DNA Unveils Identity of Northwest Passage Expedition Victim, Captain James Fitzjames

For over a century, the bones of sailors from Sir John Franklin’s ill-fated 1845 Northwest Passage expedition remained scattered across an Arctic island, with many showing signs of cannibalism. Now, thanks to DNA extracted from a single molar, researchers have identified one of these men as Captain James Fitzjames of the HMS Erebus.

Fitzjames, a seasoned Royal Navy officer, was part of Franklin’s 129-man crew, which set out to explore the Northwest Passage aboard the Erebus and Terror. The journey ended in disaster, with all members succumbing to the harsh Arctic environment. Despite numerous expeditions between 1847 and 1859 to locate the lost ships, they were only found decades later, aided by Inuit oral histories.

In 2013, Canadian researchers began a bio-archaeological study of the remains found on King William Island, Nunavut. Among these were eight mandibles, one of which contained the molar that matched Fitzjames’ DNA to living relatives. The identification, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, marks Fitzjames as just the second positively identified crew member after John Gregory, an engineer on the Erebus.

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The expedition’s survivors, who abandoned their stranded vessels, faced extreme conditions. Evidence suggests that a combination of scurvy, hypothermia, and cannibalism contributed to their deaths. Fitzjames was one of those who perished after writing the expedition’s last known message in 1847, stating that Sir John Franklin had died and noting the increasing loss of crew members.

Douglas Stenton, the lead researcher, emphasizes the dire circumstances that led to survival cannibalism. Recent findings underscore the immense suffering endured by the crew, reshaping historical narratives around one of Britain’s most catastrophic polar expeditions. Though discrepancies remain between archaeological evidence and Inuit accounts of the event, Fitzjames’ identification brings a human element to the tragic tale, as per The Guardian.