Sunday, November 27, 2011

Linking Modern News to Ancestors

If our ancestors were important in history or lived in a location significant to history, there's always a chance a modern-day news article can shed light on them. I found that out today when I checked Twitter and found that BBPetura had posted a link to an article about an archaeologist who believes he has found the site of Pocahontas' wedding. You can read it here.

To sum it up, an archaeologist named William Kelso believes he has found the remains of the oldest Protestant church in the United States. Located in Jamestown, Virginia, this is believed to be where Pocahontas married.

The article is a little misleading, however, when it refers to her marriages. I don't know if it was an error in the writing or mistaken information on the part of the writer. One line near the end of the article says her marriage to John Rolfe was her second marriage to an Englishman.

Information I've read on Pocahontas in my research indicates she first married a warrior in her tribe, Kocoum, around 1610. The marriage is believed to have ended upon her capture by the English in 1613. Her second marriage and only one to an Englishman was to John Rolfe in 1614.

Even with the errors, the article was still interesting to me because I descend from the marriage of Pocahontas and John Rolfe. You can read about my multiple connections to them in the series Pocahontas Was my Grandma Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

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