John Rolfe

John Rolfe (c. 1585 – 1622 ) was one of the early English settlers of North America . He is credited with the first successful cultivation of Tobacco as an export crop in the Colony Of Virginia and is known as the husband of Pocahontas , daughter of the chief of the Powhatan Confederacy .

BIOGRAPHY

Rolfe was born in Heacham , Norfolk , England . While the first group of colonists established Jamestown in the Virginia Colony in 1607, Rolfe was in a later group. On the way across the Atlantic Ocean , Rolfe and his fellow colonists were caught in a hurricane and shipwrecked on Bermuda . Rolfe survived, but his first wife died. The castaways were able to build two small ships and travel to Jamestown.

Rolfe settled in Jamestown in 1609 . In 1612 , he established Varina Farms , a Plantation on the James River about 30 miles upstream from the Jamestown Settlement , and across the river from Henricus . Native tobacco in Virginia was not liked by the English settlers. However, using strains he brought from Bermuda, John Rolfe is credited with being the first to commercially Cultivate '' Nicotiana tabacum '' Tobacco plants in North America ; export of the tobacco helped turn the Virginia Colony into a profitable venture. In 1614 Rolfe Married Pocahontas , daughter of the local Native American leader Chief Powhatan (whose proper name was Wahunsunacock ). Chief Powhatan gave the newlyweds property that included a small brick house. Today, Fort Smith is in Surry County , just across the James River and was used as a home or cottage by Pocahontas and John Rolfe when they were first married.

The estate at Varina Farms was the home of John Rolfe and Pocahontas for two years following their marriage, and was the birthplace of their son, Thomas Rolfe . Rolfe's plantation at Varina Farms was named for a mild variety of the tobacco from Spain , similar to the strain from Bermuda that helped make the colony profitable.

Pocahontas died after Rolfe brought her to England in 1616 , but their young son Thomas Rolfe survived. John Rolfe may have been killed by the Powhatan Confederacy during the Indian Massacre Of 1622 ; it is known that he died suddenly in 1622, which was a year of warfare between the colonists and the tribes. Thomas Rolfe later returned to Virginia, and was accepted by the Powhatan.

HERITAGE AND LEGACY

The strain of tobacco cultivated by John Rolfe was the export cash crop that helped make the Virginia Colony profitable. It was the mainstay of the farming plantations for generations. Huge warehouses such as those which were built on Richmond's Tobacco Row attest to its popularity. Even almost 400 years later, tobacco figures prominently in Virginia's economy.

Through their son, Thomas Rolfe, the marriage between John Rolfe and Pocahontas helped bring peace between the tribes and the English settlers of Virginia for a generation. Many of the prominent First Families Of Virginia trace their lineage to descendants of Thomas Rolfe.

In eastern Virginia, Virginia State Highway 31 is named the ''John Rolfe Highway''. It links Williamsburg with Jamestown , the southern entrance to the Colonial Parkway , and via the Jamestown Ferry leads to the rich farming area of Surry County and Sussex County , ending in Wakefield, Virginia .

John Rolfe Middle School, in Henrico County, Virginia , one of Virginia's eight original shires of 1634 , is named for him. Varina magisterial district in Henrico County is named for Rolfe's Varina Farms plantation, where the tiny village was also the first County Seat (from 1634 to 1752 ).

The abandoned corridor planned for Virginia State Highway 288 in western Henrico County became a connector street, rather than a Limited-access Highway . It was named the John Rolfe Parkway.

ROLFE IN FICTION

Rolfe appears in the 2005 film '' The New World '', in which he is played by Christian Bale .

FURTHER READING

Samuel H. Sloan, ''The Slave Children of Thomas Jefferson''. Kiseido, 1998.

EXTERNAL LINKS

The John Rolfe Fanlisting

Information About

John Rolfe