John Bolling
Encyclopedia
Major John Fairfax Bolling (January 27, 1676 – April 20, 1729) was a colonist, farmer, and politician in the Virginia Colony. He was the son of Colonel Robert Bolling
and Jane (née Rolfe) Bolling
. His maternal grandfather was Thomas Rolfe
, Pocahontas
and John Rolfe
's son.
John Bolling was born at Kippax Plantation
, in Charles City County
, a site which is now within the corporate limits of the City of Hopewell
. He made his home at the Bolling family plantation
"Cobbs" just west of Point of Rocks on the north shore of the Appomattox River
downstream from present-day Petersburg, Virginia
. (Cobbs was located in Henrico County
until the area south of the James River
was subdivided to form Chesterfield County
in 1749).
from 1710 until his death.
In 1722, he opened a tobacco
warehouse in what is now the 'Pocahontas' neighbourhood of Petersburg. William Byrd II
of Westover Plantation
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."
, Percival Lowell
, Harry Flood Byrd and Richard Evelyn Byrd
.
Robert Bolling
Colonel Robert Bolling was a wealthy early American settler planter and merchant.- Ancestry and Early Life :...
and Jane (née Rolfe) Bolling
Jane Rolfe
Jane Rolfe was the granddaughter of Pocahontas and the English colonist John Rolfe, ....
. His maternal grandfather was Thomas Rolfe
Thomas Rolfe
Thomas Rolfe was the only child of Pocahontas by her English husband, John Rolfe. His maternal grandfather was Wahunsunacock, the chief of Powhatan tribe in Virginia.-Early Life:Thomas Rolfe was born in Virginia...
, Pocahontas
Pocahontas
Pocahontas was a Virginia Indian notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of Chief Powhatan, the head of a network of tributary tribal nations in Tidewater Virginia...
and John Rolfe
John Rolfe
John Rolfe 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.In 1961, the Jamestown...
's son.
John Bolling was born at Kippax Plantation
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 . Bolling married Jane Rolfe, who was the granddaughter of Pocahontas and John Rolfe...
, in Charles City County
Charles City County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,926 people, 2,670 households, and 1,975 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 people per square mile . There were 2,895 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile...
, a site which is now within the corporate limits of the City of Hopewell
Hopewell, Virginia
Hopewell is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 22,591 at the 2010 Census . It is in Tri-Cities area of the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. He made his home at the Bolling family plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
"Cobbs" just west of Point of Rocks on the north shore of the Appomattox River
Appomattox River
The Appomattox River is a tributary of the James River, approximately long, in central and eastern Virginia in the United States, named for the Appomattocs Indian tribe who lived along its lower banks in the 17th century...
downstream from present-day Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...
. (Cobbs was located in Henrico County
Henrico County, Virginia
Henrico is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. As of 2010, Henrico was home to 306,935 people. It is located in the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area...
until the area south of the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
was subdivided to form Chesterfield County
Chesterfield County, Virginia
Chesterfield County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. In 2010, its population was estimated to be 316,236. Chesterfield County is now the fourth-largest municipality in Virginia . Its county seat is Chesterfield...
in 1749).
Personal life
John Bolling married Mary Kennon (1679-1727), daughter of Richard Kennon and Elizabeth Worsham, on December 29, 1697. They had at least six children, whose names appear in John Bolling's will:- John Bolling Jr. (1700–1757) married Elizabeth Bland Blair (who was the niece of James Blair, the first president of The College of William & Mary) in 1728 and had seven children, including John Bolling, who married Mary Jefferson, the sister of United States President Thomas JeffersonThomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
. - Jane Bolling (1703–1766) married Colonel Richard RandolphRichard RandolphRichard Randolph , sometimes referred to as Richard Randolph of Curles Neck, was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and a Treasurer for the Colony of Virginia...
in 1714 or 1720 and had six children. - Elizabeth Bolling (b. 1709), married William Gay and had three children.
- Mary Bolling (1711–1744), married John Fleming and had six 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
Major Bolling served in the Virginia House of BurgessesHouse of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the first assembly of elected representatives of English colonists in North America. The House was established by the Virginia Company, who created the body as part of an effort to encourage English craftsmen to settle in North America...
from 1710 until his death.
In 1722, he opened a tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
warehouse in what is now the 'Pocahontas' neighbourhood of Petersburg. William Byrd II
William Byrd II
Colonel William Byrd II was a planter, slave-owner and author from Charles City County, Virginia. He is considered the founder of Richmond, Virginia.-Biography:...
of Westover Plantation
Westover Plantation
Westover Plantation is located on the north bank of the James River in Charles City County, Virginia. It is located south of State Route 5, a scenic byway which runs between the independent cities of Richmond and Williamsburg...
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."
Legacy
John and Mary Bolling's descendants are some of the only American descendants of Pocahontas, and include Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, wife of U. S. President Woodrow WilsonWoodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
, Percival Lowell
Percival Lowell
Percival Lawrence Lowell was a businessman, author, mathematician, and astronomer who fueled speculation that there were canals on Mars, founded the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, and formed the beginning of the effort that led to the discovery of Pluto 14 years after his death...
, Harry Flood Byrd and Richard Evelyn Byrd
Richard Evelyn Byrd
Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, Jr., USN was a naval officer who specialized in feats of exploration. He was a pioneering American aviator, polar explorer, and organizer of polar logistics...
.