Recent genetic testing conducted on the remains of enslaved people recovered from a Maryland metal workshop about 40 years ago may help piece together the family history of more than 41,000 Americans.

Scientists compared the DNA from the 27 individuals, 16 of which were men and 11 women, ranging from infants to adults over the age of 60, to about 9.3 million research participants that utilized 23andMe’s genetic testing services. 

The group’s familial ties, their ancestry, location of relatives and what their genetic makeup said about their health were some of the topics investigated over the course of the study, according to an excerpt published on Science.org. 

The study found that 41,799 of American participants were related to the 27 individuals with about 2,975 close relatives.

Enslaved individuals operated the iron furnace and were tasked with both domestic and agricultural duties during the late 18th and early 19th century, according to the study. 

Relatively little is known about the African Americans who worked at Catoctin Furnace despite the role it played in suppling ammunition during the Revolutionary War. 

The cemetery where the bodies of the workers were buried was in use from 1774 to 1850, but the remains weren’t excavated until the 1970s due to highway construction in the area, Reuters reported. They are now being held at the Smithsonian.  

“The experiences of African Americans within the early industrial complex of the United States are not completely understood and their labors in this system have not been thoroughly explored or acknowledged. We hope this paper gives voice to these 27 individuals while it acknowledges their origins and centers their histories within the broader context of the United States,” Smithsonian anthropologist and study co-author Kathryn Barca shared with Reuters.

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What the DNA tells scientists about the Catoctin people

Among those excavated, scientists identified five genetic families, biological mothers, children and siblings. Most of the time, the families were buried close together, according to the study.