Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief, Doctor, lawyer, Indian Chief!

The first line of a jump rope rhyme I remember as a child is: “Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief, doctor, lawyer, Indian Chief.” It seemed appropriate to open this article because it connects farmers, merchants, lawyers, sailors, a kidnapper, a president, an Indian Chief, and an Indian Princess who became famous for her …

Back From the Future – Part 3 (With John Rolfe and Pocahontas)

I wish to thank my dear friend, retired College Lecturer, and fellow Pocahontas research enthusiast, Christine Dean, for her ongoing updates about happenings in and around her hometown of  Heacham, Norfolk, England.  From her undaunting energy and perseverance, while delving into local legends about Pocahontas and John Rolfe, I am able to bring you new posts …

On This Day: April 5, 1614 – Pocahontas Marries John Rolfe

Article Details:  POCAHONTAS MARRIES JOHN ROLFE Author:  History.com Staff Website Name:  History.com Year Published:  2009 Title:  Pocahontas marries John Rolfe URL:  http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pocahontas-marries-john-rolfe On the 403rd Anniversary - The Story of the Marriage of My Paternal 11th Great Grandparents Pocahontas, daughter of the chief of the Powhatan Indian confederacy, marries English tobacco planter John Rolfe in …

Back From the Future – Part 2

 A Quote from the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, June 2014: Christopher Columbus never reached the shores of the North American Continent, but European explorers learned three things from him: there was someplace to go, there was a way to get there, and most importantly, there was a way to get back. Thus began the European exploration of …

John Rolfe – Just One of My Family’s Immigrants . . .

The Early Modern Period Over the next twenty-eight days, we will be revisiting my 11th paternal great grandfather’s story once again.  It is a story that dates back to 1585--the 585th year of the 2nd millennium, the 85th year of the 16th century, and the 6th year of the 1580s decade.  Although much has been …

John Rolfe Letter to Governor Thomas Dale, 1614

Continuing to further document and understand the lives of our earliest ancestors - emigrants from England to Jamestown, Virginia, I have included below, the 1614 letter  (transcribed and updated to today’s word usage and spellings by me--I made no changes to word choices or punctuation and kept present-day English spellings).  My  11th great-grandfather, John Rolfe, …

America’s First Entrepreneur

A Documentary about Pocahontas and the man who changed her life--Jamestown Virginia's settler, Captain John Rolfe.

Salty as the Sea–Sweet as Wine–Another Story from Jamestown

Back to Jamestown and Unearthing Yet Another Notable Ancestor Because of my ancient Bolling family lineage, I have long been following anything and everything published related to Pocahontas, her marriage to Thomas Rolfe, their cultural and genealogical histories in England and Virginia.  Among the vast resources available, I also have followed the archaeological endeavors of …

Tobacco Warning From 17th Century (1606)

I find it awesomely amusing and astonishingly amazing that we as a world of people ignore history, despite evidence that had we heeded its details, we could have avoided much pain, suffering, and loss.  And, I say this, despite my lineage back to Pocahontas and her husband, John Thomas Rolfe through the marriage of their granddaughter, …

Revisiting–Johannes Eustacius “John” Rolfe…My 11th Great Grandfather – Part Two (17th Through 20th Centuries)

John and Pocahontas in Kippax: England and Virginia This article picks up on my blog Revisiting–Johannes Eustacius “John” Rolfe…My 11th Great Grandfather, dated May 6, 2015, and my efforts to expand and support Christine Dean’s (history enthusiast), work in Heacham-Norfolk, England–the Rolfe family’s hometown.  For the past 30 years, she has been researching the Rolfes, …

BRAVE NEW WORLD: JOHN SMITH

In my research on  Pocahontas, the  Rolfes, Bollings, Branches, Lewises, and Randolphs of Virginia... I happened upon the following blog post from Life - News, articles, and information on family life and entertainment: Brave New World: John Smith. Unfortunately this Blogger website has no history, author, or contact information other than the article being posted (without any …

Revisiting–Johannes Eustacius “John” Rolfe…My 11th Great Grandfather

Preserved--The 435-Year-Old John Rolfe Family Bible Christine Dean, 30 year resident of Heacham, England, and I have been corresponding for the past several months, following her interesting comments that added greatly to my two-year-old blog post titled "Johannes Eustacius “John” Rolfe…My 11th Great Grandfather."  It seems that Christine has been gathering information about John Rolfe, Chief …

Our Descendancy–in Red, White and Blue…

America's Red, White and Blue... On June 14, 1777 in Philadelphia,  the Second Continental Congress adopted a resolution: “Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white, in a blue field representing a new constellation.” As to the significance of our flag's …

Our Native American Heritage–A Follow On

 My post just a few days ago focused on our Native American heritage and the tribes who resided along the borders of the Chesapeake Bay. In my April 24, 2014, and December 3, 2012, posts we looked at our paternal Pocahontas ancestry--First Lady Edith Bolling Galt Wilson (my third cousin), and our lineage to Pocahontas …

The Chesapeake Bay and Our Native American Heritage

This post focuses on our Native American heritage who resided along the borders of the Chesapeake Bay.  Digressing just a little into my lineage, my paternal Bolling ancestors were among the first in Jamestown and my maternal Lathrop ancestors the first in New England.  My ninth great-grandfather, Colonel Robert Bolling married Pocahontas' granddaughter, Jane Poythress …

Help Save Portrait of Bolling Family Founder

Portrait of Robert Bolling (1646-1709), Oil on Canvas Photo Courtesy of Muscarelle Museum of Art - Williamsburg, VA This portrait depicts Colonel Robert Bolling, founder of the Bolling family, one of the "First Families of Virginia", where he became a wealthy landowner and an active participant in the political affairs of the colony. He arrived …

Two Pocahontas Descendants Became First Ladies: Pocahontas 1595-1617, & Edith Bolling Wilson 1872–1961

Strong Women and Role Models for Young Girls.It is not uncommon for young girls to claim to be descendants of Pocahontas. I didn't know much about my ancestors or my connections to them when I was a child, but now I do and I am very grateful for learning more. For this reason, I write …

An Inheritance of Deafness for the BollingS AND RANDOLPHS (1771-1816)

Almost ten years ago, Boling, Bolling, and Bowling family members discussed whether deafness and hearing loss were inherited. The answer is, in fact, that there have been Boling family members born deaf. Some of the lines that include deafness extend over to descendants of the John Randolphs (another branch in the Bolling ancestry). The short …

More Perspectives Into Our Southern Ancestry

Since its founding in 1845, the New England Historic Genealogical Society has been helping its members to research, record, and tell their own unique family stories. The following story was published in the American Ancestor Magazine in April 1986 and lends yet another perspective into my southern ancestry.  I have added some sketches, pictures, maps, …

Our 28th President, His First Lady Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, Pocahontas, and Me

In Celebration of November -  Native American History Month President Woodrow Wilson - husband of my 3rd paternal cousin Edith Bolling Galt Wilson Edith Bolling Galt Wilson was the 35th First Lady of the White House. President Wilson's daughter, Margaret Woodrow Wilson served as First Lady for a brief period following the death of President Wilson's …