▁of ▁the ▁C OR A ▁tree ▁was ▁incon clus ive . ▁ ▁Dam age ▁to ▁the ▁tree , ▁caused ▁by ▁light ning ▁and ▁decay , ▁has ▁made ▁it ▁impossible ▁to ▁obtain ▁a ▁valid ▁core ▁sample ▁for ▁tree - ring ▁d ating . ▁ ▁Even ▁if ▁the ▁tree ▁dates ▁back ▁to ▁the ▁ 1 6 th ▁century , ▁though , ▁establish ing ▁the ▁age ▁of ▁the ▁ins cription ▁would ▁be ▁another ▁matter . ▁ ▁D are ▁St ones ▁ ▁From ▁ 1 9 3 7 ▁to ▁ 1 9 4 1 , ▁a ▁series ▁of ▁ins cribed ▁stones ▁was ▁discovered ▁that ▁were ▁claimed ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁written ▁by ▁Ele an or ▁D are , ▁mother ▁of ▁Virginia ▁D are . ▁They ▁told ▁of ▁the ▁travel ings ▁of ▁the ▁colon ists ▁and ▁their ▁ult imate ▁death s . ▁Most ▁histor ians ▁believe ▁that ▁they ▁are ▁a ▁fra ud , ▁but ▁there ▁are ▁some ▁today ▁who ▁still ▁believe ▁at ▁least ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁stones ▁to ▁be ▁genu ine . ▁The ▁first ▁one ▁is ▁sometimes ▁regarded ▁as ▁different ▁from ▁the ▁rest , ▁based ▁on ▁a ▁lingu istic ▁and ▁chemical ▁analysis , ▁and ▁as ▁possibly ▁genu ine . ▁ ▁In ▁popular ▁culture ▁ ▁R ale igh ▁was ▁public ly ▁critic ized ▁for ▁his ▁apparent ▁ind ifference ▁to ▁the ▁fate ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 5 8 7 ▁col ony , ▁most ▁not ably ▁by ▁Sir ▁Francis ▁Ba con . ▁ ▁" It ▁is ▁the ▁sin full est ▁thing ▁in ▁the ▁world ," ▁Ba con ▁wrote ▁in ▁ 1 5