▁rough ▁se as ▁forced ▁the ▁rescue ▁mission ▁to ▁return ▁to ▁England . ▁ ▁The ▁fate ▁of ▁the ▁approximately ▁ 1 1 2 – 1 2 1 ▁colon ists ▁remains ▁unknown . ▁ ▁Spe cul ation ▁that ▁they ▁may ▁have ▁assim il ated ▁with ▁nearby ▁Native ▁American ▁communities ▁appears ▁as ▁early ▁as ▁ 1 6 0 5 . ▁ ▁Investig ations ▁by ▁the ▁Jam est own ▁colon ists ▁produced ▁reports ▁that ▁the ▁Ro ano ke ▁sett lers ▁were ▁mass ac red , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁stories ▁of ▁people ▁with ▁European ▁features ▁in ▁Native ▁American ▁villages , ▁but ▁no ▁hard ▁evidence ▁was ▁produced . ▁ ▁Interest ▁in ▁the ▁matter ▁fell ▁into ▁decl ine ▁until ▁ 1 8 3 4 , ▁when ▁George ▁B anc ro ft ▁published ▁his ▁account ▁of ▁the ▁events ▁in ▁A ▁History ▁of ▁the ▁United ▁States . ▁ ▁B anc ro ft ' s ▁description ▁of ▁the ▁colon ists , ▁particularly ▁White ' s ▁infant ▁grand d augh ter ▁Virginia ▁D are , ▁cast ▁them ▁as ▁found ational ▁figures ▁in ▁American ▁culture ▁and ▁captured ▁the ▁public ▁imagination . ▁ ▁Despite ▁this ▁renew ed ▁interest , ▁modern ▁research ▁still ▁has ▁not ▁produced ▁the ▁arch ae ological ▁evidence ▁necessary ▁to ▁solve ▁the ▁mystery . ▁ ▁Background ▁ ▁The ▁Out er ▁B anks ▁were ▁expl ored ▁in ▁ 1 5 2 4 ▁by ▁Giovanni ▁da ▁Ver ra zz ano , ▁who ▁mist ook ▁Pam lic o ▁Sound ▁for ▁the ▁Pacific ▁Ocean , ▁and ▁concluded ▁that ▁the ▁bar rier ▁islands ▁were ▁an ▁is th mus .