American National Biography Includes Several Roanoke Colonization Figures
By: Melissa Matyjasik , East Carolina University


In early 1999, a new resource for historical researchers was introduced. Oxford University Press released the American National Biography (ANB), a 24 volume biographical dictionary containing about 17,500 entries collected from 6,000 scholars and outlining the lives of people who have played a role in the development of the nation. The editors of the ANB, John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes, along with the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), took on the project to replace the Dictionary of American Biography (DAB), which they hoped would offer a more diverse representation of American people. They wanted to include “ordinary” people as well as famous ones, and also a culturally diverse group. “An ‘American,’” as stated in the preface to the work, “is loosely defined as someone whose significant actions occurred during his or her residence within what is now the United States or whose life or career directly influenced the course of American history.” It has been nearly sixty years since the DAB was first published, and no one has taken on the task since. There is little wonder; this project took more than ten years to complete. Yet, the hard work was well worth it. The American Library Association’s Reference and User Services Association awarded the 1999 Dartmouth Medal to the ANB, recognizing it as an outstanding current resource material.

A new “who’s who” of history is an exciting development for historical scholars. With the ANB’s guidelines that promise a more inclusive look than previously offered, the work seemed an optimal place to look for more information about the “Lost Colony” of Roanoke than was available in the DAB.

The ANB is simple to use and makes an excellent place to begin looking for information for those who do not yet have much information to go on. The entries are listed alphabetically and are relatively short. They are limited to 750-1750 word articles, which means that they are mostly just brief outlines of the lives of the people they discuss. The work is strictly for those who have a specific place to begin as the entries are not cross-referenced, but all of the entries include a list of suggested readings to offer researchers more detailed accounts than the limited articles included.

A good place to start looking for Roanoke colonization related information in the ANB is with the Sir Ralph Lane entry. It is very detailed, exploring the entire life of the first governor, and offers more than just the cut-and-dried date-and-contribution outline one expects to find in such brief biographical entries. Author Karen Ordahl Kupperman provides as much material as she can about the motivation behind Lane’s actions, as well as offering a look at his dealings with his own men and with Native Americans. This article gives Lane a personality, making him seem more real than the average historical figure.

Equally informative are the John White and Virginia Dare entries. Both of these articles were written by E. Thomson Shields Jr. and are surprisingly extensive. Of course, with so little to information available about either one of these two colonists, one would expect the entries to brief and not much help. However, Shields offers information about the colony in each entry and some speculation on the lives of these two biographically puzzling figures. He even mentions the “White Doe” legend that has developed from the disappearance of the first baby born to English parents in the “New World.”

Other entertaining and useful Roanoke-related articles found in the ANB include entries on Thomas Harriot (written by David B. Quinn) and Richard Hakluyt (offered by Arthur F. Kinney). The Harriot piece gives a detailed account of the scientist’s life, with nearly two paragraphs devoted to Roanoke. The bulk of the article involves Harriots’s linguistic work with the Algonquian language and shows that the early settlers, or Harriot at least, were indeed fascinated by this new culture and hoped to establish communication in order to learn from the Native Americans. While there is not a lot of Roanoke-specific information included in the Hakluyt entry, it still warrants reading. Kinney does a good job of exploring the life of this early publisher, following the work he did convincing England’s monarchy that the “New World” was worthy of attention and providing evidence that he was, indeed, as Kinney states, “responsible for the English settlement in America.” Definitely an entry worth reading.

Two entries proved a little disappointing from the viewpoint of somebody looking for information with Roanoke colonization connections. Paul Green, writer of The Lost Colony, the outdoor dramatic depiction of the Roanoke colony, and Inglis Fletcher, author of the Carolina Collection, are barely even connected with the continuing interest in the first colony. However, Laurence G. Avery represents Green excellently as one of the first social reformers demanding equality among the races in the early 1900’s, and Marie T. Farr provides an equally excellent account that reaffirms Fletcher’s talent and celebrates her historical accuracy in fiction. But, for somebody more interested in the history of the “Lost Colony” itself, these provide only a useful context for understanding the goals of these two authors rather than specifically Roanoke-related texts and subject matter. Still, for a person dedicated to a literary, rather than historical, look at these two writers’ works, the articles are very useful.

Perhaps most disappointing is what is not included in the ANB. While Sir Francis Drake is included in the work, nothing is mentioned of his role in the first attempt of the English to colonize the Americas. Also, although their names are mentioned in other entries, neither Sir Richard Grenville nor Sir Walter Raleigh are to be found. The same is true for Arthur Barlowe, Philip Amadas, Manteo, Wanchese and Wingina. Each of these people played a role in the attempt to colonize Roanoke Island, yet here they have been left out. These omissions are disappointing given the broadened criteria used to select historical figures to include in the work.

Even though the work is not as inclusive as hoped for and is not cross-referenced, the American National Biography is a useful resource for beginning Roanoke colonization researchers. The articles offer solid and sometimes entertaining beginnings about some of the people connected with the first colonization attempts. For those familiar with the “Lost Colony,” the ANB has several articles well worth reading for their refreshing perspectives.

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