LOCAL
Kimberly Marsh, The Oklahoma Eagle
George Melvin Gillespie, whose body was discovered in Oaklawn Cemetery, is a possible victim of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Photo, Provided
Mayor Nichols Vows To Continue Probes
In a press conference on Wednesday June 18, Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols revealed details about five previously unidentified potential victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and further information about the 1921 Graves Investigation into the Race Massacre burials.
Nichols used the news conference to discuss findings described in a 2024 report on the burials prepared by a team of forensic experts. Nichols was joined by archeologists, city staff and forensic specialists.
In July, 2024, researchers from Intermountain Forensics revealed that the body of first victim of the massacre found in one of the graves was C. L. Daniel. He was a veteran from Georgia who served during WWI. Evidence indicated that he was killed in Tulsa during the massacre and buried at Oaklawn Cemetery.
On Wednesday, Mayor Nichols announced that when Daniel was found, another body identified George Alvin Gillespie was also discovered. The forensic team is still working to determine if Gillespie was killed during the Race Massacre.
The identification of Gillespie relied on DNA and family records.
Gillespie was described as a late to middle aged male who was buried in a simple wooden casket with no sign of trauma. His identification was the first time the archeologists said they have been able to put a face with a name during their work at Oaklawn. The city is working with family members regarding reburial or memorial.
The new information was announced just hours before the City Council’s final budget hearing and approval of the FY2026 budget, which included $1 million that Nichols said he will commit to continued investigations which would likely begin in the Fall.
The 2024 report, Nichols said, shows that five individuals at Oak Lawn Cemetery were victims of multiple gunshot wounds and another was a victim of one gunshot wound. Nichols noted that they have not yet encountered the number of likely massacre victims who were “purported to be buried at Oak Lawn.”
“This to me means we must return to Oaklawn Cemetery because we cannot in good faith turn our backs on the evidence and the work that’s gotten us to this point,” he said.
“The data we received from the latest field report couldn’t be more clear – there are multiple gunshot wound victims in the area of Oaklawn Cemetery,” he added. “We can’t stop now and intend to return to Oaklawn Cemetery for an additional excavation later this year based on expert findings.”
James Goings, a WWI veteran, was confirmed through historical letters and family story as a Tulsa Race Massacre victim. Goings is tied to a specific burial at Oaklawn. But there is no DNA evidence about him. Information was attained through information from a family booklet that stated, “Goings was killed in the Tulsa riot.”
The forensics team also recovered the remains of four additional individuals with gunshot wounds who are likely victims of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre and detailed characteristics that are consistent with hasty burials, including incorrectly sized caskets, bodies that had been manipulated to fit into containers and crates, signs of severe trauma and evidence of burning. The identifies the three additional victims as John White, Ella Houston and James Miller.
