By By BETTY MITCHELL GRAY
Staff writer
The state archeologist and heirs of a man believed to be a member of Blackbeard’s pirate crew hope to reach an agreement by April 30 over the disposition of the man’s remains now being held in Raleigh, according to a report filed in Beaufort County Superior Court.
Five people responded to advertisements in the Washington Daily News seeking heirs of an individual, believed to be Edward Salter, whose remains are in the custody of the state archeologist in Raleigh, according to the report. Four of those people believe they are Salter’s descendants and one is described as “uncertain,” according to the report
One of five people who have come forward and identified themselves as possible heirs of Edward Salter has told the Washington Daily News that he wants his ancestor buried in Bath.
On Feb. 12, State Archeologist Stephen R. Claggett sent to the four people who believe they are Salter’s heirs a proposed disposition agreement and a letter to the fifth person requesting clarification of whether she does claim to be a descendant.
State law requires the state archeologist to consult with those next of kin and reach an agreement over the disposition of the remains within 90 days. The two groups must agree on the type of analysis that will be done on the remains and a timetable for the work to be done, according to state law.
“The Office of State Archeology is working with all of the claimant to reach a consensus regarding the disposition of the human skeletal remains,” the report reads.
The report was filed March 5 in response to a Jan. 8 ruling by Superior Court Judge Wayland Sermons ordering Claggett to advertise for heirs or anyone with knowledge of skeletal remains unearthed near Bath Creek in 1986 and believed to be those of Salter.
Raleigh-based researcher and author Kevin P. Duffus believes that this same Edward Salter, a barrel-maker who died in 1735, may have been a member of Blackbeard’s pirate crew who escaped the noose and returned to settle in Bath. Salter went on to become a ward of St. Thomas Parish and an assemblyman representing Beaufort County in 1731.
Duffus has sought genetic testing on the bones to confirm his theory.