The Washington herald., 1913-09-07
FIND A LOST
ENGLISH COLONY
Descendants of a Roanoke Island Ex-
pediion that Disappeared Are
Living in North Carolina.

From the Southern Workman.
| There lives in the woods and swamps
OF Robson County. North Carolina, a
strange group OF people, in appearance
somewhat resembling Portuguese or
mulattoes. Their manners, customs. anc
personal appearance are unlike those OF
any other race on the American con-
t.nent, and intercourse with their neigh
bors, white and negroes, is limited to the
extent which necessity demands.
Harking back to 1857. II will be recalled
! that one OF the expeditions of colonists
sert out from --ngland by Sir Walter
Raleigh arrived on Roanoke Island,
n. c., under the command OF Capt John
White. Several previous bands of COL
orists have been accounted for, but
Capt White never saw his people after
he left them on Roanake Island and re
turned to England for supplies and pro-
visions. Among those remaining on the
island were his own daughter, Eleanor.
wife of Ananias Dare, and little Virginia
Dare, his granddaughter. who was born
after the mother reached Roanoke. the
grim old Indians and their dusky
squaws looked with wonder and admira-
ton on this little stranger, calling her
the White Doe" In the light OF sue
ceeding events it is interesting to know
(as reported by White) that friendly feel
ing was displayed by the Indians toward
this particular band of colonists. which
was the only company sent out from
Englang having women and children
among the number.
On. reaching England White found the
whole country alarmed and excited over
the threatened invasion by Spain, with
her so-called "invincible armada" Ra-
leigh, Grenville, and Lane, the three in
dividuals on whom the relief of the colony
depended, were all members of the council
times, Raleigh and White ftted out three
expeditions, two of which, owing to the
war, never left England.
The third, under White, finally reached
Roanoke in 1881 In his report to Raleigh,
White said: Upon approaching the ISL
and, we sounded a signal trumpet, but
no answer disturbed the melancholy
Stiffness The little band of colonists
had departed, leaving only the word
"Croatoan" carved on an oak tree as a
clew to their destination. II had pre-
viously been agreed between White and
the colonists that II for any reason the
latter had to leave the island against
their will before his return, cross should
be carved above the word. As no cross
was found, it was believed that their
necessities induced them to go to the
mainland with a friendly tribe of In.
dians. Years afterward, when the coun-
try had become sparsely settled by the
English offshoots of the jamestown set
tlement of 1907. and when the Tuscarora
Indians were the dominant tribe, 1t was
a tradition among them that in the in
terror there were white men and women
who were members of a smaller band of
Indians, and that these men possessed
many of the gifts Of the English. An
living in North Carolina in
l7l4. wrote: "The Hatteras Indians, who
lived on Roanoke, or much frequented
It, tell US that their ancestors were
white people, and could talk out of a
book as we do, the truth of which is
confirmed by gray eyes and light hair
found among these Indians as among no
others"
It is now a well-established fact that
he descendants of this tribe of Indians
Ire at this time living in Robson County,
where more than thirty families have
names similar 20 those OF Whites colon
SITS. and many old English words and
-udely formed utensils OF English origin
ire in common use among them.