Governor John White returned in 1590 to his colony on Roanoke Island only to find it completely empty. In 1587 a group of 115 English settlers including women and children had started a new life and his granddaughter Virginia Dare had been born as the first English child in the Americas. White had gone to England for supplies promising a quick return but war with Spain kept him away. When he arrived the houses had been taken down and the only clue was the word CROATOAN carved on a fence post. |