DNA analysis of human skeletal remains from the 1845 Franklin expedition

Since the late nineteenth century, skeletal remains from members of the 1845 John Franklin Northwest Passage expedition have been the subject of osteological, biometric and, in modern times, isotopic analyses. These studies have been conducted to assess ancestry of the remains, evaluate morbidity and mortality on the expedition, and to weigh the relative importance of specific ailments, such as lead poisoning and scurvy, which some investigators have contended were significant factors in the deaths of all 129 men and, ultimately, in the disastrous failure of the expedition. The present study builds on, and adds a new dimension to past research by presenting the results of the first genetic analyses of skeletal remains from members of the expedition who perished following the desertion of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror in April 1848. A total of 39 tooth and bone samples were tested: 32 from four Erebus Bay archaeological sites, four from a site near Booth Point on the south coast of King William Island, two from Todd Island, south of Booth Point, and one from a site in Wilmot and Crampton Bay. DNA was successfully extracted and sequenced for 37 of the samples. The results for Erebus Bay increase the minimum number of individuals represented by the skeletal assemblages to 21, and allowed the identification of multiple skeletal elements from six individuals. Spatial distribution of bones sharing common maternal lineages provide insights concerning site formation processes, including the degree of bone dispersion at one site, and the movement of skeletal remains between two sites. DNA results for the Booth Point site sample provide independent confirmation for a previous assessment that the remains are Caucasoid, while those for the Wilmot and Crampton Bay site indicate Inuit ancestry. The results from Todd Island are consistent with 19th century Inuit accounts describing the discovery there of the remains of five members of the Franklin expedition. The Franklin expedition DNA database resulting from this study represents 24 individuals and provides a foundation for future research, including the possible identification of some of the individuals through comparison with modern DNA from living descendants of members of the expedition.