When Robert Ellis spotted a smudge of land on the horizon, his heart must have skipped a beat. It was July 1587, and finally the ship he was on had arrived: America! Back home in England, most people had only heard tales of this faraway land. 

The treacherous journey across the Atlantic Ocean had lasted more than two miserable months. Rats scurried underfoot, nipping at people’s toes. Human waste sloshed around the bottom of the boat. If you dunked into the ocean to bathe, you risked being bitten by a shark. (It had happened before.)

But when 10-year-old Robert stepped ashore that warm day in 1587, memories of the nightmarish trip must have quickly melted away. Stretched before him was a place of astonishing beauty. Golden beaches sloped into glittering water. Thick forests hummed with frogs. This was Roanoke, a tiny island off the coast of what is now North Carolina.

Robert, his father, and about 115 other people had come on a mission: to start a colony, a little piece of England in America. They would build a village, farm the land, and gather treasures to send home: furs, spices, and maybe even gold. If all went as planned, the settlers might one day amass a kind of wealth they could have only dreamed of back in Britain. 

Yet if Robert had known what the future actually had in store for the colonists, he might have jumped right back on the ship and sailed home.

Soon the colony would be abandoned. Robert would never return to England, never even get a letter back to the family and friends he had left there. He and the other settlers would vanish entirely from English records. 

When Robert Ellis spotted land on the horizon, his heart must have skipped a beat. It was July 1587. Finally, the ship he was on had arrived: America! Back home in England, most people had only heard tales of this faraway land.

The journey across the Atlantic Ocean had lasted more than two miserable months. Rats scurried underfoot. They nipped at people’s toes. Human waste sloshed around the bottom of the boat. If you tried to bathe in the ocean, you might be bitten by a shark. 

Robert was 10 years old. When he stepped ashore that warm day in 1587, memories of the nightmarish trip must have melted away. America was a place of astonishing beauty. Golden beaches sloped into glittering water. Thick forests hummed with frogs. This was Roanoke, a tiny island. It’s off the coast of what is now North Carolina.

Robert had traveled with his father and about 115 other people. They had come on a mission: to start a colony, a little piece of England in America. They planned to build a village, farm the land, and gather treasures to send home: furs, spices, and maybe even gold. If all went as planned, the settlers might one day become wealthy—in a way they could have only dreamed of back in Britain.

But if Robert had known what the future held for the colonists, he might have jumped back on the ship and sailed home.

Soon the colony would be abandoned. Robert would never return to England. He and the other settlers would vanish entirely from English records.

For a young person like Robert living in 1587, starting a new life in America was almost as thrilling and terrifying as the idea of joining a colony on Mars. After all, just 100 years earlier, most people in Europe didn’t know that North America and South America even existed. Few could have imagined the wonders of the New World, as they called it. 

Thick stands of cedar, cypress, and pine trees stretched as far as the eye could see. The woodlands teemed with rabbits, deer, and fowl. Fish in the rivers were so plentiful, it was said you could simply stick a spear into the water and catch one. 

Europe’s forests and waterways were overhunted and overfished. Once European rulers became aware of the New World’s vast resources, they were eager to capitalize on them. And so, starting in the late 1400s, countries like Spain, Portugal, and France began sending forces across the ocean to seize these rich resources. 

By the late 1500s, groups of Europeans began moving to the Americas permanently, establishing colonies. These newcomers claimed lands as their own and built new towns, all while continuing to collect—and often steal—natural treasures that could be sent back to their homelands. 

Spain quickly grew rich off its American colonies, becoming the most powerful nation in the world. England, by comparison, was poor and weak. England’s ruler, Queen Elizabeth I, decided that England needed to set up its own colony. 

At the time, London, England’s capital, was crowded, dangerous, and filthy. Most residents rented cramped homes in packed, crime-ridden neighborhoods. Deadly epidemics of typhus and malaria regularly swept through the city. Few could afford safe, comfortable homes with land and access to fresh air. And if you hadn’t been born into the upper classes, you had almost no chance of ever achieving those things.

But if you were willing to travel to the New World to help found England’s first American colony, you would be granted 500 acres there—an area 36 times the size of Queen Elizabeth’s palace! To Robert and his father, that likely would have seemed like something out of a dream.

And so the Ellises and about 115 others signed on to join the English colony, thrilled at the chance to start a better life in the New World.

For a young person like Robert living in 1587, starting a new life in America was almost as thrilling and terrifying as the idea of starting a colony on Mars. Just 100 years earlier, most people in Europe didn’t know that North America and South America even existed. Few could have imagined the wonders of the New World, as they called it.

Trees stretched as far as the eye could see. The woodlands were filled with rabbits, deer, and fowl. Fish were plentiful in the rivers. It was said you could stick a spear into the water and catch one.

Europe’s forests and waterways were overhunted and overfished. Once European rulers heard about the New World’s vast resources, they were eager to capitalize on them. And so, starting in the late 1400s, countries like Spain, Portugal, and France began sending forces across the ocean to seize the resources.

By the late 1500s, groups of Europeans began moving to the Americas permanently. They established colonies. These newcomers claimed lands as their own. They built new towns. They collected—and often stole—natural treasures that could be sent back to their homelands.

Spain quickly grew rich off its American colonies. It became the most powerful nation in the world. England was poorer and weaker. England’s ruler was Queen Elizabeth I. She decided that England needed to set up its own colony.

London is England’s capital. At the time, it was crowded, dangerous, and filthy. Most residents rented cramped homes. They lived in packed, crime-ridden neighborhoods. Deadly epidemics of typhus and malaria often swept through the city. Few could afford safe, comfortable homes with land and access to fresh air. If you weren’t born into the upper classes, you had almost no chance of ever achieving those things.

But if you traveled to the New World to help found England’s first American colony, you would be granted 500 acres there. That was an area 36 times the size of Queen Elizabeth’s palace! To Robert and his father, it probably seemed like something from a dream.

And so the Ellises and about 115 others signed on to join the English colony. They were thrilled to start a better life in the New World.

But as the colonists would soon find out, the New World wasn’t new at all. The 500 acres they each had been promised? That land was not England’s to give—other people were already living there.

When the colonists arrived on Roanoke Island in 1587, some 7,000 Native American people were already living in what is today coastal North Carolina. Most belonged to Algonquian-speaking tribes. Their ancestors had settled in the area nearly 1,000 years before. They called this land Ossomocomuck.

The people of this region were expert hunters. They shot deer with swift, silent arrows and speared wriggling fish from the ocean. They were also brilliant farmers, growing corn, beans, and squash. During a good harvest, they would hold big, joyful celebrations around a crackling fire.

But the arrival of Europeans in the previous decades had put the lives of Indigenous peoples in grave danger. Across the Americas, thousands had been slaughtered by the newcomers in vicious fights over food, land, and natural resources. Millions of others had died from diseases like measles and smallpox, which the Europeans silently spread wherever they went.

When Robert and the other colonists arrived on Roanoke, most Native groups in the area were already deeply distrustful of English people. 

Still, one small Indigenous group was willing to accept the risks and forge a relationship with the newcomers: the Croatoan. They lived on an island of the same name, just south of Roanoke.

But the colonists soon found out that the New World wasn’t new at all. The 500 acres they each had been promised? That land was not England’s to give. Other people were already living there.

The colonists arrived on Roanoke Island in 1587. About 7,000 Native American people were already living in what is today coastal North Carolina. Most belonged to Algonquian-speaking tribes. Their ancestors had settled in the area nearly 1,000 years before. They called this land Ossomocomuck.

The people of this region were expert hunters. They shot deer with arrows. They speared fish from the ocean. They were brilliant farmers, growing corn, beans, and squash. During a good harvest, they would hold big, joyful celebrations around a crackling fire.

But the arrival of Europeans in the previous decades had put the lives of Indigenous peoples in danger. Across the Americas, thousands had been slaughtered by the newcomers in fights over food, land, and natural resources. Millions of others had died from diseases like measles and smallpox. The Europeans silently spread them wherever they went.

When Robert and the other colonists arrived on Roanoke, most Native groups in the area already did not trust the English people.

Still, one small Indigenous group was willing to accept the risks and forge a relationship with the newcomers: the Croatoan. They lived on an island of the same name. It was south of Roanoke

At last, in August 1590, White arrived on Roanoke. But when he reached the settlement where the colonists had built their cottages three years earlier, it was deserted.

Where a bustling village had once stood, there was now only an empty clearing surrounded by a tall, protective fence. Almost every trace of the colonists was gone: their houses, their tools, their teakettles, their chests of clothes. 

And that’s when he saw it: the word Croatoan carved into a post near the entrance of the settlement. There was no cross to signal danger. Had the colonists simply moved to the island where their friends the Croatoan lived?

But before White and the crew could sail the 50 miles south to Croatoan to find out, the cables attached to the ship’s anchors snapped. Without the anchors, the risk of shipwreck was too great for them to sail into the treacherous waters around Croatoan. 

The ship’s captain promised White that they would return again in the spring, when the weather would be better. But as they attempted to sail toward the Caribbean islands, where they could restock their ship, raging winds pushed them farther and farther out into the Atlantic. Soon their only choice was to set a course due east and return to Europe. 

John White would live out the rest of his days in Britain. He would never find his way back to the Americas or learn what had happened to his family and the rest of the colonists.

At last, in August 1590, White arrived on Roanoke. He went to where the colonists had built their cottages three years earlier. But it was deserted.

It had been a bustling village. Now it was an empty clearing surrounded by a tall, protective fence. Almost every trace of the colonists was gone: their houses, their tools, their teakettles, their chests of clothes.

And that’s when he saw it: the word Croatoan carved into a post. It was near the entrance of the settlement. There was no cross to signal danger. Had the colonists simply moved to the island where their friends the Croatoan lived?

But White and the crew were not able to sail the 50 miles south to Croatoan to find out. The cables attached to the ship’s anchors had snapped. Without the anchors, the risk of shipwreck in the treacherous waters around Croatoan was too great.

The ship’s captain promised White that they would return again in the spring. The weather would be better then. So they started to sail toward the Caribbean islands. They could restock their ship there. But raging winds pushed them out into the Atlantic. Soon their only choice was to sail east and return to Europe.

John White lived the rest of his days in England. He never found a way back to the Americas. He never learned what had happened to his family and the rest of the colonists.

For hundreds of years, scholars have puzzled over the disappearance of the colonists. Did they try to sail back to England and get lost at sea? Were they killed in fights with the Native peoples of Ossomocomuck? Or did they live happily ever after on Croatoan?

No one can say for sure. But there have been a few clues.

Nearly 20 years after the settlers vanished, England started a new colony called Jamestown. It was just 110 miles north of Roanoke, in what is now Virginia. From a group of Algonquian people in the region, the new colonists in Jamestown heard rumors about people living nearby who wore English clothes and lived in English-style houses. Yet although the Jamestown colonists searched for months, they never found these mysterious English folk.

More recently, teams of archaeologists have combed through areas around Roanoke, including Croatoan, which today is known as Hatteras Island. They’ve dug up many items that belonged to the Native inhabitants: razor-sharp arrowheads, bits of pottery, fine copper jewelry. These finds have helped them learn more about the rich cultures of Ossomocomuck.

The teams have also found items that may have belonged to colonists in the 1500s: scraps of English‑style pottery, metal produced by blacksmithing, the rusted handle of a sword. These items suggest at least some of the colonists may have lived among the Croatoan. Further inland, researchers have identified other sites where the English settlers may have moved. 

But even though they have uncovered objects in these places that might have belonged to the Roanoke colonists, the items could also have arrived in these places later, through trade. 

Researchers haven’t yet discovered indisputable evidence of the settlers’ fate. 

For hundreds of years, scholars have puzzled over the disappearance of the colonists. Did they try to sail back to England and get lost at sea? Were they killed in fights with Native peoples? Or did they live happily ever after on Croatoan?

No one can say for sure. But there have been a few clues.

Nearly 20 years after the settlers vanished, England started a new colony. It was called Jamestown.It was just 110 miles north of Roanoke, in what is now Virginia. 

The new colonists in Jamestown heard rumors from a group of Algonquian people in the area. The rumors were about people living nearby who wore English clothes. They lived in English-style houses. The Jamestown colonists searched for months. But they never found these mysterious English folk.

More recently, teams of archaeologists have searched areas around Roanoke, including Croatoan. Today it is known as Hatteras Island. They’ve dug up many items that belonged to the Native inhabitants: razor-sharp arrowheads, bits of pottery, fine copper jewelry. These finds tell about the rich cultures of Ossomocomuck.

The teams have also found items that may have belonged to colonists in the 1500s: scraps of English‑style pottery, metal produced by blacksmithing, the rusted handle of a sword. These items suggest at least
some of the colonists may have lived among the Croatoan. Further inland, researchers have found other sites where the English settlers may have moved.

The objects found in those places might have belonged to the Roanoke colonists. But the items could also have arrived later, through trade.

Researchers haven’t yet discovered indisputable evidence of the settlers’ fate.

Today many experts believe that while some of the colonists traveled to Croatoan, the English settlers ultimately split up. Some may have died of starvation or disease. Some may have been killed in conflicts with Indigenous groups who feared the settlers’ presence in the area. Some may have been welcomed into various Algonquian tribes, living out their days in Ossomocomuck. We don’t know exactly what happened, but we can imagine.

Robert may have traded in his itchy woolen pants and stiff leather shoes for a soft deerskin wrap and moccasins. His Algonquian neighbors may have shown him how to aim a bow and arrow, helping him become a skilled hunter. They may have patiently taught him how to speak their language. 

Robert and the other colonists may have adapted so thoroughly that eventually, few traces of their Englishness remained—which might be why there are limited clues for archaeologists to find today.

In other words, like generations of newcomers who moved to America after them, any colonists who survived may have done so thanks to the help, knowledge, and generosity of the people who already lived there.

We will never know for sure. But we do know what happened next. More and more European colonists arrived and laid claim to land that was not theirs, often with brutal force. By 1733, there were 13 English colonies along America’s East Coast. Less than 50 years later, these 13 colonies would break away from England to become the United States.

As this new country was forming, Native peoples across America were forced from their homes and farms. Millions suffered starvation, disease, and violence. Many Algonquian-speaking peoples of the East Coast were among them. Still, some of them survived to pass on their rich customs and stories. Today the Algonquian remain a major Native presence in North America.

As for Robert and the rest of the Roanoke colonists? Their fate will likely remain a mystery forever.

Today many experts believe that the English settlers split up. Some may have traveled to Croatoan. Some may have died of starvation or disease. Some may have been killed in conflicts with Indigenous groups who feared their presence. Some may have been welcomed into various Algonquian tribes. We don’t know exactly what happened, but we can imagine.

Robert may have traded in his itchy woolen pants and stiff leather shoes for a soft deerskin wrap and moccasins. His Algonquian neighbors may have taught him how to hunt with a bow and arrow. They may have taught him how to speak their language.

Robert and the other colonists may have adapted very well. Maybe few traces of their Englishness remained. That might be why there are limited clues for archaeologists to find today.

In other words, like generations of newcomers who moved to America after them, any colonists who survived may have done so thanks to the help, knowledge, and generosity of the people who already lived there.

We will never know for sure. But we do know what happened next. More and more European colonists arrived. They claimed land that was not theirs, often with brutal force. By 1733, there were 13 English colonies along America’s East Coast. Less than 50 years later, these 13 colonies would break away from England to become the United States.

As this new country was forming, Native peoples across America were forced from their homes and farms. Millions suffered starvation, disease, and violence. Many Algonquian speaking peoples of the East Coast were among them. Some of them survived. They passed on their rich customs and stories. Today the Algonquian remain a major Native presence in North America.

As for Robert and the rest of the Roanoke colonists? Their fate will likely remain a mystery forever.