DNA solves the mystery of a body found in the Arctic in 1859

Anthropologists from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Waterloo led the research, using DNA recovered from skeletal remains and comparing it with samples provided by living descendants. The four new matches raise the number of Franklin expedition sailors identified through DNA to six.

A Fatal Escape Across the Arctic

By April 1848, Franklin's two ships, Erebus and Terror, had been trapped in Arctic ice for nearly two years. The 105 surviving crew members abandoned the vessels and began a desperate attempt to reach safety, traveling along the west coast of King William Island, Nunavut, while hauling boats on sleds.

None survived the journey.

Since the mid-19th century, remains belonging to members of the expedition have been discovered on King William Island and the Adelaide Peninsula. The latest DNA identifications provide new insight into what happened during the expedition's final stages while also resolving a 166-year-old mystery surrounding one sailor's identity.

"Three of the sailors we have identified are from HMS Erebus, and they all died at Erebus Bay. The fourth, the only sailor from the HMS Terror to be definitively identified by DNA analysis, was found 130 kilometers away," said Dr. Douglas Stenton, Adjunct Professor of anthropology at Waterloo.

DNA Solves the Mystery of Harry Peglar

The sailor found far from the others has now been identified as Harry Peglar, Captain of the Foretop on HMS Terror.

His identity had been uncertain since 1859, when a body was discovered carrying Peglar's personal documents. The clothing found with the remains, however, did not correspond to Peglar's rank, creating a mystery that persisted for generations.

"It was interesting to conclusively identify this sailor because the body was found with almost the only written documents from the expedition ever found," said Dr. Robert Park, Professor of anthropology at Waterloo and co-researcher with Stenton.

Those documents became known as the "Peglar Papers." Found alongside Peglar's seaman's certificate, they contain poetry as well as what appear to be descriptions of events that unfolded during the expedition.

Three More Members of HMS Erebus Identified

The researchers also identified William Orren, Able Seaman; David Young, Boy 1st Class; and John Bridgens, Subordinate Officers' Steward.

Their identities confirm that all three survived the expedition's first three years and were among the crew members who ultimately tried to escape the Arctic after abandoning the trapped ships.

The findings build on earlier DNA work by the same research team. In 2021, DNA from a living descendant allowed researchers to identify John Gregory, Engineer of HMS Erebus.

Another breakthrough followed in 2024, when DNA identified James Fitzjames, the Captain of Erebus. Evidence from Fitzjames' remains showed that his body had been subject to cannibalism. By contrast, the remains of the four sailors identified in the latest research show no evidence of cannibalism.

"For the living descendants, these findings provide previously unavailable details regarding the circumstances and locations of their relatives' deaths, as well as the identities of some of the shipmates who died with them," Stenton said.

A BBC Journalist Discovers a Family Connection

The research also revealed a remarkable connection to the present. Rich Preston, a BBC News journalist, was found to be a descendant of John Bridgens.

"I was so intrigued when Dr. Stenton first contacted me, telling me about his work and asking if I'd be willing to provide a DNA sample," Preston said. "It was such a huge surprise to hear from the team that my DNA was a match with one of the sailors on the doomed Franklin expedition. I used to work on a genealogy show for the BBC that traced people's fascinating family stories, and so to discover that there's such an interesting tale in my own family's past feels very exciting."

Matching DNA Across Generations

To identify the four sailors, Stephen Fratpietro, study co-author from Lakehead University, extracted DNA from the archaeological remains. The genetic material was then compared with mitochondrial and Y-chromosome DNA supplied by descendants.

In each of the four new identifications, the researchers found a genetic distance of zero, providing strong evidence that the remains and the living DNA donors share a common ancestor.

DNA from descendants has become essential for identifying more of the Franklin expedition's dead and for piecing together details of the crew's final attempt to escape.

To qualify for this type of comparison, descendants must have genealogical records showing a direct and uninterrupted maternal or paternal line. Researchers are encouraging other descendants of Franklin expedition members to contact the team, since additional DNA samples could help identify more of the still unknown remains.

Two Studies Detail the Discoveries

The findings are reported in two scientific papers. "DNA identifications of three 1845 Franklin expedition sailors from HMS Erebus" appears in Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

The second paper by the same authors, "Some very hard ground to heave': DNA identification of Harry Peglar, Captain of the Foretop, HMS Terror," appears in Polar Record.