America's oldest John Doe identified as Revolutionary soldier from Maryland
One of the oldest John Doe cases in America has been solved, with help from DNA evidence and forensic genetic genealogy, according to a team at FHD Forensics.
John Doe, who was formerly known as Camden 9B, has been identified as Private John Pumphrey, a teen from Anne Arundel County, Maryland, who joined the Revolutionary War in January 1777.
Pumphrey was one of 14 casualties from the Battle of Camden who were reburied in 2024. He is the first of them to be identified.
"Our success at uncovering the story of this young American hero couldn't have come at a better time as we're celebrating our 250th anniversary as a country," said genetic genealogist Allison Peacock, president of FHD Forensics. "It's the ultimate gift to every American to get to know this boy who literally gave his life for the concept of freedom from tyranny."
DNA testing reveals identity of John Doe
FHD said a team used a tiny piece of Pumphrey's skull and two other kinds of DNA evidence to confirm his identity.
The team learned that Pumphrey enlisted in 1777 after leaving his home in Anne Arundel County and traveling to Baltimore City to build a new life for himself.
According to FHD, Pumphrey was between the ages of 13 and 15 when he enlisted in Maryland's 7th Regiment in Baltimore, making him one of the youngest members of George Washington's Continental Army.
After several years as an orphan, Pumphrey died in a South Caroline pine forest on August 16, 1780, in what was one of the bloodiest battles of the Revolutionary War.
His remains were unearthed in 2022, along with 13 others, as archeologists were working to preserve shallow battlefield graves from erosion and relic hunters. Pumprey and the 13 other unidentified individuals were reburied in 2024.
Pumphrey was one of 400 people who fell on the Camden Battlefield. The area, located in Kershaw County, South Carolina, is filled with shallow, unmarked graves, the FHD team said.
FHD was able to identify Pumphrey's ancestors, who were from prominent founding families of Anne Arundel County.
Pumphrey's body was laid to rest in Camden's historical Quaker Cemetery, close to the battlefield.
"There are so many interesting chapters of history that can now be known more fully. Especially in the fog of war, where the sacrifices that were made couldn't always be documented," said Richard E. Green, PhD, Astrea's co-founder.
