Through a commingled, fragmentary assemblage of skeletal remains (MNI = 9) recovered from a 1999 salvage excavation, this article explores the lives and deaths of individuals interred at the Brentwood Poor Farm, Brentwood, New Hampshire (1841–1868). This work demonstrates that bioarchaeological analyses of smaller samples can provide nuanced accounts of marginalization and institutionalization even with scant historical records. The skeletal analysis presented here is contextualized within the larger history of the American poor farm system and compared to similar skeletal samples across the United States. The hardships these individuals faced—poverty, otherness, demanding labor—were embodied in their skeletal remains, manifesting as osteoarthritis, dental disease, and other signs of physiological stress. These individuals’ postmortem fates were also impacted by status; they were interred in unmarked graves, disturbed by construction, and once recovered, were again forgotten for more than 20 years.

本文通过 1999 年抢救挖掘中发现的混合、零散的骨骼残骸组合 (MNI = 9)，探讨了埋葬在新罕布什尔州布伦特伍德布伦特伍德贫困农场 (1841-1868) 的人的生与死。这项工作表明，即使历史记录很少，对较小样本的生物考古学分析也可以提供边缘化和制度化的细致入微的描述。这里介绍的骨骼分析是在美国贫困农场系统的更广阔的历史背景下进行的，并与美国各地的类似骨骼样本进行了比较。这些人所面临的困难——贫穷、异类、繁重的劳动——都体现在他们的骨骼遗骸中，表现为骨关节炎、牙科疾病和其他生理压力的迹象。这些人死后的命运也受到地位的影响。它们被埋葬在没有标记的坟墓中，因施工而受到干扰，一旦被发现，又被遗忘了二十多年。