Posted on 07/25/2018 12:37:39 PM PDT by ETL
Archaeologists digging in a 400-year-old church in Jamestown, Virginia, have found a headless body that might be that of Sir George Yeardley, one of the first politicians — and slave owners — in the American colonies.
Few people have heard of Yeardley, but he played a key role in America's history. The Jamestown governor oversaw the House of Burgesses, the first elective governing body in the English colonies.
Scientists still aren't sure if the headless body is Yeardley's, but shortly after uncovering the skeleton, they made another finding that could help answer that question. They discovered a handful of teeth, 10 in all, on Sunday (July 22) that fit into a skull previously unearthed in the church.
[In Photos: New Jamestown Settlers Identified]
If DNA from the teeth and skull matches that from Yeardley's living descendants, then scientists will be able to identify Yeardley's body. By analyzing the skull's contours and tooth plaque, researchers may also be able to re-create his face and determine what kinds of food he ate, The Washington Post reported.
"We have a lot of world-renowned experts working with us on this," Mary Anna Hartley, a senior archaeologist with Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation, told The Washington Post. "And I wanted to make sure there was something for them to examine." ..."
Jamestown rediscovered
The church excavation is part of a project run by the Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution, to learn more about Jamestown, the first successful permanent English settlement in the American colonies.
The community was founded in 1607 and originally called "James Cittie," according to Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
LOL!..........how true!.......................
“Handful of teeth” sounds funny to me.
“There were BLACK slave owners as well...................”
There were black sellers of blacks also (BIG TIME) in Africa selling their ‘neighbors’(I.E. not of same tribe)
That is my question also - I don’t like the idea of disturbing this man’s mortal remains just to satisfy some useless intellectual curiosity.
The Headless Horseman was a Hessian soldier originally.
Just like so many other things these days, as soon as you can secure a big fat government grant to do it.
Civilizing the civilization aint easy. Pretty obvious who everybody blames in spite of these facts mentioned in the article.
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Got an entire House full of headless politicians today.
Did they know they would find someone buried there?
Granted the article says: in the early 1900s, people found a tomb slab engraved with knightly symbols in the church. Given that Yeardley was a knight, it's possible this limestone slab belonged to him, Hartley said.
But was that slab still in place or had it been removed decades ago?
Makes sense. Back then people were more practical and knew politicians were brainless, so why waste flesh and bone on a head?
Slave owner!!? Into the wood chipper with his bones, now!!!
You guys cannot stop deflecting away from the whole slaveholder thing, can you?
Most politicians don’t need a head to operate.
Most slaves at that point in the British New World were Irish.
Very cute! Sitting here laughing! :)
Unsolicited travel advice: we were in Washington last
Month and took a quick day trip to take in Yorktown, Williamsburg, and Jamestown in one day. Online I found a diner from1929, featured on Food Network. We took the Jamestown auto ferry, then 30 miles due west to Wakefield. Come to find it’s the self-proclaimed peanut capital of the world. Bet peanuts I’ve ever had! If you’re there take time to explore this magnify rly beautiful part of the country.
I recall reading that the first slave owner in N America WAS black. I believe there was a court case attached to the situation.
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