About Virginia Dare:
Dates: August 18, 1587 - ?
Known for: first English child born in the New World
Background, Family:
- Mother: Ellinor or Eleanor or Elyoner White Dare, born in London, daughter of Governor John White
- Father: Ananias Dare, a bricklayer from London
More About Virginia Dare:
Virginia Dare's parents, Ellinor and Ananias Dare, were among 150 English colonists who sailed for Virginia in May, 1587, under the sponsorship of Sir Walter Raleigh. The 120 settlers landed in Virginia in July, 1587, at Roanoke Island, rather than the intended Chesapeake Bay target.
Less than a month after landing, Ellinor Dare, who was daughter of the colonist's Governor John White, gave birth to Virginia Dare. Baby Virginia's grandfather, Gov. White, left for England on August 27, when she was nine days old, to seek help and support for the colonists.
White was unable to return or send help to the colony until 1590 because of the war between England and Spain. By the time the ship arrived, in 1591, the colonists had completely disappeared, including Virginia Dare. A cryptic message carved on a post -- the letters "croatoan" -- was all that was found.
Nothing is known of the fate of Virginia Dare, her parents, or the other Roanoke colonists, sometimes called the "Lost Colony." The most common theory is that the surviving colonists became assimilated into local Indian tribes.
John Smith mentions Virginia Dare and tells of efforts to trace the fate of the Roanoke colonists.
Bibliography:
Karen Ordahl Kupperman. Roanoke: The Abandoned Colony, 2nd Edition. 2007.
Marjorie Hudson. Searching for Virginia Dare. 2007.
Lee G. Miller. Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony. 2002.
Robert W. White. A Witness For Eleanor Dare. 1992.
David Stick. Roanoke Island: The Beginnings of English America. 1983.
Lee Miller. Roanoke: The Mystery of the Lost Colony. 2007. Ages 9-12.
Jean Fritz. The Lost Colony Of Roanoke. 2004. Ages 9-12.
Heidi Elisabet Y Stemple, Jane Yolan. Roanoke: The Lost Colony: An Unsolved Mystery from History. 2003. Ages 4-8.
Places: Virginia, England
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