DNA Solves 250-Year Mystery: Revolutionary War Soldier Identified

DNA evidence has successfully identified Private John Pumphrey, a Revolutionary War soldier who died at the Battle of Camden in South Carolina on August 16, 1780. Pumphrey, a Maryland teenager believed to have been 16 to 18 years old at the time of his death, had remained "America's oldest John Doe" for 246 years after being buried in a shallow, unmarked grave following one of the Continental Army's most significant defeats. This identification marks the first time an individual who died in the 1700s has been identified through genetic genealogy.

Archaeologists surveying the historic Camden Battlefield in 2020 uncovered 14 sets of human remains, including 12 Continental soldiers. Pumphrey's remains, designated "Camden 9B," were excavated in 2022. A Texas-based forensic genetic genealogy firm, FHD Forensics, collaborating with Astrea Forensics lab, extracted DNA from a small piece of his skull, which was then uploaded to public databases like FamilyTreeDNA and GEDmatch, resulting in 20,000 potential matches.

The successful identification provided a name for the young soldier, who was likely orphaned and enlisted in the army around age 13 or 14 for basic necessities. The discovery and identification process culminated in Pumphrey receiving a proper burial with full military honors in 2023. Researchers hope to identify more of the soldiers found at the Camden battlefield in the future.