The fact of her birth is known because John White, Virginia's grandfather and the governor of the colony, returned to England in 1587 to seek fresh supplies.

During the past four hundred years, Virginia Dare has become a prominent figure in American myth and folklore, symbolizing different things to different groups of people.

Because England's war with Spain brought about a pressing need for ships to defend against the Spanish Armada, he was unable to return to Roanoke until August 18, 1590, by which time he found that the settlement had been long deserted.

There are a number of theories regarding the fate of the colonists, the most widely accepted one being that they sought shelter with local Indian tribes, and either intermarried with the natives or were killed.

One report indicated that the survivors had taken refuge with friendly Chesapeake Indians, but Chief Powhatan claimed that his tribe had attacked the group and killed most of the colonists.

[7] William Strachey, a secretary of the Jamestown Colony, wrote in The Historie of Travaile Into Virginia Britannia in 1612 that there were reportedly two-story houses with stone walls at the Indian settlements of Peccarecanick and Ochanahoen.

[9] Strachey also wrote that four English men, two boys, and one maid had been sighted at the Eno settlement of Ritanoc, under the protection of a chief called Eyanoco.

[8][10][11] Virginia Dare has become a prominent figure in American myth and folklore in the more than four hundred years since her birth, representing different things to different people.

A 2000 article in the Piedmont (North Carolina) Triad News and Record noted that she symbolizes innocence and purity for many Americans (particularly Southerners), "new beginnings, promise, and hope" as well as "adventure and bravery" in a new land.

"[12] There is a memorial to Virginia Dare in St Bride's Church, Fleet Street in the City of London, where her parents were married prior to their journey to Roanoke.

[citation needed] Virginia's death and the fate of the other colonists were purportedly described in a series of inscribed stones written by Eleanor Dare and others.

[23] In 1937, the United States Mint issued a half-dollar commemorative coin that depicted Virginia Dare as the first English child born in the New World.

[30] In Rancho Cucamonga, California, a now-defunct winery called Virginia Dare is on the corner of Haven Avenue and Foothill Boulevard (U.S. Route 66).