Restoring History: The Journey to Identify CL Daniel, A Tulsa Race Massacre Victim

As the dust settles from the city of Tulsa's historic announcement of the identification of Tulsa Race Massacre victim CL Daniel, we would like to take a moment to reflect and thank the many partners who provided critical assistance leading to this amazing outcome.

We have learned a great deal in this journey assisting in these vital identifications in the 1921 Graves Project. We've added reams of knowledge about the science of what we do and how we can improve it, about the history of the city of Tulsa and the Tulsa Race Massacre, and most importantly, about CL Daniel, the first identified Tulsa Race Massacre victim as a result of these efforts!

There are countless individuals, communities and groups for us to thank, but, we would be remiss if we did not begin by providing our most effusive gratitude to our incredible investigative genetic genealogy partners, who have donated countless hours of difficult and painstaking work to researching these profiles and unlock the names of these individuals. This is a historic moment and could not be possible without the thousands of hours of work they pour into this. The DNA Doe Project, Identifinders International, DNA Detectives, Moxxy Forensics, and the Cold Case Coalition—you are heroes, and we celebrate your brilliance and unyielding dedication to these investigations. You inspire us!

IMF joins the multitude of voices in offering our warmest thoughts and wishes to the family of Mr. Daniel. We cannot imagine the impact of this revelation on their lives, and we sincerely thank them for their amazing cooperation, trust, and kindness as our investigation progressed. As we uncovered his past, it was plain to see that your relative, CL Daniel, had a warm love for his family, and we are honored to return his name and story to his family. We would like to share a biography prepared by Janel Daniels, one of the team leaders of our amazing genealogy team who have spent countless hours researching his history:

"C. L. Daniel, born in Newnan, Coweta, to Thomas and Amanda Daniel, passed away tragically in 1921.

After the early death of Thomas Daniel, the family faced significant challenges. Their mother, Amanda, became a widow by 1910 and worked tirelessly to provide for her sons. Despite the hardships, the Daniel family together persevered, and records show that by 1920, Amanda proudly owned their home, a testament to their hard work and resilience.

C. L. Daniel served his country during World War I. He was stationed at Camp Gordon, Georgia, where he served in the 47th Company, 12th Training Battalion, and the 406th Rescue Labor Battalion, Company B, as an Army Private. During his service there he spent 19 days in the Base Hospital at Camp Gordon. Despite these challenges, C.L. was honorably discharged, having served with dedication for nine months and sixteen days.

After his discharge, C.L. embarked on a journey across the United States, displaying an adventurous spirit and a longing to explore the country. In a heartfelt letter to the Army requesting veteran benefits, he expressed his commitment to the war effort and his ongoing struggle with the injuries he sustained. He sought assistance to secure employment and sustenance, hoping to return home to his beloved mother in Georgia.

Tragically, C.L.’s journey home was cut short. Sometime after February 1921, while enroute to Georgia from Ogden, Utah, he stopped in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was there that he became a victim of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre."

To the long list of our partners in the 1921 Graves Project team, we humbly acknowledge the unbelievable professionalism and dedication in planning, excavating, sampling, and delivering the precious material to our laboratory for testing.

The laboratory work required to obtain DNA profiles from these amazingly difficult samples can only be described as daunting. To all in the IMF family of lab staff who worked tirelessly, we express our immense thankfulness for their passion, dedication, expertise, and hard work to make this identification a reality. They are the lifeblood of this laboratory project

We have said it countless times: This project is a melding of novel science, passionate experts, tremendous support from the community, and a whole lot of hope. It is such a privilege to finally see all of our hard work and ideas come to a successful conclusion, turning "theoretically" into "reality."

To the people of Tulsa and the countless groups and organizations who have embraced us and this project: You have been nothing short of amazing!

May CL Daniel rest in peace as his name is restored and firmly entered into the history books.

Thank you!

-Danny