The Lost Colony of Roanoke Island
Killed by Indians, Disbanded, or Abducted by Aliens
What happened to the 117 people who tried to establish the first English settlement in America?
On April 26, 1587, Governor John White and 117 colonists set sail from Portsmouth, England, to the New World. Their goal was to establish a new colony near Chesapeake Bay. One of the colonists was White's daughter, Elinor, who was married to a man named Ananias Dare and was expecting a baby.
Two years earlier, an unsuccessful attempt had been made to establish a settlement on Roanoke Island. Sir Richard Grenville left 100 men on the island and returned to England to get supplies. The colonists grew tired of waiting for Grenville to return and when Sir Francis Drake stopped at Roanoke in June of 1586, they returned to England with him. Grenville arrived on Roanoke two weeks later with supplies and 15 more men. The 15 were to to stay until reinforcements could be brought from England.
When White and Company arrived on July 22, 1587, they found the island deserted and the fort demolished. Only the bones of one man were found.
Less than a month later, on August 18, White's daughter gave birth to a girl named Virginia - the first English child born in North America.
White decided to return to England for supplies, a trip he intended to last 6-8 months. In fact, it was almost three years before White was able to return to Roanoke Island.
When he arrived, he found the settlement deserted. The word "Croatoan" was carved into a tree near the palisade encircling the fort; the letters "CRO" were found on another tree. (It was understood that if the colonists had decided to leave the island, they would leave a clue as to their destination; if they were in danger, they would add a cross to the sign.)
No cross was found carved into the tree, so it was assumed that the settlers had relocated to Croatoan Island, 50 miles to the south. White wanted to sail to Croatoan to continue the search but he was prevented from doing so by bad weather. He returned to England.
What happened to the members of the Lost Colony? There are several theories that have been put forward to explain the disappearance:
One such theory is that the settlers were killed by Indians. Local Indians had welcomed the settlers and had helped them to plant corn and fish using a weir. Keep in mind that no cross was carved into the tree, indicating danger, and no bodies, bones or burned-out buildings were found.
Another more far-fetched theory is that this is a case of alien abductions, but no concrete evidence has been found to support this.
The most accepted theory is that the settlers did relocate to Croatoan Island and may have eventually become members of the tribe. They also could have eventually settled in the Chesapeake Bay area or near the Chowan River.
But since no physical evidence has ever been found, all we are left with are theories as to the fate of the members of the Lost Colony.
