George Washington’s Family Members Identified From Unmarked, Fragmentary Bones Using DNA Test [Study]

George Washington's ancestors were identified using a DNA test. The researchers found the remains of his grandnephews and their mother.

George Washington's Family Members Identified Through DNA Test

In a new study, researchers identified the remains of Washington's grandnephews, Samuel Walter Washington and George Steptoe Washington Jr., and their mom, Lucy Payne Washington. Unmarked, partial bones buried in the mid-1800s in the Harewood family cemetery in West Virginia were used to identify their remains.

An excavation was conducted at the Harewood Cemetery in 1999 to locate the unmarked burial of President Washington's younger brother, Samuel Washington, who had once owned the Harewood estate. Five unmarked graves and skeletal remains were found during this dig; the remains were gathered and categorized in preparation for testing.

Although initial investigations into the discoveries were conducted in the early 2000s, the most recent study sought to verify the identity of the people connected to the bones found from three of the sites.

To accomplish this, the scientists examined the remains using a variety of DNA tests and analyzed DNA from a living descendant of the first president, S.W. Washington.

"Our data confirmed the identities of the three sets of remains, and we furthermore resolved which male was the direct ancestor of S.W. Washington, the living descendant," said Charla Marshall, a senior author of the study, in a press release.

According to Marshall, they were able to test the extended kinship prediction methods in this specific scenario by employing a collection of known, degraded DNA samples that required identity confirmation. These innovative techniques are presently being validated in their lab for application in regular casework.

There could be several ramifications for the research. For instance, the researchers intend to use their techniques to help locate the remains of military personnel lost in conflicts dating back to World War II and other wars.

According to Courtney Cavagnino, the study's first author and with the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System's Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFMES-AFDIL) at Delaware's Dover Air Force Base, experts may assess and refine the procedures used on our casework samples, which are frequently even more damaged than historical remains but of similar quality, by testing historical samples, like the bones from Harewood Cemetery.

What Is DNA Testing?

DNA testing is a diagnostic procedure for finding genetic, chromosomal, or protein mutations. These mutations can reveal whether or not a person is affected by a hereditary disease.

Additionally, DNA testing can determine your likelihood of contracting a certain illness or passing on a genetic problem. Aside from that, DNA tests can be done to help one find their family members.

A DNA match list lists all of the DNA matches' names or usernames. DNA matches, often known as "cousin matches," are the outcome of comparing your DNA to the DNA of other individuals to find chromosomal segments that match and suggest a family connection.

The number of identical DNA segments that you and another person have determines how closely related you are.

Check out more news and information on DNA in Science Times.