DNA Study Uncovers Jamestown Family Secrets

A recent DNA study conducted by scientists from the Smithsonian Institution and Harvard Medical School has identified the remains of two high-status individuals buried in the chancel of the 1608 church at Jamestown, revealing unexpected familial connections. The men have been identified as Sir Ferdinando Wainman and Captain William West, both linked to Thomas West, the first governor of the Virginia colony. Notably, the analysis showed that they were maternally related, suggesting that Captain William West may have been an illegitimate child of a prominent family member, a detail not previously documented due to the stigma surrounding illegitimacy in the 17th century. This discovery, published in the journal *Antiquity*, marks the first successful use of ancient DNA as a tool for identification at the Jamestown site. The findings highlight the complexities of lineage and social status in early colonial America, as well as the historical significance of the Jamestown settlement as the first permanent English colony in the New World. These revelations were made possible through rigorous comparisons of DNA with historical records and archaeological evidence.