckett surname of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, St. Charles County, Missouri, and Loudoun County, Virginia.
• Existing surnames/places of interest:
  • Last name Holden from Sabine Parish, Louisiana, and last name Luckett from Rapides Parish, Louisiana.
• About the funeral:
  • A man was exhumed in 2021, and additional DNA was collected during an exhumation in 2022. Burial took place in a plain wooden coffin, and no gunshot wounds or apparent trauma were noted.

Burial 17

• New family names/places of interest:
  • Claiborne Parish, Louisiana was added as a potential location of interest for the Traylor and Taylor surnames.
  • Brown and Mack in Georgia and Louisiana, late 1800s to present
    • The descendants went to:
      • Oklahoma City, Arkansas, Arizona and Los Angeles in the 1930s
• Existing surnames/places of interest:
  • Traylor surname from Louisiana and Bowie County, Texas.
• About the funeral:
  • A male from the 2021 exhumation. Burial took place in a simple wooden coffin and no apparent gunshot wounds or trauma were present.

Burial 41

• New family names/places of interest:
  • Black, Thompson, Parks, Kerns, Fletcher, Hinson, and Dixon surnames of Cabarrus County, North Carolina, particularly near the communities of Huntersville, Long Creek, and Deweese, North Carolina, from 1870 to 1920.
  • Crawford and Watt(s) surnames from Taylorsville, North Carolina, and Alexander County, North Carolina in the 1870s.
• Existing surnames/places of interest:
  • Last name Alexander from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
• About the funeral:
  • A male from 2022 exhumed. The burial took place in a simple wooden coffin and there were no apparent gunshot wounds or trauma.

For more information, visit www.tulsa1921dna.org

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