Part four of a four part series on the lost colony of Roanoke.
Finally
John White was able to sail back to Roanoke with some minimal supplies in 1590,
but he found no trace of the colony he left behind. He approached the
settlement and saw “CRO” carved on a tree in Roman letters.[i]
The settlement was abandoned and dismantled, but featured no signs of an attack
or struggle. This was a good sign to White since the inhospitable Secotans lived
near by.
On the
main gatepost was the word “CROATOAN” just as White and the settlers agreed if
they should move. The only difference was there was no cross or sign of
distress. Upon further examination of the island, the boats and cannon that the
settlers had were missing. The everything pointed towards the colonists
traveling to a new location, which was expected as John White recorded, “…at my
departure they intended to goe fiftie miles into the mayne.”[ii] It
seemed clear that some part of the English colony moved down to the friendly
Croatoan community to wait for supplies while the rest followed the Chowan
River into Virginia. That was never confirmed because White was unable to visit
Manteo’s community.
During
the night their ship lost three of its four anchors in a gusty storm and the
captain turned the ship back to England for the crews own safety. John White
lost his chance to visit the Croatoans and confirm his belief. He was unable to
return to America and support for the colonization effort by Sir Walter Raleigh
waned and virtually disappeared.[iii]
In
1602 and 1603 expeditions were sent to Virginia to try and find the lost
colonists, but they discovered nothing. Then in 1607 Jamestown was built in the
Chesapeake Bay, and Captain John Smith began to hear information that led him
to believe the colonists survived and “lived in native communities somewhere to
the south.” [iv]
To prove
the rumors, the Pamunkey Indians captured Smith and told him valuable
information about the colonists. During his captivity he was told that there
were, “certain men clothed at a place called Ocanahonan, clothed like me.”[v] Additionally
he was told this place was located by the lands of the “Roanoke” Indians and if
he explored to the south there was a place called Anone that had stone houses. He
was taken to Wahunsonacock, also called Powhatan, before he was given his
freedom and Powhatan told Smith the land of Roanoke had an “abundance of Brass,
and houses walled as ours.” [vi] When
Smith returned to Jamestown with this information, men were sent into the outer
banks and mainland to explore. These men found little information, but the news
of the lost colonists possibly being alive spread quickly and over the Atlantic
to England.
An Algonquian
weroance named Machumps was visiting
England in 1609 and told the English scribe William Strachey valuable
information about the lost colonists. He said they lived in relative peace with
the local Indians for twenty or so years, even living within several different
communities. “[Pakerakanick & Ocananhonan] have howses built with stone
walles, and one story above another, so taught them by those Englishe whoe escaped
the slaughter at Roanoak.”[vii] He
gave more information about the battle at Roanoke in which several colonists
were killed or captured in 1607 when the English ship landed in the Chesapeake
Bay and Jamestown was found.
Machumps
then told of seven colonists still alive, “the Weroance Eyanoco preserved seven of the English alive-fower men,
two boyes, and one younge mayde (who escaped and fled up the river of
Chanoke).” [viii]
The
belief that the colonists moved further into the mainland is a real and highly
likely possibility according to the testimony of Machumps and John White. The
plan was for the colony to move and White even outlined a plan if they should
move while he was gone. If they moved into the mainland, going to the bank of
the Chowan River and into Menatonon’s territory would have been the safest
place. He was still friendly to the English and could have assimilated the
colonist with his community, as it was not unusual custom.[ix]
The
evidence points to the Roanoke colonists deciding to become part of the native
culture and community because of the inability of England to give them
sufficient supplies. The colony split apart and integrated into several
different tribes and some of them assimilated into the Indian settlements. Local
legends maintain that the colonists survived and fully integrated themselves
into the Indian culture and they still have descendants living on the coast in
North Carolina to this day.[x] This
looks partially true as later on it was discovered that several of the Croatoan
Indians had grey and blue eyes, evidence that some of the colonist resided with
them.[xi] According
to Machumps many of the colonists were killed in 1607 when Powhatan attacked
them.
With
the various accounts matched together it seems clear that a portion of the colonists
remained with the Indian settlements while the majority of them traveled into
the mainland to establish a safer colony. The lived peacefully as part of the
culture until the English returned, as that is when the Powhatan attack on the
settlers happened. They were killed and enslaved, eliminating all remains of
the actual colony. The English colonists who survived became slaves of other weroances or already were living in
other Indian communities, waiting for John White to return.
[ii]Alan
Smith, Virginia 1584-1607 (London:
Theodore Brun Fine Editions Limited, 1957), 69.
[iii]James
Horn, A Kingdom Strange (New York: Basic Books, 2010), 197.
[iv]Michael
Oberg, The Head in Edward Nugents Hand
(University of Pennsylvania Press, 2007), 133.
[v]James
Horn, A Kingdom Strange (New York: Basic Books, 2010), 207.
[vi]Ibid,
209.
[vii]William
Strachey, The Historie of Travaile Into Virginia Britinia (London: The
Hakluyt Society, 1849), 26.
[viii]Ibid,
26.
[ix]Michael
Oberg, The Head in Edward Nugents Hand
(University of Pennsylvania Press, 2007), 142.
