Remains Of Colonial Teen Pose A 'History Mystery'

Baltimore Sun ^ | 7-12-2004

[blam]

Remains of Colonial teen pose a 'history mystery'

Basement burial find near Annapolis may give new New World clues

Originally published July 12, 2004

Archaeologists digging in one of their favorite kinds of pits -- a trash cellar -- figured its mix of coins, pottery shards and pipestems would tell them about one of the earliest European settlements along the Chesapeake Bay.

But a unique and mysterious discovery along a cellar wall promises to be the most telling of all, offering insights into the difficulty of forging a new life in the New World settlement of Providence in the 1600s.

"We did not expect to find this dead guy," said Anne Arundel County archaeologist Al Luckenbach.

Beneath a few feet of rubbish, along a basement wall of a house from the 1660s near modern-day Annapolis, was a human skeleton stuffed into a small grave. This is the region's first discovery of an apparent 17th-century basement burial, experts say.

[Capriole]

I can't even get my teenager to clean her own room.

If you're really, really desperate to get her to clean up her room, you might try the expedient to which I have sometimes been driven. Yes, it's cruel--nay, abusive!--and it's important not to let the Child Protective Services authorities hear you have resorted to this. Still, it works, if you have the strength to withstand her screams of agony until she breaks:

Take away her modem cable.

[Last Dakotan]

Maybe it was the first known evidence of an American youth moving back into his parent's basement after college. Corn diet=Doritos.

[Waco]

And: They were lving in the most modern" of times, in those days.

[Arthur McGowan]

All hunger and disease and suffering, in EVERY century, are the result of Oppression. Didn't you go to government schools and learn any history?

[blam]

"But I'm writing this based upon a couple of articles I read quite a while ago."

Kennewick Man is related to the ancient Ainu/Joman Caucasoid people of Japan. There are many KM type skeletons all over the Americas. 9,400 year old Spirit Cave Man is the oldest mummy ever found in the Americas and looks similar to KM. The oldest Jomon skeleton found in Japan is 13,000 year old.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

Uh huh, William Neale, AKA Hannibal Lecter The First.

[two23]

It's more than likely that the kid died at a time of year when grave digging was impossible. And quite possible the remaining household died or moved before a proper burial could be performed. Its also possible that the family COULD have taken the kid in out of pity (maybe an orphan). And that he was already in poor health and not a victim of domestic torture.
I agree with your "not proven" statement and of course, people love a good story. It reminds me of a similar discovery showcased in a national magazine where the archeologists automatically assumed the skeleton of a female with a wide hip span was "probably a prostitute"!(just some BS tossed out for drama)

[afraidfortherepublic]

I was just going to post this and ping you -- and lookee what the search engine turned up! Interesting story.

[blam]

"I was just going to post this and ping you -- and lookee what the search engine turned up! Interesting story."

Yup. Happens to me all the time.

[SuziQ]

Slaves brought to the African diaspora a tradition of burying children beneath floorboards

Ewww!

[colorado tanker]

ROTFLOL!

[sphinx]

Take away her modem cable.

Oh, the cruelty.

I can recall a couple of times being doused by my dad with cold water when I refused to get up in the morning. I have now described "The Method" in chilling detail to my six year old. Haven't had to use it; the mere word is enough ....

[sphinx]

I am the descendant of an indentured servant (read SLAVE) sent to the "new world" (Barbados) as a prisoner after participating in one of the Scottish "jacobite" rebellions against English tyranny.

Hello, cousin. My earliest ancestor in the America's arrived from Scotland in 1653 as an indentured servant in Virginia. Nothing is known of the circumstances of his coming, however.

351 years in the New World, and none of us has ever made any money. I think I'm owed reparations or something.

[Phsstpok]

Acccording to histories I have seen my ancestor was captured by Cromwell's forces at the battle of Dunbar, in September, 1650, then shipped off to Barbados. In 1652 he was transferred to Maryland, where he served out his servitude.

Might we, literally be Cousins? Here's one of the better histories of my ancestor, Ninian Beall

http://www.pastracks.com/beall/beall.htm

The only criticism is that the author didn't do a lot of checking for typos, such as setting dates in the 1950s instead of 1650s. She even has him marrying his second wife at the age of between 3 and 8, and he had a child from his first marriage! We Scots are manly men, but come on!

He improved his lot very rapidly after his freedom. At one point he owned all of the area that is now Washington DC and he was instrumental in the founding of the city of Georgetown. After President Kennedy was killed Mrs Kennedy and the children moved from the White House into his historic town house until they left Washington.

Some family stories are that the land for Washington was siezed illegally. We've always maintained that the government owed us for this land (plus interest) and a relative from the branch of the family that stayed in Maryland, when he was elected to Congress in the 70s, actually looked into this. The word that got around the family was that, yes, we were owed billions of dollars in compensation. However, whatever that compensation turned out to be, the taxes on it would always be one dollar more. We never formally pursued our claim.

[FairOpinion]

"Beneath a few feet of rubbish, along a basement wall of a house from the 1660s near modern-day Annapolis, was a human skeleton stuffed into a small grave. This is the region's first discovery of an apparent 17th-century basement burial, experts say."

PING

This is a "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" -- Archeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc. PING list.

Please FREEPMAIL me, if you want on or off this list.

I just got the list from farmfriend, so those of you who haven’t been pinged lately, please check the link above, where you can find the links to the more recent articles.

LOOKING FOR volunteer to take the ping list and the ping task over. I took it temporarily, to continue it, but I am becoming very busy and there may be days when I am not available. Please FReepmail me, if you would be interested. On the average it’s only a ping a day or so. (Some days more, then for a few days there may be nothing). In the meantime I’ll do it, but you may get some pings a little late.

[Eva]

Thanks for taking over the list. I know we all appreciate it.

[ValerieUSA]

Basement burial find near Annapolis

[SunkenCiv]

"We did not expect to find this dead guy," said Anne Arundel County archaeologist Al Luckenbach.

I love the vernacular.

Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.

[night reader]

There's some evidence that we may have too. George Oglethorpe's(sp) mission to settle Georgia, I think.

Oglethorpe, you spelled correctly. James Edward, you spelled incorrectly. Usually called "General" today, in 1733, when Georgia was settled, he held a reserve commission as a Colonel. Interestingly, though he served as Governor/Commander of the new colony, he was not authorized by either the Crown or the Trustees to hold any official position. He paid his own way over and just started giving orders. Interesting character. Unabashed Jabobite who nonetheless plotted intrigues with the Honoverians.