The Moran site (22HR511) in Biloxi, Mississippi, dates from 1719 to 1723 and is the earliest known French Colonial cemetery in the United States. Historical records suggest that those interred likely represent immigrants from Western Europe as well as Africa who were relocated in an effort to colonize the Louisiana Territory. Given the variety of cultural backgrounds at the site, an ancestral analysis of the 25 individuals uncovered has been conducted. Traditional markers such as cranial and tooth morphology and metrics, and enamel composition, were evaluated in all individuals, and DNA was analyzed in five. Stable isotope levels were also assessed to reconstruct diet.
The sample consists of two infants, 21 males and three female adults aged 18 to 45. Results support that most individuals are of European ancestry with strong consensus among those markers employed. Cranial morphology and osteometrics did suggest the presence of two Africans and one possible African. One of these individuals was found with a rosary; the only grave good recovered which leads to the conclusion that slaves were more than likely being converted to Christianity. Thus, data gained from osteological observations, more recently developed analytical techniques, and presence of variant mortuary practices suggest that this French Colonial site exhibited a complex composition of ancestral backgrounds instead of a highly segregated population.
","abstract_html":"<p>The Moran site (22HR511) in Biloxi, Mississippi, dates from 1719 to 1723 and is the earliest known French Colonial cemetery in the United States. Historical records suggest that those interred likely represent immigrants from Western Europe as well as Africa who were relocated in an effort to colonize the Louisiana Territory. Given the variety of cultural backgrounds at the site, an ancestral analysis of the 25 individuals uncovered has been conducted. Traditional markers such as cranial and tooth morphology and metrics, and enamel composition, were evaluated in all individuals, and DNA was analyzed in five. Stable isotope levels were also assessed to reconstruct diet.</p> <p>The sample consists of two infants, 21 males and three female adults aged 18 to 45. Results support that most individuals are of European ancestry with strong consensus among those markers employed. Cranial morphology and osteometrics did suggest the presence of two Africans and one possible African. One of these individuals was found with a rosary; the only grave good recovered which leads to the conclusion that slaves were more than likely being converted to Christianity. Thus, data gained from osteological observations, more recently developed analytical techniques, and presence of variant mortuary practices suggest that this French Colonial site exhibited a complex composition of ancestral backgrounds instead of a highly segregated population.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Cook, Danielle Nicole"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":"Anthropology and Sociology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Marie Danforth","Edwin Jackson","Amy Young"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2011,"date_issued":"2011-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2011-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:44:41Z","subjects":["French colonial cemetery","Biloxi","Mississippi","Louisiana Territory","DNA analysis","segregated society","Anthropology","Biological and Physical Anthropology","Social and Cultural Anthropology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/235","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Marie Danforth","Edwin Jackson","Amy Young"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Cook, Danielle Nicole"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2016-08-15T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Anthropology and Sociology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["French colonial cemetery","Biloxi","Mississippi","Louisiana Territory","DNA analysis","segregated society","Anthropology","Biological and Physical Anthropology","Social and Cultural Anthropology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/235"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The Moran site (22HR511) in Biloxi, Mississippi, dates from 1719 to 1723 and is the earliest known French Colonial cemetery in the United States. Historical records suggest that those interred likely represent immigrants from Western Europe as well as Africa who were relocated in an effort to colonize the Louisiana Territory. Given the variety of cultural backgrounds at the site, an ancestral analysis of the 25 individuals uncovered has been conducted. Traditional markers such as cranial and tooth morphology and metrics, and enamel composition, were evaluated in all individuals, and DNA was analyzed in five. Stable isotope levels were also assessed to reconstruct diet.
The sample consists of two infants, 21 males and three female adults aged 18 to 45. Results support that most individuals are of European ancestry with strong consensus among those markers employed. Cranial morphology and osteometrics did suggest the presence of two Africans and one possible African. One of these individuals was found with a rosary; the only grave good recovered which leads to the conclusion that slaves were more than likely being converted to Christianity. Thus, data gained from osteological observations, more recently developed analytical techniques, and presence of variant mortuary practices suggest that this French Colonial site exhibited a complex composition of ancestral backgrounds instead of a highly segregated population.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Ancestral Analysis of the French Colonial Moran Cemetery, Biloxi, Mississippi"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Marie Danforth","Edwin Jackson","Amy Young"],"dc:creator":["Cook, Danielle Nicole"],"dc:date.available":["2016-08-15T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The Moran site (22HR511) in Biloxi, Mississippi, dates from 1719 to 1723 and is the earliest known French Colonial cemetery in the United States. Historical records suggest that those interred likely represent immigrants from Western Europe as well as Africa who were relocated in an effort to colonize the Louisiana Territory. Given the variety of cultural backgrounds at the site, an ancestral analysis of the 25 individuals uncovered has been conducted. Traditional markers such as cranial and tooth morphology and metrics, and enamel composition, were evaluated in all individuals, and DNA was analyzed in five. Stable isotope levels were also assessed to reconstruct diet.
The sample consists of two infants, 21 males and three female adults aged 18 to 45. Results support that most individuals are of European ancestry with strong consensus among those markers employed. Cranial morphology and osteometrics did suggest the presence of two Africans and one possible African. One of these individuals was found with a rosary; the only grave good recovered which leads to the conclusion that slaves were more than likely being converted to Christianity. Thus, data gained from osteological observations, more recently developed analytical techniques, and presence of variant mortuary practices suggest that this French Colonial site exhibited a complex composition of ancestral backgrounds instead of a highly segregated population.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/235"],"dc:subject":["French colonial cemetery","Biloxi","Mississippi","Louisiana Territory","DNA analysis","segregated society","Anthropology","Biological and Physical Anthropology","Social and Cultural Anthropology"],"dc:title":["Ancestral Analysis of the French Colonial Moran Cemetery, Biloxi, Mississippi"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Anthropology and Sociology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:44:41Z"}