What happened to Roanake survivors in 1587?

I have no idea but I think your question is interesting so I'm going to stick around to see if anyone has any kind of answer for you.

Welcome to A2K, Janelle!

It is my understanding that the whereabouts of the settlers remains a mystery.

I'll be with boomer on this one. Watching and waiting.

These two books by David Quinn, historian at the University of Liverpool, England are the standards on this subject.

The Roanoke Voyages 1584-1590
David B Quinn editor 1991

Lost Colonists, Their Fortune, and Probable Fate
David B Quinn 1984

This should be taken with salt from a murky memory--but here's the gossip:

Croatan was the name of a tribe that lived in the distant vicinity. It is alleged by some that this tribe came in and took them all, and they eventually blended in to the tribe.

OK--you made me curious, so I googled.

The Lumbee Indians lived on Croatan Island--present day Hattaras. They were on good terms with the colonists. When the resupply ship from England was delayed a couple of years, it is surmised that the colonists partnered up with the Indians willingly and married into the tribe.

Or they were slaughtered. If they had assimilated into the Lumbee culture, surely there would have been survivors. I suppose it's possible that they died off from disease.

I can understand why you might think that, but there were no bodies found, and actually there were signs that English had intermarried in to the tribe---British surnames of many of the colonists among the Lumbees, Christianity...

I remember learning about that a long time ago in US History, I thought it was interesting then, thanks for the research everyone. Learn something new everyday.

They drank the maize Kool Aid?

In fact, settlers in North Carolina in the 17th century reported meeting "Indians" with fair hair, and green and blue eyes. The log of the ship's master who was to have returned to "the Lost Colony," but who was delayed by Elizabeth's prohibition on shipping during the crisis with Spain recounts that Croatan was the name of the "chief" of the local tribe (in the tribes of the coastal bands of Viriginia and the Carolinas, no distinction was usually made between the name of the band and the name of the chief). The colonists had been told to call on Croatan at need. The carving of the name Croatan on the tree suggests that this is precisely what happened.

Setanta beat me to it - most popular theory is that the colonists went to the local tribe for help and some research showed caucasian features included among those descendants of indigenous Indian tribes. Also - FWIW - current Oklahoma Men's Basketball Coach is Kelvin Sampson who is part Lumbee, and was born in North Carolina.

Re: What happened to Roanake survivors in 1587?


It was both.

If they had to leave the colony, they were to carve the name of their destination in a place where the carving would be found.

If they left because of an enemy threat, they were to also carve a cross above it.

As there was no cross with their carving, they moved to the island of Croatoan, in peace.

What happened to them after that is speculation.

Years later
There was actually reports from future colonists who reported seeing white people amidst the Indians years later.