Century-Old Little Girl Found In Coffin Under San Francisco Home Identified

Researchers announced that the 19th-century body of a little girl found last year in a small metal casket under a San Francisco home was identified. The girl was Edith Howard Cook, two-year-old, who died on October 13, 1876, six weeks short of her third birthday, said the charity Garden of Innocence.

Elissa Davey, a genealogist and founder of the Garden of Innocence Project, last year arranged a reburial of the girl in Colma and began her search to identify the remains.

Scientists caught a break after hundreds of hours trying to find Edith’s identity when they discovered a map of the old cemetery at a University of California, Berkeley library, and matched it to a plot where her parents, Horatio Cook and Edith Scooffy, were once buried.

Researchers looked for living descendants once they had the family name, one of whom volunteered his DNA for research. Marin County resident Peter Cook – Edith’s grandnephew – was a match for DNA taken from strands of her hair.

UC Davis Professor Jelmer Eerkens, who helped with the DNA testing, told KTVU that Edith died of marasmus, which is severe undernourishment.

‘It’s likely she was sick with some disease and at some point her immune system couldn’t combat the disease and probably went into coma and passed away,’ he said.

The girl’s well-off family gave her an ornate burial. She was clothed in a white christening dress and ankle-high boots.  Tiny purple flowers were woven into her hair and she held a purple Nightshade flower in her right hand. 

Roses, eucalyptus leaves and baby’s breath were placed inside the coffin, according to the Garden of Innocence report.

Edith’s father was a businessman, the report said. 

Her maternal grandfather was an original member of the Society of California Pioneers, which is an organization founded by California residents who arrived before 1850.

When the child was initially discovered, she was named Miranda Eve, until she was finally identified. During a reburial service last May, people from all over California came to pay their respects to Edith, whose blonde hair and skin were still perfectly preserved. 

The Knights of Columbus, a Catholic based fraternal organization, dressed to the nines to carry the casket to its resting place.  Four men lowered a new, cherry-wood casket into the earth as approximately 100 mourners threw flowers and petals on top.

Speakers played ‘A Trumpeter’s Lullaby’ during the 10am memorial.  Michael Dunn, from the Garden of Innocence, said it was important they buried Edith because she’d been forgotten for so long.

‘She was forgotten and overlooked for more than 100 years, that ends today,’ Dunn said last year. 

Garden of Innocence charity Ellisa Davey has been helping to bury the bodies of unidentified children in California for nearly 20 years. Once the child’s body was found, Davey got in touch with homeowner Ericka Karner.

Davey then planned for Miranda’s reburial. ‘It was tough, very tough. But she is not just our child. She is everyone’s,’ she said. 

All materials used in the funeral, including the casket, were donated. 

Her headstone, in the shape of a heart, reads: ‘Miranda Eve. The Child Loved Around The World. If no one grieves, No one will remember!’  

The back was made flat in case her real name was discovered. Now, since she is known as Edith, her name will be etched into the back. Construction workers were remodeling Karner’s childhood home in the Richmond District when they hit the lead and bronze coffin buried underneath the concrete garage. 

The three-foot casket’s two windows revealed Edith’s perfectly preserved skin and long blonde hair. Construction worker Kevin Boylan told KTVU at the time: ‘All the hair was still there. The nails were there. There were flowers – roses, still on the child’s body. It was a sight to see.’ 

There were no markings on the purple velvet-lined coffin to identify the child after she was discovered on May 9, 2016.

Karner was soon surprised to find out from the medical examiner’s office that the child had become her responsibility. The city refused to take custody of Edith, and the problems continued when Karner tried to have the girl reburied. Karner was told she needed a death certificate to obtain a burial permit for the girl. A Colma undertaker was willing to take the body – for a cool $7,000. 

An East Bay archaeological company’s price was even steeper at $22,000. 

Meanwhile, Edith’s body was deteriorating inside her coffin in Karner’s backyard because the seal was broken after the coroner’s superior instructed him to open the casket.

‘It didn’t seem right,’ Karner told the San Francisco Chronicle last year. ‘The city decided to move all these bodies 100 years ago, and they should stand behind their decision.’ 

City Hall finally put Karner in touch with someone who could help, connecting her to the Garden of Innocence. 

That’s when Davey, who was able to secure the funds needed to have the coffin picked up and temporarily stored in a mortuary refrigerator in Fresno, said they needed to do the ‘right thing’.

‘That girl was somebody’s child,’ she said. ‘We had to pick her up.’ 

It was obvious to Davey that Miranda’s parents loved her very much. 

‘Just by looking at the way they dressed her,’ she wrote. ‘Their sorrow was great. We will love her too.’   

Davey has been saving forgotten children since 1998, when she read a story about a baby boy who died after he was dumped in a trash can at a college campus.

A month later, the boy was still on her mind. She called up the county coroner, who told her the boy was headed for an unmarked grave if he was not claimed. 

Davey asked what she could do and the coroner replied she could lay claim to the boy, as long as she proved to him she had a ‘dignified place’ to lay the child to rest, according to Inside Edition. 

Since that day, Davey and Garden of Innocence has provided memorial services to nearly 300 unclaimed children.  The children are all given names before they are buried with a blanket, soft toy and personalized poem in a wooden casket fitted with lace, made by the Boy Scouts. Services are sometimes attended by up to 300 people, including military members, policemen and even parents who have lost children of their own. 

‘We have become a place where people find closure,’ Davey said.

And it is closure Davey wanted and received for little Edith.

Skeletons Found Under a Florida Wine Shop May Be Some of America’s First Colonists

Historians recently announced in Florida that several small children’s bones buried beneath underneath the last place one might think to look: a wine shop.

However, there will be no police inquiry. The Florida wine shop happens to be located in St. Augustine, America’s oldest city. And those bones? They’re just about as old as the city is.

The archaeologists actually believe that these skeletal remains could have been among the first settlers in North America.

In the past few weeks, researchers have found seven people including three children, in the ancient graveyard.

According to the St. Augustine Register, one of them was a young white European woman.

Researchers are still examining the other remains, but a pottery fragment found nearby suggests that these people died sometime between 1572 and 1586.

“What you’re dealing with is people who made St. Augustine what it is,” Carl Halbirt, St. Augustine city archaeologist, tells FirstCoast News. “You’re in total awe. You want to treat everything with respect, and we are.

Archaeologists were able to dig underneath the building thanks to the effects of last year’s Hurricane Matthew, the flooding from which convinced the building’s owner that it was time to replace the wooden floor.

According to Smithsonian Magazine, the building’s floor was constructed in 1888, and the soil beneath the building has remained untouched since then, thus creating a virtual time capsule.

The building also happens to be built where the ancient Church of Nuestra Señora de la Remedios used to stand.

“The mission churches across Florida buried everybody in the church floor,” Ellsbeth Gordon, an architectural historian, told FirstCoast News. “It was consecrated ground, of course.”

According to Smithsonian, Sir Francis Drake burned the church down in 1586, a hurricane destroyed it again in 1599, and the British once again burned it down in 1702.

That last time may have been for good, but until then the church had been the main meeting point for a colony that had been established 55 years before the Pilgrims ever set foot on Plymouth Rock.

While the archaeologists are planning on moving the bones found outside the wine shop to a nearby cemetery, the skeletons found inside will stay right where they have lain for the past 400 years.

Archaeologists Uncover Evidence of British Rule in Florida

A recent archaeological excavation in St. Augustine, Florida, has revealed a British redoubt dating back to 1781, offering valuable insight into the city’s history during British rule.

Founded by the Spanish in the 16th century, St. Augustine served as the capital of La Florida for more than 200 years. Today, it holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the United States.

The discovery of the redoubt adds a significant chapter to St. Augustine’s rich history, which predates the establishment of the United States. City archaeologists uncovered the fortified military outpost during excavations in the Lincolnville neighborhood, prior to the construction of a new home.

City archaeologist Andrea White stated that St. Augustine experienced a 20-year period of British rule, during which seven redoubts were constructed. She noted that, until recently, no archaeological evidence of these structures had been found, despite having rough ideas of their locations based on historic maps.

The Castillo de San Marcos, built by the Spanish military in the late 1600s, remains a prominent landmark on the western shore of Florida’s Matanzas Bay, now serving as a national monument rather than a military installation. When the British took control of Florida in 1763, St. Augustine already had extensive Spanish-built defenses. However, British officers, concerned about potential attacks from a nearby river, ordered the construction of outposts along the city’s western edge.

White noted that Britain’s relatively brief occupation of St. Augustine, which ended with the American Revolution in 1783, has largely faded from collective memory.

The discovery of the fort serves as a means to reclaim a piece of this lost history. “That’s what’s interesting about these British redoubts; they’re the only defenses that the British built themselves,” she explained. “Everything else that’s in St. Augustine or the surrounding area that everyone’s familiar with was already built by the Spanish. The British just kind of reoccupied them.”

The structure was uncovered thanks to a unique archaeological preservation ordinance adopted by St. Augustine in 1986. Founded in 1565, St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the U.S. To document and preserve its history, the city has its own archaeology program as part of the planning and permitting department.

White explained that the archaeological team is given the opportunity to document existing structures before construction begins. She emphasized that the goal is not to halt construction but to allow time for documentation and to gain a deeper understanding of the area’s history, after which the project can proceed.

White was aware that the area under development had a long history, dating back to a Native American mission in the early 1700s, followed by an agricultural plantation and later the construction of the Lincolnville neighborhood after the Civil War. “So we knew we had multiple centuries of history that could potentially be on the property, but we’re pretty excited to actually find evidence,” she said. “What we found evidence of was a large moat about 15 feet wide that would have been part of the rampart.”

While researchers found few artifacts at the site and are still determining the fort’s actual size and shape, they did recover thousands of different types of seeds. White mentioned that they are collaborating with a paleoethnobotanist to learn how the structure was built and used. It’s possible that plants like Spanish bayonet or prickly pear cactuses were utilized to prevent erosion or slow down attacking soldiers.

“So we’re very hopeful that we might find some good information from our plant remains that we’ve recovered,” White added.

Jason Heidgerken, the contractor working on the lot where the fort’s moat was discovered, acknowledged that the city’s archaeological program can cause delays. However, he praised White and her team for their effective communication, allowing him to adjust his timelines accordingly.

“I’ve been around St. Augustine since 1980 personally, and part of the attraction is the history,” Heidgerken remarked. “So if you want to live there and do this kind of business, it’s to be expected, and you need to have the patience for it.”

Archaeologists Discover a New Pyramid from the Caral Culture, Known as South America’s Oldest Civilization

The team from the Caral Archaeological Zone has discovered a new pyramidal structure in the “Sector F” of the Chupacigarro archaeological site, located one kilometer west of the Sacred City of Caral-Supe, a World Heritage site, in the Supe Valley, Barranca province, Lima Region, Peru.

The discovery was made by a multidisciplinary team from the Caral Archaeological Zone, led by Dr. Ruth Shady. Originally covered with huarango trees and bushes, the structure later revealed stone walls with at least three superimposed platforms and large ‘huancas’ (vertical stones) marking the corners of the building.

The structure, which is quadrangular in shape, features a central staircase that allows access to its summit. The “huancas” served not only a structural function but also a symbolic one, highlighting the ceremonial importance of the site.

The site contains 12 public or ceremonial structures distributed across hills, presided over by a Main Building with a sunken circular plaza. Additionally, residential areas have been identified on the periphery, suggesting a small urban center of 38.59 hectares with both public and private functions.

Chupacigarro is situated adjacent to a small water ravine, in proximity to the Sacred City of Caral Supe. The recently uncovered pyramid is an integral component of a broader network of architectural structures identified across multiple archaeological sites within the Supe Valley region.

The twelve identified structures, classified as either public or ceremonial edifices, are strategically dispersed throughout the landscape, positioned atop the small hills that characterize the ravine and encircling a central communal space. These constructions were erected by the Caral civilization, which thrived in ancient Peru from approximately 3000 to 1800 B.C.

The Caral civilization is one of the oldest and most advanced civilizations in ancient Peru, existing between approximately 3000 and 1800 B.C. in the Supe Valley. This civilization made significant advancements in agriculture, architecture, and social organization.

Caral is known for its large pyramids, public buildings, and complex social structures. Additionally, while Caral did not use a written language, it possessed a complex social hierarchy and trade network. These characteristics contributed to Caral’s prominent status among Andean civilizations.

The architectural structures at the Chupacigarro site exhibit a diverse range of sizes, orientations, and formal characteristics, suggesting a correlation with their functional purposes.

Notably, residential architecture has been identified along the periphery of the site. A prominent building oversees a series of smaller structures, featuring a sunken circular plaza that is characteristic of this historical period.

These significant findings have prompted experts to assert the existence of a small urban settlement that once thrived in the area, which spans nearly 38.59 hectares.

Under the leadership of Dr. Ruth Shady, the research team responsible for the Chupacigarro discovery is now set to undertake a comprehensive mapping of the entire site to gain a clearer understanding of its overall dimensions and significance.

In addition to the architectural findings at Chupacigarro, one of the most remarkable discoveries is a geoglyph depicting a profile head in the Sechín style, which can only be observed from a specific vantage point.

This significant finding underscores the ritual and symbolic importance of Chupacigarro, suggesting a connection to the Sacred City of Caral and the coastal populations of the Huaura Valley.

The geoglyph indicates that the site may have served as a focal point for cultural and ceremonial activities, facilitating access to both marine and agricultural resources that were vital to the communities in the region.

Research Shows Early North Americans Made Eyed Needles from Fur-Bearers

Archaeologists from the University of Wyoming have found bone 13,000-year-old eyed needles crafted from the bones of various furry animals. The discovery sheds light on the lives of these early inhabitants of North America.

The important find comes from an important archaeological site in Wyoming, where, about 13,000 years ago, the early humans hunted a Columbian mammoth or ate its carcass.

The study, led by archaeologist Spencer Pelton, reveals that these primitive inhabitants made needles from the bones of animals such as foxes, hares, rabbits, bobcats, mountain lions, lynx, and the now-extinct American cheetah to create garments necessary for survival in a cool climate.

Paleolithic humans used the entire animal for much more than just food, which is not surprising given the harsh environment that required warm clothing. However, the 32 bone needles that were recently found provide an intricacy of craftsmanship and detail into the lives of our human ancestors.

Additionally, they identify an intriguing relationship between innovation and clothing that allowed early humans to migrate to and even survive in colder climates.

“Our study is the first to identify the species and likely elements from which Paleoindians produced eyed bone needles,” the researchers wrote. “Our results are strong evidence for tailored garment production using bone needles and fur-bearing animal pelts. These garments partially enabled modern human dispersal to northern latitudes and eventually enabled colonization of the Americas.”

The LaPrele site in Converse County preserves the remains of a killed or scavenged sub-adult mammoth and an associated camp occupied during the time the animal was butchered almost 13,000 years ago. Also discovered in the archaeological excavation — led by UW Department of Anthropology Professor Todd Surovell — was a bead made from a hare bone, the oldest known bead in the Americas.

To determine the origins of both the bone bead and the bone needles, the researchers used advanced techniques, such as zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry (ZooMS), to analyze the collagen deposits in the bones and identify the animal bones from which they were carved. The amino acids of animals in these artifacts were compared with those of animals between 13,500 and 12,000 years ago.

In presenting evidence for tailored garment production, researchers are highlighting a crucial innovation, as clothing that binds closely to the skin traps heat more effectively than draped clothing, along with stitched seams.

“Despite the importance of bone needles to explaining global modern human dispersal, archaeologists have never identified the materials used to produce them, thus limiting understanding of this important cultural innovation,” the researchers wrote.

Previous research has shown that, in order to cope with cold temperatures in northern latitudes, humans likely created tailored garments with closely stitched seams, providing a barrier against the elements.

While there’s little direct evidence of such garments, there is indirect evidence in the form of bone needles and the bones of fur-bearers whose pelts were used in the garments.

“Once equipped with such garments, modern humans had the capacity to expand their range to places from which they were previously excluded due to the threat of hypothermia or death from exposure,” Pelton and his colleagues wrote.

“Our results are a good reminder that foragers use animal products for a wide range of purposes other than subsistence and that the mere presence of animal bones in an archaeological site need not be indicative of diet,” the researchers concluded.

Early Paleoindian use of canids, felids, and hares for bone needle production at the La Prele site, Wyoming, USA, PLOS ONE (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0313610

University of Wyoming

Cover Image Credit: An eyed needle made from the bone of a red fox found at the LaPrele archaeological site in Wyoming’s Converse County. Photo: Todd Surovell

Oldest US firearm unearthed in Arizona, a 500-year-old bronze cannon linked to Coronado expedition

Independent researchers in Arizona have unearthed a bronze cannon linked to the 16th-century expedition of Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, and it is marked to be the oldest known firearm found in the continental United States.

The 42-inch-long, roughly 40-pound sand-cast bronze cannon was discovered at the location of a Spanish stone-and-adobe structure in the Santa Cruz Valley that is thought to have been a part of the short-lived settlement San Geronimo III.

To finance an expedition to North America in 1539, Vázquez de Coronado took out large loans and mortgaged his wife’s possessions. The Spanish conquistador and his 350 soldiers intended to locate the legendary (and nonexistent) Seven Cities of Gold north of Mexico. By 1541, they had reached southern Arizona, where they established a settlement they called San Geronimo III, or Suya. San Geronimo was the first European town in the American Southwest.

 Rather than accumulating immense wealth, Coronado and his men plied, and spent the next three years plundering, enslaving, and murdering their way across the region.

These transgressions did not go unanswered. In the predawn hours of one fateful morning in 1541, the native Sobaipuri launched a surprise attack on the town. Many settlers were killed in their beds, and the survivors fled in disarray. The cannon — meant to intimidate and protect — was never even loaded.

Although Coronado was bankrupt and facing war crime charges when his expedition came to an end in Mexico City, his impact on North America would last for many generations.

One site in particular has produced a large number of artifacts associated with the explorers, according to the authors of a study published on November 21st in the International Journal of Historical Archeology.

Researchers found European pottery, weapon parts, including a 42-inch-long bronze cannon, and glass and olive jar fragments in the ruins of a stone and adobe building in Arizona’s Santa Cruz Valley.

“Not only is it the first gun ever recovered from the Coronado expedition, but consultation with experts throughout the continent and in Europe reveal that it is also the oldest firearm ever found inside the continental USA,” Archaeologist Deni Seymour explained.

The early firearm also called a wall gun, was typically used as a defensive weapon positioned on a wooden tripod on fortification walls and required two operators. However, in Coronado’s case, such a cannon would have been used offensively, typically to pierce the weaker walls of buildings in Indigenous communities.

Archaeologists were able to date the cannon to Coronado’s time using radiocarbon dating and optically stimulated luminescence techniques, and the other artifacts matched descriptions of the supplies and possessions of his expedition.

However, the wall gun’s simple casting suggests that, in contrast to more elaborate Spanish cannons, it might have been built in Mexico or the Caribbean—and possibly even acquired from Ponce de León’s previous expedition.

Seymour, D., Mapoles, W.P. Coronado’s Cannon: A 1539-42 Coronado Expedition Cannon Discovered in Arizona. Int J Histor Archaeol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10761-024-00761-7

Cover Image Credit: A bronze medieval-style wall or rampart gun, believed to have been part of the Francisco Vázquez de Coronado expedition found in southern Arizona. Credit: Deni J. Seymour