Virginia Dare

First English child born in North America

• Born: August 18, 1587
• Birthplace: Roanoke Island, Virginia Colony (in present-day North Carolina)
• Died: Unknown
• Place of death: Unknown

Significance: Virginia Dare was the first child of European settlers born in North America. She was born on Roanoke Island, the first English colony in the New World. Dare, her family, and the other settlers of the colony had disappeared by 1590. Their fate has been an enduring mystery.

Background

Virginia Dare was born on August 18, 1587, to Ananias Dare and Eleanor White Dare. Her maternal grandfather was John White, the governor of the Roanoke Island settlement where Dare was born. Dare's parents and grandfather were settlers from England who sailed on a ship called the Lyon to the colony, which was located in present-day North Carolina. Their trip lasted from April 26 to July 22, 1587.

The expedition had planned on settling further north in the Chesapeake Bay region. It stopped first in Roanoke to deliver supplies and was forced to remain in Roanoke where the ship's pilot, Simon Fernandes, refused to carry the settlers any further. Less than one month after the colonists' arrival, Dare was born and became the first child of European settlers to be born in the New World. She was baptized into the Church of England on August 24, becoming the first child to be baptized into the church in North America. Her name was chosen to honor the English queen, Elizabeth I, who was known as "the virgin queen." An Algonquin Native American, Manteo, who had traveled to England and returned to North America with White and the Dares, was baptized on August 13, 1587, and became the first person in the New World baptized into the Church of England.

When Dare was nine days old, her grandfather left to return to England and acquire more provisions for the settlement. He intended to return within three months, but he was delayed nearly three years because all English ships were pressed into service to fend off an attack by the Spanish Armada. When White finally returned to Roanoke Island on August 18, 1590—Dare's third birthday—the colony was abandoned, and the colonists were gone.

History

The settlement that was abandoned represented the third attempt to establish a permanent colony on Roanoke Island. Encouraged by reports of easy sailing and hospitable land areas, British explorer and privateer Sir Richard Grenville launched an expedition to what is now the Outer Banks region of North Carolina in 1585. Trouble with the native population and shortages of food and supplies led the colonists to decide to return to England. After they left, a supply ship arrived to find the colony deserted. Fifteen men from the supply ship stayed in Roanoke for a time before also returning to England. Finally, in July 1587, White and the expedition that included the Dares arrived.

Relations with the native population had improved, and it seemed the colony would fare better than its predecessors. However, they were going to need more supplies than they had carried with them. This led to White's decision to return to England, leaving his daughter and baby granddaughter behind. Before leaving, White and the colonists arranged to leave a message for him if the colonists needed to leave Roanoke. The plan was for them to carve the name of their new destination in a tree. If they were fleeing danger when they left, they were to add a symbol known as a Maltese cross along with the name of the destination.

White left on August 27, 1587. When he returned three years later, the 118 colonists were gone. According to White's log book, the word Croatoan was carved in a post on the stockade fencing surrounding the colony, and the letters CRO appeared on a tree. No Maltese cross was found in the carvings. Chests full of supplies were missing, including some that had been buried for safekeeping.

Croatoan was the home village of Manteo, about fifty miles south of the Roanoke colony. White assumed his daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter had gone there with the other colonists, and he had his ship's captain sail down the coast to find them. However, storms prevented the ship from reaching land and drove it out to sea until the captain decided it was necessary to return to England. White never returned, and the fate of the colonists was unknown. This mystery led to a variety of legends about Dare over the centuries.

In the mid-seventeenth century, other European explorers encountered English-speaking Native Americans in the same general area as the Roanoke colony and village of Croatoan. This led to speculation that the Roanoke colonists had been captured or taken in by native tribes, eventually intermarrying with them and sharing their language. Some Native American folktales tell of these English settlers, and some contemporary North Carolina Native Americans believe themselves to be descendants of the Dares or other Roanoke colonists. There is no definitive evidence to prove or disprove these beliefs.

In 1937, a man visiting North Carolina found a stone that bore carvings purportedly made by Eleanor Dare and addressed to White. The carvings, written in an old form of English, said that Ananias Dare and daughter, Virginia, died in 1591 and were buried four miles from where the stone was left. After word of what became known as the Dare Stone was made public, dozens of other stones with additional carvings surfaced. Originally proclaimed to be authentic, the stones were later determined to be frauds. Some people still believe the original stone may have been authentic. Additional study has been done to attempt to authenticate the stone and identify its original location and the spot where the stone says the Dare family is buried.

Impact

Although little is actually known about Virginia Dare beyond her family's names and the date of her birth and baptism, her status as the first child of Europeans born in North America resulted in her having a great influence in North Carolina. The county now located where Dare once lived is named after her, as are many streets, parks, and businesses. Annual festivals are held to celebrate her birthday, and plays, books, and other works have been written exploring the legends about her as well as her possible life and fate. She has also figured in a number of television specials examining the fate of the colonists and the possibilities presented by the Dare Stone.

Bibliography

Boyd, Sandra. "Virginia Dare and the Lost Colony: Fact and Legend." NC Pedia, www.ncpedia.org/culture/legends/virginia-dare. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.

"The Dare Stones." Brenau University, www.brenau.edu/darestones/. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.

"First English Colonies." North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program, www.ncmarkers.com/Markers.aspx?MarkerId=B-1. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.

"John White." National Park Service, www.nps.gov/fora/learn/education/john-white.htm. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.

Nieuwsma, Milton. "Virginia Dare's 400th Year of Mystery." Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 1987, articles.chicagotribune.com/1987-08-18/features/8703030007‗1‗lost-colony-stone-hammond. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.

Pruitt, Sarah. "Archaeologists Find New Clues to 'Lost Colony' Mystery." History.com, 10 Aug. 2015, www.history.com/news/archaeologists-find-new-clues-to-lost-colony-mystery. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.

Shaeffer, Matthew. "Virginia Dare (1587–?)." North Carolina History Project, northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/virginia-dare-1587/. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.

"Virginia Dare." National Park Service, www.nps.gov/people/virginiadare.htm. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.

"Virginia Dare." Outer Banks.com, www.outerbanks.com/virginia-dare.html. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.