DNA Identifies Revolutionary War Soldier After 250 Years

Forensic genealogy has identified Private John Pumphrey, a 14-year-old Continental Army soldier who died at the 1780 Battle of Camden in South Carolina. His remains were among 14 soldiers excavated in 2022 from shallow graves at the battlefield. FHD Forensics, a Texas-based company, used DNA from the remains and matched it to living descendants through FamilyTreeDNA and GEDmatch databases. Astrea Forensics extracted and sequenced the oldest genetic genealogy profiles ever created from 18th-century remains. Pumphrey enlisted in the Seventh Maryland Regiment in 1777, signed with an “X,” and was listed as “missing” after the battle. He was orphaned at age 10 and had no children. Researchers found 20,000 DNA matches for living relatives. He was reburied with full military honors in 2023. The identification was announced in June 2024, with descendants gathering in Baltimore. The project aims to identify more soldiers but requires additional funding.