Virtual Jamestown

Thanks (Pila Huc), I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed the virtual tour of the pomeiooc town. That was REALLY cool!! Jeffdb in STL

Barb, thanks for that post and the images really help put us into that time and life. I hadn’t looked here recently but I believe last year I found the letter of John Rolfe to the Governor,Sir Thomas Dale declaring his love for Pocahontas and desire to make her his wife. If the readers , and I suppose all of us have heard the many explainations of why English men were taking Native women to wife, would read this you will be informed of such a love for a woman that he (Rolfe) would move heaven and hell to have her for his true love and wife.

Rolfe opens his innermost being to the Governor and we need to realize as he does this the negative results of such a union could have been far reaching. His standing and role of leadership of the colony could have been questioned and even his faith could have been judged. In a most eloquent manner he reveals his respect for English law and the Governor and declares this is not a decision made lightly but with great knowledge of the effects it could have on him and his position as a Gentleman, Nobleman and Leader. He also considers his “Wife’s” acceptance in their society and what she would face in this matter.

If this letter of 1614 is true, and we have no reason to doubt it, then we clear the smoke of political correctness which wants to make this a marriage of convenience and political ploy and see a Man who Loves a Woman and is ready to risk his career, his life even that she should be his Wife and the Mother of his children. Thanks again Barb for bringing up this site.

To read this account just go to Virtual Jamestown and then First Hand Accounts and Letters. Then go to Documents from the Early Years of the Colony and the 7th letter down from there. “John Rolfe’s Letter to Sir Thomas Dale. ED

You know, Ed, that letter came to mind yesterday. The actual letter is at the Smith Fort Plantation museum. We visited there on our honeymoon and were able to actually see the letter and able to read most of the writings. (Thanks to having “census eyes” and reading old documents through research). It was a fantastic thing to see.