Jan 1, 2025 Story by: Publisher
It has been over a century since a teenager from Newnan, Georgia, lost his life during the Tulsa Race Massacre. For the past three years, researchers and genealogists from Oklahoma, Utah, Florida, and Georgia have collaborated to uncover his identity. His name was C.L. Daniel. A World War I veteran, Daniel was only “passing through” Tulsa on his way home to his mother when the violence erupted.
FOX 5 anchor Alex Whittler, the sole local journalist to connect with C.L.’s living relatives, has followed this effort closely. Her report updates us on the painstaking work to uncover C.L.’s story and the current initiative to fulfill his final written wish.
Uncovering C.L.’s Identity
Through extensive genealogical research, including DNA testing and family records, the forensic team identified “C.L. Daniel” as a World War I veteran from Newnan, Georgia. He became an unwitting victim of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre while traveling home. Until recently, his family had no confirmation of his tragic fate.
Descendants from Georgia and Florida are now striving to honor his last wish: to be buried in his ancestral resting place in Coweta County, Georgia.
Family’s Discovery
“I’ve been living in Newnan all my life, and I never knew any of this,” said Angela Poythress, one of C.L.’s living relatives.
Angela recalled receiving an email in August 2023 containing details about her grandparents and parents. “It was a letter saying we might be connected to the Tulsa race massacre,” she explained.
The massacre, which took place on May 31, 1921, saw a white mob destroy a thriving Black neighborhood in Tulsa, killing countless men, women, and children. Families in other states often had no way of confirming the fates of loved ones caught in the violence.
Piecing Together the Family Tree
In February, Alex Whittler and a forensic team publicized their search for Georgia families linked to massacre victims. They sought connections to surnames like Daniel, Meriweather, Bohannon, and Vaughn.
Through interviews and DNA testing, the team confirmed that Angela and her relative, Stacy “Daniel” Brown of Florida, are descendants of Amanda Meriweather Daniel. Amanda’s youngest son, C.L., had remained unidentified in Tulsa for more than 100 years.
“It’s sad my uncle had to endure that, but at the same time, it brings closure to a family we didn’t know we needed,” Angela said.
C.L.’s Life and Service
C.L. Daniel forged his age to enlist in the military, inspired by his older brothers’ service. He was honorably discharged after being injured and later worked for a railroad in Utah.
“He wrote letters to the VA saying, ‘I want to get home. I need help to get home to my mother. She needs me,'” Angela explained. Tragically, he never made it home.
Further research revealed that his mother, Amanda, had tried in vain to confirm her son’s death and seek military compensation.
“It angers you that they just killed everybody,” Angela said. “And he was just passing through, trying to get home to his mother.”
Honoring His Final Wish
This fall, former Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum arranged for C.L.’s descendants to travel to Tulsa for a memorial service. “It was very emotional,” Angela shared. “It felt like he’d passed recently, not that it had been 100 years.”
The family is now working to relocate C.L.’s remains to Wesley Chapel Church Cemetery in Coweta County, where his parents are buried.
“We could have him put in a national cemetery, but who would that benefit—us or him?” asked Andrew Poythress, another descendant.
A Quest for Justice
The process to bring C.L. home involves navigating through brush and overgrown graves to locate his ancestors’ resting place. Archaeologists will survey the site to ensure proper placement of his grave.
Returning C.L. ‘s remains to his family’s burial ground would be a profound gesture of reconciliation, proving that while history’s wrongs cannot be undone, it is never too late to act.
The forensic team continues to identify more victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre and seeks families in states such as Louisiana, Alabama, North Carolina, and Texas.
If you believe you have a connection, contact FOX 5’s Alex Whittler for assistance in connecting with the team. Source: FOX 5 Atlantic
