The marker placed for the first identified "new" victim of the massacre- C.L. Daniels. (Nov 2024) Credit: 1921Graves Investigation Facebook
The City of Tulsa’s 1921 Graves Investigation has identified James Goings as the second “new” victim of the Tulsa Race Massacre through veterans’ records and family history. At this time, there is no DNA connecting Goings to a specific burial at Oaklawn Cemetery, but the surnames for Goings overlap with surnames of interest for Burial 135.
The investigation did use genetic genealogy to identify a third person—George Melvin Gillispie. The context of his death is not known currently, but he can’t be ruled out as a Tulsa Race Massacre Victim. Gillispie was buried in simple wooden casket with no evidence of trauma—similar to the first “new” victim C. L. Daniel, who also did not have evidence of observed trauma, but is a confirmed victim of the massacre.
James Goings
The 1921 Graves Investigation first obtained information on Goings through an information donor who had a family booklet stating that a “Mr. Goins” was “killed in the Tulsa riot.” Subsequently, records were requested and received from the Veterans Compensation File contained in the National Archives. There, investigators found a letter written on June 9, 1921, that stated James Goings was killed “in the recent disturbances there”(in Tulsa). A second letter from his sister, written in the 1930s, said James died June 1, 1921—the day a white mob killed up to 300 Black individuals in Tulsa.
Although there is no DNA connecting Goings to a specific body or burial at Oaklawn Cemetery, his name was not on original death certificates or early newspaper accounts—making Goings a newly identified Tulsa Race Massacre victim not previously known publicly.
The surnames for Goings do overlap with surnames of interest for Burial 135, so the 1921 Graves Investigation and Intermountain Forensics are encouraging any descendants of the Goings, Goins, Gowens, etc., surname from many states—including Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee—to contact the genealogy team.
The investigation and the City of Tulsa are currently working to identify where Goings was buried in 1921.
George Melvin Gillispie
Thanks to genetic genealogy, it is now believed Burial 180 in Oaklawn Cemetery belongs to George Melvin Gillispie, a late-to-middle aged man. He was found buried in a simple wooden casket. His body revealed no evidence of trauma, but that does not rule him out as a Tulsa Race Massacre victim. In fact, the first “new” victim identified through this investigation—C.L. Daniel—also did not have evidence of observed trauma.
Gillispie was born in 1881 and has no known cause of death. His last proof of life comes from documentation from Payne County, Oklahoma, in December 1920. In 1924, documents from his wife mention that her previous husband is already dead—putting Gillispie’s death somewhere between 1920 and 1924.
The City of Tulsa and Intermountain Forensics are working with the Gillispie family regarding any reburial or memorialization. The family contributed DNA to the project already, which allowed forensic genetic genealogy to identify George Melvin Gillispie as the man in Burial 180 in Oaklawn Cemetery.
The investigation into his death—and his possible connection to the Tulsa Race Massacre—continues.
Record keeping
Genetic genealogy and DNA analysis are only one part of the puzzle for the 1921 Graves Investigation. Historical records—both written and oral—are equally critical to this work.
At the beginning of the project, forensic anthropologist Phoebe Stubblefield ordered all of the June 1921 Tulsa death certificates. There, she found for “John White” who died of gunshot wounds on June 1, 1921, and was buried in Oaklawn Cemetery. Betsy Warner, a prominent Tulsa Race Massacre researcher, has also confirmed the finding.
A death certificate for Ella Houston (July 29, 1921, Muskogee County) says the death was caused by “miscarriage with septicemia.” However, a December 1921 Red Cross report on Arthur Morrison, says “Age 12 - pelegra - homeless since riot - Mother died result injuries in riot.” Originally listed as the "Mother of Arthur Morrison" in historical documents, the investigators now believe her to be Ella Houston. While Houston was her maiden name, she was married to Joseph Morris. The family used both Morris and Morrison as a surname.
“Joe Miller” is a named victim with a death certificate citing burial at Oaklawn Cemetery on June 2, 1921. Previous researchers thought this may be Joseph Miller living at 626 E. Hill with his wife Allie in the 1921 Tulsa City Directory. However, this Joe Miller was recorded as still living in the 1930 census.
Through historical research, the genealogy team at Intermountain Forensics located a probate record from 1921 that states “James Miller (birth name James Askew)”...was killed during the race riot in Tulsa, Oklahoma in June 1921.” Given this information, it is believed the death certificate for Joe Miller is actually for James Miller (aka James Askew).