Ananias Dare

McKenzie Troyer and JT Atwood as Eleanor and Ananias Dare in The Lost Colony Play in 2024

The Lost Colony, Roanoke Island Historic Association

Quick Facts

Significance:

Father of Virginia Dare

Ananias Dare was one of nine assistants granted a coat of arms and sent to Roanoke Island, along with his wife Eleanor, in 1587. A tiler and bricklayer, Ananias belonged to a guild in England and his social status in England likely allowed for his leadership role in the new colony.

Little is known of the fate of Ananias, Eleanor, and their daughter Virginia after Virginia’s birth on August 18, 1587. They disappeared with the rest of the Lost Colony sometime between 1587-1590.