Published March 16, 2017
Virginia Dare (1587 - ?) was the first documented European child born in the Americas. At the time she was born, Virginia was barely a colony. She was the granddaughter of the 180 person colony's governor. Born only three months after their arrival. Her grandfather saw her last when she was nine days old. Only those nine days of her life are documented.
Her Grandfather, Governor White, returned to England for supplies and more colonists. However, due to an outbreak of war, it was three years before he returned.
What happened to Virginia? The pioneering first European North American infant? No one really knows. No bodies were found. Many believe the colonists who were left became hungry during the winter without the proper food or shelter, and may have joined with a local native tribe to survive. After an extended time, perhaps even to the end of the next summer, the group and tribe may have moved further inland, or may have been wiped out in a tribal war.
As recent as 2005, there was a DNA project to determine if Virginia Dare might have survived, and had children with the local native population.
Works Cited: All Accessed on 02/23/17
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Virginia-Dare
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