Virginia Dare, First English Child in the New World
On August 18, 1587, Virginia Dare became the first child born in the Americas to English parents. She was named in honor of the Virgin Queen of England, Elizabeth I. Her parents, Eleanor and Ananias Dare, were part of the Roanoke Colony, an early attempt by the English to establish a permanent settlement in the New World. Her birth was recorded by her grandfather John White, governor of the colony. White returned to England seeking supplies. It took three years before he could secure passage back to Roanoke Island, and upon his return he found the colonists had vanished.
Virginia Dare thus disappeared from history and entered into legend. One of the better-known legends concerning her says she was transformed into a white deer by a jealous lover, a Native American witch doctor. Two hunters, one trying to save her and one trying to kill her, shot the white deer with special arrows. The human Virginia was slain but the deer form lived. White deer are rumored to inhabit the area to this day.
On August 18, 1937, the state of North Carolina issued a delayed birth certificate to Virginia Dare, partially to promote the newly established outdoor drama The Lost Colony.
Other related resources:
- The UNC-TV documentary Birth of a Colony and its accompanying educational guide, both of which we were proud to produce
- Podcasts on North Carolina’s Exploration and Early Settlement from the N.C. Museum of History
- Roanoke Island Festival Park
- The Lost Colonists: Their Fortune and Probable Fate from North Carolina Historical Publications
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