The Lost Colonists of Roanoke were left on Roanoke Island in present day North Carolina in 1587 in order to establish the first colony in America. A vessel was sent back to England with Governor John White to obtain supplies and was subsequently unable to return until 1590. Upon the return of the supply ship, the colony was gone, not destroyed, but removed. The only clue was the name Croatan carved into a tree. John White, whose daughter, son-in-law and grandchild were among the colonists began a lifelong quest to find the colonists. Some historians say they perished, but clues and rumors persisted for decades that they did not, that they either were captured by or assimilated into the local native population. We hope to discover whether the colonists perished or survived as part of the indigenous culture. Participants are welcome who meet the following criteria:

•Your surnames include those of the Colonists or others on the interest list AND your family is proven to descend from Eastern North Carolina, preferably before 1700, or the areas of interest shown on the maps later in this document.
•You have a history of Native Ancestry from this area, confirmed or unconfirmed.
•You have an oral history of Lost Colony ancestry.