Colonel Robert Bolling (December 26, 1646July 17, 1709), sometimes called Robert Bolling, Sr., after he gave a son his own name, was a wealthy early American settler planter and merchant.

Ancestry and early life

Robert Bolling was the son of John Bolling (b. 1615) and Mary Carie (née Clarke) Bolling. He was named after his grandfather Robert Bolling; his grandmother was Anne Clarke. He was born at Tower Street, All Hallows, Barking Parish, in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on December 26, 1646.The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Volume 7, 1899, pages 352-353. His father John, was one of the Bollings of

Bolling Hall Bolling Hall (December 25, 1767 – February 25, 1836) was a United States Representative from Georgia. He was born in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. He served in the American Revolutionary War at the age of 16. After the war, he moved to Hanc ...

, near

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

, England. Robert's ancestry could be traced to Robert Bolling, Esquire, who died in 1485 and was buried in the family vault in the church of Bradford. On October 2, 1660, at the age of fourteen, Bolling arrived in the colony of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. In 1674, he married

Jane Rolfe Jane Rolfe (October 10, 1650 – January 26–27, 1676) was the granddaughter of Pocahontas and English colonist John Rolfe, (credited with introducing a strain of tobacco for export by the struggling Virginia Colony). Her husband was Colonel Robe ...

, daughter of

Thomas Rolfe Thomas Rolfe (January 30, 1615 – ) was the only child of Matoaka (Pocahontas) and her English husband, John Rolfe. His maternal grandfather was Chief Wahunsenacawh (or Powhatan), the leader of the Powhatan tribe in Virginia. Early life Thomas ...

, the son of

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...

. They had one son,

John Bolling Major John Bolling (January 27, 1676April 20, 1729) was a colonist, farmer and politician in the Virginia Colony. He was the great-grandchild of Pocahontas and her husband, John Rolfe. Early life and marriage John Bolling was the son of Colo ...

(January 26, 1676 – April 20, 1729). Jane Rolfe Bolling is believed to have died shortly after their sons birth. John Bolling married Mary Kennon, daughter of Richard Kennon and Elizabeth Worsham, and they had seven children.

Second marriage

In 1681, after his first wife died, Col. Bolling married his second wife Anne Stith, daughter of John Drury and Jane (Gregory) Stith. They had the following children together: *Robert Bolling Jr. (1682–1749), married Anne Mary Cocke. Robert was the grandfather of

Beverley Randolph Beverley Randolph (1754February 7, 1797) was an American politician from Virginia. From 1788 to 1791, he served as the eighth Governor of Virginia. Biography Randolph was one of four children born to Peter Randolph, son of William Randolph II ...

, the eighth

Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022. Oath of office On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...

. Robert and Anne were also the great-grandparents of Anne Custis – wife of Robert Edward Lee. *Stith Bolling (1686–1727), married Elizabeth Hartwell. *Captain Edward Bolling (1687–1710), married Ms. Slaughter died of smallpox at sea. *Anne Bolling (1690–1750), married Robert Wynne. *Drury Bolling (1695–1726), married Elizabeth Meriwether. (Elizabeth's brother Nicholas Meriwether was a great-great-grandfather of Captain

Meriwether Lewis Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, with ...

the explorer.) *Thomas Bolling (1697–1734). *Agnes Bolling (1700–1762), married Richard Kennon. The descendants of Robert Bolling's first marriage are sometimes referred to in family history forums as "Red Bollings" due to the Native American lineage of Jane Rolfe's grandmother Pocahontas. These "Red Bollings" include prominent descendants such as

Edith Bolling Wilson Edith Wilson ( Bolling, formerly Galt; October 15, 1872 – December 28, 1961) was the first lady of the United States from 1915 to 1921 and the second wife of President Woodrow Wilson. She married the widower Wilson in December 1915, during hi ...

, wife of U.S. President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

. Bolling's great-grandson,

Robert Bolling Colonel Robert Bolling (December 26, 1646July 17, 1709), sometimes called Robert Bolling, Sr., after he gave a son his own name, was a wealthy early American settler planter and merchant. Ancestry and early life Robert Bolling was the son o ...

, was one of the most prolific poets in colonial Virginia. The descendants of his second marriage are referred to as "White Bollings".

Career and death

As a successful merchant and planter, Bolling acquired a large estate,

Kippax Plantation Kippax Plantation was located on the south bank of the Appomattox River in what is today the City of Hopewell in southeast Virginia. Kippax Plantation was the home of Colonel Robert Bolling (1646–1709). Bolling married Jane Rolfe, who was ...

. He was colonel of the militia and was a member of the

House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been established ...

representing

Charles City County Charles City County is a county located in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated southeast of Richmond and west of Jamestown. It is bounded on the south by the James River and on the east by the Chickahominy River. The ...

in 1702. Robert Bolling died on July 17, 1709, and was buried on his plantation Kippax, in Prince George Co.,

, where his tomb still stands. However, in 1858, his remains were removed from Kippax to the Bolling mausoleum at

Blandford Cemetery Blandford Cemetery is a historic cemetery located in Petersburg, Virginia. The oldest stone, marking the grave of Richard Yarbrough, reads 1702. It is located adjacent to the People's Memorial Cemetery, a historic African-American cemetery. Alt ...

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Din ...

erected by his great grandson.

Archaeological record

Archaeologist Donald W. Linebaugh, of the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

, located the remains of Col. Bolling's house in

Hopewell, Virginia Hopewell is an independent city surrounded by Prince George County and the Appomattox River in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 23,033. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Hopewell with Prin ...

in 2002.

References

Sources

* ''American Presidential Families'', Hugh Brogan and Charles Mosley, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, 1993. * ''Pocahontas, alias Matoaka, and her descendants : at Jamestown, Virginia, in April, 1614, with John Rolfe, gentleman : including the names of Alfriend, Archer, Bentley, Bernard, Bland, Bolling, Branch, Cabell, Catlett, Cary, Dandridge, Dixon, Douglas, Duval, Eldridge, Ellett, Ferguson, Field, Fleming, Gay, Gordon, Griffin, Grayson, Harrison, Hubard, Lewis, Logan, Markham, Meade, McRae, Murray, Page, Poythress, Randolph, Robertson, Skipwith, Stanard, Tazewell, Walke, West, Whittle, and others : with biographical sketches'', Wyndham Robertson, J. W. Randolph & English, 1887.

External links

UK Archaeologist Locates 17th Century Merchant's House, Plans Excavation with Students, Dan Adkins, March 8, 2002
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolling, Robert 1646 births 1709 deaths American people of English descent American planters Bolling family of Virginia People from the City of London Rolfe family of Virginia English emigrants Colonial American merchants