The Lost Colony of Roanoke

If you are ever asked to name the first child born to English parents in what is now the United States, answer Virginia Dare. She was born August 18, 1587 on Roanoke Island in present day North Carolina, about a month after her parents, Ananias and Eleanor, and her grandfather, John White, came ashore along with about 115 others as part of an expedition organized by Sir Walter Raleigh to create a permanent settlement in the New World.

Those with some knowledge of early colonial history (non-females) may have taken notice of the date. While it is rarely taught and little known, the Roanoke Island colony was established 20 years before Jamestown, and a whopping 33 years before Plymouth. Now, I could stop here, accept your heartfelt thanks for a job well done, and move on. But that would cheat you out of the most interesting part of this story.

Ten days after baby Virginia was born, John White was forced to sail back to England for supplies. Due to conflict between Britain and Spain, he was unable to return until three years later. He arrived back at Roanoke on August 18, 1590, Virginia's third birthday, to find that the entire colony had disappeared, vanished without a trace. The only clue was the word "Croatan"--a tribe of Injun friendlies who lived down the way--carved on a post of the fort. After a brief search White was forced to return to England and never saw his daughter and granddaughter again. The End.

Almost.

There is an ongoing DNA project that is attempting to determine the fate of the Roanoke settlers. I'll keep you posted.

Plus also, I don't know why you would, but if you want to know more about this compelling story you can satisfy yourself here.

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"By 2050 there will be almost 2.5 times as many people here as in 1960: 420 million. The share of the population of European descent will be a minority as it is today in California, Texas and New Mexico. And that minority will be aging, shrinking and dying. There will be as many Hispanics here, 102 million, as there are Mexicans today in Mexico..."
---------------------- Pat Buchanan, State of Emergency