JAMESTOWN, Va. --- There is no shortage of history at the Jamestowne settlement, but until now the names of some of the site's founders have literally been buried.
"It is too much fun trying to figure these things out," archaeologist Bill Kelso said.
Kelso showed CBS 6 the place where he discovered the remains of four bodies back in 2010. After years of research and help from outside groups, he now knows the men's names.
The 74-year-old archaeologist says the names Rev. Robert Hunt, Capt. Gabriel Archer, Sir Ferdinando Wainman, and Capt. William West should be included in every history book from now on.
"They were among the founding fathers of Jamestown," Kelso said.
Kelso believes the four had a prominent role at the settlement because of where they were buried inside the Protestant church.
"In an Anglican Church this would be at the most sacred end of the church," Kelso said.
Perhaps one of the more interesting discoveries was not a body but rather a silver box with the letter "M" on it that researchers have identified as a Catholic relic.
Kelso says the bones of a Catholic saint might be inside which implies Catholicism may have been practiced here in Jamestown.
That is significant news because for years Catholicism was not believed to have been up prevalent at the site. In fact, in England some were killed for being Catholic.
"Religion in this place was very important," Kelso said.
For visitors, the discovery only underscores the significance of the site.
"It's good for our kids, it's good for our country to get back to our roots and understand where we came from," Scott Welch, a Jamestowne visitor said.
Kelso says his team plans on working with Vatican officials to determine which Saint's bones may be inside the newly discovered relic.
