What do you think might have happened to them and can any one suggest a good book on the topic (so that I may add it to my ever growing wishlist).
Lost Colony of Roanoke
- Thread starter Miss Chicken
- Start date
Number 5 on the list pretty much sums up what I think happened. And yes, I thought that before reading the article. It was a neat place to visit last year when we vacationed in Virginia. The island is actually part of North Carolina now, but we made the day-trip down there with friends. We stood on the spot where the original settlers likely came ashore.
They left that part out of the outdoor drama when I saw it...
I always leaned toward abduction by natives, or that they left willingly because they couldn't survive on their own.
That seems the most logical thing. It probably wouldn't be this huge mystery if the second group that came had gone off and really investigated the other islands around the place.
That seems the most logical thing. It probably wouldn't be this huge mystery if the second group that came had gone off and really investigated the other islands around the place.
Yeah, this one doesn't seem like a mystery. No more than Loch Ness Monster is a "mystery", anyway. They sent a bunch of colonists, without jack for supplies, to the New World and just left them there, and didn't check on them for several years. Seems pretty damned likely that:
-Most of them probably died (starvation, disease, natives, take your pick)
-Remaining colonists decided the colony really wasn't working out for them, and joined up with local natives (either willingly, or the natives attacked, killed some, and captured some of the women and children).
I mean, you've got indians running around, right next door, with light skin and blue eyes, not exactly common to their racial profile, what do you THINK happened? Add in that the survivors left a friggin' NOTE saying that they were headed exactly where these blue-eyed indians later showed up, and well...?
I think Scooby Doo can take the day off, we got this one under control
-Most of them probably died (starvation, disease, natives, take your pick)
-Remaining colonists decided the colony really wasn't working out for them, and joined up with local natives (either willingly, or the natives attacked, killed some, and captured some of the women and children).
I mean, you've got indians running around, right next door, with light skin and blue eyes, not exactly common to their racial profile, what do you THINK happened? Add in that the survivors left a friggin' NOTE saying that they were headed exactly where these blue-eyed indians later showed up, and well...?
I think Scooby Doo can take the day off, we got this one under control
Where have i been? I never even heard of this!
Yeah, this one doesn't seem like a mystery. No more than Loch Ness Monster is a "mystery", anyway. They sent a bunch of colonists, without jack for supplies, to the New World and just left them there, and didn't check on them for several years. Seems pretty damned likely that:
-Most of them probably died (starvation, disease, natives, take your pick)
-Remaining colonists decided the colony really wasn't working out for them, and joined up with local natives (either willingly, or the natives attacked, killed some, and captured some of the women and children).
I mean, you've got indians running around, right next door, with light skin and blue eyes, not exactly common to their racial profile, what do you THINK happened? Add in that the survivors left a friggin' NOTE saying that they were headed exactly where these blue-eyed indians later showed up, and well...?
I think Scooby Doo can take the day off, we got this one under control
As I don't know much about the Roanoke Colony I will ask a few things. Maybe someone can answer them.
1) How long after where light skinned blue eyed Indians seen? 2) Is there positive truth of them being seen or are this based mainly on rumours?
3) If most of the colonist died (especially if they died of starvation or disease) what became of their bodies, where any graves found?
I blame the French somehow. 
Either that or Glenn Beck.
Either that or Glenn Beck.
Details on most of that are pretty sparse. I don't believe the 'rescue' party spent more than a day or so looking for them, however, and then it was years before anyone looked again, so take that as you will.
Details seem to indicate that the colony was dismantled rather than destroyed or abandoned, so doesn't seem like something quick happened, or too debilitating to those that were still alive. That, plus the carving on the tree of the name of a nearby island, WOULD seem to indicate that the colony wasn't doing so hot, and those that were still alive decided to pack up and move towards better prospects, maybe merging with the local indian tribe. Recent evidence has turned up things supposedly belonging to colonists on nearby islands and mainland, so seems to go that way. Also been determined that their stay in the colony matches up with one of the worst periods of drought in about 800 years, so not boding well for under-supplied colonists.
Other way to go is to say that maybe they took their small boats, built them up with whatever they could from the colony, and tried to sail back to England, and died. Not sure that's too likely, given what they had for resources, and the more attractive option of trying for the mainland rather than Europe...
Details seem to indicate that the colony was dismantled rather than destroyed or abandoned, so doesn't seem like something quick happened, or too debilitating to those that were still alive. That, plus the carving on the tree of the name of a nearby island, WOULD seem to indicate that the colony wasn't doing so hot, and those that were still alive decided to pack up and move towards better prospects, maybe merging with the local indian tribe. Recent evidence has turned up things supposedly belonging to colonists on nearby islands and mainland, so seems to go that way. Also been determined that their stay in the colony matches up with one of the worst periods of drought in about 800 years, so not boding well for under-supplied colonists.
Other way to go is to say that maybe they took their small boats, built them up with whatever they could from the colony, and tried to sail back to England, and died. Not sure that's too likely, given what they had for resources, and the more attractive option of trying for the mainland rather than Europe...
It seems pretty likely that they dispersed with the natives (at Croatoan makes sense). The search party of the second group couldn't search because of a storm and the blond-haired blue-eyed indians were discovered about a century later (probably descendants, but none of them the actual survivors), iirc.
Yeah, they basically moved out of Roanoke and moved in with some Indians. A tribe North of their location, I think. There was just an article recently in one of my History magazines, which I think was an excerpt from a new book. I'll dig it out when I go upstairs.
I'm rather sad to see it solved, actually. It was one of my favorite Romantic mysteries of American History.
I'm rather sad to see it solved, actually. It was one of my favorite Romantic mysteries of American History.
Could have just been a hurricane that drowned them and carried their bodies out to see. Its a long way to any higher ground. We went to the outer banks for vacation last October and looking at that Oregon inlet that got created by a hurricane, its not hard to believe that something like an act of nature could have taken them out. Maybe they fashioned a craft and tried to sail out of there and got lost at sea. We stayed in the old fishing village of kinnakeet, not to far from Buxton where the Cape Hateras light house is.
Thanks for the details of this book. I have added it to my wish list.
I am currently reading "White Cargo" which is about the convicts/street children/indentured servants who were sent to Virginia. The book briefly mentions the settlement at Roanoke.
I am currently reading "White Cargo" which is about the convicts/street children/indentured servants who were sent to Virginia. The book briefly mentions the settlement at Roanoke.
You're welcome. I'm going to get it myself; I've always been fascinated by Roanoke.
I may get that myself. I used to spend summers as a child in Nags Head. I still have family in Manteo.
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