Evidence of 16th-Century Spanish Fort in Appalachia?

Willie Drye in Plymouth, North Carolina
for National Geographic News
November 22, 2004

A long-standing theory says that more than four centuries ago Spanish explorers ventured into the foothills of what is now North Carolina. They stayed long enough to possibly change the course of European settlement in the New World, then vanished into the fog of time, the story says.

Until recently historians regarded a 16th-century Spanish presence this far north in North America as more theory than fact. But archaeologists working in a farm field near the tiny community of Worry Crossroads might change that perception.

Combining detective work with old-fashioned digging, the team may have unearthed ruins and artifcats—evidence that Spanish soldiers did, indeed, roam the Appalachian Mountains. The researchers think they've found the site of Fort San Juan, where Spanish explorers reportedly stayed from 1566 to 1568. The outpost was near the American Indian village of Joara, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of present-day Asheville.

While the Spaniards' stay in western North Carolina would have been brief—about 18 months—it would have been long enough to perhaps have had a profound impact. Scholars think the Spanish may have brought diseases such as smallpox to the area, which decimated the Native Americans, who lacked immunity to the contagions.

"We don't have lots of data," said David Moore, an archaeologist at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa. "But what we do have suggests that it may have been a region where early European diseases contributed to a loss of the native populations."

The dramatic decline of Indian populations, plus the Spaniards' decision to abandon Fort San Juan and several other settlements, may have helped England's later colonization efforts.
English settlers tried and failed to establish a colony in 1587 on Roanoke Island on the coast of North Carolina. They established their first permanent settlement in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607.

"Had these forts been established [and lasted] in the interior of North Carolina, the Spaniards would have fought harder to hold the East Coast against the English," Moore said.
And when English settlers ventured farther inland, the Indian tribes that might have opposed them were either gone or too weak to fight, he said.

Full Article Here:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/11/1122_041122_spanish_fort.html

Ancient Artifacts Found on North Carolina Campus

Willie Dryefor
National Geographic News
March 7, 2005

The discovery of 2,000-year-old artifacts on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is prompting archaeologists to rethink their theories about the early presence of Native Americans in North Carolina.

The artifacts include spear points and pottery fragments. Their location indicate that small bands of roaming Indians made a seasonal home on ground that later became the site of the nation's first state university, said Steve Davis, associate director of UNC's Research Laboratories of Archeology.

"They were living as bands of hunters and gatherers, moving seasonally as different resources became available," Davis said. "They were mostly gathering nut crops, wild seeds, and greens. And they were hunting. Probably their primary source of protein was the white-tailed deer."
The artifacts date back to a time before Native Americans began forming tribes. The Indians probably roamed central North Carolina in bands of 20 to 30 people, Davis said.

The artifacts were unearthed during a routine excavation on the UNC campus. Their discovery may fill a puzzling gap in scientists' understanding of Native American life in that part of the state.

Full Article Here:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/03/0307_050307_carolina.html

DNA Pro at Work on an Old Mystery

Brighton area woman a part of Lost Colony research

Monday, August 27, 2007
BY STEPHENIE KOEHN
News Special Writer

It's one of the most haunting and tantalizing mysteries in American folklore.
The 115 souls who in 1587 constituted the first English attempt at a permanent colony in the New World, on Roanoke Island, N.C., disappeared within three years' time, leaving scarcely a trace.

Archaeologists, historians and scholars have been trying for years to determine what became of the members of the Lost Colony of Roanoke, to little avail.

Now, a Brighton area DNA expert may hold the key to unraveling the 400-year-old mystery.
Robert Estes, owner of DNA Explain, a private DNA analysis company, is managing a multidisciplinary project, incorporating DNA tracking, geography, geology, history, biology, anthropology and oceanography to track possible descendants of those lost colonists.

"The question we're setting out to solve is, 'Did any of the colonists survive?''' said Estes.

Some researchers believe all the colonists perished, while others believe they were assimilated into friendly Native American tribes in the area. Others believe the truth is a combination of those two theories.

"One account says colonists were taken as slaves by Indians,'' Estes said. She and other researchers believe they can ferret out the real story using DNA comparisons.
The project will test the DNA of people who have similar or the same last names as the colonists or those on a list who had land patents or deeds in the Roanoke Island area, and also people who are known to descend from any of the Native American tribes in the area. The DNA test results, in combination with genealogical and historical information, are "the only way to trace whether any of them survived,'' Estes said.

Armed with bachelor's and master's degrees in computer science, 30 years' experience in genealogy and six years in DNA-genomics (the study of the DNA in the human genetic structure), Estes is working with researchers at the Lost Colony Center to look for matches between the DNA of interested participants and the DNA of families known to be related to the Lost Colonists.

Full Article Here:

http://www.mlive.com/business/annarbornews/index.ssf?/base/business-5/11882259767110.xml&coll=2

Names used in the Lost Colony Project

Names used in the Lost Colony Project


Surname-Source

Allen -- Colonist roster
Alligood -- Families of Interest
Archard-- Colonist roster
Archard -- Families of Interest
Armstrong -- Families of Interest
Arthur -- Colonist roster
Austin -- Families of Interest
Bailie -- Colonist roster
Barber, Barbour -- Families of Interest
Barrow -- Families of Interest
Beasley -- Families of Interest
Bennet -- Colonist roster
Bennet -- Families of Interest
Berde -- Colonist roster
Berry -- Families of Interest
Berrye -- Colonist roster
Bishop -- Colonist roster
Blount -- Families of Interest
Borden -- Colonist roster
Boyd -- Families of Interest
Bragg -- Families of Interest
Bridger -- Colonist roster
Bridger -- Families of Interest
Bright -- Colonist roster
Bright -- Families of Interest
Brooke -- Colonist roster
Brooks -- Families of Interest
Browne -- Colonist roster
Bryant -- Families of Interest
Buck -- Families of Interest
Burden -- Colonist roster
Butler -- Colonist roster
Butler -- Families of Interest
Cage -- Colonist roster
Cahoon -- Families of Interest
Cain -- Families of Interest
Carawan -- Families of Interest
Caroon, Carron -- Families of Interest
Carrow -- Families of Interest
Chapman -- Colonist roster
Chapman -- Families of Interest
Chavis -- Families of Interest
Cherry -- Families of Interest
Cheven -- Colonist roster
Collins -- Families of Interest
Colman -- Colonist roster
Cooper -- Colonist roster
Cooper -- Families of Interest
Cotsmur -- Colonist roster
Cox -- Families of Interest
Crisp -- Families of Interest
Croom -- Families of Interest
Cuttler -- Families of Interest
Daniel -- Families of Interest
Dare -- Colonist roster
Darige -- Colonist roster
Darige -- Families of Interest
Dixon -- Families of Interest
Dorrell -- Colonist roster
Durrance -- Families of Interest
Durrant -- Families of Interest
Dutton -- Colonist roster
Earnest -- -- Colonist roster
Edwards -- Families of Interest
Elks -- Families of Interest
Ellis -- Colonist roster
Ellis -- Families of Interest
English -- Colonist roster
Evans --Families of Interest
Farre -- Colonist roster
Farrow -- Families of Interest
Fitspatric -- Families of Interest
Florrie -- Colonist roster
Forbs -- Families of Interest
Gaylord -- Families of Interest
Gibbes -- Colonist roster
Gibbs -- Families of Interest
Glane -- Colonist roster
Gramme -- Colonist roster
Griffin -- Families of Interest
Gurganus -- Families of Interest
Gurkin -- Families of Interest
Hardison -- Families of Interest
Harris -- Colonist roster
Harris -- Families of Interest
Harviem -- Colonist roster
Harvie -- Families of Interest
Harvye -- Colonist roster
Hassell --Families of Interest
Hawkins --Families of Interest
Hedgepath -- Families of Interest
Hemmington -- Colonist roster
Hewet -- Colonist roster
Hill -- Families of Interest
Hodges -- Families of Interest
Howe -- Colonist roster
Hudson -- Families of Interest
Humfrey -- Colonist roster
Hynde -- Colonist roster
Jackson -- Families of Interest
Jennette --Families of Interest
Jerkins -- Families of Interest
Johnson -- Colonist roster
Johnson -- Families of Interest
Jones -- Colonist roster
Jones -- Families of Interest
Kemme -- Colonist roster
Keys -- Families of Interest
King -- Families of Interest
Lasie -- Colonist roster
Lathan -- Families of Interest
Lawrence -- Colonist roster
Leary -- Families of Interest
Little -- Colonist roster
Long -- Families of Interest
Lowery -- Families of Interest
Lucas -- Colonist roster
Lucus -- Families of Interest
Mackey -- Families of Interest
Mann -- Families of Interest
Mannering -- Colonist roster
Martyn -- Colonist roster
Mayo -- Families of Interest
McCoy -- Families of Interest
Merrimoth -- Colonist roster
Midgette -- Families of Interest
Moor -- Families of Interest
Mullins -- Families of Interest
Myllet -- Colonist roster
Mylton -- Colonist roster
Newton -- Colonist roster
Nicholas -- Families of Interest
Nicholes -- Colonist roster
Nicols -- Families of Interest
Norman -- Families of Interest
Padgett -- Families of Interest
Pain -- Families of Interest
Paramore -- Families of Interest
Patrick -- Families of Interest
Pattenson -- Colonist roster
Payne -- Colonist roster
Payne -- Families of Interest
Perry -- Families of Interest
Phevans -- Families of Interest
Phevens -- Colonist roster
Philpatrick -- Families of Interest
Pierce -- Colonist roster
Pierce -- Families of Interest
Pinkham -- Families of Interest
Pollock -- Families of Interest
Powell -- Colonist roster
Powell -- Families of Interest
Prat -- Colonist roster
Pugh -- Families of Interest
Respass -- Families of Interest
Ricks -- Families of Interest
Rollinson -- Families of Interest
Rufoote -- Colonist roster
Russell -- Families of Interest
Salter -- Families of Interest
Sampson -- Colonist roster
Sawer -- Families of Interest
Scot -- Colonist roster
Scot -- Families of Interest
Shaberdge -- Colonist roster
Shephard -- Families of Interest
Simmons -- Families of Interest
Smart -- -- Colonist roster
Smith -- Colonist roster
Smith -- Families of Interest
Smart -- Colonist roster
Sole -- Colonist roster
Sparrow -- Families of Interest
Spendlove -- Colonist roster
Spenser -- Families of Interest
Squires --Families of Interest
Starte -- Colonist roster
Stevens -- Colonist roster
Stevens -- Families of Interest
Stilman -- Colonist roster
Stilman -- Families of Interest
Sutton -- Colonist roster
Sutton -- Families of Interest
Swann -- Families of Interest
Tan -- Families of Interest
Tappan --Colonist roster
Tarkington -- Families of Interest
Taverner -- Colonist roster
Taylor -- Colonist roster
Tetterton -- Families of Interest
Thomas -- Families of Interest
Tom, Toms -- Families of Interest
Tomkins -- Colonist roster
Topan -- Colonist roster
Tuley -- Families of Interest
Turner -- Families of Interest
Tydway -- Colonist roster
Viccars -- Colonist roster
Viccars -- Families of Interest
Wahab -- Families of Interest
Wallis -- Families of Interest
Warner -- Colonist roster
Warren -- Colonist roster
Warren -- Families of Interest
Waters -- Colonist roster
Waters -- Families of Interest
Welch(s) -- Families of Interest
White -- Colonist roster
White -- Families of Interest
Wildye -- Colonist roster
Wilkinson -- Colonist roster
Willes -- Colonist roster
Williams -- Families of Interest
Wood -- Colonist roster
Woolard -- Families of Interest
Wotton -- Colonist roster
Wright -- Colonist roster
Wyles -- Colonist roster
Wyles -- Families of Interest
Wythers -- Colonist roster

The Lost Colony of 1587

In the year 1587, Sir Walter Raleigh organized another colonial expedition consisting of 150 persons. Its truer colonizing character was evidenced by the significant facts that, unlike the expedition of 1585, this one included women and children, and the men were called "planters." Its government was also less military, since the direction of the enterprise in Virginia was to be in the hands of a syndicate of subpatentees--a governor and 12 assistants whom Raleigh incorporated as the "Governor and Assistants of the Citie of Ralegh in Virginia."

The new arrangement indicated that colonization was becoming less of a one-man venture and more of a corporate or business enterprise, anticipating in a certain degree the later English companies that were to found successful colonies in Virginia and New England. Exactly what inducements Raleigh offered to the planters are not known. His terms were probably liberal, however, because Hariot, writing in February 1587, paid tribute to Raleigh's generosity, saying that the least that he had granted had been 500 acres of land to each man willing to go to America. Those contributing money or supplies, as well as their person, probably stood to receive more. From the list of names that has come down to us, it would appear that at least 10 of the planters took their wives with them. Ambrose Viccars and Arnold Archard brought not only their wives but one child each, Ambrose Viccars and Thomas Archard. Altogether there were at least 17 women and 9 children in the group that arrived safely in Virginia.

In still another respect, this second colonial expedition seemed to anticipate the later Jamestown settlement. Raleigh had directed, in writing, that the fort and colony be established in the Chesapeake Bay area where a better port could be had and where conditions for settlement were considered to be more favorable.

Full Article Here:

http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/nc/ncsites/English2.htm

A Search for the Lost Colony in Beechland

Written by Philip S. McMullan, Jr.

Many theories and myths have been put forward to explain the Lost Colony. They were thought lost at sea, washed away by a hurricane, moved southwest to become Lumbee Indians, killed by Powhatan in Chesapeake, or captured by the Mandoag in Chowanoke. None of these theories stand up to all of the available evidence. In his 1985 book, Set Fair for Roanoke, David Beers Quinn gave a very comprehensive review of all that was then published about the Roanoke Voyages. With the statement below, Quinn set the challenge for this paper.

“How did these people, over a hundred of them. ... survive or die? Surely they died, as they had begun to live, inside what is now North Carolina. Had they not, as seems most probable, somehow dispersed themselves among the Indian population? If this was so, did they leave traces that survive, hidden in the swamps and fields and even in the ancestry of the people of North Carolina today?"

Full Article Here:

http://lost-colony.com/Beechland.html

Team hopes DNA is clue to Lost Colony mystery

The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, VA, June 11, 2007
Written by Catherine Kozak

A DNA testing company and a genealogy enthusiast say they're trying to achieve what archaeologists have so far failed to do: find out what happened to the Lost Colony, the 1587 settlement on Roanoke Island that disappeared without a wisp of evidence.

"The Lost Colony story is the biggest unsolved mystery in the history of America," said Roberta Estes, owner of DNA Explain, a private DNA analysis company based in Brighton, Mich. "I don't know what we'll find in the end. Part of the big question for me is did the Lost Colony survive? Who is their family today? And where did they go?"

Estes will manage a multidisciplinary approach to tracking roots from a "most-wanted list" of people who might have connections to the Roanoke colonists or to the 16th century American Indians - or to both.

Estes said the team includes a professional genealogist, an anthropologist, a geneticist and a family tree DNA expert.

"It's a 5,000-piece puzzle, and we don't have the picture on the box yet," Estes said. "But we know what the process will be to put those pieces together."

By testing a cheek swab, two DNA lines can be traced - the paternal Y-line and the maternal mitochondrial line. Markers on the lines serve as addresses on the chromosomes. Genealogy then tries to fill in the blanks.

"In our case, with the Lost Colony, the only way we're going to trace who was who and if they survived is to use DNA," Estes said.

Full Article Here:
http://hamptonroads.com/node/280221

First Immigrants in North Carolina

clipped from ncmuseumofhistory.org First Immigrants: Native American Settlement of North Carolina Prehistoric American Indians Archaeologists can trace the ancestry of American Indians to at least twelve thousand years ago, to the time of the last Ice Age in the Pleistocene epoch. During the Ice Age, ocean levels dropped and revealed land that had previously been under the Bering Sea. American Indians ancestors walked on that land from present-day Siberia to Alaska. Evidence suggests that their population grew rapidly and that they settled throughout Canada, the Great Plains, and the Eastern Woodlands, which included the North Carolina area. Conjectured migration routes of the first Americans. Courtesy of the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. Click on map for a larger image, or click here for a printable Adobe Acrobat version.

The climate on the eastern seaboard was wetter and cooler twelve thousand years ago. Many species of animals roamed the forests and grasslands of our area, including now extinct examples of elephants (mastodons), wild horses, ground sloths, and giant bison. Other animals, now absent from the Southeast, included moose, caribou, elk, and porcupines.

Paleo-Indians, as archaeologists call those first people, hunted for these animals in groups using spears. They used the animals’ meat, skins, and remaining parts for food, clothing, and other needs. They also spent considerable time gathering wild plant foods and may have caught shellfish and fish. These first inhabitants of North Carolina were nomads, which means they moved frequently across the land in search of food and other resources.

Descendants of the Paleo-Indians are called Archaic Indians. They occupied eastern North America from about 9000 to 2000 B.C. As the Ice Age ended, the types of forests in the Southeast gradually changed and became more like those of today. Archaic Indians adapted their techniques of gathering, hunting, and fishing to the environments of this new Holocene epoch.

Archaic people, like their ancestors, were nomads. They traveled widely on foot to gather food, to obtain raw materials for making tools or shelters, and to visit and trade with neighbors. Some Archaic people may have used watercraft, particularly canoes made by digging out the centers of trees.

These Archaic Indians did not have three things that are commonly associated with prehistoric Indians—bows and arrows, pottery, or an agricultural economy. In fact, the gradual introduction of these items and activities into North Carolina’s Archaic cultures marks the transition to the Woodland culture, which began around 2000 B.C.Full Article

Here:http://ncmuseumofhistory.org/workshops/geography/session1.htm

John White Governor of Roanoke Colony

clipped from www.jamestown.abc-clio.com One of the more famous yet mysterious of all the Englishmen involved in the colonization of the New World was the talented John White. White's life before and after his involvement in the English voyages to Roanoke Island is not known well, and there is even room for dispute about the facts of his life during the years of those voyages (1584 to 1590). When and where he was born is not certain, and who his parents were is unknown. The facts about his wife have never been discovered, but it is known that he had at least one child, Eleanor, whose place in history was assured when she arrived, pregnant, with her husband and the other members of the second group of colonists who reached Roanoke Island in 1587. Along with her husband, Ananias Dare, Eleanor became the parent of the first English child known to have been born in America, Virginia Dare, in August of that year.

White, an artist and member of the Painters-Stainers Company in London, may have accompanied Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe on their 1584 reconnoiter of the east coast of America for Sir Walter Raleigh when he was formulating plans to establish a colony there. White's presence on that voyage is not certain, but in his own writings he claimed to have made the Atlantic crossing five times which, considering the known voyages during the time in which he was active in the projects, would suggest that White was a member of the 1584 expedition. He was, however, a member of the 1585 voyage that placed a few more than 100 settlers on America's shores for about eleven months before being transported back to England by Sir Francis Drake in June 1586. Because of the list of colonists left on the island, there has been some speculation that John White was not actually there the entire eleven months and that he returned to England with Richard Grenville about a month after their arrival. Nonetheless, it was during this 1585 expedition that he produced many invaluable watercolors of the flora, fauna, maps, and indigenous peoples of the region. Considering the wealth and breadth of information that White conveyed through his watercolors, it would appear that he spent more than just a few short weeks exploring the island and its environs.

After this first colony was abandoned in 1586, Raleigh was anxious to make another attempt at colonization in the New World. This time, he planned to seat the colony on the Chesapeake Bay, north of his first attempt on Roanoke Island. To lead this endeavor, White was chosen as governor of the colony, and in July 1587 the expedition anchored off the Outer Banks of North Carolina near Roanoke Island. The intention of this stop was to check on the approximately fifteen men placed there in 1586 by Richard Grenville, who had left them there the previous year after finally returning in July or August with supplies for the first colonists. Finding the colonists gone, Drake having taken them back to England, Grenville left another small contingent to keep an English presence in the region. When the next group of settlers arrived with White as governor, no trace of Grenville's men was to be found.

White's tenure as governor of the Roanoke colony began against his own wishes as well as Raleigh's. As mentioned, their aim was to settle this second colony on the Chesapeake Bay. When White and the new colonists arrived at Roanoke Island, they disembarked to search for Grenville's men; but when they attempted to return to their ships, their pilot, a Portuguese privateer by the name of Fernandez, would not allow them back on board. With little room for maneuver, White returned to the site of the previous colony at the northern end of Roanoke Island and began to build anew. The previous colony, led by Ralph Lane, had been made up mostly of military men who had little desire for or skill in dealing with the indigenous peoples. That attitude resulted in hostilities between the Native Americans and the English, and White's colonists soon began to suffer the hardships of living in an alien and hostile environment with too few supplies or skills. The colonists, among them White's daughter and granddaughter, agreed that White should return to England for supplies and relief. He did so in August of 1587 with hopes of a rapid return. Other forces were at work, however, and his anticipated quick return became an agonizing wait.

Full Article:

http://www.jamestown.abc-clio.com/ReferenceDisplay.aspx?entryid=859971

Names Used in the Lost Colony Project

Names used in the Lost Colony Project
Surname-Source

Roster

Allen -- Colonist roster
Alligood -- Families of Interest
Archard-- Colonist roster
Archard -- Families of Interest
Armstrong -- Families of Interest
Arthur -- Colonist roster
Austin -- Families of Interest
Bailie -- Colonist roster
Barber, Barbour -- Families of Interest
Barrow -- Families of Interest
Beasley -- Families of Interest
Bennet -- Colonist roster
Bennet -- Families of Interest
Berde -- Colonist roster
Berry -- Families of Interest
Berrye -- Colonist roster
Bishop -- Colonist roster
Blount -- Families of Interest
Borden -- Colonist roster
Boyd -- Families of Interest
Bragg -- Families of Interest
Bridger -- Colonist roster
Bridger -- Families of Interest
Bright -- Colonist roster
Bright -- Families of Interest
Brooke -- Colonist roster
Brooks -- Families of Interest
Browne -- Colonist roster
Bryant -- Families of Interest
Buck -- Families of Interest
Burden -- Colonist roster
Butler -- Colonist roster
Butler -- Families of Interest
Cage -- Colonist roster
Cahoon -- Families of Interest
Cain -- Families of Interest
Carawan -- Families of Interest
Caroon, Carron -- Families of Interest
Carrow -- Families of Interest
Chapman -- Colonist roster
Chapman -- Families of Interest
Chavis -- Families of Interest
Cherry -- Families of Interest
Cheven -- Colonist roster
Collins -- Families of Interest
Colman -- Colonist roster
Cooper -- Colonist roster
Cooper -- Families of Interest
Cotsmur -- Colonist roster
Cox -- Families of Interest
Crisp -- Families of Interest
Croom -- Families of Interest
Cuttler -- Families of Interest
Daniel -- Families of Interest
Dare -- Colonist roster
Darige -- Colonist roster
Darige -- Families of Interest
Dixon -- Families of Interest
Dorrell -- Colonist roster
Durrance -- Families of Interest
Durrant -- Families of Interest
Dutton -- Colonist roster
Earnest -- -- Colonist roster
Edwards -- Families of Interest
Elks -- Families of Interest
Ellis -- Colonist roster
Ellis -- Families of Interest
English -- Colonist roster
Evans --Families of Interest
Farre -- Colonist roster
Farrow -- Families of Interest
Fitspatric -- Families of Interest
Florrie -- Colonist roster
Forbs -- Families of Interest
Gaylord -- Families of Interest
Gibbes -- Colonist roster
Gibbs -- Families of Interest
Glane -- Colonist roster
Gramme -- Colonist roster
Griffin -- Families of Interest
Gurganus -- Families of Interest
Gurkin -- Families of Interest
Hardison -- Families of Interest
Harris -- Colonist roster
Harris -- Families of Interest
Harviem -- Colonist roster
Harvie -- Families of Interest
Harvye -- Colonist roster
Hassell --Families of Interest
Hawkins --Families of Interest
Hedgepath -- Families of Interest
Hemmington -- Colonist roster
Hewet -- Colonist roster
Hill -- Families of Interest
Hodges -- Families of Interest
Howe -- Colonist roster
Hudson -- Families of Interest
Humfrey -- Colonist roster
Hynde -- Colonist roster
Jackson -- Families of Interest
Jennette --Families of Interest
Jerkins -- Families of Interest
Johnson -- Colonist roster
Johnson -- Families of Interest
Jones -- Colonist roster
Jones -- Families of Interest
Kemme -- Colonist roster
Keys -- Families of Interest
King -- Families of Interest
Lasie -- Colonist roster
Lathan -- Families of Interest
Lawrence -- Colonist roster
Leary -- Families of Interest
Little -- Colonist roster
Long -- Families of Interest
Lowery -- Families of Interest
Lucas -- Colonist roster
Lucus -- Families of Interest
Mackey -- Families of Interest
Mann -- Families of Interest
Mannering -- Colonist roster
Martyn -- Colonist roster
Mayo -- Families of Interest
McCoy -- Families of Interest
Merrimoth -- Colonist roster
Midgette -- Families of Interest
Moor -- Families of Interest
Mullins -- Families of Interest
Myllet -- Colonist roster
Mylton -- Colonist roster
Newton -- Colonist roster
Nicholas -- Families of Interest
Nicholes -- Colonist roster
Nicols -- Families of Interest
Norman -- Families of Interest
Padgett -- Families of Interest
Pain -- Families of Interest
Paramore -- Families of Interest
Patrick -- Families of Interest
Pattenson -- Colonist roster
Payne -- Colonist roster
Payne -- Families of Interest
Perry -- Families of Interest
Phevans -- Families of Interest
Phevens -- Colonist roster
Philpatrick -- Families of Interest
Pierce -- Colonist roster
Pierce -- Families of Interest
Pinkham -- Families of Interest
Pollock -- Families of Interest
Powell -- Colonist roster
Powell -- Families of Interest
Prat -- Colonist roster
Pugh -- Families of Interest
Respass -- Families of Interest
Ricks -- Families of Interest
Rollinson -- Families of Interest
Rufoote -- Colonist roster
Russell -- Families of Interest
Salter -- Families of Interest
Sampson -- Colonist roster
Sawer -- Families of Interest
Scot -- Colonist roster
Scot -- Families of Interest
Shaberdge -- Colonist roster
Shephard -- Families of Interest
Simmons -- Families of Interest
Smart -- -- Colonist roster
Smith -- Colonist roster
Smith -- Families of Interest
Smart -- Colonist roster
Sole -- Colonist roster
Sparrow -- Families of Interest
Spendlove -- Colonist roster
Spenser -- Families of Interest
Squires --Families of Interest
Starte -- Colonist roster
Stevens -- Colonist roster
Stevens -- Families of Interest
Stilman -- Colonist roster
Stilman -- Families of Interest
Sutton -- Colonist roster
Sutton -- Families of Interest
Swann -- Families of Interest
Tan -- Families of Interest
Tappan --Colonist roster
Tarkington -- Families of Interest
Taverner -- Colonist roster
Taylor -- Colonist roster
Tetterton -- Families of Interest
Thomas -- Families of Interest
Tom, Toms -- Families of Interest
Tomkins -- Colonist roster
Topan -- Colonist roster
Tuley -- Families of Interest
Turner -- Families of Interest
Tydway -- Colonist roster
Viccars -- Colonist roster
Viccars -- Families of Interest
Wahab -- Families of Interest
Wallis -- Families of Interest
Warner -- Colonist roster
Warren -- Colonist roster
Warren -- Families of Interest
Waters -- Colonist roster
Waters -- Families of Interest
Welch(s) -- Families of Interest
White -- Colonist roster
White -- Families of Interest
Wildye -- Colonist roster
Wilkinson -- Colonist roster
Willes -- Colonist roster
Williams -- Families of Interest
Wood -- Colonist roster
Woolard -- Families of Interest
Wotton -- Colonist roster
Wright -- Colonist roster
Wyles -- Colonist roster
Wyles -- Families of Interest
Wythers -- Colonist roster

Dare Stones May Offer Clues

When Brenau University Professor James Southerland travels to coastal North Carolina in September, he will have rocks in his luggage.

Actually, he plans to carry only one rock, but it is a briefcase-sized 21-pound chunk of rough-veined quartz. With Elizabethan-era words chiseled into its front and back surfaces, the oblong-shaped piece is the cornerstone of the university´s unique collection of stones that purportedly help solve one of American history´s greatest puzzles.

Southerland by invitation will show off the stone Sept. 7 to kick off a Williamston, N.C. symposium sponsored by The Lost Colony Center for Science and Research.

clipped from www.brenau.edu ´Stones´ Expert Southerland to Address ´Lost Colony´ Enthusiasts Brenau University Professor James Southerland examines the 'cornerstone' of the university's unique collection. At right, carvings on this and other 'Dare Stones' offer a possible solution to a 400-year-old mystery.

Mysteries of the Lost Colony and A New World:

England's First View of America from the British Museum

Oct. 20, 2007, to Jan. 13, 2008


Purchase Tickets Online

August 18, 2007, marks the 420th birthday of Virginia Dare, the first English child born in America. Weeks after her birth, her grandfather, John White, governor of the Roanoke Island colony and an artist, traveled to England for supplies. When he returned three years later, the entire colony had vanished.

Today, the Lost Colony mystery remains ― as do the exceptional watercolor drawings White created of Roanoke Island in 1585 and 1586. Visitors to the N.C. Museum of History can see more than 70 of these original watercolors, on view for the first time in 40 years outside of England, in a major exhibition opening Saturday, October 20, in Raleigh. White’s detailed renderings from his expeditions to the New World give us the only surviving visual English record of America at the time of European contact.

Full Article Here:

http://ncmuseumofhistory.org/wgo/press_06142007.html

In Search of the Lost Colony

clipped from www.lost-colony.com     The Lost Colony resulted from England's second attempt to colonize the shores of northeastern North Carolina. The first attempt in 1585 and 1586 failed after its members, led by Ralph Lane, warred with local Indians and were unable to establish the means to sustain themselves. Commissioned by Sir Walter Ralegh, this expedition generated ethnographic reports, maps, and dramatic paintings by Thomas Harriot and John White. Its members signaled English ships passing off the shoals on Hatteras, and they sailed back to England with Sir Francis Drake's privateer fleet in 1586. A small party of soldiers left by Sir Richard Grenville in the same year to garrison Lane’s abandoned fort at Roanoke Island disappeared in 1586 and 1587. Their troubles did not dissuade the second group of settlers, who were borne by three ships that arrived in July 1587. clipped from www.lost-colony.com

Virgina Dare's 420th Birthday August 18th

Birthday bash for Virginia Dare

Celebrate Virginia Dare's 420th anniversary on Aug. 18 at Fort Raleigh with a full-day's worth of events.A trio of attractions inside Fort Raleigh are joining together to celebrate this historic birthday.

9 a.m. The Elizabethan Gardens open for the day with free admission and day-long plant sale10 a.m. Guided tours of Elizabethan Gardens

10 a.m. 1584: The Scouting Expedition in the Visitor Center

10 a.m. Meet Marjorie Hudson, author of "In Search of Virginia Dare" during a Book signing until noon in the Elizabethan Gardens

11 a.m. Guided tours of Elizabethan Gardens

11 a.m. Faire events for all ages begin: rock wall climbing, face painting, balloon animal twisting, kite making, game playing and more. Experience a wildfest, enjoy musical performances, see lost colony artifacts, and visit the historic grounds at Fort Raleigh

11:30 a.m. Sword play demonstration at the Lost Colony Building11:30 a.m. Lunch concessions available until 1 p.m. at Elizabethan Gardens

12 p.m. Free backstage tour of Waterside Theatre, meet at the Lost Colony Building

1 p.m. Elizabethan music presentation at the Visitor Center

1 p.m. Guided tours of Elizabethan Gardens1:30 p.m. Birthday cake and ice cream at the Lost Colony Building

2 p.m. 1585-86: The Exploration Expedition at the Visitor Center

2 p.m. Guided tours of Elizabethan Gardens

3 p.m. 1587: The Colony at the Visitor Center

4 p.m. Roanoke Island History: The Drama Remembers at the Visitor Center

6:30 p.m. Backstage Tour of Waterside Theatre/ $5 (reservations required, 473-3414)

8 p.m. The Elizabethan Gardens close

8:30 p.m. The Lost Colony with infant actors (reservations required, 473-3414)

Showings of Roanoke: The Lost Colony (Documentary) 9 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12 p.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 5p.m., 5:30 p.m. at the Visitor Center


http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2007/08/11/entertainment/arts1461.txt

The Lost Colony; America's Beginning

Applauding The Years

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On July 4, 1937, a new form of entertainment came to the American stage. A packed house at the newly built Waterside Theatre on Roanoke Island witnessed a historic event the first performance of The Lost Colony.


The drama commemorated the 350th anniversary of the birth of
Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the New World. Scheduled to run just one year, it proved so successful that it has played for over sixty consecutive summers. Since its opening, The Lost Colony has been viewed by more than 3 million people and has inspired the creation of other outdoor dramas.

http://www.outerbanks.com/lostcolony/history/

clipped from www.outerbanks.com THE LOST COLONY AMERICA'S BEGINNING "We do not know the fate of Virginia Dare or the First Colony. We do know, however, that the story of America is largely a record of that spirit of adventure." -- President Franklin D. Roosevelt in an address to the audience of The Lost Colony, Aug 18, 1937. The oldest and longest-running of America's outdoor dramas, The Lost Colony has hosted over three million visitors.

Names used in the Lost Colony Project

Names used in the Lost Colony Project
Surname-Source

Allen -- Colonist roster
Alligood -- Families of Interest
Archard-- Colonist roster
Archard -- Families of Interest
Armstrong -- Families of Interest
Arthur -- Colonist roster
Austin -- Families of Interest
Bailie -- Colonist roster
Barber, Barbour -- Families of Interest
Barrow -- Families of Interest
Beasley -- Families of Interest
Bennet -- Colonist roster
Bennet -- Families of Interest
Berde -- Colonist roster
Berry -- Families of Interest
Berrye -- Colonist roster
Bishop -- Colonist roster
Blount -- Families of Interest
Borden -- Colonist roster
Boyd -- Families of Interest
Bragg -- Families of Interest
Bridger -- Colonist roster
Bridger -- Families of Interest
Bright -- Colonist roster
Bright -- Families of Interest
Brooke -- Colonist roster
Brooks -- Families of Interest
Browne -- Colonist roster
Bryant -- Families of Interest
Buck -- Families of Interest
Burden -- Colonist roster
Butler -- Colonist roster
Butler -- Families of Interest
Cage -- Colonist roster
Cahoon -- Families of Interest
Cain -- Families of Interest
Carawan -- Families of Interest
Caroon, Carron -- Families of Interest
Carrow -- Families of Interest
Chapman -- Colonist roster
Chapman -- Families of Interest
Chavis -- Families of Interest
Cherry -- Families of Interest
Cheven -- Colonist roster
Collins -- Families of Interest
Colman -- Colonist roster
Cooper -- Colonist roster
Cooper -- Families of Interest
Cotsmur -- Colonist roster
Cox -- Families of Interest
Crisp -- Families of Interest
Croom -- Families of Interest
Cuttler -- Families of Interest
Daniel -- Families of Interest
Dare -- Colonist roster
Darige -- Colonist roster
Darige -- Families of Interest
Dixon -- Families of Interest
Dorrell -- Colonist roster
Durrance -- Families of Interest
Durrant -- Families of Interest
Dutton -- Colonist roster
Earnest -- -- Colonist roster
Edwards -- Families of Interest
Elks -- Families of Interest
Ellis -- Colonist roster
Ellis -- Families of Interest
English -- Colonist roster
Evans --Families of Interest
Farre -- Colonist roster
Farrow -- Families of Interest
Fitspatric -- Families of Interest
Florrie -- Colonist roster
Forbs -- Families of Interest
Gaylord -- Families of Interest
Gibbes -- Colonist roster
Gibbs -- Families of Interest
Glane -- Colonist roster
Gramme -- Colonist roster
Griffin -- Families of Interest
Gurganus -- Families of Interest
Gurkin -- Families of Interest
Hardison -- Families of Interest
Harris -- Colonist roster
Harris -- Families of Interest
Harviem -- Colonist roster
Harvie -- Families of Interest
Harvye -- Colonist roster
Hassell --Families of Interest
Hawkins --Families of Interest
Hedgepath -- Families of Interest
Hemmington -- Colonist roster
Hewet -- Colonist roster
Hill -- Families of Interest
Hodges -- Families of Interest
Howe -- Colonist roster
Hudson -- Families of Interest
Humfrey -- Colonist roster
Hynde -- Colonist roster
Jackson -- Families of Interest
Jennette --Families of Interest
Jerkins -- Families of Interest
Johnson -- Colonist roster
Johnson -- Families of Interest
Jones -- Colonist roster
Jones -- Families of Interest
Kemme -- Colonist roster
Keys -- Families of Interest
King -- Families of Interest
Lasie -- Colonist roster
Lathan -- Families of Interest
Lawrence -- Colonist roster
Leary -- Families of Interest
Little -- Colonist roster
Long -- Families of Interest
Lowery -- Families of Interest
Lucas -- Colonist roster
Lucus -- Families of Interest
Mackey -- Families of Interest
Mann -- Families of Interest
Mannering -- Colonist roster
Martyn -- Colonist roster
Mayo -- Families of Interest
McCoy -- Families of Interest
Merrimoth -- Colonist roster
Midgette -- Families of Interest
Moor -- Families of Interest
Mullins -- Families of Interest
Myllet -- Colonist roster
Mylton -- Colonist roster
Newton -- Colonist roster
Nicholas -- Families of Interest
Nicholes -- Colonist roster
Nicols -- Families of Interest
Norman -- Families of Interest
Padgett -- Families of Interest
Pain -- Families of Interest
Paramore -- Families of Interest
Patrick -- Families of Interest
Pattenson -- Colonist roster
Payne -- Colonist roster
Payne -- Families of Interest
Perry -- Families of Interest
Phevans -- Families of Interest
Phevens -- Colonist roster
Philpatrick -- Families of Interest
Pierce -- Colonist roster
Pierce -- Families of Interest
Pinkham -- Families of Interest
Pollock -- Families of Interest
Powell -- Colonist roster
Powell -- Families of Interest
Prat -- Colonist roster
Pugh -- Families of Interest
Respass -- Families of Interest
Ricks -- Families of Interest
Rollinson -- Families of Interest
Rufoote -- Colonist roster
Russell -- Families of Interest
Salter -- Families of Interest
Sampson -- Colonist roster
Sawer -- Families of Interest
Scot -- Colonist roster
Scot -- Families of Interest
Shaberdge -- Colonist roster
Shephard -- Families of Interest
Simmons -- Families of Interest
Smart -- -- Colonist roster
Smith -- Colonist roster
Smith -- Families of Interest
Smart -- Colonist roster
Sole -- Colonist roster
Sparrow -- Families of Interest
Spendlove -- Colonist roster
Spenser -- Families of Interest
Squires --Families of Interest
Starte -- Colonist roster
Stevens -- Colonist roster
Stevens -- Families of Interest
Stilman -- Colonist roster
Stilman -- Families of Interest
Sutton -- Colonist roster
Sutton -- Families of Interest
Swann -- Families of Interest
Tan -- Families of Interest
Tappan --Colonist roster
Tarkington -- Families of Interest
Taverner -- Colonist roster
Taylor -- Colonist roster
Tetterton -- Families of Interest
Thomas -- Families of Interest
Tom, Toms -- Families of Interest
Tomkins -- Colonist roster
Topan -- Colonist roster
Tuley -- Families of Interest
Turner -- Families of Interest
Tydway -- Colonist roster
Viccars -- Colonist roster
Viccars -- Families of Interest
Wahab -- Families of Interest
Wallis -- Families of Interest
Warner -- Colonist roster
Warren -- Colonist roster
Warren -- Families of Interest
Waters -- Colonist roster
Waters -- Families of Interest
Welch(s) -- Families of Interest
White -- Colonist roster
White -- Families of Interest
Wildye -- Colonist roster
Wilkinson -- Colonist roster
Willes -- Colonist roster
Williams -- Families of Interest
Wood -- Colonist roster
Woolard -- Families of Interest
Wotton -- Colonist roster
Wright -- Colonist roster
Wyles -- Colonist roster
Wyles -- Families of Interest
Wythers -- Colonist roster

Old account may yield new clues to Lost Colony

clipped from www.lost-colony.com Old account may yield new clues to Lost Colony Spanish pilot spoke of marshy location     A new translation of a 16th-century Spanish document may reinforce a hypothesis that the ill-fated Lost Colonists settled more toward the middle of Roanoke Island near Shallowbag Bay, rather than the north end of the island, where archaeologists have been searching for more than a century.

What Happened to the Lost Colonists?

clipped from www.lost-colony.com “How did these people, over a hundred of them. ... survive or die? Surely they died, as they had begun to live, inside what is now North Carolina. Had they not, as seems most probable, somehow dispersed themselves among the Indian population? If this was so, did they leave traces that survive, hidden in the swamps and fields and even in the ancestry of the people of North Carolina today?"

Secotan Village as Recorded by John White

Secotan is perhaps the most familiar of all American Indian villages

The village of Secotan (or Secoton) was immortalized by the English watercolorist and first governor of the English colony on the island of Roanoke, John White, who visited this Indian town on July 15 and 16, 1585, as part of Grenville’s exploration of the Pamlico Sound. Many of White’s now famous watercolors of native life in the region of Roanoke Island are depictions of scenes from Secotan. Through the years, his painting of the village probably has been the most frequently reproduced depiction of any native subject.

The painting indicates that this Algonquian village consisted of eleven houses, several fields, charnel house, dance ground, paths, and communal fires and cooking areas. It was an open village, not enclosed by a stockade wall. Corn, tobacco, and sunflower were growing unmolested by wildlife, as the fields were watched over by a person on a stand. Secotan was the westernmost town of the Wingandacoa, or Secotan, whose leader was Wingina and whose territory was bounded by the Pamlico River and Albermarle Sound. The Secotan had been at war with their southern neighbors, the Pomouike of the Neuse River, just prior to the visitation by the Grenville party.

Full Article Here:

http://history.enotes.com/salem-history/secotan

The Rising Shore-Roanoke

Read an excerpt here:

http://www.risingshoreroanoke.com/FirstDaysOnRoanoke.pdf

clipped from http://www.risingshoreroanoke.com/ They sailed to the edge of the world ... Here is the story of THE LOST COLONY told by two women who sail from London to the wild American shore in 1587. Elenor Dare is daughter of the governor and mother of the first English child born in North America. Margaret Lawrence is her servant. Both struggle bravely, angling against each other, to discover and grasp their dreams. This was the very first English attempt to establish a foothold in the New World. Historically, the expedition's governor sailed back to London for supplies and returned three years later to find no trace of the hundred colonists he'd left on Roanoke Island. Their fate remains a haunting mystery.

The End of An Era

clipped from http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/645463.html The end of history Scott J. Parker grew up on 'The Lost Colony.' Now, as that outdoor drama turns 70, he's leaving the helm of the institute that helps bring the past to life

Better Than School

Outdoor dramas are a breed apart from ordinary theater. Because they're family friendly and generally presented in temperate climates, they draw large numbers of tourists who may not ordinarily support theater.

Although Shakespeare abounds in the national roster, many outdoor dramas -- including "The Lost Colony" -- have a mission that goes beyond classical theater or pure entertainment. They are devoted to dramatizing important but sometimes little-known historical events on or near the locations where they occurred.

"I've had people say to me all my life, 'I've learned more about North Carolina history by going to its outdoor dramas than I did in school,' " says Parker, whose 17 years at the institute have made him a walking history book.

One constant over the decades has been the dirt path actors take between the theater and the staff parking lot late at night, under a canopy of trees that blocks the moonlight. Locals swear that colonist ghosts still roam the grounds.

Parker feels their presence, too. "I get chills talking about this," he says. "Especially after the show -- if it's done well, if it's a strong, emotional ending -- boy, you come out and you have been touched."

Lost and Found

Lost and Found in Roanoke

We went to see an outdoor play called The Lost Colony last night -- which was, as you might imagine, about the "Lost Colony" of Roanoke. (For those of you who are rusty on your history lessons, click here to learn more.) Fantastic in every way.

What was especially excellent was how much the dramatization brought to life the brief history of America's first colony.

clipped from writersblock-susie.blogspot.com Tuesday, August 07, 2007 Lost and Found in Roanoke

The Lost Colony: Theater Under the Stars

clipped from http://www.thelostcolony.org/

Since 1937, over 4 million visitors have seen this dramatic story of America's earliest beginnings.

The Lost Colony's 70th Anniversary production season runs
June 1st-August 20th nightly, Mon-Sat at 8:30.
(click here for ticket info)
About the Lost Colonists of Roanoke

Before Jamestown and Plymouth, a group of about 120 men, women and children bravely established the first English settlement in the New World on Roanoke Island in 1587. Shortly after arriving in this New World, colonist Eleanor Dare, gave birth to Virginia Dare, the first English child born in America.

But life on the island was difficult. Low on supplies and facing hostile Native Americans, the colonists sent Governor John White back to England in the summer of 1587 for supplies. Due to the impending war with Spain, however, Governor White was unable to return to Roanoke Island until 1590. When he arrived, the colony had vanished, leaving one tantalizing clue as to their whereabouts: the word "CROATOAN" carved on a post. The fate of those first colonists remains a mystery to this day and is one of America's most intriguing unsolved mysteries.