Pocahontas (Mother's Day Weekend SPECIAL)
About this episode
This episode explores the life of Pocahontas, her marriage to John Rolfe, and her legacy as a mother and cultural symbol.
Pocahontas became a MOTHER, when she married English planter John Rolfe in 1614 and gave birth ten months later to their son, Thomas Rolfe, in January 1615. Thomas Rolfe, who survived into adulthood and had his own descendants, lived in England and later returned to Virginia. Pocahontas took her son with her when she traveled to England in 1616, where she was introduced to high society. Shortly before returning to Virginia, Pocahontas died in 1617 of a suspected illness at age 22, leaving Thomas in England with his uncle before he later went to live in Virginia. While some oral histories suggest she may also have had a child named Ka-Okee with her first husband, Kocoum, this is not documented in mainstream historical records, which focus on her son with Rolfe. Her marriage and son were seen at the time as a symbol of the "peace" between the English settlers and the Powhatan people, and her name at baptism, Rebecca, was interpreted by some as "mother of two peoples". In 1608, Pocahontas (1596–1617) befriended the daring English explorer and adventurer John Smith (1580–1631) and later converted to Christianity. Her story has been romanticized over the years, many…
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