Teen killed in Tulsa Race Massacre identified as Georgia veteran from Newnan
Who was C.L. Daniel? Tulsa race riot victim from Georgia
It’s been 103 years since a Newnan teenager died in the Tulsa race massacre. Over the past three years, droves of people from Oklahoma, Utah, Florida, and Georgia have worked to identify him. His name was C.L. Daniel. When the violence started, the World War I veteran was just "passing through" the Oklahoma town. FOX 5 anchor Alex Whittler is the only local journalist to speak to C.L's living relatives and has followed this initiative all year. She updates us now, not only on the data used to learn who C.L. was, but also on the new effort to realize his final written wish.
NEWNAN, Ga. - Genealogists have identified a teenager killed 103 years ago in the Tulsa race massacre as a World War I veteran from Newnan, Georgia. The first-of-its-kind revelation was decades in the making but only began to take shape when individuals from Oklahoma, Utah, Florida, and Georgia collaborated to locate an unsuspecting Newnan family.
The nation now knows the once-unnamed remains belong to "C.L. Daniel." When the violence began, the World War I veteran was just passing through the Oklahoma town, trying to get home to his mother. FOX 5 anchor Alex Whittler, the only local journalist to speak with C.L.'s living relatives, has followed the identification initiative throughout the year. Now, there's a new effort to fulfill C.L.'s final written wish.
"I've been living in Newnan all my life, and I never knew any of this," Angela Poythress said.
"In August 2023, I got this email with my grandparents' names, my parents' names," she explained. "It was a letter saying we might be connected to the Tulsa race massacre."
On May 31, 1921, a white mob killed countless men, women, and children, decimating an entire financially booming Black neighborhood in Oklahoma. Families in other states had no way of knowing—or confirming—that their loved ones had died.
The search for relatives
More than 100 years later, this February, Alex Whittler helped publicize a forensic team's search for Georgia families that might be related to massacre victims. The surnames they sought were Daniel, Meriweather, Bohannon, and Vaughn.
She connected those open to cold calls with forensic interviewers for further vetting and DNA testing.
Many FOX5 viewers reached out after the first report, though spelling narrowed the list, and most prospects were hesitant to share DNA—like Stacy "Daniel" Brown. She's from Florida and had no idea she had Georgia roots until her instincts told her to answer a call.
"They had been trying to reach a number of 'Stacy Daniels.' My grandfather is Stacy Daniel. That's what led them to me," she said.
At the same time, both FOX 5 and Tulsa teams worked urgently to reach Andrew or Angela Poythress. Eventually, the family contacted the forensic team directly.
"They wanted to send me a test, but I told them I already did, and they lit up like a Christmas tree. I downloaded the pattern to them, and it was a complete match," Andrew Poythress said.
That match confirmed that the Poythresses and Stacy Daniel are cousins, making C.L. their long-lost uncle.
They all trace their ancestry to Amanda Meriweather Daniel, whose youngest son, C.L. Daniel, lay nameless in a Tulsa ditch for over a century.
"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 Poythress said.
Military records reveal C.L. was a teenager and a World War I veteran who grew up on the very Newnan street the Poythresses often pass by.
"To know my great-great-grandmother not only lived here but owned her property—at a time when very few people did—that makes it even more surreal," Angela added.
Her husband died young, so Amanda Meriweather Daniel raised seven boys, including C.L., on her own.
"One of them was my grandfather. One of them was C.L.," Daniel Brown said.
Teen forged his age to serve
Records show C.L. forged his age to serve his country, a decision family members say was inspired by his brothers' service.
"He got hurt and was honorably discharged. From what I understand, he wanted to see a bit of the world," Angela Poythress said.
C.L. then took a job working on 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.' He left a forwarding address in Wyoming—that's where he was going next before he was killed in the race massacre," Angela said.
Further research revealed Amanda Meriweather's attempts to confirm her son’s death and seek compensation for his military discharge. She never saw her son again or received official acknowledgment of his murder.
"It angers you that they just killed everybody," Angela Poythress said. "And he was just passing through, trying to get home to his mother."
This fall, former Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum flew the Daniel family’s living descendants to Tulsa to give C.L. the burial his mother always longed for.
"It was very emotional. Once we got to the service, it felt like he’d passed recently, not that it had been 100 years," Angela said.
Now, the Daniel descendants in Georgia and Florida are working on a delicate endeavor.
FOX 5's Alex Whittler and photographer Billy Heath visited Wesley Chapel Church in Coweta County to see the cemetery where C.L.'s parents are buried. The site required them to navigate through brush, briars, downed trees, uneven terrain, and sunken headstones.
The quest to bring him home
Despite the obstacles, Andrew Poythress found his ancestor's grave, a discovery that could be the prelude to a homecoming.
"We could have him put in a national cemetery, but who would that benefit—us or him?" Andrew asked.
One day, if possible, that cemetery will become C.L.'s final resting place.
"Don't worry, Grandpa. We're going to get it straight," Andrew said, looking at the overgrown grave.
FOX5 reached out to Coweta County and the city of Newnan to determine which government agency, if any, could assist with the project. The county administrator said staff would "evaluate [the Daniels’] request and discuss it with the Board of Commissioners."
Next steps include having archaeologists survey the area to determine where other bodies are buried, ensuring the respectful placement of another grave.
Returning C.L.'s "now-named" remains would be the most significant attempt at atonement to date. While it cannot right history’s wrongs, it proves it’s never too late to do the right thing.
The forensic team continues working to identify more massacre victims and is seeking families in Louisiana, Alabama, North Carolina, and Texas with connections to names listed at this link. If you have any relevant family ties, contact FOX 5's Alex Whittler, who will connect you with the appropriate team.