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The Diary of Eleanor Dare - A Settler in "The Lost Colony"

  • Dec 29, 1589 by Eleanor Dare
  • Dec 29, 1589
  • 3 min read

The "History From the Past Newspaper" proudly annonces that we have been able to get hold of Eleanor Dare's long lost diary. Eleanor Dare was a settler in the Roanoke Colony, or "The Lost Colony", situated in today's North Carolina. The settlers in Roanoke disappeared without a trace, while waiting for supplies from England. No-one knows exactly what happened to the men, women and children living in the settlement. Follow one of the links under the text to learn more.

640px-Baptism_of_Virginia_Dare.jpeg

"Baptism of Virginia Dare" by Henry Howe - William A. Crafts (1876), Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

July 18, 1587

Three years ago an expedition left for the New World and established a colony on Roanoke Island. Now my father, John White, and 115 other colonists including myself are going to Chesapeake Bay, and we will stop in Roanoke to check on the settlers living there. We have brought crops and animals for both them and us. Enough for about two years.

I have now been pregnant for eight months, and I am starting to worry that I will go into labor while we are still on the ship. I refuse to let my child be born on the sea.

July 20, 1587

The captain told me today that we will soon arrive at Roanoke Island. I have decided that I will stay in Roanoke and let my child be born there, rather than risking it being born on this filthy ship.

July 21, 1587

Today we can finally see the coast of the New World! We will wait for the tide and go ashore tomorrow, first thing in the morning.

July 22, 1587

We went ashore today, only to find that there were no colonists there. We found several houses and the skeleton of an English Garrison. The fleet’s commander, Simon Fernandez, decided that we should stay in Roanoke and settle in the new colony. He refuses to let any of the colonists on board the ships.

August 19, 1587

Today my beautiful baby daughter was born. But my father has decided to travel back to England to tell them about our colony’s troubles. He plans to return after three months, with fresh supplies.

August 27, 1587

Today, my father set sail and headed for the English coast. We pray that he reaches it alive, and comes back with the supplies we need. If he does not return, I fear we will not survive.

December 29, 1589

For the past two years our crops have not grown, and there is almost no food left for the animals. The local natives have raided our village five times and stolen most of our food. Only one tribe is still friendly to us. My father has not returned with the supplies he promised.

We have decided to leave tomorrow and ask for help from the Croatoan tribe. We have carved the word Croatoan into a tree and cleared and deconstructed every house, so that my father will understand that we did not leave in a hurry, against our own will. If he ever returns I hope he understands where we went, and that he comes looking for us.

I hope Virginia Dare, my two year old daughter will survive our new journey.

SOURCES

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roanoke_Colony (downloaded 18.01.2015)

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/1647 (downloaded: 18.01.2015)

http://thelostcolony.org/roanoke-voyages/ (downloaded: 18.01.2015)

 
 
 

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