Croatoan Over the years there have been various accounts of what really happened to the Lost Colonists of Roanoke. Although the Spanish searched in 1588, no record has been made of what their conclusions were. Here is one possible account.....

Over the years there have been various accounts of what really happened to the colonists of Roanoke. All that is truly known in all sense of certainty is that John White was not able to return until 1590. He secured passage onboard a man-of-war named “Hopewell” which had been diverted from sailing back to England where the crew would all share in its bounty. Needless to say the crew was not very willing to spend much time on Governor White’s quest.The “Moonlight” was also in accompaniment for this journey and is believed by some scholars to have been the actual ship sent to transport the Colonists, if found, to the Chesapeake Bay. However, as the “Moonlight” entered the Hatarask Inlet on August 17th 1590 it overturned in rough seas drowning the Captain and six of her crew.When a landing party from the “Hopewell” reached shore all that was found was the words “Croatoan” carved in a wood plank that was part of the palisade and the letters “Cro” carved in a tree nearby. Neither carving was accompanied by the Maltese Cross as White had instructed to indicate a situation of duress. No other sign or artifact was ever recovered.Croatoan referred to an island that lay across the sound and was believed to be the home of Chief Manteo. However at the time of their arrival there were concerns that a storm (possibly a hurricane) was approaching and the ship’s Captain did not want to take the time for a more thorough search of the area or adjoining island chains. {As an indication of the rough water in the sound it is recorded that the Hopewell had difficulty in keeping it anchor.} For the mid-Atlantic and Gulf States the height of hurricane season is from August 15th to September 15th. Considering the Moonlight entered the coastal waters on August 17th, John White had managed to return at the height of hurricane season, lending some credence to this decision to leave.Against his desire the Hopewell sailed for England arriving at Plymouth on October 24th. Governor White would never again return to the North American continent.The search did not begin in earnest until after the founding of Jamestown in 1607. Once the Jamestown colony had become established additional explorations ensued of the Chesapeake to include the James River. It has here that explorer Captain John Smith (of Pocahontas fame) learned of a tale of clothed white men living well to the south at a place named Ocanahonan.Smith’s explorations took him deep into the Roanoke River region where he learned of a natural copper mine. As his ventured further he learned of a village named Pakerikanick, where remained four clothed men who had come from Roonock to Okanahowan, but these men were never discovered.Other stories surfaced over the years such as the great massacre near the Chesapeake by followers of Powhatan, or of Indians with Caucasian-like features dwelling along the outer banks. Researching these and other stories never proved the fate of the “Lost Colonists”.But one thing is for certain; in 1588 the Spanish from Saint Augustine explored the area looking for the English settlement that had been made known to them. Although no record has been made of what their conclusions were here is one possible account….