Why Is It Called That?

Many people, mostly kids, have wondered:
Why is Rhode Island called Rhode Island if it isn't an island?
Well, I partially found the answer today. Rhode Island has red clay soil. It was founded on the basis of religious freedom, like most of the colonies, and many of its first settlers were Dutch. The Dutch called it "Roodt Eyelandt", or "Red Island". That still doesn't really explain the island thing, but the red soil part does make sense. I think most people don't bother to question it because, after all, a lot of things don't make sense. Such as why John Smith, the guy who founded Virginia, had a decidedly boring name. Why not something like Grapefruit Smith? Did they even know what grapefruits were? Well, Google and Wikipedia were helpful in this inquiry. Grapefruits were first documented in Barbados in 1750. John Smith was born in 1580. However, they seem to be an old Japanese or Indonesian hybrid citrus. But WHY on EARTH is it called a grapefruit? It's basically a cross between a pummelo and a sweet orange. According to the Library of Congress website, it's not what it looks like but how it grows. Grapes grow in clusters on a vine. Grapefruits grow in clusters on a tree. I have edited a picture to provide a visual for this wonderfully informative blog post.