SC SC - Blk/Male fisherman 'South Island John Doe' *historical remains* - found after Hurricane Irma 2017, Georgetown County

[Melt71]

Historical remains to be identified, funded by the Dean and Tina Linn Clouse Memorial Fund.

South Island John Doe | Genealogy For Justice™

genealogyforjustice.org

Following Hurricane Irma in 2017, the skeletal remains of a young fisherman were discovered near the site of ongoing archaeological research in Georgetown County, South Carolina.Archival research identified the area where he was found as a 19th century fishing village, located between Mosquito Creek and Winyah Bay. His clothing resembles the fishermen shown in early 20th century photographs.

 

[Melt71]

www.wltx.com/article/news/history/can-you-help-solve-a-133-year-old-mystery-identify-remains-1890-georgetown-southcarolina/101-39506da9-93f5-4cb7-b6d0-b84c190113f4

Article contains lots of information about the efforts made on the project site near which this young man's remains were found.

<snip> Archaeologists have invited representatives from the African American and Gullah Geechee communities to tour the site and participate in the project, including the archaeological lab and fieldwork, oral history, archival research, and the development of educational outreach programs. The ongoing research not only tells interrelated stories of climate, fishing, and Gullah Geechee life, it has resulted in a larger shoreline survey project documenting Gullah Geechee sites before they are lost to erosion and sea level rise.
SCDNR hopes to identify the remains through DNA analysis..........

......Telling his story and saying his name for the first time in decades are the next step to provide a proper burial for him.<snip>

 

[Melt71]

Further updates on this case from 2025:

Through oral history interviews, media outreach, cemetery mapping, and targeted reference testing, we have arrived at the 2nd cousin level of matching and are closer than ever to establishing his identity.

South Island John Doe’s closest matches show a strong connection to the Pawley’s Island area and the surnames of Grate, Thompson, Rhue, Jordan, and Geddes. In 2025, we began YDNA studies to help determine his paternal side.

We have interviewed surviving family members of 6 men who are known to have drowned or gone missing during this era. All were ruled out.

Source: South Island John Doe - Help us send him home

 

[GracefulD1an]

OK…we have managed to determine an ancestral tie to Pawley Island. That’s excellent. Better than I expected honestly. I wonder if there is any oral history about the village he was found near? If we can get a list of families from that village and see if there were any marriages to people from Pawley Island with connections to the surnames listed then that could help identify him. Fingers crossed that someone finds a list of families from the village in question.