The first child of English parents born in the New World.
In 1587
John White went to
Roanoke Island as governor of an agricultural colony sent out by
Sir Walter Raleigh.
He was accompanied by his son-in-law, William Dare, and his young wife.
It was intended to plant the colony on the mainland, but
White went no farther than
Roanoke.
There he found the melancholy remains, in the form of whitened skeletons and a broken fort, which told the sad fate of the “protectors of the rights of
England” which
Grenville had left there.
The new colonists wisely determined to cultivate the friendship of the Indians.
Manteo (the chief who accompanied
Amidas and
Barlow to
England), living with his mother and relatives on Croatan Island, invited the colonists to settle on his domain.
White persuaded him to receive the rites of Christian baptism, and bestowed upon him the title of baron, as
Lord of
Roanoke— the first and last peerage ever created on the soil of the
American republic.
It became necessary for the ships to return to
England for supplies, and, to hasten them,
White went with them, leaving behind eighty-nine men, seventeen women, and two children.
Among the women was his married daughter, Eleanor Dare, who had given birth to a daughter, in August, 1587, to whom they gave the name of
Virginia.
On his way home,
White touched at
Ireland, where he left some potatoes which he took from
Virginia— the first of that kind ever seen in
Europe.
He started back with two ships laden with supplies; but his greed made him neglect his duty to the colonists, and, instead of going directly to
Virginia, he pursued Spanish ships in search of plunder.
His vessels were so battered that he was obliged to return to
England, and Spanish war-vessels in British waters prevented his sailing for
America again until 1590.
He found
Roanoke a desolation, and no trace of the colony was ever found.
It is believed that they became mingled with the natives, for long years afterwards families of the
Hatteras tribe exhibited unmistakable specimens of blood mixed with that of Europeans.
It is supposed the friendly “
Lord of
Roanoke” had saved their lives, for an inscription on bark indicated that they had gone from
Roanoke to
Croatan.
