How many kids did Pocahontas have? This question has intrigued historians and enthusiasts for centuries. Pocahontas, a Native American woman of the Powhatan tribe, is famously known for her interactions with the English colonists in Virginia in the early 17th century. She has become an iconic figure in American history, and much has been written about her life and the impact she had on the relationship between Native Americans and European settlers. However, the specifics of her family life, including the number of children she had, remain somewhat shrouded in mystery.
Pocahontas’s children were born to her marriage with John Rolfe, an English colonist. The couple was married in April 1614, and their first child, Thomas Rolfe, was born on January 8, 1615. Thomas Rolfe is often considered the first child born to an English father and an indigenous mother in the English colonies in America. However, there is some debate about whether this is entirely accurate, as the historical records are not entirely clear on this point.
The second child, a daughter named Rebecca Rolfe, was born on January 2, 1616. Rebecca was the first child born to an Englishman and an indigenous woman in the New World. Both Thomas and Rebecca Rolfe are significant figures in American history, as they played a role in bridging the cultural divide between Native Americans and the English colonists.
Unfortunately, Pocahontas’s life was marked by tragedy. She contracted smallpox in 1617 and died on March 21, 1617, at the age of 22. Her death was a great loss to both the Powhatan people and the English colonists, as she was seen as a symbol of hope and a potential mediator between the two groups. Pocahontas was buried in the churchyard of St. George’s Church in Gravesend, England.
Following Pocahontas’s death, her children remained in England with their father. Thomas Rolfe returned to Virginia, where he became a successful planter and helped to establish the tobacco industry. Rebecca Rolfe, on the other hand, returned to the New World with her husband, John Smith, who was a close friend of her father. The Smiths had two children together, and Rebecca passed away in 1657.
The question of how many kids Pocahontas had is, therefore, answered by the two children she had with John Rolfe: Thomas and Rebecca Rolfe. Their legacy, however, extends beyond just their numbers, as they embody the complex relationship between Native Americans and European settlers during the early colonial period in America.
