Was There Cannibalism in Jamestown? The Story of the Starving Time

During the brutal winter of 1609–1610, Jamestown descended into one of the darkest chapters in American history. Starvation, disease, and isolation reduced a colony of hundreds to just a few dozen survivors. For centuries, stories of cannibalism were dismissed as propaganda or desperate rumors—until archaeologists uncovered evidence.

In this episode, we examine the remarkable discovery of Jane, a 14-year-old English girl whose skull bears unmistakable cut marks left after her death. Through modern forensic science, archaeology, and historical records, experts reconstructed one of the most haunting stories from colonial America. Jane’s remains became the first direct physical evidence confirming that some settlers resorted to cannibalism during the Starving Time.

Who Was Jane?

Discover how archaeologists identified Jane, what her bones revealed, and why her story transformed our understanding of early American history. Her remains provide an extraordinary example of how forensic anthropology can reconstruct the lives—and deaths—of people who lived over 400 years ago.

Did Cannibalism Really Happen in Jamestown?

This episode explores the historical evidence for cannibalism in Jamestown, separating myth from fact.

Key Takeaways

• The Jamestown Starving Time was one of the deadliest survival crises in early American history.
• Jane’s remains provide the first direct archaeological evidence of cannibalism at Jamestown.
• Forensic archaeology revealed cut marks that show attempts were made to remove flesh after Jane’s death.
• Hundreds of settlers died during the winter of 1609–1610, leaving only about 60 survivors.
• The discovery of Jane demonstrates how archaeology can rewrite accepted history centuries later.
• Historical accounts once considered exaggerated were confirmed through modern scientific evidence.
• The Jamestown colony survived despite unimaginable hardship, forever shaping the future of English America.
• Jane’s story reminds us that history is ultimately about real people forced into impossible choices.

Content warning: This episode discusses starvation, death, and survival cannibalism.

Sources

• PBS — Secrets of the Dead: Jamestown’s Dark Winter
• Howard A. Snyder Jesus and Pocahontas: Gospel, Mission, and National Myth. Chapter Four. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1cg4mj0
• National Park Service — “A Short History of Jamestown”
  https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/a-short-history-of-jamestown.htm
• Colonial Williamsburg Foundation — “Jamestown Side”
  https://research.colonialwilliamsburg.org/Foundation/journal/Winter07/jamestownSide.cfm
• Historic Jamestowne Archaeology — “Jane”
  https://historicjamestowne.org/archaeology/jane/
• Smithsonian Magazine — “Starving Settlers in Jamestown Colony Resorted to Cannibalism”
  https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/starving-settlers-in-jamestown-colony-resorted-to-cannibalism-46000815/
• History.com — “Evidence of Cannibalism Found at Jamestown”
  https://www.history.com/articles/evidence-of-cannibalism-found-at-jamestown

Why Was Mary Todd Lincoln’s Life So Tragic? The Untold Story of America’s Most Misunderstood First Lady

Most people know her as the wife of President Abraham Lincoln, but few understand the unimaginable grief, public scrutiny, and personal tragedy that defined her life. From the deaths of three of her four sons to witnessing the assassination of her husband, Mary Todd Lincoln endured a lifetime of heartbreak that few people in history could imagine.

In this episode, we explore the true story of Mary Todd Lincoln, separating myth from fact while examining how loss, mental health, politics, and public opinion shaped her legacy. Once admired for her intelligence and wit, she later became one of the most criticized women in American history. Modern historians have begun to reexamine her life with greater compassion, asking whether history judged her unfairly.

What Happened to Mary Todd Lincoln?

Learn how repeated personal tragedies, including the deaths of her children and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, affected her emotionally. Explore the events that led to her controversial commitment to an asylum by her surviving son, Robert Todd Lincoln.

Was Mary Todd Lincoln Mentally Ill?

This episode examines what historians and medical experts believe about Mary Todd Lincoln’s mental health. We’ll explore the evidence behind the long-standing claims while considering how grief, trauma, and the expectations placed on women in the 19th century influenced the way she was treated.

Key Takeaways

• Mary Todd Lincoln endured extraordinary personal loss, including the deaths of three of her four sons.
• She witnessed the assassination of Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in 1865.
• Historians continue to debate Mary Todd Lincoln’s mental health and whether she was treated fairly.
• Her institutionalization remains one of the most controversial episodes in presidential family history.
• Public criticism and political hostility shaped Mary Todd Lincoln’s reputation during and after her lifetime.
• Modern scholarship has led many historians to reevaluate her legacy with greater empathy.
• Mary Todd Lincoln’s life reflects the lasting effects of trauma, grief, and public scrutiny.

Sources

• Friends of the Lincoln Collection — “Robert Lincoln Writes About the End of His Mother’s Estrangement”
  
  
• Feather Foster Schwartz — “Mary Lincoln’s Old Clothes”
  https://featherschwartzfoster.blog/2016/01/05/mary-lincolns-old-clothes/
• The White House Historical Association — “Mary Lincoln”
• CivilWarTalk — “A Tuesday Tea: Goes Shopping With Mary Todd Lincoln”
  https://civilwartalk.com/threads/a-tuesday-tea-goes-shopping-with-mary-todd-lincoln.204742/
• Mary Todd Lincoln House — “Widowhood & Insanity Trial”
  https://www.mtlhouse.org/widowhood-insanity-trial
• Mary Todd Lincoln House — “The White House Years”
  https://www.mtlhouse.org/the-white-house-years
• “True Womanhood” and Perfect Madness: The Sanity Trial of Mary Todd Lincoln
  In The Crimes of Womanhood: Defining Femininity in a Court of Law (2009), pp. 69–84
  JSTOR
  https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/j.ctt1xcq1z.8?seq=1

Who was Typhoid Mary?

Most people know the nickname, but few know the woman behind it.

Mary Mallon, better known as Typhoid Mary, was an Irish immigrant and cook living in New York City in the early 1900s. Without ever becoming sick herself, she unknowingly spread typhoid fever to dozens of people, making her the first widely identified asymptomatic carrier of the disease in the United States.

Public health officials eventually tracked her down, forcibly quarantined her on North Brother Island, and confined her for nearly three decades without ever convicting her of a crime.

But was Mary Mallon a reckless danger to society, or was she a victim of fear, prejudice, and an emerging public health system that hadn't yet learned how to balance individual liberty with public safety?

In this episode, we separate the myths from the facts and explore one of the most controversial medical and legal cases in American history. From the science of typhoid fever to Mary's life before she became "Typhoid Mary," this is the complete story behind one of history's most misunderstood women.

In this episode you'll learn:

• Who Mary Mallon really was
• How typhoid fever spreads
• What an asymptomatic carrier is
• Why Mary was quarantined on North Brother Island
• Whether her confinement was legally justified

If you enjoy history, true crime, medical history, or forgotten stories, or fascinating history, follow the podcast for new episodes every week.

Sources:

Typhoid Mary by Anthony Bourdain

National Museum of Health and Medicine – “Typhoid Mary / Mary Mallon: An Asymptomatic Carrier of Salmonella typhi”
https://medicalmuseum.health.mil/micrograph/index.cfm/posts/2020/typhoid_mary_mary_mallon_salmonella

BBC News – “Typhoid Mary: The woman who became a symbol of disease and stigma”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52291327

PubMed Central (PMC) – “Mary Mallon (1869–1938) and the history of typhoid fever”
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3959940/

Cleveland Clinic – “Typhoid Fever: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment”
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17730-typhoid-fever

New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) – “Typhoid Fever”
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra020201