THE CAMDEN FOURTEEN
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The Camden Fourteen
Identifying America's First Veterans
Camden Fourteen DNA Study – His name was John PumphreyAllison Peacock2026-06-26T17:44:48-04:00
Meet our first DNA-identified soldier
Private John Pumphrey,
7th Maryland
Boys who died submitted no pension requests.
They are harder for us to see.*
As announced before some of his close relatives in Baltimore, Maryland on June 18, 2026, FHD Forensics’ analysis of three kinds of DNA evidence have confirmed the identity of Private John Pumphrey of Anne Arundel County, Maryland. He is the first of 14 Battle of Camden casualties reburied in 2023 to be identified.
Formerly known simply as Camden 9B for his discovery in Burial 9 with 4 other Continentals, John enlisted on January 5, 1777, after traveling from his rural Anne Arundel County home to Baltimore City to build a new life for himself as a soldier. That new life, after several years as an orphan, was cut short when he fell 3 1/2 years later in a South Carolina pine forest on August 16, 1780 in one of the bloodiest battles of the entire Revolutionary War. He was just a teenager.
• Read Private John Pumphrey’s biography on FHD Founder, Allison Peacock’s personal blog.
• Read about our collaborators on this 246 year old DNA identification
• Read the press release about his identification and the Baltimore event with his relatives
In the News
• Listen/Read on NPR: All Things Considered
• Read/Watch the WMAR-ABC story
• Read/Watch the WBAL-NBC story
• Read on USA Today
*Caroline Cox, Boy Soldiers of the American Revolution
Image: South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust
DONATE TO THIS PROJECT OF A LIFETIME
While long term grants are being sought, our sister organization, Genealogy For Justice adopted this project for crowdfunding purposes. Thanks to the genetic relatives of Camden 9B and Camden 11A, we are still working hard to get these heroes the recognition that they deserve. These are truly America’s first John Does. Your tax deductible donation will help us continue our work!
IN MEMORIAM
Julie Garafola
August 15, 1965 – May 27, 2026
The identification of John Pumphrey and the crowdfunding campaign to continue our work was made possible in part by a generous donation from Julie Garafola who was taken from us too soon. Julie was passionate about reuniting the unidentified with their families.
DONATE NOW
Project Background
Ancient DNA Unlocks the Stories of Our Heroes
The identification of Private John Pumphrey happened because of the dedication and passion of FHD Forensics’ diverse team of genealogical experts, through thick and thin. Supported by a world-class slate of collaborators, volunteer researchers, military historians, relatives, and archivists, the following team members made a key contribution to the identification of this young hero.
Allison Peacock, President, Genealogist and Biographer
Cyndi Despault, Operations Manager/Stakeholder Engagement & Documentation
Valerie Kemp, Senior Investigative Genealogist
Rebecca Hamilton, JD, Legal Genealogist
Rebekah Canada, Haplogroup Genealogist
Taylor Scott, AIGG, Investigative Genealogist
In 2022, after more than 20 years of planning, the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology (SCIAA) with the valuable assistance of the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust respectfully excavated the remains of 14 Battle of Camden casualties whose shallow battlefield burials were being exposed to the elements. Biological anthropologists from the Richland County Coroner’s Office aided with the recovery of the soldiers’ remains, oversaw the final steps in removal from the ground, and performed forensic anthropological examinations.
FHD Forensics was asked to uncover the stories of these patriots in what are believed to be the oldest unknown subject (John Doe) identifications in the United States. Sponsored by the USC-SCIAA Archaeological Research Trust, paleogenetics experts at Astrea Forensics sequenced the ancient DNA of two of the first two subjects for our genetic genealogy investigation.
FHD uploaded some of the oldest autosomal DNA profiles in the world in December of 2024. A genetic genealogy grant from the Historic Camden Foundation helped fund our research in 2025. Crowdfunding by Genealogy For Justice and the genetic relatives of of the first two subjects brought home the final identification of Camden 9B.
Research commences on Camden 11A in July 2026.
Meet the Team
Meticulous attention to detail and a love of history
Operations Manager Cyndi Despault assisting with research on Camden 9B. (Paul W. Gillespie / Capital Gazette)
Auditing intake forms for 800 project participants and tracking DNA tests for dozens is not for the faint of heart. Luckily Team FHD has a Cyndi. On top of her background in genomics laboratories, Cyndi Despault discovered one of her ancestors fought at the Battle of Camden. She’s also distantly related to Camden...