Family history is a pretty exciting thing. My amazing mom has spent years diving into records searching out our lineage. Even before the internet! :) I can remember going to the library with her, and while I read a book she combed over microfilms on some pretty antique machines. She has traced our family back to the 1500s on her parents' side!
I remember my mom once telling me that we could be related to Pocahontas, the infamous Native American woman who fell in love with an Englishman. At the time I thought that the idea was cool, but really didn't think it could be possible. Years passed and I got a bee in my bonnet to read through her massive archive of family genealogy. I decided to check this information out for myself. Not that I didn't trust my mom, I just wanted to see it with my own eyes from multiple sources. Here is the information we have:
John Rolfe Jr. (born 5-6-1585 in Heacham, Norfolk, England; died 3-2-1621 or 1622 in James City, VA) married Matoaka Powhattan "Pocahontas" (born 9-17-1595; died 3-21-1616 or 1617 in Gravesend, England) on 4-5-1614 in Jamestown Island, VA.
Well it turns out that my mom was right (they usually are). This information matched the sources I checked out about the "John Smith & Pocahontas" we all know. I could be 14 generations away from her. It all hangs on the paternity DNA of John "Bee Log" Pate Randolph. "Bee" is my great, great, great, great grandpa on my maternal grandma's side. There is speculation that "Bee" was an illegitimate child, therefore he could break my link to being related to Pocahontas. Sounds like an episode of Maury Povich to me!
Apparently I am not the first and/or only one interested in the paternity of "Bee". Rumors of an impending DNA test are circling. Isn't that crazy??? I hope that he is the child of John Randolph Jr. That way I can have some claim to fame!
2 comments:
Beelog was also my GGG+ grandpa...ever find anything on this...I heard the same about the realm last name...maybe should have been either baker or perry? Heard beelog was born and dad died when bee was a baby, mother married a Pate and beelog took the name Pate
Bee Log was also my GGG+ Grandpa too! Hey fam! LOL. But yea he was supposed to be our Native American Connection as well and my mom is heartbroken about it all. I did the 23 and me thing and we have 0% Native American in us :(
Post a Comment