Analysis of Dental Traits from Revolutionary War Dentition (2021)

Frederick B. Kilmer Research Award

This study examines dental non-metric traits from individuals buried at the Courtland Street Burying Ground in Lake George, New York. In the spring of 1776 American troops stationed in northern New York faced an outbreak of smallpox. To treat the afflicted, a hospital was created at Fort George, where many soldiers succumbed to the disease and were then buried in the surrounding area. In 2019, one of these burial grounds was disturbed by construction, which allowed for data collection to determine possible ethnicity and assess potential relationships between individuals buried there. Dental non-metric traits from thirty individuals were scored using the Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System, which allowed for a comparison of trait frequencies with those of other world populations. Analysis showed that individuals from the Courtland Street Burying Ground share a close affinity to Western Europe; also, several clusters may indicate familial relationships.