Canadian Archeologists Dig Into Explorer History

Canadian archeologists have used DNA to identify the remains of a sailor from the ill-fated Franklin expedition and link him with his modern-day descendants.

And a South African man says he couldn’t be more proud and delighted by the family connection.

It’s the first time genetics have been used to identify any of the 129 officers and crew on the expedition, which was lost in Canada’s High Arctic in 1848 while searching for the Northwest Passage.

Jonathan Gregory of Port Elizabeth, South Africa says DNA confirms his great-great-great-grandfather, John Gregory, was among the trek engineers who died on the excursion.

Source: Canadian Press