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Thomas Rolfe

2018-10-27T11:58:11Z

190.204.131.125:

{{Infobox person
| name = Thomas Rolfe
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1615|1|30}}
| birth_place = [[Varina Farms]], [[Virginia]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1680|4|16|1615|1|30}}
| death_place = [[Kippax Plantation]], Virginia
| occupation = Lieutenant
| known = ''Pepsironemeh'', ''Prince of Powhatan''
| spouse = Jane Poythress
| children = [[Jane Rolfe]] (1650–76)
| parents = [[John Rolfe]] [[Pocahontas]]
}}

'''Thomas Rolfe''' (January 30, 1615 – April 16, 1680) was the only child of [[Pocahontas]] and her English husband, [[John Rolfe]]. His maternal grandfather was [[Chief Powhatan|Wahunsunacock]], the chief of the [[Powhatan]] tribe in [[Virginia]].

==Early life==
Thomas Rolfe was born in Virginia some believe on January 30, 1615.<ref>Dorman, John Frederick (2004). Adventurers of Purse and Person. 4th ed., vol. 3. pp. 25–37</ref> Governor Sir [[Thomas Dale]] was accompanied by Thomas Rolfe and his parents on their trip to England aboard the ''Treasurer'' in 1616.<ref name=Tilton>Robert S. Tilton, "Rolfe, John (1585–1622)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online ed., September 2012</ref> He was under 2 years old during this voyage and was not necessarily immune to the diseases and hardships of the voyage. In March 1617, the Rolfe family were preparing to re-embark on the ''George'' ship commanded by [[Samuel Argall]] when Rebecca (Pocahontas) was taken ill and died, at Gravesend in Kent. Thomas was not well enough to survive the long voyage back to Jamestown and Thomas was left in [[Plymouth]], England, with Sir [[Lewis Stukley]] and later transferred into the care of his uncle, Henry Rolfe.<ref name=Mossiker>Mossiker, Frances. ''Pocahontas: The Life and Legend''. 1976. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996. pp. 213–313.</ref> His father, however, sailed to Virginia without him after being persuaded by Admiral Argall and other members of the journey that he was too sick to continue the voyage; this was the last time the two ever saw each other.<ref name=Price>Price, David A. ''Love And Hate in Jamestown''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf Publishing, 2003. p. 183. Print.</ref> Thomas remained in his uncle's care until he reached roughly 21 years of age, by which time his father had already died.<ref name=Clausen>Clausen, Christopher. "Between Two Worlds". ''The American Scholar'' 76.3 (2007): 80–90. ProQuest.</ref> As Henry raised Thomas, he felt he deserved compensation from his brother's estate and, therefore, petitioned the Virginia Council in October 1622, claiming entitlement to a portion of John Rolfe's land.<ref name=Boddie>Boddie, John Bennett. ''Colonial Surry''. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1974. Web., March 12, 2013.</ref> It is assumed that Thomas returned to Virginia in 1635, and there is no further mention of his whereabouts or doings until 1641.<ref name=Barbour>Barbour, Philip L. ''Pocahontas and Her World''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1969. pp. 184, 214. Print.</ref>

Once established in Virginia again, Thomas fostered both his reputation as a plantation owner and member of his mother's [[lineage (anthropology)|lineage]].<ref name=Clausen />

==Family==
As Rolfe was a child of an Englishman and a Native American woman, some aspects of his life were particularly controversial. He expressed interest in rekindling relations with his Native American relatives, despite societal ridicule and laws that forbade such contact. In 1641, Rolfe petitioned the governor for permission to visit his "aunt, Cleopatra, and his kinsman [[Opchanacanough|Opecanaugh]]".<ref name=Boddie />

(Often named as the son of John Rolfe the colonist was a different Thomas Rolfe, who married Elizabeth Washington in September 1632 at [[St James's Church, Clerkenwell|St James's Church]] in [[Clerkenwell]], London. This couple had two children and lived in England until after 1642. Many people wrongly claim descent from Pocahontas and John Rolfe through this unrelated Thomas Rolfe.){{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}

Thomas Rolfe later married a woman named Jane Poythress, who was the daughter of Captain Francis Poythress, a prosperous landowner in Virginia.<ref name="Barbour" /> They had one daughter together, who was also named [[Jane Rolfe|Jane]], after her mother.<ref name="McCartney">McCartney, Martha W. "Thomas Rolfe". Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers, 1607–1635: A Biographical Dictionary. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2007. p. 608. Print.</ref>

In 1698 his grandson, [[John Bolling]] (Jane's son), released to William Browne his rights in land, in a deed in which Bolling is identified as "...son and heir of Jane, late wife of Robert Bolling of Charles City County, Gent., which Jane was the only daughter of Thomas Rolf, dec'd..."<ref name="Bk7">Land Office Patent Bk 7, p. 96</ref> As confirmed by the 1698 deed quoted above, his daughter Jane married [[Robert Bolling]]. Robert Bolling and Jane Rolfe Bolling had one child; their son John was born January 26, 1676.

==Land==
According to his father's will, both Thomas and Elizabeth, his half-sister, received named land. There is no extant proof that some land came from the Native Americans. However Native Americans did not 'hold' land in the English way. There is no mention of former Indian land in John Rolfe's will, however, John Rolfe names Thomas as the rightful heir of all his land, profits and any royalties pertaining to such land.<ref>{{Cite journal|jstor = 4245674|title = The Will of John Rolfe|last = Carson|first = Jane|date = January 1950|journal = The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography|doi = |pmid = }}</ref>
There were rumors in 1618 that when Thomas came of age, he would inherit a sizable portion of Powhatan territory; this information was transmitted through Argall to London, stating, "'Opechanano and the Natives have given their Country to Rolfe's Child and that they will reserve it from all others till he comes of yeares...." (Mossiker). There is no extant documentation that when Thomas arrived in Virginia in 1640, the land was recorded as "Varina," his patrimonial property sixteen miles below Richmond.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Pocahontas, Alias Matoaka, and Her Descendants Through Her Marriage at Jamestown, Virginia, in April, 1614, with John Rolfe, Gentleman|last = Roberston|first = Wyndham|publisher = J. W. Randolph & English|year = 1887|isbn = |location = |pages = 29}}</ref>

Thomas's step-grandfather, named Captain William Peirce, received a grant of 2000 acres of land on June 22, 1635, for the "transportation of 40 persons among whom was Thomas Rolfe".<ref name=Boddie /> He then listed Thomas as heir to his father's land. Prior to March 1640, Thomas took possession of this land which was located on the lower side of the James River.<ref name=McCartney />

Thomas also inherited a tract of some 150 acres on June 10, 1654, in Surry County, across from Jamestown; the land was described in a later deed as "Smith's Fort old field and the Devil's Woodyard swamp being due unto the said Rolfe by Gift from the Indian King".<ref name=Boddie />

The year after the 1644 Indian attack on the colony, four forts were established to defend the frontier: Fort Henry, Fort Royal, Fort James, and Fort Charles. Fort James was to be under the command of Thomas Rolfe as lieutenant as of October 5, 1646. He was given six men, and was instructed to fight against the Native Americans—his own people;<ref name=Mossiker />

{{Quote|And it is further enacted and granted, That left.[Lieutenant] Thomas Rolfe shall have and enjoy for himselfe and his heires for ever fort James alias Chickahominy fort with fowre hundred acres of land adjoyning to the same, with all houses and edifices belonging to the said forte and all boats and ammunition at present belonging to the said fort; Provided that he the said Leift. Rolfe doe keepe and maintaine sixe men vpon the place duringe the terme and time of three yeares, for which tyme he the said Leift. Rolfe for himselfe and the said sixe men are exempted from publique taxes.<ref>Hening, William Waller, Hening's Statutes at Large: Being a Collection of all the Laws of Virginia from the first session of the Legislature, in the Year 1619</ref>}}
[[File:MOYSONEC NEW KENT COUNTY, VA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Site of the fort on Diascund Creek]]
Then, on October 6, 1646, Thomas was put in charge of building a fort at [[Moysonec]], for which he received {{convert|400|acre}} of land. This fort was located on the west side of Diascund Creek.<ref name=McCartney />

Several years later, Rolfe patented 525 acres on August 8, 1653, "...lying upon the North side of Chickahominy river commonly called and known by the name of James fort...", apparently including the 400 acres he had received in 1646.<ref>Land Office Patent Bk 3, p. 13.</ref> This James Fort land was re patented by William Browne on April 23, 1681.<ref name=Bk7 /> The tract was described in the patent as "formerly belonging to Mr Thomas Rolfe, dec'd", thus establishing that Rolfe had died before that date.

==Death==
The last recorded mention of Thomas Rolfe exists in a [[land patent]] from September 16, 1658.<ref name=Barbour /> While some sources claim that Thomas died in 1680, others claim that the exact year is unknown. Some evidence purports that Thomas Rolfe died in James City County, Virginia, however the records of the county were destroyed in 1685 during a fire.<ref>{{Cite journal|jstor = 4243266|title = The Ancestors and Descendants of John Rolfe with Notices of Some Connected Families|last = |first = |date = April 1913|journal = The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography|doi = |pmid = }}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[Image:Sedgeford portrait.jpg|thumb|right|175px|The [[Sedgeford Hall Portrait]], once believed to represent Pocahontas and her son, has been re-identified as being Pe-o-ka (wife of [[Osceola]]) and their son.]]

Many non-Native people in the United States claim descent from Pocahontas through her son, Thomas Rolfe. Rolfe's birth was recorded as the first time a child was born to a Virginian Native American woman and an English man in Virginia's history.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Thomas Rolfe - Historic Jamestowne Part of Colonial National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)|url = http://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/thomas-rolfe.htm|website = www.nps.gov|accessdate = 2015-04-06}}</ref>

Moreover, many people in the United Kingdom incorrectly claim descent from Pocahontas through another unrelated Thomas Rolfe by his wife Elizabeth Washington.{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}

The [[Sedgeford Hall Portrait]], once believed to represent Pocahontas and her son Thomas Rolfe, has been re-identified as being Pe-o-ka (wife of [[Osceola]]) and their son.<ref>Navab, Valorie. American Indian Summer 2013. Smithsonian Institution. http://content.yudu.com/A2702l/Summer2013/resources/40.htm</ref>

The birth of Thomas Rolfe, as he was both of European and Native American descent, reinstated peace between the Powhatans and the European settlements. Early in his career as deputy governor, Argall reported in a letter published within the Virginia Company Records that Powhatan "goes from place to place visiting his country taking his pleasure in good friendship with us laments his daughter's death but glad her child is living so doth [[Opchanacanough|opachank]]".<ref name=Price />

Thomas appears as both an infant and toddler in the 2005 theatrical film ''[[The New World (2005 film)|The New World]]'', but is absent in the 1998 Disney animated straight-to-video film ''[[Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World]]'', which failed to reflect both the conversion of Pocahontas to Christianity and the marriage of Pocahontas and John Rolfe.

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rolfe, Thomas}}
[[Category:1615 births]]
[[Category:1675 deaths]]
[[Category:English people of Native American descent]]
[[Category:Rolfe family of Virginia]]
[[Category:American people of English descent]]
[[Category:American people of Native American descent]]

Thomas Rolfe

2018-10-27T11:56:09Z

190.204.131.125:

{{Infobox person
| name = Thomas Rolfe
| image = Sedgeford_portrait.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| caption = The Sedgeford Hall Portrait, once thought to represent Pocahontas and Thomas Rolfe, is now believed to actually depict the wife (Pe-o-ka) and son of Osceola, Seminole Indian Chief.
| birth_date = {{birth date|1615|1|30}}
| birth_place = [[Varina Farms]], [[Virginia]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1680|4|16|1615|1|30}}
| death_place = [[Kippax Plantation]], Virginia
| occupation = Lieutenant
| known = ''Pepsironemeh'', ''Prince of Powhatan''
| spouse = Jane Poythress
| children = [[Jane Rolfe]] (1650–76)
| parents = [[John Rolfe]] [[Pocahontas]]
}}

'''Thomas Rolfe''' (January 30, 1615 – April 16, 1680) was the only child of [[Pocahontas]] and her English husband, [[John Rolfe]]. His maternal grandfather was [[Chief Powhatan|Wahunsunacock]], the chief of the [[Powhatan]] tribe in [[Virginia]].

==Early life==
Thomas Rolfe was born in Virginia some believe on January 30, 1615.<ref>Dorman, John Frederick (2004). Adventurers of Purse and Person. 4th ed., vol. 3. pp. 25–37</ref> Governor Sir [[Thomas Dale]] was accompanied by Thomas Rolfe and his parents on their trip to England aboard the ''Treasurer'' in 1616.<ref name=Tilton>Robert S. Tilton, "Rolfe, John (1585–1622)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online ed., September 2012</ref> He was under 2 years old during this voyage and was not necessarily immune to the diseases and hardships of the voyage. In March 1617, the Rolfe family were preparing to re-embark on the ''George'' ship commanded by [[Samuel Argall]] when Rebecca (Pocahontas) was taken ill and died, at Gravesend in Kent. Thomas was not well enough to survive the long voyage back to Jamestown and Thomas was left in [[Plymouth]], England, with Sir [[Lewis Stukley]] and later transferred into the care of his uncle, Henry Rolfe.<ref name=Mossiker>Mossiker, Frances. ''Pocahontas: The Life and Legend''. 1976. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996. pp. 213–313.</ref> His father, however, sailed to Virginia without him after being persuaded by Admiral Argall and other members of the journey that he was too sick to continue the voyage; this was the last time the two ever saw each other.<ref name=Price>Price, David A. ''Love And Hate in Jamestown''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf Publishing, 2003. p. 183. Print.</ref> Thomas remained in his uncle's care until he reached roughly 21 years of age, by which time his father had already died.<ref name=Clausen>Clausen, Christopher. "Between Two Worlds". ''The American Scholar'' 76.3 (2007): 80–90. ProQuest.</ref> As Henry raised Thomas, he felt he deserved compensation from his brother's estate and, therefore, petitioned the Virginia Council in October 1622, claiming entitlement to a portion of John Rolfe's land.<ref name=Boddie>Boddie, John Bennett. ''Colonial Surry''. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1974. Web., March 12, 2013.</ref> It is assumed that Thomas returned to Virginia in 1635, and there is no further mention of his whereabouts or doings until 1641.<ref name=Barbour>Barbour, Philip L. ''Pocahontas and Her World''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1969. pp. 184, 214. Print.</ref>

Once established in Virginia again, Thomas fostered both his reputation as a plantation owner and member of his mother's [[lineage (anthropology)|lineage]].<ref name=Clausen />

==Family==
As Rolfe was a child of an Englishman and a Native American woman, some aspects of his life were particularly controversial. He expressed interest in rekindling relations with his Native American relatives, despite societal ridicule and laws that forbade such contact. In 1641, Rolfe petitioned the governor for permission to visit his "aunt, Cleopatra, and his kinsman [[Opchanacanough|Opecanaugh]]".<ref name=Boddie />

(Often named as the son of John Rolfe the colonist was a different Thomas Rolfe, who married Elizabeth Washington in September 1632 at [[St James's Church, Clerkenwell|St James's Church]] in [[Clerkenwell]], London. This couple had two children and lived in England until after 1642. Many people wrongly claim descent from Pocahontas and John Rolfe through this unrelated Thomas Rolfe.){{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}

Thomas Rolfe later married a woman named Jane Poythress, who was the daughter of Captain Francis Poythress, a prosperous landowner in Virginia.<ref name="Barbour" /> They had one daughter together, who was also named [[Jane Rolfe|Jane]], after her mother.<ref name="McCartney">McCartney, Martha W. "Thomas Rolfe". Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers, 1607–1635: A Biographical Dictionary. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2007. p. 608. Print.</ref>

In 1698 his grandson, [[John Bolling]] (Jane's son), released to William Browne his rights in land, in a deed in which Bolling is identified as "...son and heir of Jane, late wife of Robert Bolling of Charles City County, Gent., which Jane was the only daughter of Thomas Rolf, dec'd..."<ref name="Bk7">Land Office Patent Bk 7, p. 96</ref> As confirmed by the 1698 deed quoted above, his daughter Jane married [[Robert Bolling]]. Robert Bolling and Jane Rolfe Bolling had one child; their son John was born January 26, 1676.

==Land==
According to his father's will, both Thomas and Elizabeth, his half-sister, received named land. There is no extant proof that some land came from the Native Americans. However Native Americans did not 'hold' land in the English way. There is no mention of former Indian land in John Rolfe's will, however, John Rolfe names Thomas as the rightful heir of all his land, profits and any royalties pertaining to such land.<ref>{{Cite journal|jstor = 4245674|title = The Will of John Rolfe|last = Carson|first = Jane|date = January 1950|journal = The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography|doi = |pmid = }}</ref>
There were rumors in 1618 that when Thomas came of age, he would inherit a sizable portion of Powhatan territory; this information was transmitted through Argall to London, stating, "'Opechanano and the Natives have given their Country to Rolfe's Child and that they will reserve it from all others till he comes of yeares...." (Mossiker). There is no extant documentation that when Thomas arrived in Virginia in 1640, the land was recorded as "Varina," his patrimonial property sixteen miles below Richmond.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Pocahontas, Alias Matoaka, and Her Descendants Through Her Marriage at Jamestown, Virginia, in April, 1614, with John Rolfe, Gentleman|last = Roberston|first = Wyndham|publisher = J. W. Randolph & English|year = 1887|isbn = |location = |pages = 29}}</ref>

Thomas's step-grandfather, named Captain William Peirce, received a grant of 2000 acres of land on June 22, 1635, for the "transportation of 40 persons among whom was Thomas Rolfe".<ref name=Boddie /> He then listed Thomas as heir to his father's land. Prior to March 1640, Thomas took possession of this land which was located on the lower side of the James River.<ref name=McCartney />

Thomas also inherited a tract of some 150 acres on June 10, 1654, in Surry County, across from Jamestown; the land was described in a later deed as "Smith's Fort old field and the Devil's Woodyard swamp being due unto the said Rolfe by Gift from the Indian King".<ref name=Boddie />

The year after the 1644 Indian attack on the colony, four forts were established to defend the frontier: Fort Henry, Fort Royal, Fort James, and Fort Charles. Fort James was to be under the command of Thomas Rolfe as lieutenant as of October 5, 1646. He was given six men, and was instructed to fight against the Native Americans—his own people;<ref name=Mossiker />

{{Quote|And it is further enacted and granted, That left.[Lieutenant] Thomas Rolfe shall have and enjoy for himselfe and his heires for ever fort James alias Chickahominy fort with fowre hundred acres of land adjoyning to the same, with all houses and edifices belonging to the said forte and all boats and ammunition at present belonging to the said fort; Provided that he the said Leift. Rolfe doe keepe and maintaine sixe men vpon the place duringe the terme and time of three yeares, for which tyme he the said Leift. Rolfe for himselfe and the said sixe men are exempted from publique taxes.<ref>Hening, William Waller, Hening's Statutes at Large: Being a Collection of all the Laws of Virginia from the first session of the Legislature, in the Year 1619</ref>}}
[[File:MOYSONEC NEW KENT COUNTY, VA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Site of the fort on Diascund Creek]]
Then, on October 6, 1646, Thomas was put in charge of building a fort at [[Moysonec]], for which he received {{convert|400|acre}} of land. This fort was located on the west side of Diascund Creek.<ref name=McCartney />

Several years later, Rolfe patented 525 acres on August 8, 1653, "...lying upon the North side of Chickahominy river commonly called and known by the name of James fort...", apparently including the 400 acres he had received in 1646.<ref>Land Office Patent Bk 3, p. 13.</ref> This James Fort land was re patented by William Browne on April 23, 1681.<ref name=Bk7 /> The tract was described in the patent as "formerly belonging to Mr Thomas Rolfe, dec'd", thus establishing that Rolfe had died before that date.

==Death==
The last recorded mention of Thomas Rolfe exists in a [[land patent]] from September 16, 1658.<ref name=Barbour /> While some sources claim that Thomas died in 1680, others claim that the exact year is unknown. Some evidence purports that Thomas Rolfe died in James City County, Virginia, however the records of the county were destroyed in 1685 during a fire.<ref>{{Cite journal|jstor = 4243266|title = The Ancestors and Descendants of John Rolfe with Notices of Some Connected Families|last = |first = |date = April 1913|journal = The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography|doi = |pmid = }}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[Image:Sedgeford portrait.jpg|thumb|right|175px|The [[Sedgeford Hall Portrait]], once believed to represent Pocahontas and her son, has been re-identified as being Pe-o-ka (wife of [[Osceola]]) and their son.]]

Many non-Native people in the United States claim descent from Pocahontas through her son, Thomas Rolfe. Rolfe's birth was recorded as the first time a child was born to a Virginian Native American woman and an English man in Virginia's history.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Thomas Rolfe - Historic Jamestowne Part of Colonial National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)|url = http://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/thomas-rolfe.htm|website = www.nps.gov|accessdate = 2015-04-06}}</ref>

Moreover, many people in the United Kingdom incorrectly claim descent from Pocahontas through another unrelated Thomas Rolfe by his wife Elizabeth Washington.{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}

The [[Sedgeford Hall Portrait]], once believed to represent Pocahontas and her son Thomas Rolfe, has been re-identified as being Pe-o-ka (wife of [[Osceola]]) and their son.<ref>Navab, Valorie. American Indian Summer 2013. Smithsonian Institution. http://content.yudu.com/A2702l/Summer2013/resources/40.htm</ref>

The birth of Thomas Rolfe, as he was both of European and Native American descent, reinstated peace between the Powhatans and the European settlements. Early in his career as deputy governor, Argall reported in a letter published within the Virginia Company Records that Powhatan "goes from place to place visiting his country taking his pleasure in good friendship with us laments his daughter's death but glad her child is living so doth [[Opchanacanough|opachank]]".<ref name=Price />

Thomas appears as both an infant and toddler in the 2005 theatrical film ''[[The New World (2005 film)|The New World]]'', but is absent in the 1998 Disney animated straight-to-video film ''[[Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World]]'', which failed to reflect both the conversion of Pocahontas to Christianity and the marriage of Pocahontas and John Rolfe.

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rolfe, Thomas}}
[[Category:1615 births]]
[[Category:1675 deaths]]
[[Category:English people of Native American descent]]
[[Category:Rolfe family of Virginia]]
[[Category:American people of English descent]]
[[Category:American people of Native American descent]]

Jane Rolfe

2018-10-25T20:10:19Z

190.204.131.125:

{{Infobox person
| name = Jane Rolfe
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = 10 October 1650
| birth_place = Varina, [[Henrico County, Virginia]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1676|1|27|1650|10|10}}
| death_place = [[Hopewell]], [[Virginia]], [[United States]]
| resting_place = [[Kippax Plantation]]
| parents = [[Thomas Rolfe]] Jane Poythress
| spouse = [[Robert Bolling]]
| children = [[John Bolling]]
| relatives = [[John Rolfe]] (paternal grandfather) [[Pocahontas]] (paternal grandmother)
}}
'''Jane Rolfe''' (October 10, 1650 – January 27, 1676) was the granddaughter of [[Pocahontas]] and [[English people|English]] colonist [[John Rolfe]], (credited with introducing a strain of tobacco for export by the struggling [[Virginia Colony]]).
Her husband was Colonel [[Robert Bolling]], who lived from 1646 to 1709. Robert and Jane had one son, [[John Bolling|John Bolling]] (1676–1729).

Pocahontas, who adopted the Christian name of Rebecca,<ref>The conversion of Pocahontas to [[Christianity]] was undertaken by [[Alexander Whitaker]].</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Pocahontas Biography: also called Matoaka and Amonute, Christian name Rebecca (1595–1617) |url=http://www.biography.com/articles/Pocahontas-9443116 |year=2011 |publisher=[[The Biography Channel]] |accessdate=August 25, 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826053229/http://www.biography.com/articles/Pocahontas-9443116 |archivedate=August 26, 2011 |df= }}</ref> married John Rolfe on April 5, 1614 in [[Jamestown, Virginia|Jamestown]]. Rolfe's longtime friend, Reverend [[Richard Buck (chaplain)|Richard Buck]] presided the wedding.<ref>''Travels and Works of Captain John Smith'' (Edinburgh 1910), p. 514</ref> They had one child, [[Thomas Rolfe]], who was born in Virginia on January 30, 1615.

Jane Rolfe was born in Varina, [[Henrico County, Virginia]] on October 10, 1650 <ref name="Dorman">John Frederick Dorman, ''Adventurers of Purse and Person'', 4th ed., Vol. 3, pp. 23–36.</ref> to [[Thomas Rolfe]] and his wife, Jane Poythress, whose parents were Francis Poythress and Alice Payton of England.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Thomas Rolfe|url=http://www.nps.gov/jame/historyculture/thomas-rolfe.htm|first=Megan|last=Snow|date=May 2003|work=Historic Jamestowne|publisher=[[National Park Service]]|accessdate=August 31, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Some prominent Virginia families|url=https://archive.org/stream/someprominentvir04pecq#page/304/mode/2up|first=Louise|last=Pecquet du Bellet|year=1907|publisher=J.P. Bell Co.|location=Lynchburg, VA|page=304|chapter=Bolling Family|accessdate=August 31, 2011}}</ref><ref>"The Descendants of Pocahontas: An Unclosed Case", by Elizabeth Vann Moore and Richard Slatten, ''Magazine of Virginia Genealogy'', XXIII, no.3, pp. 3–16, cited by John Frederick Dorman, ''Adventurers of Purse and Person'', 4th ed., Vol. 3, p. 26, fn23–24. Moore and Slatten traced the suggestion that his wife was a Poythress back to a comment by W. G. Stanard in "Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents", ''Virginia Historical Magazine''(I, 1894, 446–447): "His wife is said to have been a Miss Poythress (if so, doubtless a daughter of Francis Poythress." According to Moore and Slatten, Stanard cited as evidence handwritten notes on the flyleaf of a copy of ''A Complete Collection of All the Laws of Virginia Now in Force Carefully Copied from the Assembled Records'' (London, 168[?], now in the Library of Virginia. Moore and Slatten state: "Interestingly, Thomas Rolfe here is recorded as married to a 'Miss Payers'. We recall that in John Rolfe's will the name of his third wife is spelt ''Pyers'' (Peirce) and that it was John who married a "Jane". Here again a Bolling descendant confused the son with his father. Not recognizing the name 'Payers' as another variant of ''Peirce'', someone searched the records for a name beginning with 'P' and having a 'y' in the first syllable. Francis Poythress lived in adjacent Charles City County and his name ended in ''s''! Stanard wrote, 'His wife is said to have been a Miss Poythress (if so, doubtless a daughter of Francis Poythress).' (VMHB I, 446) Wyndham Robertson, a Bolling descendant, wrote in ''Pocahontas Alias Mataoke and Her Descendants'' (Richmond, 1887), 'I adopt "Jane Poythress" (not "Poyers") whom he is stated in the ''Bolling Memoirs'' to have married in England.' He added in justification of his charming ''adoption'' of an ancestress, '...no such name as "Poyers" is anywhere known ... the family of Poythress was already settled in Virginia.' ... The result has been the acceptance of a non-existent personage, 'Jane Poythress', in the Bibles of Virginia genealogy, as the bona fide ancestress of many illustrious Virginians. Who the wife (or wives) of Thomas Rolfe may have been remains an unanswered question."</ref>

In about 1675, Jane married [[Robert Bolling]] of [[Prince George County, Virginia|Prince George County]], [[Virginia]]. Their son [[John Bolling|John]] was born on January 27, 1676. Jane is said to have died shortly afterward.<ref name="Dorman"/>

John Bolling married Mary Kennon, daughter of Richard Kennon and Elizabeth Worsham of Conjurer's Neck.<ref name="Dorman"/> The couple had six surviving children, each of whom married and had surviving children.<ref>Henrico County Deeds & Wills 1697–1704, p. 96</ref> As a result, many Americans are today able to claim descent from Pocahontas through her great-grandson, John Bolling.

Rolfe's interment was near her father in the [[Kippax Plantation]], but her birth year was never engraved on her headstone.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Find a Grave|31678153}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rolfe, Jane}}
[[Category:1650 births]]
[[Category:1670s deaths]]
[[Category:American people of English descent]]
[[Category:American people of Native American descent]]
[[Category:Bolling family of Virginia]]
[[Category:Rolfe family of Virginia]]
[[Category:People from Henrico County, Virginia]]

Jane Rolfe

2018-10-25T20:10:03Z

190.204.131.125:

{{Infobox person
| name = Jane Rolfe
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = 10 October 1650
| birth_place = Varina, [[Henrico County, Virginia]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1676|1|27|1650|10|10}}
| death_place = [[Hopewell]], [[Virginia]], [[United States]]
| resting_place = [[Kippax Plantation]]
| parents = [[Thomas Rolfe]] Jane Poythress
| spouse = [[Robert Bolling]]
| children = [[John Bolling]]
| relatives = [[John Rolfe]] (paternal grandfather) [[Pocahontas]] (paternal grandmother)
}}
'''Jane Rolfe''' (October 10, 1650 – January 28, 1676) was the granddaughter of [[Pocahontas]] and [[English people|English]] colonist [[John Rolfe]], (credited with introducing a strain of tobacco for export by the struggling [[Virginia Colony]]).
Her husband was Colonel [[Robert Bolling]], who lived from 1646 to 1709. Robert and Jane had one son, [[John Bolling|John Bolling]] (1676–1729).

Pocahontas, who adopted the Christian name of Rebecca,<ref>The conversion of Pocahontas to [[Christianity]] was undertaken by [[Alexander Whitaker]].</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Pocahontas Biography: also called Matoaka and Amonute, Christian name Rebecca (1595–1617) |url=http://www.biography.com/articles/Pocahontas-9443116 |year=2011 |publisher=[[The Biography Channel]] |accessdate=August 25, 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826053229/http://www.biography.com/articles/Pocahontas-9443116 |archivedate=August 26, 2011 |df= }}</ref> married John Rolfe on April 5, 1614 in [[Jamestown, Virginia|Jamestown]]. Rolfe's longtime friend, Reverend [[Richard Buck (chaplain)|Richard Buck]] presided the wedding.<ref>''Travels and Works of Captain John Smith'' (Edinburgh 1910), p. 514</ref> They had one child, [[Thomas Rolfe]], who was born in Virginia on January 30, 1615.

Jane Rolfe was born in Varina, [[Henrico County, Virginia]] on October 10, 1650 <ref name="Dorman">John Frederick Dorman, ''Adventurers of Purse and Person'', 4th ed., Vol. 3, pp. 23–36.</ref> to [[Thomas Rolfe]] and his wife, Jane Poythress, whose parents were Francis Poythress and Alice Payton of England.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Thomas Rolfe|url=http://www.nps.gov/jame/historyculture/thomas-rolfe.htm|first=Megan|last=Snow|date=May 2003|work=Historic Jamestowne|publisher=[[National Park Service]]|accessdate=August 31, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Some prominent Virginia families|url=https://archive.org/stream/someprominentvir04pecq#page/304/mode/2up|first=Louise|last=Pecquet du Bellet|year=1907|publisher=J.P. Bell Co.|location=Lynchburg, VA|page=304|chapter=Bolling Family|accessdate=August 31, 2011}}</ref><ref>"The Descendants of Pocahontas: An Unclosed Case", by Elizabeth Vann Moore and Richard Slatten, ''Magazine of Virginia Genealogy'', XXIII, no.3, pp. 3–16, cited by John Frederick Dorman, ''Adventurers of Purse and Person'', 4th ed., Vol. 3, p. 26, fn23–24. Moore and Slatten traced the suggestion that his wife was a Poythress back to a comment by W. G. Stanard in "Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents", ''Virginia Historical Magazine''(I, 1894, 446–447): "His wife is said to have been a Miss Poythress (if so, doubtless a daughter of Francis Poythress." According to Moore and Slatten, Stanard cited as evidence handwritten notes on the flyleaf of a copy of ''A Complete Collection of All the Laws of Virginia Now in Force Carefully Copied from the Assembled Records'' (London, 168[?], now in the Library of Virginia. Moore and Slatten state: "Interestingly, Thomas Rolfe here is recorded as married to a 'Miss Payers'. We recall that in John Rolfe's will the name of his third wife is spelt ''Pyers'' (Peirce) and that it was John who married a "Jane". Here again a Bolling descendant confused the son with his father. Not recognizing the name 'Payers' as another variant of ''Peirce'', someone searched the records for a name beginning with 'P' and having a 'y' in the first syllable. Francis Poythress lived in adjacent Charles City County and his name ended in ''s''! Stanard wrote, 'His wife is said to have been a Miss Poythress (if so, doubtless a daughter of Francis Poythress).' (VMHB I, 446) Wyndham Robertson, a Bolling descendant, wrote in ''Pocahontas Alias Mataoke and Her Descendants'' (Richmond, 1887), 'I adopt "Jane Poythress" (not "Poyers") whom he is stated in the ''Bolling Memoirs'' to have married in England.' He added in justification of his charming ''adoption'' of an ancestress, '...no such name as "Poyers" is anywhere known ... the family of Poythress was already settled in Virginia.' ... The result has been the acceptance of a non-existent personage, 'Jane Poythress', in the Bibles of Virginia genealogy, as the bona fide ancestress of many illustrious Virginians. Who the wife (or wives) of Thomas Rolfe may have been remains an unanswered question."</ref>

In about 1675, Jane married [[Robert Bolling]] of [[Prince George County, Virginia|Prince George County]], [[Virginia]]. Their son [[John Bolling|John]] was born on January 27, 1676. Jane is said to have died shortly afterward.<ref name="Dorman"/>

John Bolling married Mary Kennon, daughter of Richard Kennon and Elizabeth Worsham of Conjurer's Neck.<ref name="Dorman"/> The couple had six surviving children, each of whom married and had surviving children.<ref>Henrico County Deeds & Wills 1697–1704, p. 96</ref> As a result, many Americans are today able to claim descent from Pocahontas through her great-grandson, John Bolling.

Rolfe's interment was near her father in the [[Kippax Plantation]], but her birth year was never engraved on her headstone.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Find a Grave|31678153}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rolfe, Jane}}
[[Category:1650 births]]
[[Category:1670s deaths]]
[[Category:American people of English descent]]
[[Category:American people of Native American descent]]
[[Category:Bolling family of Virginia]]
[[Category:Rolfe family of Virginia]]
[[Category:People from Henrico County, Virginia]]

Jane Rolfe

2018-10-25T20:06:08Z

190.204.131.125:

{{Infobox person
| name = Jane Rolfe
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = 10 October 1650
| birth_place = Varina, [[Henrico County, Virginia]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1676|1|28|1650|10|10}}
| death_place =
| resting_place = [[Kippax Plantation]]
| parents = [[Thomas Rolfe]] Jane Poythress
| spouse = [[Robert Bolling]]
| children = [[John Bolling]]
| relatives = [[John Rolfe]] (paternal grandfather) [[Pocahontas]] (paternal grandmother)
}}
'''Jane Rolfe''' (October 10, 1650 – January 28, 1676) was the granddaughter of [[Pocahontas]] and [[English people|English]] colonist [[John Rolfe]], (credited with introducing a strain of tobacco for export by the struggling [[Virginia Colony]]).
Her husband was Colonel [[Robert Bolling]], who lived from 1646 to 1709. Robert and Jane had one son, [[John Bolling|John Bolling]] (1676–1729).

Pocahontas, who adopted the Christian name of Rebecca,<ref>The conversion of Pocahontas to [[Christianity]] was undertaken by [[Alexander Whitaker]].</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Pocahontas Biography: also called Matoaka and Amonute, Christian name Rebecca (1595–1617) |url=http://www.biography.com/articles/Pocahontas-9443116 |year=2011 |publisher=[[The Biography Channel]] |accessdate=August 25, 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826053229/http://www.biography.com/articles/Pocahontas-9443116 |archivedate=August 26, 2011 |df= }}</ref> married John Rolfe on April 5, 1614 in [[Jamestown, Virginia|Jamestown]]. Rolfe's longtime friend, Reverend [[Richard Buck (chaplain)|Richard Buck]] presided the wedding.<ref>''Travels and Works of Captain John Smith'' (Edinburgh 1910), p. 514</ref> They had one child, [[Thomas Rolfe]], who was born in Virginia on January 30, 1615.

Jane Rolfe was born in Varina, [[Henrico County, Virginia]] on October 10, 1650 <ref name="Dorman">John Frederick Dorman, ''Adventurers of Purse and Person'', 4th ed., Vol. 3, pp. 23–36.</ref> to [[Thomas Rolfe]] and his wife, Jane Poythress, whose parents were Francis Poythress and Alice Payton of England.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Thomas Rolfe|url=http://www.nps.gov/jame/historyculture/thomas-rolfe.htm|first=Megan|last=Snow|date=May 2003|work=Historic Jamestowne|publisher=[[National Park Service]]|accessdate=August 31, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Some prominent Virginia families|url=https://archive.org/stream/someprominentvir04pecq#page/304/mode/2up|first=Louise|last=Pecquet du Bellet|year=1907|publisher=J.P. Bell Co.|location=Lynchburg, VA|page=304|chapter=Bolling Family|accessdate=August 31, 2011}}</ref><ref>"The Descendants of Pocahontas: An Unclosed Case", by Elizabeth Vann Moore and Richard Slatten, ''Magazine of Virginia Genealogy'', XXIII, no.3, pp. 3–16, cited by John Frederick Dorman, ''Adventurers of Purse and Person'', 4th ed., Vol. 3, p. 26, fn23–24. Moore and Slatten traced the suggestion that his wife was a Poythress back to a comment by W. G. Stanard in "Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents", ''Virginia Historical Magazine''(I, 1894, 446–447): "His wife is said to have been a Miss Poythress (if so, doubtless a daughter of Francis Poythress." According to Moore and Slatten, Stanard cited as evidence handwritten notes on the flyleaf of a copy of ''A Complete Collection of All the Laws of Virginia Now in Force Carefully Copied from the Assembled Records'' (London, 168[?], now in the Library of Virginia. Moore and Slatten state: "Interestingly, Thomas Rolfe here is recorded as married to a 'Miss Payers'. We recall that in John Rolfe's will the name of his third wife is spelt ''Pyers'' (Peirce) and that it was John who married a "Jane". Here again a Bolling descendant confused the son with his father. Not recognizing the name 'Payers' as another variant of ''Peirce'', someone searched the records for a name beginning with 'P' and having a 'y' in the first syllable. Francis Poythress lived in adjacent Charles City County and his name ended in ''s''! Stanard wrote, 'His wife is said to have been a Miss Poythress (if so, doubtless a daughter of Francis Poythress).' (VMHB I, 446) Wyndham Robertson, a Bolling descendant, wrote in ''Pocahontas Alias Mataoke and Her Descendants'' (Richmond, 1887), 'I adopt "Jane Poythress" (not "Poyers") whom he is stated in the ''Bolling Memoirs'' to have married in England.' He added in justification of his charming ''adoption'' of an ancestress, '...no such name as "Poyers" is anywhere known ... the family of Poythress was already settled in Virginia.' ... The result has been the acceptance of a non-existent personage, 'Jane Poythress', in the Bibles of Virginia genealogy, as the bona fide ancestress of many illustrious Virginians. Who the wife (or wives) of Thomas Rolfe may have been remains an unanswered question."</ref>

In about 1675, Jane married [[Robert Bolling]] of [[Prince George County, Virginia|Prince George County]], [[Virginia]]. Their son [[John Bolling|John]] was born on January 27, 1676. Jane is said to have died shortly afterward.<ref name="Dorman"/>

John Bolling married Mary Kennon, daughter of Richard Kennon and Elizabeth Worsham of Conjurer's Neck.<ref name="Dorman"/> The couple had six surviving children, each of whom married and had surviving children.<ref>Henrico County Deeds & Wills 1697–1704, p. 96</ref> As a result, many Americans are today able to claim descent from Pocahontas through her great-grandson, John Bolling.

Rolfe's interment was near her father in the [[Kippax Plantation]], but her birth year was never engraved on her headstone.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Find a Grave|31678153}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rolfe, Jane}}
[[Category:1650 births]]
[[Category:1670s deaths]]
[[Category:American people of English descent]]
[[Category:American people of Native American descent]]
[[Category:Bolling family of Virginia]]
[[Category:Rolfe family of Virginia]]
[[Category:People from Henrico County, Virginia]]

Jane Rolfe

2018-10-25T20:03:29Z

190.204.131.125:

{{Infobox person
| name = Jane Rolfe
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = 10 October 1650
| birth_place = Varina, [[Henrico County, Virginia]]
| death_date = {{28|01|1676|1676|1650}}
| death_place =
| resting_place = [[Kippax Plantation]]
| parents = [[Thomas Rolfe]] Jane Poythress
| spouse = [[Robert Bolling]]
| children = [[John Bolling]]
| relatives = [[John Rolfe]] (paternal grandfather) [[Pocahontas]] (paternal grandmother)
}}
'''Jane Rolfe''' (October 10, 1650 – 1676) was the granddaughter of [[Pocahontas]] and [[English people|English]] colonist [[John Rolfe]], (credited with introducing a strain of tobacco for export by the struggling [[Virginia Colony]]).
Her husband was Colonel [[Robert Bolling]], who lived from 1646 to 1709. Robert and Jane had one son, [[John Bolling|John Bolling]] (1676–1729).

Pocahontas, who adopted the Christian name of Rebecca,<ref>The conversion of Pocahontas to [[Christianity]] was undertaken by [[Alexander Whitaker]].</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Pocahontas Biography: also called Matoaka and Amonute, Christian name Rebecca (1595–1617) |url=http://www.biography.com/articles/Pocahontas-9443116 |year=2011 |publisher=[[The Biography Channel]] |accessdate=August 25, 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826053229/http://www.biography.com/articles/Pocahontas-9443116 |archivedate=August 26, 2011 |df= }}</ref> married John Rolfe on April 5, 1614 in [[Jamestown, Virginia|Jamestown]]. Rolfe's longtime friend, Reverend [[Richard Buck (chaplain)|Richard Buck]] presided the wedding.<ref>''Travels and Works of Captain John Smith'' (Edinburgh 1910), p. 514</ref> They had one child, [[Thomas Rolfe]], who was born in Virginia on January 30, 1615.

Jane Rolfe was born in Varina, [[Henrico County, Virginia]] on October 10, 1650 <ref name="Dorman">John Frederick Dorman, ''Adventurers of Purse and Person'', 4th ed., Vol. 3, pp. 23–36.</ref> to [[Thomas Rolfe]] and his wife, Jane Poythress, whose parents were Francis Poythress and Alice Payton of England.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Thomas Rolfe|url=http://www.nps.gov/jame/historyculture/thomas-rolfe.htm|first=Megan|last=Snow|date=May 2003|work=Historic Jamestowne|publisher=[[National Park Service]]|accessdate=August 31, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Some prominent Virginia families|url=https://archive.org/stream/someprominentvir04pecq#page/304/mode/2up|first=Louise|last=Pecquet du Bellet|year=1907|publisher=J.P. Bell Co.|location=Lynchburg, VA|page=304|chapter=Bolling Family|accessdate=August 31, 2011}}</ref><ref>"The Descendants of Pocahontas: An Unclosed Case", by Elizabeth Vann Moore and Richard Slatten, ''Magazine of Virginia Genealogy'', XXIII, no.3, pp. 3–16, cited by John Frederick Dorman, ''Adventurers of Purse and Person'', 4th ed., Vol. 3, p. 26, fn23–24. Moore and Slatten traced the suggestion that his wife was a Poythress back to a comment by W. G. Stanard in "Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents", ''Virginia Historical Magazine''(I, 1894, 446–447): "His wife is said to have been a Miss Poythress (if so, doubtless a daughter of Francis Poythress." According to Moore and Slatten, Stanard cited as evidence handwritten notes on the flyleaf of a copy of ''A Complete Collection of All the Laws of Virginia Now in Force Carefully Copied from the Assembled Records'' (London, 168[?], now in the Library of Virginia. Moore and Slatten state: "Interestingly, Thomas Rolfe here is recorded as married to a 'Miss Payers'. We recall that in John Rolfe's will the name of his third wife is spelt ''Pyers'' (Peirce) and that it was John who married a "Jane". Here again a Bolling descendant confused the son with his father. Not recognizing the name 'Payers' as another variant of ''Peirce'', someone searched the records for a name beginning with 'P' and having a 'y' in the first syllable. Francis Poythress lived in adjacent Charles City County and his name ended in ''s''! Stanard wrote, 'His wife is said to have been a Miss Poythress (if so, doubtless a daughter of Francis Poythress).' (VMHB I, 446) Wyndham Robertson, a Bolling descendant, wrote in ''Pocahontas Alias Mataoke and Her Descendants'' (Richmond, 1887), 'I adopt "Jane Poythress" (not "Poyers") whom he is stated in the ''Bolling Memoirs'' to have married in England.' He added in justification of his charming ''adoption'' of an ancestress, '...no such name as "Poyers" is anywhere known ... the family of Poythress was already settled in Virginia.' ... The result has been the acceptance of a non-existent personage, 'Jane Poythress', in the Bibles of Virginia genealogy, as the bona fide ancestress of many illustrious Virginians. Who the wife (or wives) of Thomas Rolfe may have been remains an unanswered question."</ref>

In about 1675, Jane married [[Robert Bolling]] of [[Prince George County, Virginia|Prince George County]], [[Virginia]]. Their son [[John Bolling|John]] was born on January 27, 1676. Jane is said to have died shortly afterward.<ref name="Dorman"/>

John Bolling married Mary Kennon, daughter of Richard Kennon and Elizabeth Worsham of Conjurer's Neck.<ref name="Dorman"/> The couple had six surviving children, each of whom married and had surviving children.<ref>Henrico County Deeds & Wills 1697–1704, p. 96</ref> As a result, many Americans are today able to claim descent from Pocahontas through her great-grandson, John Bolling.

Rolfe's interment was near her father in the [[Kippax Plantation]], but her birth year was never engraved on her headstone.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Find a Grave|31678153}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rolfe, Jane}}
[[Category:1650 births]]
[[Category:1670s deaths]]
[[Category:American people of English descent]]
[[Category:American people of Native American descent]]
[[Category:Bolling family of Virginia]]
[[Category:Rolfe family of Virginia]]
[[Category:People from Henrico County, Virginia]]