Famous Infants in History: Virginia Dare - The First Child of the New World

Blogger: Amber Schamel

Baptism of Virginia Dare,
wood-engraving, 1880 Public Domain

Our next subject in our Famous Infants in History series leads us to the mysterious Roanoke colony in what is now North Carolina. The mystery and skepticism shrouding the "Lost Colony" is vast, and has become the subject of countless works including books, plays, movies, poems, songs, and yes, conspiracy theories. So it is quite possible that you have already heard the name of this famous infant: Virginia Dare.


The tale begins in London with Virginia's parents. Eleanor White, daughter of John White, married a bricklayer named Ananias Dare at St. Bride's Church in London. When Eleanor's father planned the expedition to found "the Cittie of Raleigh", both she and her husband joined. Eleanor was pregnant at the time. It is amazing to me that a pregnant woman would make such a dangerous journey, but she must have been a woman of great bravery, or of great optimism, hoping for a better life for her family.

John White was commissioned by the original founder of the Roanoke colony, Sir Walter Raleigh, to make a second attempt at establishing a city there. The first colony had failed due to lack of supplies, and hostilities with the indigenous people. The men that had remained to await supplies sailed with Sir Francis Drake back to England in 1586, abandoning the Colony. Raleigh was determined to make a second attempt. The fleet set sail on May 8, 1587.

Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA,
CC BY-SA 2.0

Eleanor, who would have been six months pregnant at the time, sailed aboard the flagship Lion, which was captained by her father, and piloted by Simon Fernandes. The intention was to establish the colony at Chesapeake Bay, however when the party landed at Roanoke on July 22, Fernandes insisted that the colonists remain on Roanoke, and they never reached their final destination.

Shortly after they disembarked, one settler was killed by Native Americans while searching for crabs alone. The settlers realized they would have to mend relations with the indigenous people if they stood a chance at making the colony successful. The main tribe that they were able to negotiate with was the Croatan. Remember that name, because it is important later.

On August 18, 1587, Eleanor gave birth to the first English child to be born in the New World. She named her daughter Virginia,since at that time, the land was considered part of the Virginia territory. The child was baptized and deemed the "first Christian born in Virginia."

Nine days after the birth of his granddaughter, John White was persuaded by the colonists to return to England for more supplies. That is the last time he would see his daughter, his son-in-law, or his newborn granddaughter. 

 

The discovery of the abandoned colony, 1590
Public Domain

White's journey to England did not go as planned. Unforeseen obstacles, including war, kept him away for about three years, though he tried desperately to return to the colony. When he finally returned in 1590, there was no one left.

Before his departure in 1587, White had left instructions for the colonists to carve a Maltese cross in a tree if they were forced into departure. They found no such cross, instead finding the word "Croatan" engraved in a tree. The buildings were dismantled, which indicated that their departure had not been sudden. Because of these clues, White deduced that his family and the other colonists were safe, having moved to Croatan island, where they had stayed before, and had befriended the native tribe. He planned to search for them on the island, but a massive storm came up, and his men refused to risk a search party. Thus, the settlers, including three-year-old Virginia Dare were never found.

Roanoke Commemorative Coin, 1937
Public Domain

Virginia has become a prominent figure in American folklore, and monuments have been built in her honor. However, what she represents varies greatly between different groups. To some, she represents innocence, new beginnings, hope, or adventure. To others, she is a symbol of mystery. Unfortunately, some have also seized upon her as a symbol of white supremacy and keeping North Carolina "white" or predominantly people of European decent.


One thing we know for certain, Virginia Dare was the first English child to be born to colonists in the "New World", and she was the first child to be depicted on United States currency with the 1937 commemorative coin.

****

Two-time winner of the Christian Indie Award for historical fiction, Amber Schamel writes riveting stories that bring HIStory to life. She has a passion for travel, history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest".

She lives in Colorado Springs near her favorite mountain, in a small “castle” with her prince charming. Between enjoying life as a new mom, and spinning stories out of soap bubbles, Amber loves to connect with readers and hang out on Goodreads with other bookish peoples.

Amber is a proud member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association. Visit her online at www.AmberSchamel.com/ and download a FREE story by subscribing to her Newsletter!

GUEST POST: America's Earliest Colonial History by Shannon McNear

 

French Florida

A fellow history-nerd friend messaged me a while back:

You know how every time one thinks one has history down and then another obscure fact crops up that changes everything? Yeah, that. The first interest in colonizing America wasn't fueled by Queen Elizabeth, who was hoping to stop Spanish expansion. Before that, Jean Ribault landed on the shores of Florida hoping to set up a colony. For Huguenots, I believe.

https://jeanribault.org/

Take a peek at this beautiful website. You're welcome. Makes me long to write a story about this man and the people he sought to defend--although now, alas, I am head down in a story series featuring another, but maybe not so different, group.

That group would be the famed Lost Colonists of Roanoke Island.

These days, even the word "colonial" has a bad name.

Emperor Gojong of Joseon (Korea)

Truth is, every empire down through history has sought to grow their holdings and increase their wealth by annexing other lands and peoples. I was recently reminded of this while my youngest girl and I were watching, of all things, a Korean drama set during the early 1900's, a particularly turbulent time of Korean history. Joseon (Korea) was just beginning to open up to Western ways, just beginning to not immediately put Christians to death, and struggling to find her place between China, Russia, America, and Japan. The latter, that tiny but ridiculously ambitious island nation, made no secret of its desire to make Korea a colony of Japan. Ruthlessness and political maneuvering were the standard of the day, and corruption abounded.

Good Queen Bess at her coronation

Not so very different from the time of Queen Elizabeth. "Good Queen Bess" furthered her father's move in breaking away from the Church of Rome by establishing the Church of England. Bloodshed between Catholics and Protestants abounded, and religious views were the standard by which political views were judged. Ireland suffered a harsh and bloody takeover by England for reasons which I will not get into here, but doubtless that set the precedent for what later happened on American shores. When Elizabeth granted Sir Walter Raleigh his charter for a colony in the New World, she was very clear, however, that it was at least in part for the purpose of furthering the Gospel to unreached peoples, even though plenty of folk in England were unhappy enough with the way things were going in the newborn Anglican Church that they wished to either purify the Church (thus, Puritans) or create their own group entirely (Separatists).

Of course, the Spanish were feared the most. Spain already had holdings across South America, and their treasure galleons were the most coveted prize of English privateers. Staunchly Catholic to the point of meting out torture and death to those who disagreed (the Spanish Inquisition, anyone?), they were equally ruthless on the sea. The English were by far not the only ones to suffer at Spanish hands. As outlined in the website I shared above, French Huguenots sought refuge on what is now the Florida and South Carolina coast, but were seen as a threat to Spain's supremacy in the New World and met with death once their Protestant leanings were made known.

Marker at Fort Matanzas National Park

Lee Miller theorizes in her book Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony that the group which set sail in 1587 under Governor John White, seeking to establish the first permanent English settlement in the New World, were Separatists. If so, the fate of French Huguenots would have been fairly fresh, and avoiding the Spanish at all costs would have been uppermost on their minds. Brandon Fullam makes the case in The Lost Colony of Roanoke: New Perspectives that this would have been a good reason why they settled on Roanoke Island rather than going north to the Chesapeake area as originally planned. Maybe it's just my own firm Christian faith, but I find the Separatist theory quite compelling. It certainly wouldn't be the first time that a people group migrated in search of religious freedom, would it?

~*~*~

Releasing December 1, 2021:  Daughters of the Lost Colony: ELINOR

In 1587, Elinor White Dare sailed from England heavy with her first child but full of hopes. Her father, a renowned artist and experienced traveler, has convinced her and her bricklayer husband Ananias to make the journey to the New World. Land, they are promised, more goodly and beautiful than they can ever imagine. But nothing goes as planned from landing at the wrong location, to facing starvation, to the endless wait for help to arrive. And, beyond her comprehension, Elinor finds herself utterly alone. . . .

The colony at Roanoke disappeared into the shadows of history. But, what if one woman survived to leave a lasting legacy?

Preorder link:  https://amzn.to/3ihydJJ

~*~*~

Transplanted to North Dakota after more than two decades in the Deep South, Shannon McNear loves losing herself in local history. She’s the author of four novellas and four full-length novels, with her first novella, Defending Truth in A Pioneer Christmas Collection, having the honor of being a 2014 RITA® nominee, and her most recent novella, The Wise Guy and the Star from Love’s Pure Light, being a 2021 SELAH winner. Yet her greatest joy is in being a military wife, mom of eight, mother-in-law of three, and grammie of four. She’s also a contributor to Colonial Quills and a member of ACFW. When not cooking, researching, or leaking story from her fingertips, she enjoys being outdoors, basking in the beauty of the northern prairies.