Archaeological Insights into the Role of Religion in Funerary Rituals of Early Colonial Delaware: The Elkins Site Burial Ground Case Study

Abstract

The Elkins site burial ground is located in New Castle, Delaware. The first record of land ownership is from 1864, when Amos Nichols purchased the property. The Elkins site comprises a house site and a small burial ground, consisting of five sets of skeletal remains: one sub-adult male, two adult females, and two adult males. The ancient DNA evidence suggests that all five skeletons belonged to people of European descent. The Delaware Valley was a region of significant European migration during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. There is a lack of research on the burial practices of early Americans within the Delaware Valley. By further examining the burials discovered at the Elkins site burial ground, it is possible to gain a deeper understanding of the role of religion in these funerary rituals. This thesis focused solely on the remains located in the burial ground at The Elkins site burial ground. The burials were examined to compare with other cemeteries dating to the same time frame, as well as nearby cemeteries. The primary focus was on the positions in which the individuals were buried, hand placement, burial shrouds, as examined through the analysis of shroud pin usage, as well as the shape and lid style of the coffins in which the individuals were interred. The Elkins burial ground yielded no grave goods other than pins, which were identified as shroud pins. By examining other nearby burial grounds, it was believed that this thesis would provide more information about the role of religion in funerary rites within eighteenth-century Delaware; however, the available data was insufficient to draw a definitive conclusion.