Lost Colony Research Group

The Lost Colony’ to Hold Baby Virginia Dare Auditions July 21

2012-07-19T23:41:00.000-05:00

The Lost Colony’ to Hold Baby Virginia Dare Auditions July 21

Born on August 18, 1587, Virginia Dare is the most celebrated child in the history of the Outer Banks, if not America, and local parents are invited to audition their newborns this weekend for a starring role as the country’s first English born child in The Lost Colony‘s annual Virginia Dare birthday performance next month!

Virginia Dare Baby auditions will be held this Saturday, July 21 at 10am inside the conference room at the Elizabethan Gardens on Roanoke Island, adjacent to the The Lost Colony building and the Waterside Theatre.

You can read the official press release below.

Three-month-old Ozzie Artz of Kill Devil Hills starred as “Baby Virginia Dare” in the christening scene in ‘The Lost Colony’ on August 18, 2007. (photo: Artz Music & Photography)

Each year on the anniversary of her birth, a whirlwind of festivities take place in her honor. But the one event that locals look forward to the most is The Lost Colony‘s performance where the usual theater prop swaddled in blankets is replaced by a living, breathing, infant!

Baby auditions will be held on Saturday, July 21 at 10:00 am in the conference room of The Elizabethan Gardens located next to The Lost Colony Building in the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site on Roanoke Island. The casting is open to good-natured boys or girls that weigh no more than 15 pounds.

From its earliest days, The Lost Colony featured community members in the cast and the tradition of the “Virginia Dare Baby” honors that essential connection between our community and the show. The babies may not remember it, but their parents will certainly show them pictures and tell them about it for years to come.

In addition to the special Virginia Dare Night performance August 18, The Lost Colony, in conjunction with National Park Service and The Elizabethan Gardens, will host Virginia Faire Day–a fun filled family event. For more information about the talent search, call 252.473.2127.

Ozzie Artz of Kill Devil Hills starred as “Baby Virginia Dare” in the christening scene in ‘The Lost Colony’ on August 18, 2007. (photo: Artz Music & Photography)

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Before Jamestown and Plymouth Rock

2012-07-24T10:22:00.000-05:00

“. . . had there been no Roanoke Island, and Fort Raleigh, it is doubtful if there would have been a Jamestown (in 1607) or a Plymouth Rock (in 1620).”

— Lindsay C. Warren, United States Representative from North Carolina, in a speech before the first performance of The Lost Colony on July 4, 1937

The obvious question that follows is would there have been an English settlement at all in the New World. It is highly doubtful given the powerful hold that Spain, Portugal and France had in the Americas.

For these brave souls who gave England a fragile grasp to cling to we should all be thankful in this the 425th year since they sailed from the known to to the unknown and vanished.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Colony

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FREE and Reduced Tickets for America's Best Loved Outdoor Drama

2012-08-11T18:08:00.000-05:00

Go here to get FREE children's tickets and a code to save on adult tickets. The famous Summer Outdoor Drama is in full swing. If you live in the area or you will be traveling there, don't miss this American History play.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Lost-Colony/132205938103

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Happy Birthday, Virginia Dare!!!!!!

2012-08-18T00:26:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday,

Virginia Dare

World Atlas

Virginia Dare was born on August 18, 1587, the first child born in the Americas to English parents. She was born into the short-lived Roanoke Colony in what is now the U.S. State of North Carolina. What became of Virginia and the other colonists remains a mystery. The fact of her birth is known because the governor of the settlement, Virginia Dare's grandfather, John White, returned to England in 1587 to seek fresh supplies and reported it. When White eventually returned three years later, Virginia and the other colonists were gone and they were never seen from again. This painting is of her baptism ceremony. http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/usstates/nc.htm

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Jennifer Shares DNA Program at Roanoke Chowan Heritage Center

2012-08-27T22:25:00.002-05:00

Jennifer Shares DNA Program at Roanoke Chowan Heritage Center

Jennifer Sheppard provided a presentation on DNA for genealogy in Windsor, NC at the Roanoke Chowan Heritage Center Family History and Genealogy Fair on July 27^th and 28th. The second annual fair was attended by 55 people during the two day event. The Lost Colonist surname list, including other families of interest and our mission statement were provided to attendees. At the end of the second day, Jennifer collected DNA from four individuals. We are most anxious to see the results of Dr. Ben Speller’s test, one of the organizers of the event.

Click to enlarge

Sheppard’s talk was from Roberta Estes’ paper “DNA Testing for Genealogy, What Can It Do for Me?” She shared information on “DNA Basics in four paragraphs” (making it easier for those not familiar with DNA to understand the concept); how unrecombined DNA can help us with genealogy; information on mutations and how the results of your DNA test can tell you about your deep ancestry as well as your genealogy.

Jennifer related how DNA testing can lead to more and even deeper questions as her Uncle’s test did, as well as the wonderful discoveries you can make and how easy it is to connect with your matches when you are notified of your results. The narrative also set forth project goals for the different family projects developed through DNA testing.

Some people are apparently reluctant to use their own names when testing for various reasons. Jennifer alleviated those concerns by telling people they can use a deceased relative’s name or submit the test in her name, thereby providing complete anonymity. In the photo below, Jennifer is timing for Dr. Speller as he swabs.

Click to Enlarge

Dr. Speller’s comment regarding the presentation was: “We have heard only great things about your presentation”.

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Roanoke Conundrum - Fact & Fiction, An International Symposium

2012-09-07T08:30:00.002-05:00

Roanoke Conundrum - Fact & Fiction, An International Symposium

Roanoke Conundrum—Fact & Fiction has been designed as an unique gathering of scholars from around the world to the remarkable emergence of new research that is stimulating excitement and discussion on Sir Walter Ralegh’s explorations and settlements on the Carolina coast in the 1580s…and particularly the story (in fact and fiction) of “The Lost Colony.” We will explore not only the historical facts as we know them, but how the arts interpret history in many different forms. Oct. 6-10, 2012. All events are FREE and open to the public!

Roanoke Conundrum—Fact & Fiction is sponsored by the Roanoke Island Historical Association and the National Park Service at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site in association with the US Fish & Wildlife Visitor Center, the First Colony Foundation, and Elizabeth R & Company, with assistance from the Dare County Arts Council, Dare County Schools, Town of Manteo and the Thomas Harriot College of Arts & Sciences, East Carolina University.

Click here to access the 4 day schedule:
http://thelostcolony.org/event/roanoke-conundrum-fact-fiction-an-international-symposium/

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Genetics 101 FREE Course and Contest

2012-09-10T14:00:00.001-05:00

Go here to take an online course in Genetics 101. You can take a test at the end which may win you a $25. gift certificate to Amazon.com.

You will also get a certicate of completion that you can print out.

http://spittoon.23andme.com/23andme-and-you/genetics-101/back-to-school-genetics-101/

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Generous Genealogist New Website

2012-09-13T18:42:00.000-05:00

This looks to be a wonderful new website. Go here and volunteer or place a query for a look up. This is from the owner:

Hi everyone.

Quickly by way of an update.

The http://generousgenealogists.com site is about 95% functional. A couple of open items remain, but we are now open for business. If you mentioned earlier an interest in being a volunteer on the site, that database now works.

What I can use from you is help getting the word out to others about the site. In order for this to develop and grow we need as many readers & volunteers as we can get. Any help in publicizing things is most appreciated.

btw. We are still working on establishing a hosting relationship with the TrailToThePast folks.

The last (also first Newsletter is at: http://generousgenealogists.com/in-the-news/

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Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA now on KINDLE

2012-09-14T07:29:00.002-05:00

Richard Hill’s groundbreaking use of genetic genealogy tests in adoption search was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal. In order to share his success secrets and tips with other adoptees and genealogists, Hill created an educational web site, DNA-Testing-Adviser.com, which makes genetic genealogy understandable to all. He also provides specific test recommendations to those who contact him. As the unifying expert who bridges the fields of genetic genealogy and adoption search, he has become the go-to person for adoptees and others seeking to find lost relatives or confirm suspected relationships. The author has a BS in physics, an MBA, and more than thirty years experience in marketing. Richard gives talks on DNA testing and serves on the Advisory Board of the Mixed Roots Foundation where he is Co-Director of the Global Adoptee Genealogy Project.

Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA

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Georgia Research Endangered by Plans to Close Archives

2012-09-16T15:33:00.002-05:00

The Secretary of State for Georgia has decided to close the Georgia archives. Someone also posted that the Georgia Virtual Vault is down and has been down for sometime. This will severely limit research in Georgia.

Please sign this petition to keep the archives open to the public.

Petition link:

http://www.change.org/petitions/the-governor-of-ga-leave-our-state-archives-open-to-the-public

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Charlie and Me

2012-10-15T13:59:00.000-05:00

It was a typical Outer Banks Fall day when I pulled into the parking lot of The Coastal NC National Wildlife Refuges Gateway Visitor Center, located in Manteo, NC. Charles Ewen, Professor in the Department of Anthropology, Director of the Phelps Archaeology Laboratory, East Carolina University and President-elect to The Society for Historical Archaeology, was there to speak on the topic of Croatoan: Guidepost or Misdirection ?

This past Summer, I had the pleasure of spending two weeks digging many many test pits with him, along with several others from the Lost Colony Research Group of which I am a member. Our mission, to find where the village of Croatoan was once located on Hatteras Island. At this point my only remark on that topic can be, boy that water table is high.

But...It was a wonderful experience and I was looking forward to once again seeing Charlie and hearing his version of how he thought the dig went. He spoke to a room packed with archaeology buffs, professionals, and history lovers. It is definitely a topic that draws attention and crowds. No doubt it's because the mystery of where Sir Walter Raleigh's Lost Colony went after they left Roanoke Island, plays such a major role in our country's earliest English settlers and let's face it, who doesn't love a good mystery ?

Professor Ewen, began the lecture by briefly explaining to those knowing and unknowing, the story of the Lost Colonist and what evidence existed that points myself and others to the belief that they ended up co-habitating with the Croatoans, leaving generations of descendants on Hatteras Island and surrounding areas of eastern North Carolina. Course as Charlie stated, all the colonies are still actually lost and nothing has been found on Hatteras Island or elsewhere to definitely pin point where they went. Perhaps this is true. Charlie did touch on the topic of the lack of publishing when it comes to the finds that have been unearthed at previous digs. With that said, it is truly hard in my opinion, to know for sure. But I am no pro, so I'll leave the archaeology up to those with a degree.

The hour went by too quickly. Questions and answers followed the lecture and I came away with the mind set that there was still much to be learned about Croatoan...it's people...past and present. As President of the Hatteras Island Genealogical Society, it is my passion to listen to the stories of the people who have lived here for generations. Perhaps they truly hold the answer to where the Croatoans and the Lost Colonist went. Time will only tell.

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2012-12-24T06:15:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!!!!

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Lost Colony DNA Genotyping could answer a centuries-old mystery about a vanished group of British settlers

2012-12-27T17:25:00.000-06:00

Anne Poole (left), Research Director for the Lost Colony Research Group, and Roberta Estes (right) sifting through the dirt for artifacts. Roberta Estes

The legend of the Lost Colony of Roanoke has haunted American history for centuries. In July 1587, a British colonist named John White accompanied 117 people to settle a small island sheltered within the barrier islands of what would become North Carolina’s Outer Banks. When conditions proved harsher than anticipated, White agreed to sail back to Britain to shore up the settlement’s supplies—a trip that should have lasted a few months.

When White belatedly returned in 1590, the colonists had vanished—more than 100 men, women, and young children, their shelters and belongings, all gone. According to White’s writings, the only trace they left behind was a structure of tree trunks, with a single word carved into one post: CROATOAN.

The creepiness of the Lost Colonists’ disappearance didn’t discourage future American settlement. Nor has the lack of clues about their fate discouraged professional and amateur historians from trying to figure out what happened to them.

Archaeological digs, weather records, historical writings, genealogy—none have fully answered the question of what happened during White’s absence. But Roberta Estes, who owns DNAeXplain, a company that interprets the results of genetic heritage tests, is looking to DNA for help. Her hypothesis is that the Lost Colonists survived, and that evidence of their salvation is tucked away in the mitochondrial or Y chromosomal DNA of living descendents.

“They were stranded,” Estes says of the settlers. “They knew they couldn’t survive there on the island.” The colonists’ solution, in her estimation, was to go native.

“Croatoan,” Estes explains, was a message to White indicating that the colonists had gone to live with the Croatan Indians who lived on nearby Hatteras Island. Estes’s volunteer organization, the Lost Colony Research Group, is recruiting people from the area to submit DNA samples and family histories to test her theory.

Studying patterns of short tandem repeats (STRs) on the Y chromosomes of living men can determine whether they are likely to share a common ancestor that was a member of the Lost Colony. For example, Estes can compare the STR profile of a man whose family history suggests that his ancestors lived on Hatteras Island in the 17th century against genetic databases to see if he’s related to anyone with a Lost Colonist surname, such as Dare, Hewet, or Rufoote.

Additionally, it’s possible to scan that man’s mitochondrial or Y chromosomal DNA for evidence of Native American heritage, creating a clearer picture of what became of the vanished colonists. “It is true that with Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA you can assign them unequivocally to different ethnic groups,” says Ugo Perego, a senior researcher at the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation. But, he adds, it would be difficult to tell exactly when the European ancestry was introduced.

Estes has amassed early land-grant records detailing who lived in the Outer Banks area a few centuries ago. Some of the putative Native Americans living there are thought to have adopted the last names of their European neighbors, she says. If Estes can show that the descendents of these Native American families have DNA matching families with Lost Colony surnames, that would suggest that the colonists mixed with the Croatan Indians.

Cont. here:

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/31423/title/Lost-Colony-DNA-/

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Neanderthal DNA Discoveries Revealing Much More Than a "Caveman"

2013-01-10T23:54:00.001-06:00

Decoding and Rethinking Neanderthals

by robertajestes

On January 9, 2013, PBS ran a wonderful documentary, Decoding Neanderthals, about Neanderthals, what we have recently discovered about them, and what it means to us as humans. There has been a lot of discussion about this topic spurred by both the 23andMe and the Geno2.0 tests that provide a percentage of Neanderthal to participants. Geno2.0 also provides a percentage of Denisovan.

Program Description:
Over 60,000 years ago, the first modern humans—people physically identical to us today—left their African homeland and entered Europe, then a bleak and inhospitable continent in the grip of the Ice Age. But when they arrived, they were not alone: the stocky, powerfully built Neanderthals had already been living there for hundreds of thousands of years. So what happened when the first modern humans encountered the Neanderthals? Did we make love or war? That question has tantalized generations of scholars and seized the popular imagination. Then, in 2010, a team led by geneticist Svante Paabo announced stunning news. Not only had they reconstructed much of the Neanderthal genome—an extraordinary technical feat that would have seemed impossible only a decade ago—but their analysis showed that "we" modern humans had interbred with Neanderthals, leaving a small but consistent signature of Neanderthal genes behind in everyone outside Africa today. In "Decoding Neanderthals," NOVA explores the implications of this exciting discovery. In the traditional view, Neanderthals differed from "us" in behavior and capabilities as well as anatomy. But were they really mentally inferior, as inexpressive and clumsy as the cartoon caveman they inspired? NOVA explores a range of intriguing new evidence for Neanderthal self-expression and language, all pointing to the fact that we may have seriously underestimated our mysterious, long-vanished human cousins.

I’m going to share some of the highlights of the program, but this is in no way a spoiler, as the program contains lots of visual information that just can’t be conveyed by a review.

Chris Stinger from the Natural History Museum in London introduced us to the Neanderthals. It turns out that our perception of what a Neanderthal looks like is a result in large part of skeleton that was reconstructed improperly due to advanced arthritis, causing the individual to appear to walk hunched over, much like, well, our stereotypical view of a caveman. Just goes to show what bad PR can cause.

Neanderthal skeletons can be positively identified. Their facial structure is different than that of modern man, with an identifiable brow ridge and bones that push forward in the nose and mouth region, as compared to our flatter faces today.

Neanderthals lived a short life, most were dead by age 30. They were large and strong. They participated in up-close and personal hunting, using spears, which meant they had to come in close contact with their prey.

Neanderthals began living in Europe about 300,000 years ago, having exited from Africa. They evolved to fit the European, colder, climate. It had been thought up until recently that they lacked the brainpower of humans, had no spoken language, or the ability for such, no personal ornamentation, art or evidence of ritual or religion. These are the functions that make us uniquely human and separate us from the non-human world, and we fully believed that Neanderthals lacked these defining characteristics.

We have learned differently, much as a result of genetic discoveries that tell a different story of Neanderthals.

Homo sapiens left African about 40,000 years ago, and within 10,000 years, Neanderthals, who had spread throughout most of Europe and much of Asia were gone. The map below shows the locations where fossilized Neanderthal remains have been found.

Cont. here:

http://dna-explained.com/2013/01/10/decoding-and-rethinking-neanderthals/

If you missed the presentation you can watch it here (bump it out to full screen in the lower right corner of screen):

Watch Decoding Neanderthals on PBS. See more from NOVA.

You can order the DVD here:

http://www.shoppbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=17819216&cp=&kw=decoding+neanderthals&origkw=decoding+neanderthals&sr=1

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Become a Lost Colony Volunteer

2013-01-20T09:47:00.000-06:00

Press Release:

Volunteer Tea Party

By BRANDON SMITH | Published: JANUARY 14, 2013

(January 10, 2013 Manteo, NC)

Become a Lost Colony Volunteer

The Lost Colony is throwing a Tea Party for anyone interested in becoming a volunteer to support the many activities and programs of the Roanoke Island Historical Association. While we have an active volunteer membership at the present, we would like to welcome more participants into a program that will feature a variety of activities throughout the year.

While most people consider The Lost Colony a summer production, there are important support jobs to be done throughout the year. We would like to invite anyone interested in becoming a part of an active volunteer community to join us for an informal Tea Party on Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 4:00 PM in the Lost Colony Building located next to the Elizabethan Gardens in the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site in Manteo. We would also encourage the current members to invite their friends and neighbors to join us at this time. Come and hear some of the new plans for the upcoming season, and help to make the 76^th season of The Lost Colony more successful and fun filled than ever.

For more information please contact Charles H. Massey or Terry Fowler at 763-2127. Mark January 24^th on your new 2013 calendar and make plans to attend The Lost Colony Tea Party.

###

About The Lost Colony

First staged in 1937, The Lost Colony is the nation’s premier and longest-running outdoor symphonic drama. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paul Green, The Lost Colony’s 76^th anniversary season plays May 31 through August 23, 2013 at Manteo’s Waterside Theatre, on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The new Curtain time is 8:00 pm. For tickets and information, go to www.thelostcolony.org or call (252) 473-2127.

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Remains of King Richard III Confirmed by DNA.

2013-02-04T23:44:00.001-06:00

by Janet Crain
Today's announcement of the historic DNA discoveries concerning Richard III is very important to every DNA project. The body was not at all protected. It lay for some 528 years in a shallow rudely built grave with no protection. And yet usable mtDNA has been recovered and it is hoped that Y chromosome DNA will be also. mtDNA is mitochondrial DNA passed down by the female. Every person has it, but only the mother can pass it on. It is from a non-coding region of the mitochondrial genetic material. That means it does not get shuffled and mixed up with every transmission. It just remains pristine and stable for hundreds even thousands of years without a mutation. And so it can be compared 17 generations later and produce a perfect match between one seventeenth cousins. It is also plentiful and more robust. By contrast the Y chromosome, which is carried only by males and follows the paternal line is fragile and scare. Yet this team believes they can obtain usable Y chromosome DNA. Let us hope they are correct because the origin of the Plantagenet line is somewhat murky.

THE UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER TODAY CONFIRMS (MONDAY, FEB 4) THAT IT HAS DISCOVERED THE REMAINS OF KING RICHARD III.

At a specially convened media conference, experts from across the University unanimously identified the remains discovered in Leicester city centre as being those of the last Plantagenet king who died in 1485.

Rigorous scientific investigations confirmed the strong circumstantial evidence that the skeleton found at the site of the Grey Friars church in Leicester was indeed that of King Richard III.

University of Leicester researchers have revealed a wealth of evidence – including DNA analysis, radiocarbon dating and skeletal examination – proving the identity of the skeleton.

The complete skeleton showing the curve of the spine. Copyright – University of Leicester

University of Leicester archaeologists co-director Richard Buckley, the lead archaeologist on the Search for Richard III, said: “It is the academic conclusion of the University of Leicester that the individual exhumed at Grey Friars in August 2012 is indeed King Richard III, the last Plantagenet King of England.

“It has been an honour and privilege for all of us to be at the centre of an academic project that has had such phenomenal global interest and mass public appeal. Rarely have the conclusions of academic research been so eagerly awaited.”

University of Leicester geneticist Dr Turi King confirmed that DNA from the skeleton matches that of two of Richard III’s family descendants – Canadian-born furniture maker Michael Ibsen and a second person who wishes to remain anonymous.

Dr King, of the University’s Department of Genetics, said: “The DNA sequence obtained from the Grey Friars skeletal remains was compared with the two maternal line relatives of Richard III. We were very excited to find that there is a DNA match between the maternal DNA from the family of Richard the Third and the skeletal remains we found at the Grey Friars dig.”

Skeletal analysis carried out by University of Leicester osteoarchaeologist Dr Jo Appleby showed that the individual was male and in his late 20s to late 30s. Richard III was 32 when he was killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.

Richard III – Wiki Commons

The individual had a slender physique and severe scoliosis – a curvature of the spine – possibly with one shoulder visibly higher than the other. This is consistent with descriptions of Richard III’s appearance from the time.

Trauma to the skeleton indicates the individual died after one of two significant wounds to the back of the skull – possibly caused by a sword and a halberd.

Cont. here:

http://www.heritagedaily.com/2013/02/archaeological-at-cardigan-castle/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HeritageDaily+%28Heritage+Daily+-+Archaeology+%26+Palaeontology+News%29

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12 Marker Y DNA Test for $39

2013-02-21T00:29:00.002-06:00

By Roberta Estes

Normally, I don’t blog about sales. There are lots of places to get that info, but this one is just too good to miss and it’s only for a short time. It’s also big news because we’ve never seen a price anyplace close to this low.

One of the things Americans and others whose ancestors migrated from European destinations have wished for is an increase in European DNA testing. It has been slow to come for many reasons, but today, Family Tree DNA announced a $39 Y-line DNA test. This, in conjunction with their presence at the Who Do You Think You Are genealogy conference in London this week will, hopefully, give DNA testing in Europe, and the British Isles specifically, a shot in the arm or a push over the cliff or whatever kind of encouragement it is that they need. In any event, the reason for not testing WON’T be cost, at least not through the end of the month. This special price is a $60, and a 60% reduction from their normal $99 price. But take heed, the special price doesn’t last forever (although I wouldn’t be surprised to see a permanent price reduction of some type)….these $39 kits must be bought and paid for by February 28th, 2013. That means no invoice orders. Get the trusty credit card out!

So now is a good time to be thinking of that family reunion and all the folks you’ve said all along you would test if you could afford it. Well, Merry Christmas way early because DNA testing just got a lot more affordable.

You can order the test, of course, at the website at www.familytreedna.com. Here’s the link to the whole story.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/family-tree-dna-unveils-39-dna-test-in-major-step-toward-universal-access-by-individuals-to-their-own-genetic-data-192109901.html

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Spring On The Sound! Spring Fling!!!

2013-03-22T09:50:00.000-05:00

Saturday May 4th, 2013

252-473-4223 or thelostcolony.org

CLICK HERE TO PREVIEW THE AUCTION ITEMS

We invite you and all of your friends to join us in our inaugural Spring On The Sound! This evening of entertainment, music, food and drink will begin at 7:00. Go on your own or team up in a scavenger hunt, enjoy the sounds of The Jazzmen and be amazed with magicians, fire breathers and stilt walkers.

This will be a casual evening full of surprises! Dress appropriately as the event will take place on the stages of The Waterside Theater!

Ships of the Roanoke Voyages

2013-03-22T12:36:00.000-05:00

	Ships of the Roanoke Voyages

No plans for vessels used in the Roanoke voyages are known to exist, but reasonably accurate inferences about those vessels can be drawn from contemporary paintings, construction and performance records, woodcuts, and maritime treatises.

The wooden sailing ships of the period, while much trimmer and sleeker than their tub-like fourteenth-and fifteenth-century ancestors, had considerable strength, durability and maneuverability. Rather than battering and slamming their way through the forces of a North Atlantic gale, the typical sixteenth century English ship was able to slip and bob through the waves with comparative ease.

Disasters at sea were rarely caused by the structural failure of a ship. Typically, the hull or shell of the vessel was either clinker-built, that is, with plank edges overlapped and fastened with nails; or carvel-built, with planks laid flush, edge to edge, over a skeleton frame. Both methods of hull construction had advantages and drawbacks.

The clinker-built ship, while extremely strong and durable, was difficult and expensive to repair, the services of a master shipwright being required. Moreover, gunports, which were cut through the overlapping, weakened the hull significantly. In spite of these drawbacks, the average life of a typical ship was an impressive sixty-five years. Even though this method of construction was being phased out by the mid 1540s, it is likely that some of the vessels that took part in the Roanoke ventures were clinker-built.

The carvel-built of skeleton-frame ship was also strong, durable, and difficult to repair. The skill of a master shipwright was not always required, however; a competent carpenter could handle many repairs and alterations.

Whether a merchantman or a ship of war, a sixteenth-century vessel contained a vast array of small pieces of wood, nails, iron bolts, washers, wooden pegs, and knees or braces. All seams were made water tight with a caulking of tarred hemp fibers. The result of the shipwright's art was a springy, flexible vessel able to work under the various and variable stresses exerted by the wind; the weight of cargo, the crew, and the ship itself; and the violent impacts of the sea.

The vast majority of sixteenth-century oceangoing vessels were three-masted and square-rigged. On a square-rigged ship, the large main square sails were laced to a yard or bar, which was attached horizontally to a mast. In addition to the square sails carried on the main and foremasts, square-rigged ships of the period also had, on the aftermast, a small lateen, or triangular sail which acted as a stabilizer. The square-rigged ship of the Elizabethan era was able to sail well to windward, that is, approximately in the same direction from which the wind was blowing. The versatility of this particular style of rigging enabled mariners to adjust sails to meet constantly changing wind conditions. Because of the strength and durability of its hull, its maneuverability, and its adaptability, the three-masted, square-rigged ship was the mainstay of the European voyages of discovery and exploration.

In sixteenth-century England, the size of a vessel was estimated in terms of tunnage --the ships capacity to carry 252 gallon tuns of hogshead barrels of wine. A 50-tun ship could carry fifty hogsheads. The tun was a measure of volume, not weight, and it was hardly uniform. The capacity of a Spanish tun, for example, was considerably less than that of an English tun. Thus a Spanish vessel of 50 tuns was not the same size as a 50-tun English ship. During the Elizabeth Era, tonnage, a more accurate and sophisticated measurement system based on a ship's dead weight and its displacement of water was in the early stage of development. As a system for standardizing the measurement of ship size, it was not uniformly applied to English shipping for many years thereafter. Though sometimes used interchangeably by post-Elizabethan writers, tunnage and tonnage are not synonyms.

The majority of ships used in the Roanoke ventures were privately owned, well-armed merchant ships ranging in size from 20 to 400 tuns. Other than names and tunnage, very few details about the vessels survive. The lack of information is complicated by the inexact system for estimating ship size--one ship could be listed with different tunnages. Identification of the vessels is made more difficult--and in some cases rendered impossible--by the Elizabethan practice of renaming ships often. Sir Francis Drake's Pelican (Golden Hind) is famous enough to be traceable, but most of the vessels associated with the Roanoke voyages are not. Contemporary descriptions of these vessels vary. A vessel called one thing in one document might be called something else in another. Further, more-or-less standard modern usage and definitions have little in common with sixteenth-century terminology.

Cont. here:

http://www.nps.gov/fora/forteachers/ships-of-the-roanoke-voyages.htm

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Pope to Visit Nearby Island of Ocracoke

2013-04-01T16:07:00.004-05:00

Pope to Visit Ocracoke

Monday, April 1, 2013 - 02:16ANDREW STERN

The "Popemobile." It's cooler than your golf cart.

The island is a stop on the Pope's first U.S. tour.

Exciting news from the Vatican this week as papal spokesman Cardinal Jose-Maria Antonio Bruschetta de los Santos announced the itinerary for Pope Francis’s first visit to the United States, scheduled for late summer. The itinerary includes stops in Philadelphia, Washington, Ocracoke, Atlanta, and Miami.

It is unclear whether the Pope plans to brave highway 12, ride one of the long ferries, or simply take the papal hovercraft. An aide sought to assure the public that he will make it one way or the other, “even if he has to walk on water.”

Pope Francis will become just the third pontiff to visit Ocracoke. Boniface V was shipwrecked here in 621, while Blessed John Paul II came to participate in the fishing tournament in 1998, winning third place. Cardinal Santos noted that the Pontiff shares several affinities with the people of Ocracoke – he speaks Latin with an accent that makes it very hard for others to understand him, he has thirty-seven cats that wander the apostolic palace, and he loves to ride around the Vatican in his golf cart. The Cardinal explained that the visit to the island is partly pastoral, but that the Pope is mostly interested in “getting south of the stress line for a bit.”

In the spirit of ecumenism, the Methodist and Assembly of God churches are planning a potluck in the Pope’s honor. They were hoping to have it at the community center, but that’s already been booked by the quilting circle. The Current will let you know as soon as a new venue is found.

In anticipation of his visit, Pope Francis has already weighed in on some of the issues facing Ocracoke. Speaking to a delegation of American cardinals yesterday, he declared that restrictions on beach driving are, “An affront against human dignity which cries to heaven for redress.” Later, he used his weekly radio address to denounce the proposed ferry rate increases as “Total b.s.”

Additional details here: CLICK HERE!!!

http://tinyurl.com/d27caoj

Happy April Fool's Day!!!

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Jockey's Ridge; Where Sand Meets Sky

2013-04-07T10:16:00.000-05:00

Hat Tip: Dixie Burrus Browning

The Outer Banks’ Jockey’s Ridge, the East Coast’s largest sand dune, is a force of nature that never stops changing and never ceases to envelop those in its path.

Every year, the dunes grew. With each nor’easter, wind carried sand from the beach. The sand swirled around Bodie Island and Nags Head and piled on top of already existing piles.

In 1838, the first hotel was built in the area, right among these dunes. The owner thought the structure would stand against the sand. The trees and shrubs would protect his building.

By 1850, the hotel was leaving shovels in each room, an amenity like soaps and shampoos, so guests could scoop out the sand. The wind blew the sand into small mountains behind the hotel. Like a cake in the oven, the dunes kept rising. The sand crept to the roof. And eventually, with the winds flinging the particles about in surges, the sand billowed over the hotel in a grand wave.

There was nothing visible but a great, living dune.

Cont. here:

http://www.ourstate.com/jockeys-ridge/

The Life of Angus Chavers, a Confederate POW

2013-04-20T00:01:00.001-05:00

Angus Chavers and his wife Melissa
The Life of Angus Chavers, a Confederate POW

Dr. Dean Chavers

March 12, 2013

Most of the Lumbees who fought in the Civil War were in the Confederate Army. A second smaller group of them enlisted and fought in the Union Army, which meant they could possibly face their own brothers in battle. A third group was shanghaied or hijacked to work on the batteries and breastworks (temporary fortifications) around Fort Fisher near Wilmington; they were largely treated as slaves, and were assigned to do the rough work of construction. Many of them died at Fort Fisher from diseases caused by bad water and mosquitos.

A fourth group were local boys and men who refused to be conscripted to work on the breastworks, doing the work of slaves to build barriers to keep the Union soldiers out. Henry Berry Lowrie and some of his brothers refused to be enlisted; they knew they would be in the mud, dirt, and mosquitoes building breastworks; since they refused to work on the breastworks, they were cast out and labeled as outlaws by the Robeson County, North Carolina authorities.

What happened to the “Lost Colony” of Roanoke?

2013-05-03T00:27:00.000-05:00

The origins of one of the America’s oldest unsolved mysteries can be traced to August 1587, when a group of about 115 English settlers arrived on Roanoke Island, off the coast of what is now North Carolina. Later that year, it was decided that John White, governor of the new colony, would sail back to England in order to gather a fresh load of supplies. But just as he arrived, a major naval war broke out between England and Spain, and Queen Elizabeth I called on every available ship to confront the mighty Spanish Armada. In August 1590, White finally returned to Roanoke, where he had left his wife and daughter, his infant granddaughter (Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the Americas) and the other settlers three long years before. He found no trace of the colony or its inhabitants, and few clues to what might have happened, apart from a single word—“Croatoan”—carved into a wooden post.

http://www.history.com/news/ask-history/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke

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Getting Creative with Genealogy

2013-05-08T21:24:00.000-05:00

Amateur genealogists hoping to uncover a link to Abe Lincoln can easily turn to the web to dig in their ancestor's closet. But taking the commercial route doesn't come cheap.

People curious about family history spent a whopping $2.3 billion on genealogy products and services last year, according to a study by market research firm Global Industry Analysts. They took most of their work to sites like Ancestry.com, which charge between $22.95 and $34.59 per month for access to billions of pertinent records. One-on-one consultations set them back $2,000 to $5,000 per session, depending on the length and complexity of the project, a spokesperson told Mashable.

SEE ALSO: 10 Creative Solutions for a More Productive Workspace

Despite those sites' popularity, “it’s perfectly possible to do everything without spending a dime,” says Terry Koch-Bostic, a Mineola, N.Y.-based director of the National Genealogy Society, a non-profit education, training and records-preservation group.

Cont. here:

http://mashable.com/2013/05/03/digital-family-tree/

Backstage at the Lost Colony Production

2013-05-22T18:11:00.000-05:00

Backstage tours are recommended for parties with children.

Take a backstage tour for a behind-the-scenes look at how The Lost Colony comes to life. Highly praised by our patrons, this tour is one of very few… if not the only… that allows audience member backstage during final show preparations. You will hear historical and fun facts, see weaponry and stunt demonstrations and actors doing last minute touch ups.

The tour is especially recommended for parties with children, last approximately one hour, and are limited to just 50 people. Tours depart from the box office at 7:30. Tickets are $7.00 per person, or $25.00 for a family four pack.

Click here to continue

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