Minnesota’s Historic Human Remains Project: Research Methods and the Identities of Human Skeletal Remains

Summary

This is a paper/report submission presented at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

In 2017 the Minnesota legislature awarded a Legacy grant to fund the Historic Human Remains Project. The intent of the project was to identity human skeletal remains discovered in disturbed, undocumented graves, identify living descendants (if possible), and facilitate the reburial process. In certain circumstances, human remains not of American Indian ancestry fall under the jurisdiction of the Office of the State Archaeologist and many are stored at Hamline University, Saint Paul, Minnesota. Through advances in technology, including the digitization of historical documents, identification of some of these remains is now possible. An overview of the methods used in this project, such as DNA testing, stable isotope analysis, osteological studies, and archival research, content analysis of historic documents, and “reverse genealogy.”

As of June 2019, approximately nine cases are being extensively investigated. A specific case study will be used to highlight the projects’ research, methods, and results.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• 2020 SHA General Sessions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 857