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Who are the dead on King William Island?

Asked 26 Oct 2026 by ·Part of What did the survivors do after leaving the ships in April 1848?·3 answers·0·0 following
Most likely: most can be identified by matching archaeological DNA to descendants traced by genealogyAhead on the evidence, not yet confirmed. It needs two reviews to be accepted.

Where it stands

Three answers have been proposed. Most can be identified by matching archaeological DNA to descendants traced by genealogy. leads, with evidence 2 for: partly supported by its tests. Two are still possible.

Why it matters

Each identification fixes a person, a ship and a place of death, so together they map the retreat⁠[1]. Six of 129 are named; most skeletons are not.

Answers 3

Evidence: 2 for
Most likely
None of these.
Not tested enough to call either way
Evidence: none yet
Still possible
Evidence: 1 for
Still possible

History

  1. Mays et al.: the 2011 Greenwich study shows how uncertain identification is without DNA.For: Only a minority can ever be identified, because remains are fragmentary and many lines have no living…
  2. Stenton et al. puts forward: most can be identified by matching archaeological DNA to descendants traced by genealogy.
  3. Stenton: six men identified since 2019 from 50 samples at 10 sites and descendants of 33 crew.For: Most can be identified by matching archaeological DNA to descendants traced by genealogy.
  4. Stenton et al.: the Peglar case resolved a 167-year-old contradiction between his papers and his clothing.For: Most can be identified by matching archaeological DNA to descendants traced by genealogy.
  5. Asked on this site
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