Buzz
[WARNING: Some images may disturb] The themes of death, mortality, burial, and disinterment both captivate and unsettle. This list delves into ten notable instances of exhumation, the process of unearthing buried remains. Whether you share our fascination with mortality or not, this peculiar exploration into the often-legal practice of modern grave-digging is sure to intrigue.
10. Lee Harvey Oswald
Quick Fact: Connected to the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy
Conspiracy theorists, such as Michael Eddowes, argued that a complex scheme had been orchestrated before Oswald’s transfer to another jail (Oswald was assassinated during the move). Eddowes proposed that a Soviet spy had replaced Oswald and that it was the spy, not Oswald, who was killed. With the approval of Oswald’s widow, Eddowes secured permission to exhume the body in 1981. However, water damage from a casket leak had severely degraded the remains. Despite this, dental records confirmed the body was Oswald. Eddowes remained unconvinced, citing physical inconsistencies between Oswald and the exhumed body, and continued to advocate for his Soviet Spy Theory.
9. Virginia Poe
Quick Fact: The spouse and cousin of the famous poet Edgar Allen Poe.
Virginia Poe passed away from tuberculosis in 1847 at the age of twenty-four. Two years later, Edgar Allen Poe died and was laid to rest in a modest, neglected family plot at Westminster Cemetery in Maryland. Funds were later collected to erect a more fitting monument for Poe, and in 1875, he was reburied in a more prominent area of the same cemetery. However, Virginia, buried in New York, was overlooked. That same year, the cemetery where Virginia rested was demolished, and her grave was disturbed. William Gill, a Poe admirer and biographer, retrieved her remains and stored them in a box under his bed for a decade before finally interring her beside her husband.
8. King Arthur
Quick Fact: Legendary King of the Britons
Whether a historical figure or a myth, the remains believed to be King Arthur’s have been exhumed multiple times over the centuries. The tale begins in 1191 when monks at Glastonbury Abbey claimed to have discovered Arthur’s body in their cemetery. This exhumation was documented in 1193 by Geoffrey of Monmouth, an Arthurian biographer, who described finding a hollowed oak log containing two sets of bones—one belonging to Guinevere, Arthur’s second wife, and the other to Arthur himself—alongside a lead cross inscribed with Arthur’s name. The remains were moved again in 1278 under Edward I’s orders for a ceremonial reburial in a marble tomb. In 1539, King Henry VIII seized the monastery, destroying the tomb, though the site remains marked to this day.
7. Jesse James
Quick Fact: American Wild West outlaw
As Jesse James’ criminal career neared its end, the James-Younger Gang had dwindled to a handful of members, including Robert Ford, who ultimately killed James to claim the reward. Despite Ford’s public confession and the identification of James’ body through distinctive physical traits, rumors swirled that James had staged his death. In the 1940s, a man named J. Frank Dalton claimed to be the real Jesse James. In 1995, James’ remains were exhumed, and DNA testing confirmed his identity. However, Dalton’s supporters remained unconvinced, leading to a 2000 court order to exhume Dalton’s body. The first attempt resulted in the wrong body being dug up, prompting a second exhumation, making Dalton the third individual examined as a potential Jesse James.
6. Christopher Columbus
Quick Fact: Trans-Atlantic Explorer
Christopher Columbus may have journeyed more posthumously than during his lifetime! After his death in 1506 in Spain, he was initially buried in Valladolid. His remains were later relocated to a monastery in Seville, then to Santo Domingo, Hispaniola, in 1542. When the French seized control of Hispaniola, his body was moved to Havana, Cuba. Following Cuba’s independence in 1898, Columbus’ remains were returned to Seville. However, doubts persist about whether the remains moved back were truly his. In 1877, during repairs at Santo Domingo’s cathedral, a tomb marked with Columbus’ name was discovered. Some speculate that the remains repeatedly relocated might belong to his son, Diego, buried beside him. The image above shows the exhumed skeleton of one of Columbus’ crew members.
5. Sammy Davis, Jr.
Quick Fact: Multitalented entertainer, musician, comedian, and actor.
Sammy Davis, Jr. passed away in 1990 from complications related to throat cancer and was laid to rest in a Glendale, California cemetery. Upon discovering his near-bankrupt state, his wife, Altovise, arranged for his body to be exhumed to retrieve $70,000 worth of jewelry buried alongside him.
4. Farinelli
Quick Fact: One of Italy’s most renowned castrati
Unlike other cases, Farinelli’s exhumation was driven by scientific curiosity rather than conspiracy or relocation. Castrati, as discussed in another Mytour list (Top 10 Incredible Recordings), were individuals castrated before puberty to preserve their high vocal ranges. Farinelli stood out as one of the few castrati who achieved a successful singing career in adulthood. His exhumation aimed to study the physical impacts of pre-pubescent castration on the human body.
3. Josef Haydn
Quick Fact: Austrian classical composer
Shortly after Haydn’s burial in 1809, Johan Peters bribed gravediggers to steal Haydn’s skull, driven by his fascination with Phrenology, a pseudoscience linking skull shape to personality traits. Peters was thrilled to find Haydn’s “musical bump” well-developed, reinforcing the composer’s genius. However, returning the skull proved difficult. Peters kept it until after the Austrian War of 1809, then passed it to Josef Rosenbaum, who had ties to Haydn’s patrons. Rosenbaum’s wife proudly displayed the skull in a glass case during musical events. The skull’s absence was discovered in 1820 when Prince Esterhazy attempted to relocate Haydn’s remains to the family church. Rosenbaum provided a substitute skull, which was buried with Haydn’s body. The real skull changed hands multiple times before finally being reunited with Haydn’s remains in 1954, 145 years later.
2. Johann Sebastian Bach
Quick Fact: German Baroque Composer
Bach might hold the record for the most graves excavated during a single exhumation. Initially buried in an unmarked grave at the Johanneskirsche in 1750, his remains were sought during the graveyard’s expansion in 1894. Authorities relied on vague clues, such as the likely location within specific sections of the churchyard, to identify potential graves. After digging up multiple sites, they identified a skeleton matching Bach’s age, gender, and skull characteristics. The remains, believed to be Bach’s, were reburied in the expanded Johanneskirsche with a marked grave. Later, they were moved to the Thomaskirsche after the original church was destroyed in WWII.
1. “Stonewall” Jackson
Quick Fact: American Civil War General
While Jackson himself was not exhumed, his left arm was. After being struck by friendly fire, Jackson underwent an amputation of his left arm, which was buried at the Chancellorville battlefield in Virginia. Jackson was moved to recover but succumbed to pneumonia eight days later. His body was interred in Lexington, Virginia. In 1929, his left arm was exhumed and relocated to the Ellwood Family Cemetery in Spotsylvania, approximately 150 miles (240 kilometers) from his main burial site. The tombstone at Ellwood reads: “Arm of Stonewall Jackson.”
+ Meriwether Lewis
Quick Fact: North American Explorer
Including Meriwether Lewis here feels like a stretch since his remains have yet to be exhumed. Lewis, a key figure in the Lewis & Clark expedition that explored the western frontier of North America in 1806, died in 1809 from gunshot wounds to the head and chest. While his death is widely regarded as suicide, his descendants argue he was murdered. Because Lewis is buried on National Park land, his family must secure federal approval to exhume his body—a process that has proven far more challenging than anticipated.
