Human Remains Found in Washington Township

What are believed to be two human skulls and bones were discovered this week in Washington Township, Franklin County.

The skulls were found on the side of an embankment beside an old road, Franklin County Sheriff Lt. Niles Yeaton said.

Police suspect there was a farm in the area with a family burial ground on it, he said. There are old cellar holes in the area.

Washington Township has always been sparsely populated, so it might be possible to deduce the identity of the remains if they prove to be from the 19th century and the exact location of their discovery is known. The township's highest population total in any census was in 1860, when 66 inhabitants in 12 households were counted there. Family names in 1860—the year the township was organized as Washington Plantation—were Gardner, Ranger, Searles, Wilkins, Carter, Chandler and Skeetup.