Interdisciplinary identification of the skeletal remains of Catherine Roberts-Davies, The first Welsh settler death in Patagonia, Argentina in 1865

Abstract

In 1995, an almost complete human skeleton was found in Punta Cuevas, in the southern coast of Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina. The burial traits and the associated objects suggested the skeleton might belong to Mrs. Catherine Roberts-Davies, a middle-aged woman who was the first dead person among the first group of 163 Welsh settlers that set sail on May 28, 1865, from Liverpool to Bahía Nueva, in Argentinian Patagonia. The aim of this paper is to present the interdisciplinary studies conducted between 1995 and 2016 in order to identify these remains and to explore the possible causes of death. The age at death of the skeleton was estimated between 25 and 40 years old and sexed as female. The analyses of mtDNA haplogroup resulted in K2a, which is highly frequent in European populations. An ascendant maternal genealogy of Mrs. Roberts-Davies was reconstructed, based on documentary sources. After this genealogical research, a living descendant, who currently lives in Wales, was found. An mtDNA analysis of control region 16024-576 was compared among samples taken from the unknown skeleton and the descendant. The results confirmed that the skeleton found in Punta Cuevas belongs to Mrs. Catherine Roberts-Davies. With respect to the cause of death, according to two historical medical reports, Mrs. Roberts-Davies died from “black fever” (i.e., visceral leishmaniasis) or scurvy. Skeletal evidence suggests that she could have suffered from scurvy as a consequence of the harsh conditions of living during the trip from Liverpool and the first days after the arrival to Patagonia.