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The skeletal remains of a senior officer of Sir John Franklin's 1845 Northwest Passage expedition have been identified by researchers from the University of Waterloo and Lakehead University using DNA and genealogical analyses.

"Identification of a Senior Officer from Sir John Franklin's Northwest Passage Expedition" by Stenton, Fratpietro and Park was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

In April of 1848 James Fitzjames of HMS Erebus helped lead 105 survivors from their ice-trapped ships in an attempt to escape the Arctic. None would survive. Since the mid-19th century, remains of dozens of them have been found around King William Island, Nunavut.

The identification was made possible by a DNA sample from a living descendant, which matched the DNA that was discovered at the archaeological site on King William Island where 451 bones from at least 13 Franklin sailors were found.

"We worked with a good quality sample that allowed us to generate a Y-chromosome profile, and we were lucky enough to obtain a match," said Stephen Fratpietro of Lakehead's Paleo-DNA lab.

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