2 June 2025
By Ryan Whirty
Contributing Writer
Nearly a century and a half ago, the crania of 19 deceased African Americans in New Orleans were stolen and shipped to Germany as part of an allegedly scientific effort to confirm supposed white biological supremacy.
Now, nearly 150 years later, the skulls have come home.
On Saturday, May 31, mourners gathered at Dillard University’s Lawless Memorial Chapel for visitation hours followed by a somber, solemn memorial service to honor the memories of the 19 New Orleanians – most, if not all, of who were born slaves – whose crania were taken in the 1880s by local physician Dr. Henry D. Schmidt and given to researchers at the University of Leipzig in Germany.
Those German scientists were conducting a study of the skulls, particularly the crania, of people of color to prove the supposed inferiority of non-whites. But in 2023, current researchers at the University of Leipzig reached out to the City of New Orleans’ pathology office about returning, or repatriating, the remains of the 19 long-passed but still forgotten and dishonored Black New Orleans residents.
Those initial overtures led to the creation locally of the Cultural Repatriation Committee through a coalition of several area organizations and entities, particularly Dillard University, the City of New Orleans and the University Medical Center of New Orleans, as well as other community organizations, to work with officials in Leipzig to carry out the repatriation process.
The stolen crania belonged to 19 Black New Orleanians – Adam Grant, Isaak Bell, Hiram Smith, William Pierson, Henry Williams, John Brown, Hiram Malone, William Roberts, Alice Brown, Prescilla Hatchet, Marie Louise, Mahala, Samuel Prince, John Tolman, Henry Allen, Moses Willis and Henry Anderson.
Dillard University president Dr. Monique Guillory, who became involved in the repatriation effort a year ago, said the University of Leipzig over the years had collected about a thousand skulls as part of its racially biased research. (Guillory noted that the United States’ Smithsonian Institution itself gathered more than 10,000 such “specimens” for similar purposes.)
“It was part of a serial effort to assert white supremacy,” she said. “They thought they could find physical evidence of [people of color’s] biological inferiority.”
Given the cultural and societal gravity and implications of that research, Guillory said that working with the University of Leipzig – the institution that stole human remains in order to conduct such a racist, misguided and ultimately futile research crusade – to repatriate the crania has been quite sobering and emotional.
“It’s been very stark and solemn,” she said. “The initial shock [of being contacted by Leipzig] gave way to a sense of gratitude that we’ve been able to remember [the 19 people] and say their names. It’s giving us an opportunity to pay tribute to their memory.”
Guillory said the response locally to the return of the remains so far has been “overwhelmingly positive,” an outpouring of support that continued into Saturday’s memorial service and interment.
She said she hopes that not only could modern African-American New Orleans residents and citizens attend Saturday’s memorial service and obtain a sense of justice and cultural closure, but non-people of color could perhaps also gain knowledge and understanding of their own ancestors and come to grips with the bad things their ancestors might have done.
“It’s a part of human history,” Guillory said, “not just [the dead’s] history.”
She added: “Everyone who gradually became involved [is] the real story. They can hopefully recognize the importance of their actions and their ancestors’ actions.”
Guillory added that the modern representatives of the University of Leipzig who’ve been involved with the repatriation effort have continually been dedicated, honorable and earnest with their work and cooperation with those in New Orleans.
Dr. Eva Baham of Dillard, the chairperson of the Cultural Repatriation Committee, said the reception to the repatriation effort that the committee has received from the New Orleans community has been enthusiastic and appreciative, and she expected that to continue through Saturday’s memorial service.
She said that attendees of Saturday’s service would “bring tremendous energy” to the entire return process, which she hopes will pique their interest in their own family and ancestors, and their ancestor’s role in history and the impact those roles had on the modern day.
“Among the people themselves, we hope they can grow to want to know how their own story fits into the historical record.”
Unfortunately, the Cultural Repatriation Committee has not been able to identify and locate any descendants of the 19 former slaves whose remains were stolen. But Baham said researchers remain dedicated to finding any such descendants and continue to use DNA testing on the crania and other methods of inquiry toward that goal.
“That was one of the primary aims of our researchers here,” she said, adding that hopefully members of the public who believe one of the 19 lost people is their ancestor will see news reports and other tip offs about the repatriation and reach out to the repatriation committee.
Arrangements for the reception, memorial service and interment of the remains have been handled by the historic D.W. Rhodes Funeral Home in New Orleans. Baham said the committee is very grateful to Rhodes and complimentary to the funeral home’s professionalism and dedication to preserving the solemnity of the repatriation process.
“I can’t say enough about what they’ve done to help us,” Baham said.
The Louisiana Weekly attempted to reach out to the Rhodes Funeral Home for comment but was not able to reach anyone by press time.
Other local entities involved in the repatriation effort, including contributing members of the Cultural Repatriation Committee, include the University of New Orleans, Southern University of New Orleans and New Orleans Community Partners.
In a prepared statement, Charlotte Parent, vice president of business development at University Medical Center New Orleans, said the medical center was honored to take part in the repatriation drive. In the statement, Parent referred to the former Charity Hospital and how UMC was created as a sort of spiritual successor to Charity’s venerated traditions of community outreach and compassionate care.
“At University Medical Center, we are proud of our deep roots in Charity Hospital and remain committed to honoring that legacy by partnering with institutions that share our history and dedication to our community. We are honored to join Dillard University and the City of New Orleans in recognizing and respecting the individuals and families impacted by racial inequities, as we work together to create a more just and compassionate future.”
This article originally published in the June 2, 2025 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
