>> Set up in 1607, the original English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia, had all but collapsed three years later — with 80-90 percent of its inhabitants lost to starvation and disease.
Wow, that’s a lot of dead. My ancestor was among the survivors.
My paternal ancestor is documented to have come to America in 1616 in Elizabeth City NC . . . he preceded the Pilgrims by five years. I was amazed when I found that out about four years ago. My Dad growing up in southwest Georgia in humble/ poor surroundings, I just assumed we came over with Oglethorpe’s crooks.
One of my ancestors, Stephen Hopkins, survived Jamestown, being ship wrecked in the Caribbean, the May Flower and years after setting in the rugged NE area.
Would this country be a Spanish speaking colony if those hardy former English men, women and children had not survived?
St Augustine, Florida is the oldest city in our country, and it was established by the Spaniards.
St. Augustine:
St. Augustine is a city on the northeast coast of Florida. It lays claim to being the oldest city in the U.S., and is known for its Spanish colonial architecture as well as Atlantic Ocean beaches like sandy St. Augustine Beach and tranquil Crescent Beach. Anastasia State Park is a protected wildlife sanctuary. The Castillo de San Marcos is a 17th-century Spanish stone fortress with views of the St. Augustine Inlet.
Founded: September 1565