Abstract
Cemeteries, both lost and neglected, bear witness to the bureaucratic structures that oppress minority groups (Lemke 2020). These cemeteries fall prey to development and vandalism and are often not documented on historical maps (Lemke, 2020). In Florida’s Duval County, construction related to urban sprawl unearthed a historical African American cemetery known as Eastport Cemetery. Little is known about the cemetery. In fact, there are neither maps that document the cemetery’s geographic location nor lists of those interred within the cemetery. However, one way to validate the lives of the commingled and fragmentary remains from this cemetery is osteological analysis undertaken to sort the commingled remains and identify each individual (by age and sex) and assess health status via macroscopic (nondestructive) analyses.The skeletal material comprised 3,047 human bone fragments and yielded a minimum number of 23 individuals (MNI) including five juveniles, six males, nine females, and three adults of indeterminate sex. I evaluated health status via macroscopic lesions on bones and teeth. More specifically, I evaluated linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH), porotic hyperostosis, cribra orbitalia, dental caries and calculus, periapical lesions, antemortem tooth loss, osteoarthritis (OA), Schmorl’s nodes, periosteal lesions, and antemortem trauma. The sample yielded high frequencies of cribra orbitalia, osteoarthritis (OA), and periosteal lesions. Statistical analysis revealed significant relationships between porotic hyperostosis in males (X2 = 11.077, df = 2, p = 0.004), and dental caries (X2 = 6.667, df = 2, p = 0.036), dental calculus (X2 = 6.667, df = 2, p = 0.036), and antemortem tooth loss (X2 = 8.000, df = 2, p = 0.018) in females. Overall, the sample showed a possibly nutrient-deficient diet, poor dental health, repetitive physical stress, and antemortem trauma. These findings contribute to the existing literature regarding African American health post-emancipation. Additionally, this study helps establish information on the Eastport Cemetery and individuals interred therein.