Arrival Of Colonists

     John White arrived in America in 1587 with a group of about 115 settlers including men, women, children, his wife, daughter and son-in-law. Upon arriving he found the settlement abandoned and in shambles. They found the remains of the 15 soldiers who had been murdered by the Native Americans. Even though this left them nervous about staying, the settlerssuccessfully mended the bad relationship with the Powhatan tribe that had been damaged by the previous settlers and decided to stay. Shortly after their arrival on August 18, 1587, White’s daughter Eleanor Dare gave birth to his granddaughter Virginia Dare. She is considered the first English child born in America.

     After a significant amount of time and without the help from any other tribes, they were in desperate need of supplies. So in August of 1587, Governor John White left the colony and his family to return to England and gather more supplies. The trip was only supposed to last three months (Clark, 2008). Unfortunately shortly after Governor John White arrived in England, a naval war broke out between England and Spain. Queen Elizabeth I sent all available ships to fight against Spain, therefore John White was not able to return to Roanoke for three years.