Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr. on Pocahontas' Genealogy

Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr. (1768-1828) was a Pocahontas descendant, son-in-law of Thomas Jefferson, Member of Congress and Governor of Virginia.Yet it seems that none of these qualifications prevented him from making an apparent hash of Bolling family genealogy in an undated, one-page manuscript entitled "Notes on the Genealogy of Pocahontas," found in the Thomas Jefferson Papers.The paper, which can be seen online, was pointed out by a regular reader of this forum's postings, Margaret Fleenor.One way to get the paper's image is to go to http://memory.loc.govhttp://memory.loc.gov, then use the search function, then go to the Jefferson, Thomas Papers near the bottom of the page, and then search for Pocahontas.Only one document -- the right one -- will appear.

I'd really like to hear what others have to say about Randolph's one-pager, because the penmanship and organization are sufficiently challenging as to admit multiple interpretations.Here are some things I observed:

1.Governor Randolph seemed to be interested in the percentage of Native American blood carried by succeeding generations.After "Pocahontas married John Rolfe" the headings he uses for the succeeding generations are 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, and 1/32.

2.He gave the name of Thomas Rolfe's wife as "Miss Poyers;" not "Poythress" as argued decades later by Wyndham Robertson.

3.He listed the following as "issue" of John Bolling and Elizabeth Blair: "Mrs. Richard Randolph of Curles; Mrs. Col. John Fleming; Mrs. Dr. William Gay; Mrs. Thomas Eldridge; Mrs. James Murray; Thomas Bolling of Cobbs; John Bolling married Miss Jefferson; Robert Bolling the Poet."In fact, however, Jane Bolling Randolph, Mary Bolling Fleming, Elizabeth Bolling Gay, Martha Bolling Eldridge and Anne Bolling Murray were SISTERS of the John Bolling who married Elizabeth Blair; they were daughters of John Bolling, Sr. and Mary Kennon.Indeed, one of these women — Jane Bolling Randolph — was Governor Randolph's great-grandmother.Governor Randolph failed to list any of the actual female children born to John Bolling and Elizabeth Blair Bolling.

4.Governor Randolph then indicated that John Bolling (husband of Elizabeth Blair) had a second wife.The name appears to be "Mary Burton."By this second wife, according to Randolph, he had two more children: Archibald and Edward.In fact, however, Mary Burton was the first wife of Col. Robert Bolling of Chellowe (AKA "Robert Bolling the Poet"), or John Bolling's daughter-in-law.Governor Randolph makes no mention of Elizabeth Lewis, John Bolling's actual first wife, by whom he had no children.

Again, multiple sets of eyes on this document will see things I didn't and correct mistakes I've made.Those of us who feel frustrated by genealogical mistakes we make 250 years after the fact can take comfort, it would seem, that Thomas Mann Randolph thoroughly botched the "red Bollings," even at a time when one name on his list (Archibald Bolling) was most probably a living person and another (Thomas Bolling of Cobbs) may have been.Thanks to Margaret Fleenor for spotting "Notes on the Genealogy of Pocahontas."