Birth of the son of Pocohantas and John Rolfe

+11 votes
1.0k views
The biography suggests that Thomas Pepsironemah Rolfe was thought to have been born out of wedlock.  The facts don't seem to add up to that speculation.  John and Pocohontos were married Apr 5, 1614.  The birth record for their son,Thomas, is dated Jan 30, 1615.   Another fact lists a half brother, also son of Pocohontos as Ka-Okee Pettus, which could possibly be the son of Pocohontos born before her marriage to John Rolfe.   Is it possible she could have been previously married and widowed, prior to her marriage to John Rolfe?
WikiTree profile: Thomas Rolfe
in Genealogy Help by
retagged by Ellen Smith
There are very few actual records.  The whole story comes from secondary sources that don't cite primary sources.

But if that picture of Thomas with his mother is true to life, he'd have to be born 1612 at the latest :)

John Rolfe is supposed to have written his own account of events.  Anybody know where it is?
David Morenus's website, and references therein, may be helpful. The website is http://pocahontas.morenus.org/poca_desc.html
the picture, the Sedgeford Hall Portrait,  that is supposed to be Pocohantas and John Rolfe is not of them. It is Oceola and his mother.

5 Answers

+7 votes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocahontas  the legend of another possible husband is told in the link.  However it is thought by some to not be valid.  

https://books.google.com/books?id=HHQAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA90&dq=Pocahontas+plymouth&as_brr=1#v=onepage&q=Pocahontas%20plymouth&f=false  another son is not mentioned in this biography

https://books.google.com/books?id=b2A20GQSn-AC&dq=the+true+story+of+pocahontas&q=Kocoum#v=snippet&q=Kocoum&f=false  the story of a previous marriage and a child are told in this book.  

Historians are just not in agreement that the story is valid.
by Laura Bozzay G2G6 Pilot (817k points)
+6 votes
While we are on this subject, what is up with that middle name? Pepsironemah? Any ideas?
by Jeanie Roberts G2G6 Pilot (139k points)
+5 votes
Some people have Ka-Okee as a girl some as a boy, and I have seen no proof of Ka-Okee as a boy or a girl.  The profile for Ka-Okee has "her" listed as a girl, but also has her listed as Little Kocoum.  So again, there seems to be no proof of Ka-Okee.  The picture that is used for Thomas and Pocahontas has been proven to not be a picture of them.  Also, could someone direct me to some proof as middle names for John Rolfe, Thomas Rolfe, and John Bolling.  Nothing I have seen shows middle names, and I have seen different middle names for Thomas.
by
+8 votes
Hello everyone,

The issue is that there are no traditional Powhatan or other records. The state of the Pocahontas profile as it stands today is as near we can get unless someone digs up a trunk of documents from the period. It could happen that a letter or fact might be found, but it is not in what is available today.

I hope we find something definitive, instead of legend and myth, at some point!

Thanks to Jeanie Roberts, the Native American Project Coordinator for Myths and Legend who is working hard to make sure our WikiTree Native American profiles are supported with either traditional or verified, sourced accounts of their lives!

Mags
by Native Americans Project WikiTree G2G Crew (780 points)
Martha McCartney cites the (edited) primary sources.  I can't see them in the Google preview today, but there's a 3-volume work on the life and works of Capt John Smith, and another book which collects all the other contemporary writings about early Virginia, hopefully including those of John Rolfe.  I expect they cost a fortune.

McCartney's own paragraph about Pocahontas seems to be the Liberty Valance version - Print the Legend.

Douglas Richardson (under Samuel Argall) says she married John Rolder.  That was all he could find.  Go figure.
Have you looked at Wyndham Robertson's book, Pocahontas, Alia Matoaka, and Her Descendants?  How about Adventurers of Purse and Person?  If there is no proof of other children or middle names, then I don't think it should be on Wiki.
The siblings to Thomas Rolfe are documented children born to his father through other wives. Bermuda was from his first wife; Anne was from his post-Pocahontas wife.
+5 votes

Matoaka Pocahantas (Rebecca) Powhatan

BIRTH 17 SEP 1595  Tidewater, James City, Virginia, United States

DEATH 21 MAR 1617  Gravesend, Kent, England and here is why, she married John Rolfe, and had ONE, count em ONLY one documented provable child, a son  Thomas Rolfe, he married and had ONE count em, only one Documented provable child, a daughter, Jane Rolfe and guess what she had only one, count em' one documented provable child, a son 

John Bolling

BIRTH 26 JAN 1676 

now he married my 7th great aunt and had a gang of children so if you care about documented provable lineage, dont copy undocumented un provable data, the source I use John Fredrick Dorman's Adventurers of Purse and person fourth edition 2005. he is the best in the field of this time period. now if you still think you are descended from her, fantastic! find the documentation needed and apply to the Jamestowne Society, so good luck, I can do look ups in the Dorman books it that helps. there is no nada, zip, zilch,  other provable path that meets the genealogical proof standard to  

Matoaka,

 p.s. do facts matter? in genealogy, you betcha!

by Wendy Browne G2G6 Mach 1 (16.9k points)

Related questions

+8 votes
2 answers
1.2k views asked Apr 8, 2018 in Genealogy Help by Jillaine Smith G2G6 Pilot (890k points)
+7 votes
1 answer
393 views asked Apr 16, 2022 in Genealogy Help by Kathie Forbes G2G6 Pilot (836k points)
+21 votes
6 answers
+3 votes
1 answer
+15 votes
3 answers
+4 votes
1 answer
709 views asked Aug 9, 2018 in Genealogy Help by Jillaine Smith G2G6 Pilot (890k points)
+3 votes
1 answer

WikiTree  ~  About  ~  Help Help  ~  Search Person Search  ~  Surname:

disclaimer - terms - copyright

...