Key ideas: history 7

The Mystery Child

1. As the first English child born in one of America’s earliest settlements of European immigrants, Virginia Dare holds a specific place in history, but all we really know about her is that she took her first breaths on Roanoke Island in 1587. Her parents, grandfather, and more than 100 others had traveled from London to resettle on these sandy soils. Virginia was expected to speak her first words, take her first steps, and eventually pass from childhood into adulthood in this new world, but whether she did or not remains a 400-year-old mystery.
2. Colonial life was tough on the settlers. They had to clear the land with hand tools, make their own clothing, and deal with sickness and injury. In addition (and not surprisingly), local Native American tribes resented their intrusion. John White, the colony’s governor (who was also Virginia’s grandfather), decided to return to England so he could gather more supplies and people to make the colony stronger. But ongoing troubles kept White away for three years instead of one.
3. In 1590, on Virginia’s third birthday, White came back to a deserted village. The entire colony had vanished with barely a trace. It seemed to White that the houses and colony walls were purposefully taken down. Were the colonists in danger, and did they leave in a hurry? Or, did they make a confident decision to go? White couldn't tell.
4. He did find the word “CROATAN” carved into a wooden post and the letters CRO on a tree. White tried to follow these clues. But on his way north to Croatan Island, a fierce storm drove his ship out to sea.
5. White went back to England without ever knowing what happened to his granddaughter. Centuries later, Roanoke Island, now known as North Carolina’s Outer Banks, still keeps her secret.