A glimpse of history…
South Island John Doe’s clothing was fairly well preserved by the chemical composition of the marshy area in which he was found.
It resembled the clothing worn by fishermen shown in this 1915 photograph.
Photo Credit: More Scaly Specimens, South Island Dock, Frank G. Tarbox, 1910-1920. Georgetown County Digital Library
Research Update!
Our greatest desire is to restore this young man’s identity. This will allow us to provide his name for the headstone planned for his reburial in a local cemetery among his relatives. Beginning in mid 2023, Team FHD worked with paleogeneticists at UC Santa Cruz and Astrea Forensics to obtain usable data for upload to genetic genealogy databases. With only 8 matches obtained in the first upload, additional extractions and bioinformatics engineering eventually led to a more robust profile and matches starting at the 4th to 5th cousin level.
His ethnicity was determined to be a rare 100% African with living genetic matches in the country of Benin in West Africa. This fact lends credence to the hypothesis that he was from a closed community, not unlike the nearby Gullah Geechee fishing village established in the late 19th century. He may have been a first generation South Carolinian.
Through oral history interviews, media outreach, cemetery mapping, and targeted reference testing, we have arrived at the 2nd cousin level of matching and are closer than ever to establishing his identity.
South Island John Doe’s closest matches show a strong connection to the Pawley’s Island area and the surnames of Grate, Thompson, Rhue, Jordan, and Geddes. In 2025, we began YDNA studies to help determine his paternal side.
We have interviewed surviving family members of 6 men who are known to have drowned or gone missing during this era. All were ruled out.
If you have Georgetown County, South Carolina African American roots and would like to contribute a DNA sample, please use this button to join the project. If you’ve already taken a DNA test, please be sure to upload your raw data to GEDmatch.
Project Background
Archaeologists seek relatives of young 20th century fisherman
Following Hurricane Irma in 2017, the skeletal remains of a young man were discovered near the site of ongoing archaeological research in Georgetown County, South Carolina between Mosquito Creek and Winyah Bay. The project to identify him, led by historical archaeologists with the SC Department of Natural Resources Heritage Trust is part of their ongoing historic preservation work with an historical Gullah Geechee fishing village.
Bioanthropological examination indicated he was a teen and likely worked a fisherman. Early indications suggested he died in the late 19th or early 20th century. Recent radiocarbon dating suggests that he died around 1929.
We are working with the SC Department of Natural Resources in order to fulfill their goal of providing him with a proper burial amongst his ancestors. More information can be found in a story on the WPDE-TV website.
Major funding for this project was provided by a Hurricane Irma Emergency Supplemental Historic Preservation Grant from the National Park Service and the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Genealogy For Justice’s Dean and Tina Linn Clouse Memorial Fund is assisting with community DNA testing.
Paypal Donation
If you would like to donate using Paypal, please use our Paypal donation button below. Your generosity will help bring closure to families of the missing and unidentified. All donations to Genealogy For Justice™ are tax deductible.