Remains of the Invisible: Reconstructing Nineteenth-Century Plantation Life through the Biohistories of an Eastern North Carolina Family

Planned restoration of a 19th-century burial vault in Jones County, North Carolina, associated with the Foscue family, led to its excavation in 2010. Family lore and related documents identify only three family members buried in the vault, but nine individuals are represented by the remains. Possible identities of the unnamed individuals are explored using biological data, family documents, and family lore. The invisibility of some individuals in the historical record reflects a period of shifting family structures, high female and infant mortality, and the effects of social status on documentation and remembrance.