A Brief History
On August 18, 1587, Virginia Dare was born in the Roanoke Colony in what is now North Carolina. Each year the current residents of Roanoke Island celebrate her birthday with an Elizabethan Renaissance Festival.
Digging Deeper
Whereas the date of death is often known for many famous people throughout history, their births were mostly insignificant and thus not recorded. For Virginia the exact opposite is true. As the first child born to English settlers on the North American continent, her birth is important. This is largely where her story also ends. In fact it is unknown if and when she died. Well, one can now assume that she has long since passed, but she and all other colonists in Roanoke literally disappeared into thin air when she would still have been a toddler.
Numerous theories for the disappearance of the colony exist. These range from starvation, disease, annihilation, assimilation into neighboring Indian tribes, all the way to abduction by aliens (The author is not making this claim up.) Virginia Dare’s fate in connection with the lost colony has become the subject of numerous documentaries, novels and films.
Nonetheless, as much as Virginia Dare’s short life is shrouded in mystery and considering that the only thing actually known about her is that she was indeed born, the amount of fascination her name evokes is amazing. For many she has become a symbol of innocence, purity and wholesomeness as well as a physical representation of the American values of new beginnings, promise and hope. Even the American attributes of adventuresomeness and bravery have been imparted on her. In short, she is the quintessential American girl, and even if she cannot be protected anymore, everyone wants to protect that image. Named Virginia after Queen Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, and the original colony of Virginia, even her name is synonymous with the New World.
Much of the fascination with her is due to a phenomenon known as “first white child” pride. As racist as it sounds, it is not meant to be. It is simply the celebration of the birth of the first child of European colonists worldwide. Such births symbolized the growth and increasing permanence of new colonies. Some new colonists raced to have this honor bestowed on their child. Today these births are commemorated with plaques and monuments.
Towns, roads and bridges have been named in Virginia Dare’s honor. Capitalizing on the traits brought into association with her, many commercial products have also been named after her. Two famous ones involve the American products of tobacco and vanilla.
Even if there were records of Virginia Dare reaching maturity, it is unlikely that anything she would have done as an adult would have made her even more famous than the circumstances of her birth. Her claim to fame is truly as simple as being born. Her disappearance merely added to her mystique.
Question for students (and subscribers): Should Virginia Dare be celebrated and memorialized in such fashions as described in this article? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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For more interesting events that happened on August 18, please see the History and Headlines articles: “10 Major Steps in Women’s Rights” and “Would You Like Your Witches Fried or Boiled?“
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Historical Evidence
For more information on Virginia Dare and the Lost Colony of Roanoke, the following books might be interesting:
Fritz, Jean and Hudson Talbott. The Lost Colony of Roanoke. G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 2004.
Hudson, Marjorie. Searching for Virginia Dare. Press 53, 2007.
Stemple, Heidi E. Y., Jane Yolen, et al. Roanoke: The Lost Colony–An Unsolved Mystery from History. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2003.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="3977 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=3977">121 Comments
I think it’s interesting how Virginia Dare’s life is only remembered when she was born and everything else about her life a mystery. It would be interesting to find out how the rest of her life turned out and how long she lived.
I think it is cool that she celebrated her birthday and the whole region/colony did as well. It is very interesting to see her go down in history for just being born. She didn’t have to win a war and or be a ruler Virginia is historic for being herself. I think that is very cool. I’d also want to know what that was like growing up knowing people celebrated. I wonder if that was a lot of pressure or if it wash’t that big of a deal growing up in the colony.
This was the first time that I have heard about Virginia Dare. I found it pretty intriguing that her birth was remembered, yet after that no one really knows what she did in life or even when she died.
I would’ve liked to know how long she lived for & how her life panned out. It’s cool to see her birth but the mystery of her life is whats interesting.
I wish I knew how her life really was, or her death cause or age at that time. Sad to only know the birth.
I think that the disappearance of Virgina is the best part of the story. To be famous for being born is the legacy, and the mysterious vanishing act adds to its mystical appeal. If she would have lived an ordinary life and been an ordinary (or less than ordinary) woman, she most likely would not hold the same appeal to people. Interesting article though.
I honestly had not heard about her or her story, so this was a very interesting read for me!
It is interesting to learn of how unusual it was for a birth to recorded but not a death. Of course deaths throughout history tend to be recorded because of their gruesome nature. Had several individuals at the time of her death also been killed in horrible manners maybe we would have more information on the subject.
I did not know anything about her at all. This is to cool when you get to learn new things.
Mystery is of death is a strange thing as well,
Very interesting, I remember reading about the whole colony disappearing maybe because of food or indians but its neat to learn a more personal story about the pilgrims
I thought it was weird that the only reason that she is remembered is that she was the first European child born in America. I would’ve thought she would have been forgotten when the Roanoke colony folded
It seams as if Virginia Dare should be remembered alongside other “pilgrim heroes” like Christopher Columbus, Pocahontas or Squanto. Who else would be a better icon to the growth of new civilization in America than the first new born white child? Perhaps a Disney spin-off could kick start her popularity!
It’s crazy that Virginia Dare was famous for merely being born. She most likely didn’t even live that long. I found out that we only know about her because her grandfather returned to England for supplies and when he returned 3 years later everyone had vanished. I’m assuming any movie about her life had her being raised by Indians because otherwise it would be a very short and boring movie.
-JH!
I had never heard of Virginia Dare before. Very weird that this colony in common day North Carolina just disappeared. Very unfortunate that the only thing known about her is her birth.
I too had never heard of this Virginia Dare figure and it is surprising to me that she had her 15 minutes of fame at the beginning of her life for something she had no control over. Interestingly her life story is unknown, so good thing we know her birth date!
I also was unfamiliar with the 1587 female version MC Hammer. It must’ve been a little easier to become famous in those days because she was famous for simply being born! Got to give most of the credit to her mother though…
This is why I love history… you seem to learn something new on a daily basis. — DAVID WARDLE
I think it’s fascinating that Virginia became famous just for the simple fact that she was born into this world. Nobody knows anything about her except her name, and where she was born, and yet she has been the subject of various novels and films!
I have never heard about her or her story, interesting to learn something new everyday.
I’m surprised by how famous she became, simply by being born.
It is interesting how Virginia’s birth date is recorded, but the birth dates of other people during this time period is disregarded.
I’m assuming if the colony wouldn’t have been wiped out like it mentioned, her date of death would have been recorded.
I have always learned about Roanoke and how everyone mysteriously disappeared, but I have never heard of Virginia’s story. It’s weird to think that someone became so well-known and famous for simply being born and nothing else, there are no mentions of anything she does after birth.
This article is very interesting about Virginia’s birth because it is an important part of our history and it saddens me that she lived a short life.
Definitely aliens.
This is an interesting article. I was unaware she was the first born white girl in America. This is a neat piece of history that makes me want to explore more about what may have happened to the people.
I think its very interesting that she was famous for simply being born. It is an interesting take and would be useful in analyzing the colony and how and what records they kept. Her death is another mystery surrounding the first colony in the United States.
To disappear into thin air, that would be my biggest fear especially since no one really knows where the Lost Colony went. Virginia Dare at least gets recognition, but vanished and leads to a thought provoking question of “What happened?”.
My thoery is that the colony was most likely attacked by indians. Starvation seems like the second most likely theory, however, aliens are definietly a posibility.
I think it is particularly interesting that as such a memorable person in history, she simply disappeared. Also, that even though her and her entire colony disappeared, the record of her birth was kept and is known today. Very interesting story!
It is very strange that a person who became so famous so early in her life can have no record of how she died or disappeared.
Being one of the first colonists in America must of been a terrifying experience.
Being the first child born in the “New World” is truly historic, yet for the entire community to disappear is very strange. I agree with must historians that the community must have been assimilated into the indigenous tribes around them.
First European child*
I’m certain the natives were already having kiddos 😀
being the first English settler born in America is historic. I think they were either captured by or assimilated with the indigenous people of this continent.
I find it interesting that everyone knows the day she was born, and she became this huge celebrity because of her birth; yet nobody knows what happened after she was born. You would think if someone was that important, there would at least be some record of her and someone would know how/when she died.
N.W.
I think it is slightly peculiar that Virginia Dare is so well known simply for being “the first white child,” but her whereabouts were unknown after her birth. It is particularly odd that all the people of Roanoke disappeared. I believe it is likely that they were assimilated into the natives/tribes in the colony, since it seems unlikely that they all died of starvation or of other causes so suddenly.
HD
I find it interesting that the day that she died is unknown, yet the day she was born is widely known. I also find it interesting that there are numerous theories of how the colony disappeared. -KP
It is so interesting how she is such a well-known name in history and such an important icon in America, but no one really knows that much about her. Usually, we know every little detail about important people in history.. Her impact was huge, yet we know very little about her.
It is really interesting that Virginia was so important the minute she was born until she died. We do not know that much about her but she did a lot in her life time and lead so many people. It is really cool how one woman could do that.
AM
It’s comical that the Europeans of the new world were “racing” to have the first child born in the new world. I can only imagine the conversations that occurred between husbands and wives at that time. In all seriousness, it is neat that Virginia is recognized, but I wish there were more information about the kind of person she was and what lead to the disappearance of her and the others.
I’m surprised no one thought it was a good idea to keep an account of Virginia Dare’s life if she was considered to be so important to the colonists.
I suppose the alien abduction claim, although comedic, has just as much evidence as the other theories considering all the colonists in Roanoke just disappeared without a trace.
The “race” to have the first child in the New World reminded me of the age of the “Baby Boomers.” It is something historical that grabs my attention because of the Baby Boomer age being looked almost down upon, but the first child is some bench mark to history.
I wish I could be famous just for being born, but unfortunately that is not the case. The fact that nobody kept records on Virginia Dare is weird, but I wonder if there were records but they vanished along with the colonists. I try not to overthink situations like this because there are endless possibilities to what could have happened to them. It is definitely a moment in history that will be investigated for years to come.
I also wish I could have been that famous and popular just for being born. In the article when it talks about the birth symbolizing the growth, beginnings, and hope; her birth is close to the idea of the United States planting a flag on the moon. (Probably a bad analogy but it sounds interesting.)
It really is unfortunate that she, as well as the colony disappeared because of how famous she is now. It would be great to have known what she did with her life because just her name made a huge impact on society today, who knows what she could have done if we knew all about her?
It’s interesting that they now have a festival to honor her birth, though we have no idea what happened with the rest of her life. GW
As the first born, I would have suspected that somebody would have documented her life. I find it odd that aside from her birth, Virginia Dare’s life is somewhat of a mystery, especially considering there is a festival in her honor.
It’s crazy that the whole colony disappeared and that nobody knows how or why.
Its amazing to think that with her birthday being a day of celebration that more people would have wanted to know what happened to Virginia Dare.
It’s always quite fascinating when a village or civilisation disappears or is found in ruins without explanation. I do hope one day that they find a reason as to what happened to Virginia and Roanoke.
The disappearance of the entire colony of Roanoke will be one of the biggest mysteries in my mind with massive amounts of theories and conspiracies
The fact that an entire colony can be known of but can just disappear in an instant with no explanation is incredible.
The disappearance of a colony doesn’t fascinate me as much as the disappearance of the Mayan civilization.
It is quite amazing how well Virginia’s birth was so well documented and on the other hand there is an unsolved mystery of her and her colony.
Its amazing that how she was born and that was documented but it makes me curious to why they disappeared!
I find it very strange, yet interesting, that an entire colony can just disappear without anyone knowing how or why.
How cool would it have been to be the first kid born here with the English Settlers?! That would have been awesome, but the disappearing part is weird. It would be more interesting to know why they disappeared.
Maybe she murdered everyone in Roanoke and that is why they are all gone…
It’s interesting that the biggest concern is her birth, and not knowing her death. I believe that they probably succumbed to sickness and died because it was an often occurrence when they were colonizing.
I think it is very interesting on how a whole colony can just ‘disappear’
It’s crazy to think that a whole colony could disappear like that and I wonder if we will ever know what happened to them
its crazy to think they all went away with out some clues or a note but personally i feel they got killed by indians that didnt like them or went to go live with them. also im surpised they only cared about her birth and not her death.
Indian tribes or starvation I think would be the most likely scenarios. Now I know how the State of Virginia was named though.
The article does not state when the colony went missing so there is no telling if Virginia made it past infancy. I do understand why her birth was so important but at the time infant mortality was really high and those in the community could view the little girls death as a punishment or a sign.
My opinion is assimilation, why would later settlers make up claims of blonde haired blue eyed natives?
Its pretty fascinating that a colony can just vanish like that. I also think it’s a bit strange that Virgina vanish as well.
That is pretty crazy how everything just vanished. I just do not see how that can happen. Also pretty amazing how someone can become so famous without anyone ever knowing about her.
It’s interesting to see that a colony just disappeared like that. i think they probably just spread out though, or possibly died off.
This makes me wonder how an entire colony can just vanish the way they did. What could have possibly happened? Did they just decide to leave the area or did something really happen to them? It’s definitely a very interesting article.
really weird that the colony can go away like that, most likely they died off over time
How can an entire colony just vanish? It is hard to imagine they all just died off.
I feel like everyone in this colony did not just die off, that seems very unlikely. The more logically thinking would be that they saw people dying maybe of disease or whatever else and decided to get out there.
Interesting
I think it would be cool to check out that festival.
I found it fascinating the way everything suddenly just vanished
I find it rather intriguing that an entire group of people just suddenly vanished without a trace.
I can’t imagine being remembered only for your birth. At the same time, however, you could never disappoint anyone because you had already lived up to your full potential.
How does a colony just die off like that?
I like that we still honor what Virginia stood for – the first children of the European colonists.
Really? They just disappeared? I do not see how that’s possible. It is kind of cool how Virginia became a symbol of pureness and innocence. It is interesting that we know her birth date but not her death date, which is usually the date you know for many people in ancient history.
It is very fascinating that an entire colony just disappeared without any explanation. If Virginia’s Birthday was celebrated as a holiday why haven’t more people tried to figure out what happened? Someone who’s birthday is a celebration to the people, seems pretty important.
I remember learning about Roanoke in 5th grade and how creepy the thought of what possibly happened to cause a whole colony to vanish and not having any real evidence of what happened.
not sure how an entire colony can just die off, but apparently they did? in history we find specifics and usually a death date. for this, we don’t which i find strange.
Its crazy to think about how a colony can just dissapear like what happend? Could it be something we have no idea about
A colony just dissapearing into thin air is creepy and weird, how can all those people just vanish…?
But it would be pretty cool to just be famous as soon as you’re born.
How could a whole colony just vanish? There would have to be people found or corpses.
How did they all just vanish without a single trace? I cant believe that with all the tech today we cant gather up some idea as to what happened.
How does an entire colony just cease to exist without any explanation from anyone?
How does an entire colony just vanish from civilization? It could be they didn’t want to be found? We may never know it could just be lost to history.
Always wondered where i’d heard that name before…
The story of the colony of Roanoke still gives me chills today! I remember hearing that an expedition was sent and they found everything as if it had just been left. No signs of struggle or death. Truly creepy.
How do we know they didn’t just move the colony? Maybe it was destroyed by a storm so they moved
Hmmmmm.. abduction by aliens, i can’t say thats a bad guess ya know, anything can happen but, no signs of anything is terryfying.
I wish i could have just been born and been famous the second I was brought into the world. I always wondered how people like the Kardashians just became famous but them as individuals have no exact reason for being famous. But now i know you ca just be born famous.
The possibilities of where the missing colony ended up are limitless and it’s scary to think about the horrors that may have happened to this little girl.
interesting but how does a colony just vanish, what happen to the people or did they just rename the colony?
These are the kind of things I enjoy reading. It’s crazy how so many people disappeared without a trace.
Crazy to think about what might have happened to the colony
It’s crazy that we still don’t know what happened to the colony as of today.
I don’t get why people just disappear like how colonies just go away? I don’t understand how back then it was so important to have them and then when people die does it just get left behind with their bodies.
I wonder if any traces of the Roanoke colony could be found in the earth to uncover the mystery behind what happened to them. Quite odd something as big as a colony could end up disappearing.
It’s weird that those colonists disappeared without a trace of evidence of them ever living at Roanoke.
How can everyone disappear without a trace? I wonder if there are hidden truths behind the disapperance of colonists.
Disappearing without a trace? Very interesting.
I have heard of the roanoke mystery! i don’t see how so many people can disappear without a trace! i would love to visit the place one day
The story of Virginia Dare is one of my favorites. Been reading on where they could of gone.
I don’t understand how they could disappear into thin air
that would be an awesome thing to say, “i was the first child born in the Colonized Americas.” Her last name was Dare too. “Dare you to be born in the colonies.” They are also finding new evidence that the disappearance of the colony may have actually just been because they integrated with the friendly Indian tribe they traded with. That comes from an investigative archeology show though, so i don’t know how accurate that is.
Very interesting how they just “disappeared”
It’s odd that I read this only after watching some episodes of American Horror Story: Roanoke.
its a very crazy mystery to think what happened to them
The disappearance of Roanoke has always fascinated me.
It’s fascinating that there are no accounts of what happened, that hundreds of settlers somehow vanished without a trace. Also, being the first child born in a new colony is quite an honor, it’s a shame we have no idea what happened to Virginia Dare.
I would love to do more research on the disappearance of Roanoke
The disappearance of every one in Roanoke sounds like the beginning of a horror movie.
It’s very interesting about the disappearance of Roanoke and what happened to all of the people there. It makes me wonder if we have actually already found Roanoke but just didn’t realize that that was it.
*X-Files Theme Song Plays in The Background*
What I don’t understand is how an entire group of people just up and disappear and people still come to the Americans and try and colonize it. If I lived at this time I wouldn’t have wanted to go to the Americas and just vanish!
This is kinda creepy in a way