Major John Bolling (January 27, 1676April 20, 1729) was a colonist, farmer and politician in the

Virginia Colony The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertGilbert (Saunders Family), Sir Humphrey" (histor ...

. He was the great-grandchild 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 ...

and her husband,

John Rolfe John Rolfe (1585 – March 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 in 1611. Biography John Rolfe is believed ...

Early life and marriage

John Bolling was the son of Colonel Robert Bolling and Jane (née Rolfe) Bolling. He was a great-grand-child of

and her husband,

. John Bolling was born at

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 ...

, in Charles City County, in the east central part of Virginia, a site which is now within the corporate limits of the City of Hopewell. He made his home at the Bolling family

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

"Cobbs" just west of Point of Rocks on the north shore of the Appomattox River downstream from present-day

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Econ ...

. (Cobbs was located in

Henrico County Henrico County , officially the County of Henrico, is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 334,389 making it the fifth-most populous county in Virginia. Henrico County is incl ...

until the area south of the James River was subdivided to form Chesterfield County in 1749.) John Bolling married Mary Kennon (–1727), daughter of Richard Kennon and Elizabeth Worsham, on December 29, 1697. They had six children, whose names appear in John Bolling's will:Henrico Wills & Deeds 1725-1737, p.242 * John Bolling Jr. (1700–1757) married Elizabeth Lewis in 1720. Later he married Elizabeth Blair (daughter of Archibald Blair and the niece of James Blair, the first president of the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William I ...

, whose second husband was Richard Bland) on August 1, 1728 and had at least nine children, including John Bolling III, who married Mary Jefferson (the sister of

United States President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

. ). His Great-great-granddaughter is Edith Bolling, the future First Lady for her husband,

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 ...

. * Jane Bolling (1703–1766) married Colonel Richard Randolph in 1724 and had seven children. * Elizabeth Bolling (b. 1709), married William Gay of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

and had three children. * Mary Bolling (1711–1744), married John Fleming and had eight children. * Martha Bolling (1713–1737), married Thomas Eldridge in 1729 and had four children. * Anne Bolling (1718–1800), married James Murray and had six children.

Later life and death

In 1722, he opened a tobacco warehouse in what is now the 'Pocahontas' neighborhood of Petersburg.

William Byrd II William Byrd II (March 28, 1674August 26, 1744) was an American planter, lawyer, surveyor, author, and a man of letters. Born in Colonial Virginia, he was educated in London, where he practiced law. Upon his father's death, he returned to Virg ...

Westover Plantation Westover Plantation is a historic colonial tidewater plantation located on the north bank of the James River in Charles City County, Virginia. Established in c. 1730–1750, it is the homestead of the Byrd family of Virginia. State Route 5, ...

is said to have remarked that Major Bolling enjoyed "all the profits of an immense trade with his countrymen, and of one still greater with the Indian." Major Bolling served in the Virginia

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 establishe ...

from 1710 until his death in 1729.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bolling, John 1676 births 1729 deaths Rolfe family of Virginia Bolling family of Virginia American planters American slave owners American people of English descent People from Charles City County, Virginia House of Burgesses members American people of Powhatan descent