Pocahontas descendants include local woman -- 2015

IMHOFF, STUMBO, ROLFE, BOWLING, OSBORNE, BLANKENSHIP, JONES

Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 12/6/2015 at 14:43:14

"The Fairfield Ledger"
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Front Page

Locals descended from Pocahontas
by Nicole Hester-Williams
Ledger staff writer

During the traditional festivities of the Thanksgiving holidays, thoughts of a peaceful meal shared between English pilgrims and Native Americans at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts come to mind; but, the story of a Native princess who wed an English settler in Jamestown, Virginia, might hit a little closer to home.

"I've read that there are thousands of descendants of Pocahontas; but I don't know if I'm the only one from around here or not, but they wouldn't be related to me close, since I'm from Kentucky," said Crawfordsville resident Helen STUMBO IMHOFF, who recently discovered proof that she is a descendent (sic) of this historical Pocahontas and John ROLFE.

In fact, both of IMHOFF's parents are descendents of the couple.

IMHOFF said she knew the Powhatan princess was related to her through her family's oral history passed down through the generations.

"I had done a little genealogy myself, but I couldn't connect some of the dots," IMHOFF said.

However, the proof came after her cousin, who had studied the family's genealogy for decades, made the connection.

"My cousin worked on this for 30 years," IMHOFF said. "She had it all down from her research. I had the proof of it for the first time last month."

IMHOFF said her cousin, Brenda STUMBO, who lives in Idaho, serves as the family's historian, collecting and saving old photos and conducting extensive research on family documents -- she even traveled to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

"She used the Internet, talked to relatives -- she has all kinds of stuff; she'll take every picture you give her," IMHOFF laughed. "She's the historian of the family. Her father and mine were brothers."

When IMHOFF met with her cousin last month, she brought home copies of the long line of history, which connected her to the native princess.

IMHOFF found she is Pocahontas's 12th great-granddaughter on her mother's side.

Pocahontas belonged to the Powhatan tribe and she was known as one of the favorite daughters of Chief Powhatan, who was also known as Wahunsenacawh.

Pocahontas is more commonly known for her heroic rescue of Captain John Smith of Jamestown, when she she laid her own head over his to keep him from being slaughtered at her father's command.

"It starts off with Pocahontas and John ROLFE, next was Thomas and Jane ROLFE then Maj. John BOWLING Sr., John BOWLING Jr., Benjamin BOWLING, Hannah BOWLING, Anna OSBORNE, Mariana BLANKENSHIP, Marcus Leon Kingdom JONES -- this was my great-grandfather, who I knew. Then Charlie JONES, who was my grandpa and then my mother, Stella JONES STUMBO," IMHOFF said.

Thomas ROLFE was John ROLFE and Pocahontas's only direct descendant.

Thomas, who was born in Jamestown, Virginia, returned there from England when he was 20-years-old.

Although IMHOFF has her roots in the South, she met her husband Jerry, who is a Iowa native from Wayland, while they were both working in Virginia.

The couple later settled in Jerry's hometown.

The IMHOFFs' (sic) have three children who also reside in Iowa.

"I'm fascinated by history; so to find a link to someone who had an important role in American history makes me proud. It makes you wonder what traits you have that may have come from them," said IMHOFF's daughter Melanie IMHOFF.

Melanie said a year ago, she'd found a portrait of Pocahontas while searching the Internet.

"Ironically, last year [a co-worker] was looking up stuff on Pocahontas and found a [portrait] of her," she laughed. "My daughter, Skylar has some similarities to the picture."

In 1995, Walt Disney Pictures produced "Pocahontas," an animated film loosely based on her life.

Numerous landmarks and places throughout North America have been named after the American Indian princess, including the town of Pocahontas, Iowa, and towns and counties in Illinois, Arkansas, West Virginia, Mississippi and Alberta, Canada.

*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I have no relation to the person(s) mentioned.

Jefferson Documents maintained by Joey Stark.
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