A Proposal to
My Readers
Virginia
Dare Day: A Day to Tell Family Stories of
Ancestry, Immigration, and Migration
Early in my research about Virginia Dare, I met a
homeless man in Swansboro who told me his family
story, a sad and possibly delusional tale of loss
and disconnection. I listened to his story,
heartsick and wondering, in the back of my mind, if
he had come to me as a sort of Ancient Mariner, to
claim my attention and give me a clue that would
somehow be valuable to my search—a local tale, a bit
of folklore, a family legend.
At the end of my Swansboro stay, as a reward for my
sympathetic listening, “Willie” gave me a
sweepstakes ticket with tiny spaces on it that I
could fill in with my name and address in hopes of
winning a grand prize: a North Carolina barbecue for
50 of my closest friends. I carried that coupon
around with me for most of my journey—and still have
it tucked in a box of notes. It seemed more
important to me to keep it as a token of connection
and hope than to actually fill out the tiny
spaces and win the prize.
The promise in that small token reminded me a bit of
the reunions on the farm in Virginia that my
mother’s family would hold in August on my
grandmother’s birthday. They also reminded me of my
own wedding— a North Carolina barbecue if there ever
was one—and other family events
we’ve held on our farm over the years.
During scores of book signings and talks over the
past five years, I’ve learned that the story of
Virginia Dare sparks people to tell stories back.
I’ve had the good fortune of hearing the family
stories of Lumbee people, old-timers and newcomers
to North Carolina, Alaskans, Midwesterners,
“Yankees,” and at least one Californian who stopped
me on the docks at Manteo and asked me to sign a
book, while sharing the story of her life. In
our country, people are starved for someone to
listen to their stories. Back in Swansboro, my
friend Willie had little to say on the subject of
Virginia Dare, but his gift comes back to me now in
the form of an idea—why not pick a day every year
when people tell their family stories— the ones that
they haven’t got around to telling, and the ones
that go
back to ancestors, migrations, and immigrations? Why
not call that day Virginia Dare Day? And why not
celebrate it on Virginia’s birthday, August 18, a
marker for an end to the travels and heat of summer?
Virginia Dare Day could be a day when faraway
children pick up the phone and call their parents or
grandparents for a story from the past. It could be
a gathering of family members in a town or county,
or a gathering of neighbors who haven’t yet met. It
could be a barbecue for 50 people, a block party for
hundreds, or a private conversation on the phone. It
could be a time to tell stories within families and
between families. It would be a time to answer the
questions: Who are your people? How did they get
here? And what are your family stories of failure
and courage, true stories of struggle and hardship
and survival?
For centuries, the story of Virginia Dare and her
people and their fate has been lost to legend. Think
of it! The first venture by English families into
the New World—the first story that could be told in
the language of those who followed and recorded
history—has been virtually unknown to most
Americans. The legend that remained glimmered like
dust in a shaft of light in a darkened room. The
real story is so much more vivid and alive. Because
the venture was deemed a failure, and because its
outcome remains unknown, we have not claimed this
essential history and this magnificent myth.
We live in an age when millions of Americans of all
backgrounds are seeking the full knowledge of their
family trees; and millions of new American
immigrants are hiding their stories of immigration
and
migration in attempts to assimilate. My own family
tree reveals new branches all the time—connections
in this generation to at least four continents as
well as the discovery of a link to the Jamestown
settlement. Sallie Southall Cotten dreamed of
ringing the Columbia Bell at the 1893 World’s Fair
in Chicago on Virginia Dare’s birthday. Why not ring
bells on that day nationwide and celebrate the
stories that bind us together as Americans and the
stories that will be lost unless they are spoken?
In the months to come, I will propose creation of a
Virginia Dare Day to my legislators in North
Carolina. I challenge you to join me, wherever you
live, and to find a way to celebrate August 18 in
your own very particular way.
See Virginia Dare Day
Proclamation
Please feel free to send the following proclamation
to your legislators, along with your personal letter
about why it’s important to you.
Marjorie Hudson
Blue Meadow Farm
May 2007
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