Old Leatherman's Coffin Exhumed

Connecticut archaeologist Dr. Nicholas Bellantoni supervised an exhumation this week of a grave at the historical Sparta cemetery in New York. Experts believed it contained the remains of the Old Leatherman. But, that wasn't the case.

The only items found in the grave were nails that may have been used in the headboard portion of a casket. Researchers had hoped to retrieve genetic information that could have led to the identity of the famous wanderer.

Despite reams of documents and books of photographs the name, birthplace or ancestry of the friendly hobo are not known. "We were fairly certain that we would find skeletal remains," said Norm MacDonald, president of the Ossining Historical Society. "That turned out not to happen."

Bellantoni said the lack of findings could be caused by the acidity levels in the soil. "Nature takes its course and then the remains, soft tissue and hard tissue, break down," he explained. "I was a little disappointed in that. I was looking forward to meeting him."

Meriden historian and author Dan DeLuca was the driving force in searching for the Old Leatherman's remains because he believes the wanderer has been falsely identified as a Frenchman named Jules Bourglay. The name Bourglay is on a memorial plaque for the Leather Man at the cemetery and DeLuca believes it should instead reflect the name shown on the Connecticut death certificate—The Old Leatherman.

The Leatherman is believed to have died on March 20, 1889 at the George Dell Farm in what is now Briarcliff Manor, at about 50 years of age. 

According to Bellantoni, development of a nearby road during the early 20th century involved grading and stripping processes. He said that could be why little was discovered in the Leatherman's grave. The nails were found approximately 25 cm below ground level, which he said was more shallow than he expected.

Bellantoni said experts previously decided that whatever remains were found would be moved to a new burial site. The new location is up the hill from the former grave, near the Sparta cemetery's flagpole. The new grave contains the soil that would have been inside that coffin, along with the nails found during the exhumation.

Reverend Dr. Tim Ives from the  presided over the reburial ceremony on Wednesday. "I personally love that nothing else is revealed about the Leatherman," he said.

DeLuca, author of The Old Leather Man, said children would leave pennies on fence posts for the wanderer who wore leather scraps for clothes and walked a  of land through Central Connecticut and Eastern New York in the 1800s.

"In the stories that I've found, they talk about four pennies," DeLuca.  "The next day they would find them, but they were always shiny."

DeLuca left four pennies on the Leatherman's new casket. "They're dull," he said. "I hope they come back."

Cheshire Editor Leslie Hutchison contributed to this article.