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Sunday, June 28, 2009

Croatoan: Birthplace of America

Everything is Relative
By Jennifer Sheppard

Croatoan:
Birthplace of America

A compelling work by Scott Dawson who offers a definite plausible explanation of what happened to the 1587 colony of 117 men, women and children, that became known as The Lost Colony. Keep in mind the first time the colony was referred to as lost was when playwright, Paul Green, wrote the historical drama in 1937. Ask any native of the area and they will tell you they are descendants of the group known as the Lost Colony; therefore it was never lost.

It is difficult to classify this work as either fiction or non-fiction because it is a combination of both. A must read for anyone interested in the fate of the English men and women who landed on the shores of what is known today as the Outer Banks. Yes, 23 years before the ships landed in Jamestown, Virginia and 36 years before the Mayflower landed in Massachusetts, a group of people landed, on what are now, the shores of North Carolina, to establish a settlement.

This young author has woven a story around documented evidence of the actual events involving the 1584 -1587 voyages. He did a marvelous job of filling in the blanks, as he imagined it might have happened. And he makes a convincing point that the fate of the colony was perpetrated by sabotage and its abandonment by the sponsors rather than lost, as it has become known.

I met this author at a meeting of researchers, with whom I used to work. I am not easily impressed but I am impressed by Scott Dawson and his knowledge of the Outer Banks and commitment to his birth place, Croatoan (modern day Buxton which is located on Hatteras Island where he was born) and his willingness to shed new light on what has been considered the greatest unsolved mystery in North America.

This book includes pictures of various artifacts, uncovered during archeological digs in 2006. The gunlock (dated “to the 16th century, probably 1583 based on an identical one found in England”) discovered by Dr. David Phelps of East Carolina University, as well as the “gold signet ring that belonged to Master Kendall who was part of the 1585 voyage and who lived with 20 other English colonists in Croatoan for over a month in 1586”. Research groups are using genealogical, archaeological evidence, oral history and DNA to prove that there are descendants of “The Lost Colony” living in Eastern North Carolina today.

Other pictures include pipe fragments, a map of the Outer Banks with Native American villages and modern names, created by Scott Dawson, pieces of pottery “found during the Croatoan dig in 2006”, and pictures of the “1759 Croatoan land deed giving land to the Hatteras Indians and last but not least, a clipping from the Dare County Times showing a “photo of Lindy Miller after his discovery of a sword and other items in the same spot where the Croatoan village digs would occur 60 years later” as well as a list of Croatoan words and their modern day meanings.

I leave you with the following quote from Scott’s book.

“This colony was abandoned, not lost. The colonists wrote down where they were going and no one ever looked there! Everyone knew where Croatoan was back then just as we know now. That has never been a mystery”…….

Ordering information: Softcover, 5 ½ X 8 ½, 173 pgs, $14.95 plus $4.95 shipping. Happy Hunting! http://www.buybooksontheweb.com/product.aspx?ISBN=0-7414-5469-6


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Saturday, June 27, 2009

Outer Banks Heating Up With Summer Activities

Photos: click here

Events on the Outer Banks for June 27 to July 3

June 26, 2009

Looking for the events and activities coming up on the Outer Banks? Every Friday, Miss Kitty is going to bring you the happening events for the next week.

Saturday on the Outer Banks:

Kitty Hawk Kites Kiteboarding Competition will be taking place at the Kitty Hawk Kites Kiteboarding Center in Waves Village. Come see some of the best kiteboarders in the world. Free demonstrations and competitions will be held throughout the day. For more information, call 252-441-4124 or visit Kitty Hawk Kites.

Enjoy a night of theater with The Lost Colony at Waterside Theater on Roanoke Island. The performance begins at 8 pm. After the show, enjoy a backstage tour of Waterside Theater. For tickets or more information, call 252-473-2127 or visit The Lost Colony.

You could head on over to Jolly Rogerwhere Michelle Sanchez will be hosting the ‘Alan Ross Karaoke Roadshow’ from 9 pm to 1 am. The Jesse Chong Band will be rocking the house over at Outer Banks Brewing Station (yeah, that’s the restaurant between the silos on the bypass). Or go see Krunch playing at Kelly’s Restaurant and Tavern.


Read about the rest of the week here:

http://kittydunes.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/events-on-the-outer-banks-for-june-27-to-july-3/



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Anita Wills Talks Genealogy - Podcast

Host Anita Wills talks Genealogy and answers questions from callers. Tips on genealogy and how to successfully research and document your roots. Excerpts from books, Pieces of the Quilt: The Mosaic of An African American Family, and Notes And Documents of Free Persons of Color.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Anita-Wills


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Wednesday, June 24, 2009

That's Entertainment!!!

Western Carolina University's College of Fine and Performing Arts to perform at Festival Park

RAY MATTHEWS
Musical theatre students and faculty from Western Carolina University's College of Fine and Performing Arts will perform a star-spangled variety show as part of the Fourth of July celebration at the Roanoke Island Festival Park.

Fireworks for the event are provided by the Town of Manteo.

The troupe, known as the Western Carolina University Catamount Starz, will take the park's stage at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 4, to perform "What a Country: A Celebration of America." The selection of rock 'n' roll, pop, Broadway, patriotic and light classical song and dance is designed to set the mood for a big fireworks extravaganza to immediately follow the show, said Bradley Martin, director of the WCU musical theatre program.

"What better way to celebrate the quintessential American holiday than with a spirited performance of some of the music that helped define a nation," Martin said. "We're putting together the musical equivalent of a tasty Fourth of July smorgasbord, with a little something for everyone in a family-friendly show suitable for all ages."

Full Article Here:

http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2009/06/24/entertainment/arts191.txt


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Saturday, June 20, 2009

Road Trip back in Time

Road trips have become a tradition of summer. Everyone has memories from childhood of piling into the family car and hitting the road. The trips can be long or short, jam-packed with stops or just a quick visit. The great thing about road trips is that the possibilities are endless.

Road Trip to North Carolina

~Heading back toward the mainland on Route 64 the hustle and bustle of the beach community begins to quiet and the small town of Manteo is another worthwhile pit stop. The town of Manteo was named after a member of the Croatan tribe and it's history, as well as the history of Roanoke Island, stretches far back. The 1584, English settlers established a foothold on the island. Due to lack of supplies, bad weather and tense relations with the native tribes the fort eventually failed. Three years later, another group of settlers arrived to try to make a more permanent colony. Among them was the Dare family. Two months after they arrived on Roanoke, they gave birth to the first English-speaking child in the New World. The patriarch of the group was forced to leave the burgeoning colony. When he arrived back in 1590 there was no sign of the the English settlers. Their whereabouts where never discovered and the mystery remains. The Lost Colony has been the subject of many theories over the centuries. The most popular one was that the Croatans came to the help of the starving colonists and brought them into their tribe. There were countless reports of American Indians with blue eyes and light complexions, convincing some they were the missing colonists.

Today you can spend the day exploring Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, where you can get the full story of the various attempts to colonize the island. Take a stroll through the beautiful Elizabethan Gardens with its vibrant colors and traditional layouts. The young and old alike will enjoy boarding the Elizabeth II, a replica of the small ship that the colonists traveled over on from England. You can even stay to take in a performance of The Lost Colony play in the wooden fort.

~The majority of the Outer Banks are connected by bridges spanning the breaks between islands. However, when you get to the southern tip of Hatteras it is time to hop on board the car ferry. When you disembark on the far side, the only place to go is south to the quiet village of Ocracoke. The easiest way to see Ocracoke is on foot. The Ocracoke Lighthouse was built in 1823 and stands 75 feet tall over the village. The stark white building is the second oldest lighthouse in the United States. Despite the peaceful atmosphere that Ocracoke gives off, in the early 1700s it was home to a famous sailor. Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard, was one of the most feared pirates of his time. For years he sailed the oceans looting and plundering. Eventually, Blackbeard decided to retire before the authorities caught up with him. He took his riches and retired to Ocracoke but apparently retirement wasn't good enough. The Governor of Virginia overreached his authority and made it clear that he wanted Blackbeard gone. On November 11, 1718 the HMS Pearl arrived in the waters off of Ocracoke and did not leave until Teach was taken care of. The tales of pirates and tall lighthouses are common occurences throughout the islands of North Carolina.

http://www.examiner.com/x-5511-Baltimore-Historic-Travel-Examiner~y2009m5d29-On-the-road-North-Carolina



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A Chance to be Knighted Without a Trip to England

Book signing, chance to be knighted



Actress and co-editor Miss Barbara Hird can be found after each Thursday's performance of "Shepherd of the Ocean" in the Roanoke Island Festival Park Mall on Thursdays, June 4, 11 and 18.

She'll be signing copies of "Roanoke Revisited: The Story of the Lost Colony," which can be found in Festival Park's Museum Store. The book tells the stories of the first English settlements in the New World, and of the fabled lost colony of Roanoke Island. The stories have been compiled from reports that were originally prepared by colony leaders and published in the 16th century by Richard Hakluyt.

And there is no need to travel across the Atlantic Ocean to England to be knighted by their current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II; you can be knighted right here on Roanoke Island, where England's New World began. That's right; the queen, Miss Barbara Hird, will knight worthy young lords and ladies after each production of Shepherd of the Ocean. Call (252) 475-1500 or visit roanokeisland.com

For more information about this event call (252) 475-1500 or visit online at www.roanokeisland.com.




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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Search for Lost Colonist's DNA Getting Help from Bideford Mayor

Bideford Mayor's DNA plan to prove Founding Fathers' theory

dave.tanner@archant.co.uk
17 June 2009

THE Mayor with a 300-year-old map of Bideford.
THE Mayor with a 300-year-old map of Bideford.
WERE Bidefordians among the founding fathers of America, more than 30 years before the Pilgrim Fathers set sail from Plymouth?

That is a possibility which Mayor of Bideford Cllr Andy Powell is hoping to prove - "and put the town on the American tourist map of Britain alongside London, York and Stratford-on-Avon."

He is asking members of Torridgeside's oldest families to put themselves forward for DNA testing to help prove the case.

It is well documented how ships from Bideford under the captaincy of Sir Richard Grenville were involved with Sir Walter Raleigh's attempts to settle America between 1584 and 1590, initially on Roanoke Island in North Carolina.

In 1587 problems forced the leader John White to return to England to get help.

But plans for a relief fleet were delayed, not least by the coming of the Spanish Armada, which meant all of England's ships being commandeered for battle.

It was three years before he was able to return, by which time there was no sign of the 117 men, women and children or their settlement and they are listed in history as "the lost colony."


http://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/northdevongazette/news/story.aspx?brand=NDGOnline&category=news&tBrand=devon24&tCategory=newsndga&itemid=DEED17%20Jun%202009%2008%3A53%3A03%3A863


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Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Family Tree DNA Announces Fantastic Sale

Received by project administrators tonight:

Dear Family Tree DNA Group Administrator,

Last summer we offered a pricing special that was the most successful
offering of its kind in our company’s history.

Many project administrators strongly supported our recruitment efforts and
both their projects and our database grew significantly.
This year we will offer an early summer special with an unparalleled
promotional discount.

Offer summary:

• Y-DNA37+mtDNA for $119. (The regular project price is $248 – a reduction
of more than 50%!!)

• The promotion will begin on June 9, 2009 and will end on June 24, 2009

• Kits ordered in this sale must be paid for by June 30, 2009

This is your new members’ opportunity to skip past the Y-DNA12 and Y-DNA25
tests and get the best Y-DNA Genealogical test on the market in addition to
an mtDNA test for an extremely reduced price!

I should also mention that according to one of our competitors’ method of
counting markers our 37-marker test could also be called a “41-marker test”
as we do
test and report markers 464e, 464f, 464g, and DYS19b. Though we test them,
it is very rare that individuals have results for these markers. Therefore,
by
our conservative counting method, our competitor's “33-marker test” is
actually a “29-marker test.” We mention this to make sure that you
understand the difference
between these tests and are able to compare “apples to apples.”

So... I hope that with this promotion your project can gain many new
members.

As always, that you for your continued support.

Max Blankfeld
Vice-President, Operations and Marketing
http://www.FamilyTreeDNA.com
"History Unearthed Daily"
max@familytreedna.com
713-868-1438


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Sunday, June 7, 2009

COLONIAL RECORDS OF VIRGINIA.

Baltimore
Genealogical Publishing Co.
1964

Originally Published

RICHMOND, VA:
R.F. Walker, Superintendent Public Printing.
1874.

Thanks to Joy King for pointing out to us that this is now online.
read it here

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Tuesday, June 2, 2009

A Role for Sassafras in the Search for the Lost Colony

Written by Philip S. McMullan Jr.

This is a 32 page write up; notice a great map in here on page eleven.

pdf file

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