The Lost Colonists: Their Fortune and Probable Fate (America's 400th Anniversary Series)

The fate of the Lost Colonists is perhaps the greatest mystery in North Carolina s rich history. They landed on Roanoke Island in July 1587. Three years later, Captain John White returned to the island to find the settlement deserted. Had the 89 men, 17 women, and 2 children been massacred, or, had they succumbed to disease? Had they been enslaved by Indians, or, perhaps peacefully assimilated into the native tribes? The only clue was 'CROATOAN'; carved into a tree trunk near the abandoned fort.

In this concise study, David Beers Quinn discusses the story of the colonists from their preparation for departure from England to their arrival in the New World. He then speculates about what happened to the colonists and offers his conclusion as to their fate.