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This article is about the Virginia colonist. For other uses, see John Rolfe. John Rolfe may refer to John Rolfe, a 17th century English settler of Virginia and husband of Pocahontas John Carew Rolfe, a 20th century

an 1850s painting of John Rolfe and Pocahontas
an 1850s painting of John Rolfe and Pocahontas

John Rolfe (c. Pocahontas (c 1595 – March 21 1617 was a Native American woman who married an Englishman John Rolfe, and became a celebrity in London in the last year of her 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. Tobacco is an Agricultural product recognized as an addictive drug processed from the fresh Leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. The Colony of Virginia (also known frequently as the Virginia Colony and occasionally as the Dominion and Colony of Virginia) was the English colony Pocahontas (c 1595 – March 21 1617 was a Native American woman who married an Englishman John Rolfe, and became a celebrity in London in the last year of her The Powhatan (also spelled Powatan and Powhaten) or Powhatan Renape (literally the "Powhatan Human Beings" is the name of a

Contents

Biography

Rolfe was born in Heacham, Norfolk, England as the son of John Rolfe and Dorothea Mason, and was baptized on May 6, 1585. Heacham ( is a village of 4611 inhabitants located in north-west Norfolk, England, between King's Lynn, 14 miles to the south and Hunstanton Norfolk (ˈnɔrfək is a low-lying county in East Anglia, England, United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland At the time, Spain held a virtual monopoly on the lucrative tobacco trade. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Most Spanish colonies in the New World were located in southern climates more favorable to tobacco growth than the English settlements, notably Jamestown. As the consumption of tobacco had increased, the balance of trade between England and Spain began to be seriously affected. The balance of trade (or net exports, sometimes symbolized as NX) is the difference between the monetary value of Exports and imports in an Rolfe was one of a number of businessmen who saw the opportunity to undercut Spanish imports by growing tobacco in England's new colony at Jamestown, in Virginia. Jamestown, located on Jamestown Island in the Virginia Colony, was founded on May 14 1607 The Colony of Virginia (also known frequently as the Virginia Colony and occasionally as the Dominion and Colony of Virginia) was the English colony Rolfe had somehow obtained seeds to take with him from a special popular strain then being grown in Trinidad and South America, even though Spain had declared a penalty of death to anyone selling such seeds to a non-Spaniard. Trinidad ( Spanish: " Trinity " is the largest and most populous of the two major islands and South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a [1]

Sailing with Third Supply to Virginia

A project of the proprietary Virginia Company of London, Jamestown had been established by an initial group of settlers on May 14, 1607. The London Company (also called the Charter of the Virginia Company of London) was an English Joint stock company established by royal charter by Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the This colony proved as troubled as earlier English settlements, and after two return trips with supplies by Christopher Newport arrived in 1608, another larger than ever relief fleet was dispatched in 1609, carrying hundreds of new settlers and supplies across the Atlantic. Christopher Newport (c 1561&ndash1618 was an English sailor and Privateer. Heading the Third Supply fleet was the new flagship of the Virginia Company, the Sea Venture, on which Rolfe, his wife, and a small child were embarked. The Third Supply was the first truly successful wave of Colonization in the first British settlement in the Americas at Jamestown. flagship is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels a designation given on account of being either the largest fastest newest most heavily armed or for publicity purposes the most well The Virginia Company refers collectively to a pair of English joint stock companies chartered by James I in 1606 with the purposes of establishing The Sea Venture was a 17th-century English sailing ship the wrecking of which in Bermuda is widely thought to have been the inspiration for Shakespeare's

The Third Supply fleet left England in May of 1609 destined for Jamestown with seven large ships, towing two smaller pinnaces. A pinnace is one of two marine craft the first a small vessel used as a tender to larger vessels amongst other things and the second a ship rigged vessel popular in northern waters through In the southern Atlantic Ocean, they encountered a three day-long storm, thought to have been a severe hurricane. The ships of the fleet became separated. The new Sea Venture, whose caulking had not cured, was taking on water faster than it could be bailed. The Admiral of the Company, Sir George Somers, took the helm and the ship was deliberately driven onto the reefs of Bermuda to prevent its foundering. Admiral Sir George Somers (1554-1610 was a British naval hero Ba (officially The Bermuda Islands or The Somers Isles) is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. All aboard, 150 passengers and crew, and 1 dog, survived. Most remained for ten months in Bermuda, subsequently also known as The Somers Isles, while they built two small ships to continue the voyage to Jamestown. A number of passengers and crew, however, did not complete this journey. Some had died or been killed, lost at sea (the Sea Venture's long boat had been fitted with a sail, and several men sent to take word to Jamestown, and they were never heard from again), or left behind to maintain England's claim to Bermuda. Because of this, although the Virginia Company's charter was not extended to Bermuda until 1612, the Colony at Bermuda dates its settlement from 1609. Among those left buried in Bermuda were Rolfe's wife and child.

In May 1610, the two newly-constructed ships set sail from Bermuda, with 142 castaways on board, including Rolfe, Admiral Somers, Stephen Hopkins and Sir Thomas Gates. Stephen Hopkins (born about 1582 &ndash 1644 was a tanner and Merchant who was one of the passengers on the Mayflower in 1620 settling Sir Thomas Gates (fl 1585 - 1621) followed George Percy as governor of Jamestown the English colony of Virginia (now the Commonwealth of Virginia On arrival at Jamestown, they found the Virginia Colony almost destroyed by famine and disease during what has become known as the Starving Time. The Starving Time at Jamestown in the English Colony of Virginia killed all but 60 of 500 colonists during the winter of 1609 – 1610 Very few of the supplies from the Third Supply had arrived (the same hurricane which caught the Sea Venture had also badly affected the rest of the fleet), and only 60 settlers remained alive. It was only through the arrival of the two small ships from Bermuda, and the arrival of another relief fleet commanded by Lord Delaware in June 10, 1610 that the abandonment of Jamestown was avoided and the colony was able to survive. Thomas West 3rd (or 12th Baron De La Warr ( July 9, 1577 &ndash June 7, 1618) was the Englishman after whom the bay, After finally settling in, although his first wife and child had died, Rolfe began his long-delayed work with tobacco.

Orinoco tobacco: a cash crop

In competing with Spain for European markets, there was another problem beside the warmer climates the Spanish settlements enjoyed. The native tobacco from Virginia was not liked by the English settlers, nor did it appeal to the market in England. However, Rolfe wanted to introduce sweeter strains from Trinidad, using the hard-to-obtain seeds he brought with him. Trinidad ( Spanish: " Trinity " is the largest and most populous of the two major islands and In 1611, Rolfe is credited with being the first to commercially cultivate Nicotiana tabacum tobacco plants in North America; export of this sweeter tobacco beginning in 1612 helped turn the Virginia Colony into a profitable venture. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture Nicotiana tabacum, or cultivated Tobacco, is a perennial Herbaceous plant Tobacco is an Agricultural product recognized as an addictive drug processed from the fresh Leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. The Colony of Virginia (also known frequently as the Virginia Colony and occasionally as the Dominion and Colony of Virginia) was the English colony Rolfe named his Virginia-grown strain of the tobacco "Orinoco", possibly in honor of tobacco-popularizer Sir Walter Raleigh's expeditions in the 1580s up the Orinoco River in Guiana in search of the legendary City of Gold, El Dorado. Sir Walter Raleigh or Ralegh (c 1552 – 29 October 1618 was a famed English writer Poet, Soldier, Courtier and Explorer ORiNOCO is the brand name that was used for a family of wireless networking solutions by Proxim (previously Lucent) El Dorado ( Spanish for "the golden one") is a Legend that began with the story of a South American tribal chief who covered himself [2] The appeal of Orinoco tobacco was in its nicotine, and the conviviality of its use in social situations. Nicotine is an Alkaloid found in the Nightshade family of plants ( Solanaceae) which constitutes approximately 0 [3]

Soon, Rolfe and others were exporting substantial quantities of the new cash crop, and new plantations began growing along the James River, where export shipments could use wharfs along the river. The James River in the US state of Virginia is a long River, including its Jackson River source In 1612, Rolfe established Varina Farms, a plantation on the James River about 30 miles (48 km) upstream from the Jamestown Settlement, and across the river from Sir Thomas Dale's progressive development at Henricus. Fundamentally a plantation is usually a large Farm or estate, especially in a tropical or semitropical country on which Cotton, Tobacco The James River in the US state of Virginia is a long River, including its Jackson River source The James Settlement was the first permanent English settlement in North America. Sir Thomas Dale (d August 19, 1619) was a British naval commander and deputy-governor of the Virginia Colony in 1611 and from 1614 to 1616 The "Citie of Henricus ", also known as Henricopolis or Henrico Town, was a city founded by Sir Thomas Dale in 1611 as an alternative

Pocahontas

In 1614 Rolfe married Pocahontas, daughter of the local Native American leader Chief Powhatan. NOTICE TO WOULD-BE ROMEOS ************** Pocahontas (c 1595 – March 21 1617 was a Native American woman who married an Englishman John Rolfe, and became a celebrity in London in the last year of her Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States Chief Powhatan (c June 17, 1547 &ndash c 1618 whose proper name was Wahunsenacawh or (in seventeenth century English spelling Wahunsunacock Chief Powhatan gave the newlyweds property that included a small brick house just across the James River from Jamestown which was used as a home or cottage by Pocahontas and John Rolfe when they were first married. Today that location is known as Fort Smith, and is located in Surry County. Surry County is a county located in the South Hampton Roads region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United

When suitable quarters were built, the estate at Varina Farms became the permanent home of John Rolfe and Pocahontas, and served as such for several years following their marriage. Varina Farms was the birthplace of their son, Thomas Rolfe. Thomas Rolfe ( January 30, 1615 - c 1675 was the only child of Pocahontas by her English husband John Rolfe. Rolfe's plantation at Varina Farms was named for a mild variety of tobacco from Spain which was similar to the strains Rolfe had successfully introduced. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.

On what would be called a "public relations trip" for the Virginia Company in modern terminology, Pocahontas and Rolfe traveled to England in 1616 with their baby son, where the young woman was widely received as visiting royalty. However, just as they were preparing to return to Virginia, she became ill and died. Their young son Thomas Rolfe survived, and stayed in England when his father returned to the colony minus his second wiasshlefe and their young son. Thomas Rolfe ( January 30, 1615 - c 1675 was the only child of Pocahontas by her English husband John Rolfe.

Late life, death, heritage

In 1619, Rolfe married Jane Pierce. They had a daughter, Elizabeth, in 1620. She died in 1635 at the age of 15.

John Rolfe, who had been living in or near Bermuda Hundred, died suddenly in 1622, but it is unknown in what manner. Bermuda Hundred was the first Incorporated town in the English colony of Virginia. He may have been killed by the Powhatan Confederacy during the Indian Massacre of 1622, or at another time during that year of warfare between the colonists and the tribes. The Powhatan (also spelled Powatan and Powhaten) or Powhatan Renape (literally the "Powhatan Human Beings" is the name of a The Indian massacre of 1622 (also known as the Jamestown Massacre) occurred in the Virginia Colony on Good Friday, March 22, 1622. Alternatively, some nonfiction books assert that he died of an illness.

Thomas Rolfe, the son of Pocahontas and John Rolfe, later returned to Virginia, where he was accepted by both the Powhatans and the English settlers. He married an English settler, and through their children, many First Families of Virginia trace their roots to both an English and Native American heritage. First Families of Virginia (FFV originated with colonists from England who primarily settled at Jamestown and along the James River and other navigable

Heritage and legacy

Rolfe in fiction

References

  1. ^ A Brief History of Jamestown, Virginia
  2. ^ A Brief History of Jamestown, Virginia
  3. ^ Chesapeake Bay Journal: Even stripped of Hollywood hype, Pocahontas remains a legend - September 2000


External links

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