The smell of salt filled his
nostrils and the months of travel across the open ocean had made him weary.
Questions permeated his mind but were drowned by thoughts of fear,
concern…dread. The fog descended slowly and lay flat across the earth blanketing
it like snow. The dark in the new world was filled with more than the sounds of
the English twilight. It was mysterious…almost magical. Whispers and echoes
floated across the wind and were carried through the trees and the shadows
revealed more than just reflections. With their packs heavy and the sun pushing
up the sky they made their way through the woody country side. Where a small
hamlet had been left, nothing remained. No people, no graves, no struggle. The
bustle of the village diminished to silence. Two small clues left behind,
“Croatoan…CRO,” were his family nearby or had the new world consumed them?
The colony of Roanoke, largely
dubbed the “Lost” colony of Roanoke was established in 1587 when three ships
carrying 115 people traveled from Portsmouth (Portesmouth) England with a
destination set for Virginia.[1]
Sir Walter Raleigh had decided they would settle near the Chesapeake Bay area but
they actually ended up a Roanoke and the captain of their ship made the choice
for the colonists to stay. Modern day Roanoke is actually off the coast of
North Carolina.
Life was difficult for these
colonist, in a new world, surrounded by a harsh environment. They struggled to
keep their heads above water but their relationships with the Native American
Aquascogocs tribe was already at a breaking point due to bad blood with the
previous Roanoke settlement. Two years earlier another group of colonists
traveled to Roanoke under Sir Walter Raleigh but turned around and headed home
in a little under ten months. They were low on supplies and food to due to an
entire ships rations being spoiled after it hit a shoal. After the colonist accused
the Aquascogocs of stealing, they burned down their village and in retaliation
the tribe attacked the Roanoke settlement. The colonist repelled them but
fearing the worst took an offer from Sir Frances Drake to gather their
things and head back home to England.
The colonist that arrived in 1587
had no knowledge of the disagreements and it didn’t take long for the
Aquascogocs to exact revenge on the new settlement. Almost as soon as they
arrived the tribe killed George Howe while he was fishing for crabs. The
colonists had become friends with the Croatoan tribe that settled on Croatoan
island (modern day Hatteras island) and their Christian Chief Manteo. In an
effort of revenge the colonist executed an attack on the Aquascogocs tribe but
in the dark of night they mistakenly attacked their Croatoan friends instead. The
colonist put themselves in an impossible situation and realized without
supplies from England they were never going to survive the winter. John White, governor
of the Roanoke settlement, reluctantly left for England in an effort to bring
back supplies that would save the colony. Many scholars question why White
himself had to leave the people in his care behind instead of some of the other
men going back. It has been said that he was an unpopular leader, which might
be why he had to head back himself, instead of sending someone else in
his place.[2]
White planned on getting the
supplies and turning around to head back to the colonist he left behind at
Roanoke but crisis after crisis stopped him. Weather played a large part in marine
affairs during this time because many of the smaller ships White was able to acquire
couldn’t withstand heavy storms. During this time the Anglo-Spanish war was
going on and most of the larger naval ships were sent out to battle. Any ships
that were deemed English were sunk by the Spanish no matter if they were
military vessels or not so Queen Elizabeth I didn’t want to risk her ships
making a trip across the Atlantic. On one occasion when he was able to acquire
a ship he was boarded by the Spanish and all of his supplies were stolen so he
had to return to England. It took him three years to get the ships and the
supplies he needed to return to his family and the rest of the colony he left
behind in 1587.
August 18th, 1590 is the
date of one of Americas first great mysteries because when White returned to
the site he had left behind those three years ago he didn’t find his family, he
didn’t find his colonists, or their remains. He found nothing. As they searched
what small debris had been left behind he discovered a few things, “as we
entred up the sandy banke upon a tree, in the very browe thereof were curiously
carved these fair Romane letters C R O.”[3]
As they walked further, “one of the chiefe trees or postes at the right side of
the entrance had the barke taken off, and 5 foote from the ground in fayre
Capitall letters was graven CROATOAN.”[4]
Among the left over debris they found what was mostly comprised of heavy iron
and lead items. Most of the houses and dwellings had been dismantled. The
settlement had been grown over and covered in weeds. White and his men found
five chests, three of which were filled with Whites personal items. They had
been dug up and most of the items had been destroyed or ruined by whoever found
them (White proposed it was done by “savages”) as well as by their open contact
with the elements.
Under the impression the colonist
had taken up their settlement and headed
toward the refuge they had left in the new world, the Croatoan tribe, White and
his men headed back to their boats with haste. They put toward a plan to make
their way to the Island to find their people but when bad weather struck the
captain decided it was best to head back
to England. White never returned to the new world and never found out what
happened to his family or the rest of the Roanoke Colonists. White was not
alone. There is no definitive answer for what happened to the colonist at
Roanoke. Even today scholars, researchers, and archeologist are still trying to
unravel the mysteries that the colonists left behind. There are many theories
as to what happened to the lost colony of Roanoke. Some of them rely on what
evidence has been able to unearth, some are merely educated guesses, and some
are as magical and mysterious as the disappearance itself.
Many scholars do believe that
violence could have been an option for the disappearance of the colonists. Any
of the local Native American tribes could have killed them and buried the
bodies somewhere else. Some researchers say Spaniards could have killed them on
their way up from Florida. It doesn’t really account for how neatly the camp
was disassembled though, or the notes left behind (unless it was a strategy to throw
them off the truth of what actually happened). Another theory is that disease
wiped them out. There are many microbes that the colonists have never
encountered so many did get sick in the new world. If something tragic did
happen there is a good chance the group split up and went separate ways with
the Governor of the town out of the picture. Eric Klingelhofer, a historian at
Mercer University stated that, “No single Indian tribe or village could have
supported them. They would be even larger than some villages.” Some scholars say they built a boat and tried
to sail back to the new world and were lost at sea.
The
most popular theory is that the colonist assimilated into the Croatoan tribe.[5]
If the colonist left under duress they were supposed to carve a maltese cross
and leave it behind somewhere for White to find but no cross was ever
discovered. This leads some researchers to believe that when they realized
White was going to take some time to return they packed their bags and made way
to the one group of people they had the best chance with and left behind two
clues to show White where they had gone (CRO, CROAOAN). Some Evidence from
settlers in the 17th and 18th century has supported this claim
noting they had met Native Americans who lived near the Hatteras islands that
had blue and grey eyes and even blond hair.[6]
The Lumbee tribe are supposedly descendants of the Croatoan Tribe (which died
out in the 17th century). The Lumbee possess many European attributes
which could be evidence of the Roanoke colonists settling down with the Croatoan
tribe.[7]
However, many scholars suggest that a few different 17th or 18th
century migration theories could be behind the Lumbee’s European attributes and
there is no imperial evidence to suggest this is a full proof theory of the
colonists settlement.
When John Smith settled Jamestown he
was tasked with finding information on the lost colonists and when he
questioned the Powhatan tribe (his geographical neighbors), their Chief told
Smith that he killed them all because they had settled with the Native
Americans near the Chesapeake area (the area which they were going to originally
settle in the first place) and the tribe that lived their refused to join the
Powhatans, so he killed them all, including the colonists.[8]
This theory has been somewhat debunked by most historians because there is
little physical or historical evidence to support it.
Archaeologists
from East Carolina University found a 16th century 10-carat gold
signet ring in 1998 that sparked Mark Horton, an archaeologist from Bristol University,
to lead excavations on Hatteras every year since 2009. Their main goal was to
discover any evidence that linked the colonist to the island. They have since
found, “a small piece of slate that seems to have been used as a writing tablet
and part of the hilt of an iron rapier, [and] a light sword similar to those
used in England in the late 16th century.”[9]
On top of that the archaeologists found some copper ingots and iron bars dating
back to he late 1500’s similar to the ones that White found left behind at
Roanoke. This evidence could suggest two things. They assimilated to the area
and took their belongings or their belongings somehow ended up there anyway.
A second area was searched by archaeologist
known as “Site X” which is about 50 miles inland in modern day Edenton, NC (in
Whites notes it was dictated that they would move here if they decided to leave
Roanoke). Researchers were clued into this area because of a map drawn by White
himself that revealed a small X over Edenton. [10]
The archaeologists have found pieces of pottery that date back to the Roanoke
settlers time period based on research that shows the style of pottery is
Border Ware that was used at Roanoke and Jamestown. They also found, “a
food-storage jar known as a baluster, pieces of early gun flintlocks, a metal
hook of the sort used to stretch animal hides or tents and an aglet, [and] a
small copper tube used to secure wool fibers before the advent of the hook and
eye in the 17th century.”[11]
This site offers similar insight to the Cape Creek site. They may have moved
inland or at least some of their belongings did over time.
The Lost Colony Center for Science
and Research is a non-profit organization that was created in 1999 to research
the mysteries of Roanoke. They have set up the Lost Colony DNA project wherein
Americans who can date their history back to eastern NC in the 1700s with
surnames, “of the colonists and families associated through historical
documents with local Native American heritage.”[12]
They also have some scholarly research on local Native American tribes, maps,
and practices used to find archaeological evidence at Native American sites.
From 1937 to 1940 a series of rocks
documenting what happened to the Roanoke colonists were found. The first stone
was found by Louis Hammond, a man from California, who said he found the stone
of the coast of Edenton, NC. The stone states, “Ananias Dare &- Virginia Went
Hence- Unto Heaven 1591- Anye Englishman Shew- John White Govr Via.”[13]
The back side of the stone mentions that after White left for England the
colonist moved inland (toward Edenton, NC) and were ravaged by both disease and
war with the local tribes. The stone was signed EWD Eleanor White Dare (John
Whites daughter and mother of the first child born to the colony Virginia
Dare). Dr. Haywood Pearce Jr. of the University of Atlanta thought the authenticity
of the stone was real and offered a reward to find a second stone. Bill
Eberhardt (a stone cutter) claimed to have found the second stone in 1939.
Eventually Eberhardt claimed to have found a total of 42 stones. They were all
deemed forgeries. The hoax left a stain on the story and all intellectual
parties involved steered clear of it. However, the first stone is very
different from the rest of the stones found. It is a different type of rock,
different carvings, textual style, verbal usage, and had nothing to do with
Eberhardt. Most scholarly parties didn’t want anything to do with it based on
how badly Pearce’s career had been tarnished by his association to the hoax
stones. The origin of the first stone, also called the Chowan River stone, and
the story that lies behind the words is still a mystery.
With so little conclusive evidence
able to be found, some people believe a much more deviant plot was at work in
the disappearance of the colonists. Why did John White never return to find his
family? The information on John White is all but nonexistent after his return
to England. He moved to what is modern day Kilmore, Country Cork in Ireland on
one of Sir Walter Raleigh’s estates and stayed there. His exact date of death
is not even known, but is expected to be around 1593 (he would have been in his
mid-50s by that time). Some theorists think the picture of the world when White
returned was far from mysterious. They suspect that he found a settlement full
of dead bodies, his family included. They had died of disease or violence but
to protect the “dream” of the new world the men covered up the truth to protect
England’s interest in expanding to the new nation. They say that’s why he never
bothered to go back, because he knew he would never find his family. He wrote
in 1593 that he left the fate of the colonist in god’s hands, “Thus committing
the relief of my discomfortable company…to the merciful help of the Almighty,
whom I most humbly beseech to help and comfort them, according to his most Holy
will and their good desire.”[14]
It could be a gesture for good will and hope to his lost family, or another
layer to add to the guise, closure for a broken man.
The word Croatoan has been littered
throughout the lore of North America turning up in a plethora of places in history.
It was said that Edgar Allan Poe whispered the word on his death bed before he
died. The word was also scribbled into Amelia Earhart’s journal that was found
after she disappeared in 1937. It was found inscribed on a bed post that
Ambrose Bierce slept in before he disappeared in 1913. It was scratched on the
walls of Black Bart’s prison cell before he disappeared in 1888. In 1921 it was
found on the last page of the ship Carroll A. Deering’s logbook before it ran
aground on Cape Hatteras with no one aboard.[15]
Each of these is as much of a mystery as the disappearance of the colonist in
1590.
The Croatoan tribe believed that the
Roanoke Island had a spirit. That spirit was outraged when people dug up the
earth, cut down trees, burned fires, or drank from its water. The Croatoan
people themselves used lived on the island but moved to what is now the modern
day Hatteras Island. They said that when the spirit was angered it would turn
the accused into whatever had been tainted.
Popular culture has not shied away
from propagating the mystery behind the Lost Colony. American Horror Story had
an entire season based on Roanoke. Many other shows have made episodes and
story arcs that involve the lost colonists. Supernatural and Sleepy hollow alluded
the colonists had a virus or plague. Authors have also delved into the Roanoke
mystery using the word Croatoan to describe something that needed to be
discovered, that was still lost, still a mystery (Stephen Kings Storm of the
Century, Stephen Kings Haven, Mind
Hunters, The Croatoans from DC comics, The Last American Vampire, Tomb Raider, and
Croatoan by Harlan Ellison to name a small few).
The shroud of mystery still looms
over the Lost Colony of Roanoke but there is no shortage of theories and no
shortage of people willing to ask the questions that deserve answers. Through
the technology being implemented and the researchers and archaeologists still committed
to giving a voice to the lost families who gave up their lives in a comfortable
country so that the dream and adventure of the new world could live; I am
convinced that one day the lost colonists story will be told. Until then, we
are free to search through the shadows of uncertainty and create our own
understanding of what happened to the men and women of the new world. Whether
you lie on the side of fact or fiction, the story of the Lost Colonist at
Roanoke is mystery that implores research and understanding. Open a book, read
a story and let your mind connect the dots. You could be the person that puts
together what so many before you have tried. Come for the unanswered questions,
and stay for the mystery and adventure.
Bibliography
Basu,
Tanya. "Have We Found the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island?" National
Geographic. December 8, 2013. Accessed October 03, 2016. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/12/131208-roanoke-lost-colony-discovery-history-raleigh/.
Casale,
By Steven. "America’s First Mystery: The Lost Colony of Roanoke | The
Lineup." The Lineup Americas First Mystery The Lost Colony of Roanoke
Comments. Accessed October 03, 2016. http://www.the-line-up.com/lost-colony-of-roanoke/.
Childs,
By T. Mike. "The Dare Stones." Dare Stones. 2013. Accessed October
03, 2016. http://ncpedia.org/dare-stones.
"The
Croatoan Mystery." Ghost Cities. October 17, 2011. Accessed October 03,
2016. https://anilbalan.com/2011/10/17/the-croatoan-mystery/.
Lane,
Ralph. "Colony at Roanoke - 1586." National Center. Accessed October
03, 2016. http://www.nationalcenter.org/ColonyofRoanoke.html.
"The
Lost Colony Center for Science and Research." Lost Colony. Accessed
October 03, 2016. http://www.lost-colony.com/home.html.
Miller,
Lee. Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony. NY: Arcade Publishing,
2000.
Moran,
Michael G. "John White (d. 1593)." Library of Virginia. Accessed
October 03, 2016.
http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/White_John_d_1593#start_entry.
"The
Mysterious Lost Colony of Roanoke Island Vanished, Leaving Behind a Strange
Message." Ancient Origins. May 9, 2015. Accessed October 03, 2016.
http://www.ancient-origins.net/unexplained-phenomena/mysterious-lost-colony-roanoke-island-020289.
Pruitt,
Sarah. "Archaeologists Find New Clues to "Lost Colony"
Mystery." History.com. August 10, 2015. Accessed October 03, 2016.
http://www.history.com/news/archaeologists-find-new-clues-to-lost-colony-mystery.
University
of Virginia. “Virtual Jamestown: First-Hand Accounts.” Accessed September 30,
2016. http://www.virtualjamestown.org/fhaccounts_date.html.
John Whites map of VA and NC
John Whites Roanoke
Archaeologist on Hatteras Island
[1] “Virtual Jamestown: First-Hand
Accounts,” Virtual Jamestown, accessed September 30, 2016, http://www.virtualjamestown.org/exist/cocoon/jamestown/fha/J1018.
[2] Michael G. Moran,
"John White (d. 1593)," Library of Virginia, , accessed October 03,
2016, http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/White_John_d_1593#start_entry.
[3] “Virtual Jamestown:
First-Hand Accounts,” Virtual Jamestown, accessed September 30, 2016, http://www.virtualjamestown.org/exist/cocoon/jamestown/fha/J1019.
[4] Ibid.
[5] By Steven Casale,
"America’s First Mystery: The Lost Colony of Roanoke | The Lineup,"
The Lineup Americas First Mystery The Lost Colony of Roanoke Comments, ,
accessed October 03, 2016, http://www.the-line-up.com/lost-colony-of-roanoke/.
[6] Ibid.
[7] "The Mysterious Lost
Colony of Roanoke Island Vanished, Leaving Behind a Strange Message,"
Ancient Origins, May 9, 2015, , accessed October 03, 2016,
http://www.ancient-origins.net/unexplained-phenomena/mysterious-lost-colony-roanoke-island-020289.
[8] By Steven Casale,
"America’s First Mystery: The Lost Colony of Roanoke | The Lineup,"
The Lineup Americas First Mystery The Lost Colony of Roanoke Comments, ,
accessed October 03, 2016, http://www.the-line-up.com/lost-colony-of-roanoke/.
[9] Sarah Pruitt,
"Archaeologists Find New Clues to "Lost Colony" Mystery,"
History.com, August 10, 2015, , accessed October 03, 2016,
http://www.history.com/news/archaeologists-find-new-clues-to-lost-colony-mystery.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Ibid.
[12] "The Lost Colony
Center for Science and Research," Lost Colony, , accessed October 03,
2016, http://www.lost-colony.com/DNAproj.html.
[13] By T. Mike Childs,
"The Dare Stones," Dare Stones, 2013, , accessed October 03, 2016,
http://ncpedia.org/dare-stones.
[14] Lee Miller, Roanoke:
Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony (NY: Arcade Publishing, 2000), 18.
[15] "The Croatoan
Mystery," Ghost Cities, October 17, 2011, , accessed October 03, 2016,
https://anilbalan.com/2011/10/17/the-croatoan-mystery/.
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