The True Story of Pocahontas: Historical Myths Versus Sad Reality. The Murky Tale of John Smith and the Mermaid. Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources: First Lady Edith Wilson also descended from Pocahontas. A Las Vegas entertainer named Wayne Newton is one of the many descendants of Pocahontas that went on to be famous. Even his grave marker says “Son of Pocahontas” as the only description of who he was as a person. The tribe had also left land to Pocahontas’ first daughter, who Thomas never got to meet.įor the rest of his life, Thomas Rolfe was defined by his parents. Much of it once belonged to the Powhatan people. This included a significant portion of land in Virginia when he died. Since he had no other children, he left everything to Thomas in his last will and testament.

It would seem like he had been kidnapped (which he had) and that he was finally returning to his true home.Īccording to records, John Rolfe wasn’t willing to share his money with Thomas when he was still alive, but you can’t take money with you when you’re dead. They were terrified that if he left England and chose to move to America, it would make England look very bad in the eyes of the public.

Thomas Rolfe was still very famous, because of the legends of his mother. He tried to ask the governor if it would be alright for him to visit his Native American relatives back in Virginia and bring his wife with him, but the judge said no. They had one daughter together, also named Jane. He married a woman named Jane Poythress, whose father owned a lot of land in Virginia. When he grew up, he used this land to farm a plantation, and he made his living off of the land. In 1622, the English court system gave Thomas a few acres of his father’s land when he was just 7 years old. He went to court to demand that his nephew should be left some sort of child support, and his petition was granted. Even though this was a lie to cover up the crimes of the men on Captain Argall’s ship, Henry Rolfe had it in writing. However, he signed all of the legal documents in England claiming that he was the father. Not only was this cold and heartless, but it also suggests that John Rolfe was not Thomas’ biological father, after all. John Rolfe did not leave any sort of child support for Thomas.

Thomas would have been around 5 years old at the time. So, he handed the boy over to his brother, Henry Rolfe, who was willing to take care of him. He wanted to continue his journey back to Virginia and make his fortune tobacco farming. Pocahontas’ Son Had Famous DescendantsĪfter she died, John Rolfe wanted nothing to do with Pocahontas’ son, Thomas. A portrait was painted of Pocahontas and her son, Thomas Rolfe.

The real pocahontas