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Edward V of England and Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York, the two princes, the son of Edward IV were only 12 and 9 years old respectively when they disappeared after being held prisoner by their uncle Richard III of England in the Tower of London whilst Edward V was waiting for his coronation. The princes were never seen again shortly after Richard III claimed that Edward IV’s marriage was invalid and his children illegitimate. Some chronicles and notes taken at that time recorded the rumor that the sons of King Edward had had been put to silence in the Tower of London. This fact leads to many speculations of whether Richard III or his agents had killed the princes. Historians argued that the Tudor who also wanted to rise to the throne might have something to do with the execution of the princes. In 1674 during a demolition work in the White Tower, skeletons were found and thought to be the remains of the young king and his brother. Charles II ordered the skeletons to be reburied in Westminster Abbey. However, an examination held in 1933 of the surviving bones was inconclusive. DNA analysis or carbon dating on the bones is possible today, but unfortunately, the Abbey authorities have refused a second examination. Thus the fate of the two princes was still unknown to this date. This mystery have been the inspiration of many books, play and movies.

The disappearance of Roanoke Colonist in 1587

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

Not less than 117 men, women and children were vanished into thin air at Roanoke Island, an island in present-day North Carolina, the first permanent English establishment in the New World in 1587. The settlers were recruited and financed by Sir Walter Raleigh after he received a charter for colonization from Queen Elizabeth I. Raleigh’s colony at Roanoke Island was not the first. Previous colonies were either abandoned or the colonist died. Raleigh’s group was led by John White, a friend of Raleigh. They arrived at Roanoke Island on 22nd July 1587, White tried to establish relationship with the neighboring Indian tribes including the one that had been attacked by previous groups of settlers. The relationship with the native tribes was not gone well. Soon the colonist started to fear for their lives. They petitioned John White to return to England to ask for help and supplies. White left the island on August of that same year. Unfortunately to sail during the latest months in the year presented considerable risk. The vessel hardly made it back to England and the captain refused to sail back crossing Atlantic Ocean to Roanoke Island during the winter. War with the Spain delayed the journey back to Roanoke even further as every seaworthy ship available in England were used to fight the Spanish armada. White finally returned to Roanoke in August 1590 only to find the settlement abandoned. Neither bones nor sign of fight or struggle were found. All the houses had been dismantled neatly. So, their departure was not forced nor hurried. White found the word “Croatoan” carved into the fort and “Cro” carved into a tree. White assumed that they had moved to Croatoan Island where friendly native tribe was living. However, a massive storm prevented White to sail to Croatoan. Several theories stated that the colonist had assimilated with the natives, some said that the colonist was lost and died in the sea when trying to made their way out of the island, some other said that the colonist had been attached by the Spain, and there even a theory of cannibalism. However none of these theories were confirmed and the fate of the colonist is still unknown to this day.

The disappearance of the crew of the “Ghost Ship” Mary Celeste in 1872

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On 5th December 1872 the crew of the British ship, Dei Gratia sighted a ship adrift 400 miles east of the Azores, Portugal. The crew soon detected something was wrong with that ship. Captain Morehouse of Dei Gratia recognized the ship as the “Mary Celeste” and decided to observe her for two hours. As no one was seen on the wheel or anywhere on deck, he sent his man to board the Mary Celeste. The ship was seaworthy but no one was on board. The captain of Mary Celeste, Benjamin Briggs, his wife Sarah Elizabeth, his daughter Sophia Matilda and seven crew members were missing. 6 months supply of food and fresh water were still aboard, the cargo of 1,701 barrels of alcohol were still in good order and the crews personal possession were left untouched. Although it appeared that the ship had been abandoned in a hurry there is no sign of struggle or violence. Mary Celeste departed from New York on November 7 1872 for Genoa, Italy. The story of missing ships in the 18s were not uncommon and soon the story of Mary Celeste lost public attention until Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the writer of famous detective series, Sherlock Holmes wrote a fiction that recounted some of the actual events of the mystery of Mary Celeste with added details which cause controversy. Since then, Mary Celeste is known in popular culture as the “ghost ship”. Fictionalized variations of this ghost ship story are numerous. Many theories speculated that the crews might abandon the ship during a storm, seaquake or waterspout. Others said that an explosion might occur on board caused by alcoholic fumes. Possible insurance fraud was also investigated but it was not conclusive. Some more recent and controversial theories are that the crews had been kidnapped by UFO, eaten by sea monster or even doing a time travel. However no theories had been confirmed and the fate of Captain Briggs, his family and crew remain unknown.

Job opportunities in Virginia:

            Virginia is a terrific place to find a job. We offer numerous occupations that deal with our government and education. You could be part of the council, or become a preacher taking good care of the colony’s health. If your hands are good with tools, carpentry is the job. Help build and expand our colony by constructing important transportation like wagons and ships. Or, you could decide to be a surgeon; heal our sick, hurt patients and earn BIG bucks. For all people with a need to cut hair, we encourage you to sign up to be a barber and keep our colony’s citizens looking sexy. Along with neat hair, we have tailor work open for those who want to improve Virginia’s clothes style. Whip up some new fashions and you’ll make a fortune. But if you’re the violent type become a gunner: use a gun, supply artillery, and care for ammunition. If the smell of tobacco makes you gay, become a Tobacco-pipe maker and assemble pipes with quality materials. Last but not least, if traveling is your thing then a tradesman is the job for you. Travel the country and meet new people trading our old materials for new, better goods. Come to Virginia and find the best job for you.

Virginia’s History

Virginia has a very distinct and unique history. Virginia’s settlers came from the London Company and the Plymouth Company created by King James I. The London Company was first to explore. Given only three goals, to find gold, a route to the South Seas, and find the Lost Colony of Roanoke.

            As you know, Virginia has many great people. John Smith was the only man to keep peace with both the Indians and the colony itself. He spread order and helped develop settler’s ways of life. But even with Smith, the settlers still went through hard times. During the winter, the brave souls of the settlers had to live on rodents; yet, only half survived the harsh cold. England persistently sent more people to support the growth and progression. Eventually, military like rule came over Virginia and started to flourish. In 1612, John Rolfe began growing tobacco. This came to be an easy growing, yet very profitable item. What was considered to be one of the most momentous event of the 17th century included tobacco: the first shipment of Virginia tobacco was sold to London.   

              Here in Virginia, you are free to practice the religion of your choice, have as many kids as you’d like, eat what you want, sleep when you want, and be a free man even when you don’t want to. That’s our motto and we are sticking to it. Virginia is the place to be, located conveniently in the middle of the north and south, we have the mildest climate, not too hot like down south, and not to cold like New England, we are just right. And if any of this sounds good, you ought to come on over to Virginia, the greatest colony in the new world.

Virginia’s demographic

            Virginia is almost entirely good, warm-hearted whites. The slave population right now, is very low. Most people that are working for big land owners are indentured servants. This is much better than slaves; because they are almost entirely white!  it is also easy to make a fortune as a white land owning male, you will plant tobacco and sell it to England for a tidy sum. Also as a white land owning male you will be able to vote and hold office. Your voice will be heard in the new world. Can England offer you that?

Virginia’s very first colony was Roanoke. Unfortunately this was a major failure seeing as every single person died. However, Virginia is now a wonderful colony with a thriving tobacco trade. Virginia also had the very first European child born in the U.S. this baby was born in the lost colony of Roanoke.

The British hoped that the Roanoke Colony, like many other colonies, would be a source of much needed revenue. Queen Elizabeth I also hoped that it would serve as a base to allow Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Francis Drake, and other privateers to harass Spanish shipping. To that end, she granted Sir Walter Raleigh a charter that gave him ten years to establish a colony in the New World. After extensive planning, the colony was founded in 1585. Although Sir Walter Raleigh himself did not accompany the settlers to the new colony, he sent a number of competent men including Mr. Thomas Harriot. Harriot was a 25 year old historian and surveyor who visited the colony for about a year soon after it was founded.

Harriot was among the first Europeans to learn the Algonquian language and learned a great deal about the local Indians while visiting the Roanoke colony. One of the things he observed was that the Indians had a curious herbal remedy which they claimed “opened the pores” and prevented diseases. After Harriot and some of the other English colonists ventured to try some of this “uppowoc,” they were quickly sold on it. Whether they really thought it was a good herbal remedy or whether they realized it could be an important cash crop is difficult to say. Whatever their true feelings about uppowoc, Harriot for one wrote glowingly about it in his book “Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia.” This was the first book written about the New World in English and its enthusiastic endorsement of uppowoc convinced many Europeans to try it after the residents of Roanoke island began exporting limited quantities of the “herbal remedy.”

Soon, “uppowoc” came to be known by its Spanish word “tobacco” and was being exported in ever increasing amounts. To this day, Virginia and the Carolina remain important tobacco producers. Not everyone was convinced by the supposed health benefits of tobacco, however. As early as 1605, King James I imposed a 4,000% increase in taxes on tobacco hoping to convince people to quit the practice he considered, “…loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, [and] dangerous to the lungs.” Obviously, not everyone shared his remarkably modern view of smoking and the demand for tobacco grew and grew until it was one of the most important exports in the Americas. Indeed, tobacco helped make early colonies viable, so it had a positive influence by encouraging early settlement even though it has very serious negative effects on our general well-being.