Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland

Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland is a work of scientific nonfiction written in 2009 by Sally M. Walker. Walker, who has written many scientific nonfiction books for young adults, examines case studies of archaeological finds in the Chesapeake region with the collaboration of forensic anthropologist Doug Owsley, with whom she has worked on other books. Her approach combines discussion of scientific processes with historical context, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of the Daily Lives of American Colonists while underscoring the importance of Connecting the Historical Record to Archaeological Evidence and The Role of Science in Understanding Human History.

Written in Bone is on many reading lists for public libraries and is listed as an American Library Association (ALA) Notable Book. It also won the Benjamin Franklin Award for independent publishers in 2010.

This guide uses the 2009 Carolrhoda Books print edition.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss racism and enslavement.

Summary

The narrative is separated geographically, examining the excavations at Jamestown first and then the various excavations in Maryland. Walker gives a separate narrative for each person, though similar scientific techniques feature throughout the book. These techniques include isotope analysis, ground-penetrating radar, and stratigraphy.

In an introductory note, Walker discusses her background in anthropology and why she decided to write the book. She also notes whose stories are being told in the book and who was deliberately left out: The book largely focuses on European settlers and deliberately avoids discussing the Chesapeake’s Indigenous peoples because their burial sites cannot be excavated without disrespecting Indigenous cultural practices and beliefs.

Chapters 1-5 cover several different investigations at Jamestown—the first permanent English colony in the Americas, settled in 1607. Walker explains that for many years, historians believed that the nearby river had destroyed all remnants of the settlement’s “James Fort”; however, the discovery of a boy known as JR1225B by the Jamestown Recovery Project helped a team of archaeologists discover the fort’s location. The boy’s skeleton was also significant in its own right; his remains were delicate and poorly preserved, but the team of forensic anthropologists were able to determine his European background and identified several severe health issues. After JR1225B, Walker discusses “the Captain,” whom she later identifies as Bartholomew Gosnold. To make a positive identification, anthropologists consulted archival records. They found several possible candidates, including one that matched evidence from artifacts, skeletal remains, and the written record. The Captain was of relatively high social status, which explains why his skeleton showed fewer signs of wear than many other remains.

Chapters 6-9 deal with investigations in colonial Maryland, which Walker explains was a haven for English Catholics. The case studies include an indentured servant found on the Leavy Neck plantation, three bodies buried in lead coffins, and an unnamed woman of African descent known as HK7. The indentured servant was a teenage boy of European ancestry whose remains showed signs of intense physical labor and possible abuse; Walker speculates that he might have died under suspicious circumstances, which would explain his surreptitious and disrespectful burial in a trash heap. The lead coffins contained a child showing signs of rickets and anemia, a 60-year-old woman with severe osteoporosis and arsenic poisoning from medicinal practices, and a man identified as Philip Calvert, a colonial figure of high status. Like many other remains, HK7’s pointed to a life of heavy physical labor, but scientists were unable to determine whether she was an enslaved person, a servant, or free. Walker closes the book by providing a description of how forensic artists reconstruct a person’s likeness, using HK7 as an example.