Jersey Shore Remains Identified as 19th-Century Captain Using Genetic Genealogy

After decades of mystery, skeletal remains found between 1995 and 2013 on New Jersey beaches have been identified as those of Captain Henry Goodsell, a 19th-century ship captain who died when his schooner, the Oriental, sank near Brigantine Shoal in 1844. Using advanced DNA technology and investigative genetic genealogy, students at Ramapo College of New Jersey's Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center linked bones from three separate locations to Goodsell by tracing his family lineage back to Connecticut and obtaining a DNA sample from his great-great-granddaughter. Initially, experts were uncertain whether the remains were historic or recent, but research into shipwreck records and newspaper archives helped pinpoint the identity. The Oriental was carrying marble to Philadelphia for Girard College when it sank with all five crew members lost. This case is considered the oldest solved using investigative genetic genealogy, highlighting the collaboration between New Jersey State Police and Ramapo College. Goodsell's family has declined to take possession of the remains, which will remain in state custody.