WWI Veteran Honored With Headstone 55 Years After His Death

An Oklahoma City veteran was the subject of celebration Tuesday, 55 years after his death.

Ulysses S. Grant Moore fought in World War I, and was buried in an unmarked grave, here at home. Oklahoma’s black veterans are represented with military headstones throughout the Trice Hill Cemetery. Moore’s story remained untold, until now.

Alma Abram Lucas remembers her grandfather as a quiet man, who never got in a fight.

“He just didn’t talk about it,” Lucas said. “We knew he had been in the service, but other than that, the most I’ve learned is in the past four months.”

That is how long ago the new owner of Moore's home made the discovery of the 55-year-old headstone.

“I think it may have been under some rubble,” recalled historian Andre Head, president of the Black Genealogy Research Group.

Head heard about Moore's mystery, and he decided to take action. This case falls into his larger mission to document and name the unmarked gravesites in black cemeteries across America. All too often, he said, the scene is the same.

“It looked like maybe it was one-fourth full,” Head said, describing a recent experience. “That’s because of the headstones that were missing.”

Trice Hill is not missing quite as many, benefiting from regular upkeep and management, and loved ones who check in. Head encourages other families to continue passing down their own stories through the generations.

“Don’t forget about the people that are buried there,” he urged, “because they’re your family members.”

As for Private Ulysses S. Grant Moore, he can now rest in peace, resting assured that he is remembered.

“I’m so glad I lived long enough to experience it because I’m never going to forget today,” his granddaughter Alma said.

Head said, “Now that headstone is resting where he is, and I’m sure he is smiling now.”