{{Short description|American planter, politician and military officer (1676–1729)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = John Bolling | image = JOHN BOLLING (1676-1729).jpg | caption = | office1 = Burgess representing Henrico County | term_start1 = 1723 | term_end1 = 1726 | preceded1 = Thomas Randolph | succeeded1 = John Bolling Jr. | alongside= William Randolph | term_start2 = 1718 | term_end2 = 1719 | preceded2 = Richard Cocke | succeeded2 = Thomas Randolph | alongside2= William Randolph | term_start3 = 1710 | term_end3 =1714 | preceded3 = Francis Epes | succeeded3 =Richard Cocke | alongside3= William Randolph, Francis Epes, Francis Epes Jr. | birth_date = {{Birth date|1676|01|27}} | birth_place = Kippax plantation, Prince George County, Colony of Virginia | death_date = {{Death date and age|1729|04|20|1676|01|27}} | death_place = Cobbs Plantation, Henrico County, Colony of Virginia | resting_place = Chesterfield County, Virginia | mother = Jane Rolfe | father = Robert Bolling | parents = | spouse = {{marriage|Mary Kennon|December 29, 1697|1727|end=died}} | children = John Bolling Jr.<br/>Jane Bolling<br/>Elizabeth Bolling<br/>Mary Bolling<br/>Martha Bolling<br/>Anne Bolling | relatives = Thomas Rolfe (maternal grandfather) <br> Pocahontas (maternal great-grandmother) }}
'''John Bolling''' (January 27, 1676{{spaced ndash}}April 20, 1729) was an American merchant, planter, politician and military officer in the colony of Virginia, who served several terms in the House of Burgesses, all representing Henrico County.<ref name="DVB">{{cite book | first=Peter | last=Bergstrom |entry=Bolling, John (1677-1729) | title=Dictionary of Virginia Biography | date=2001 | volume=2 | pages=61–62 }}</ref><ref>John Frederick Dorman, ''Adventurers of Purse and Person'', 4th ed., vol. 3 (2007), p. 28</ref> The earliest of four related men of the same name to serve in the Virginia General Assembly, he was the great-grandson of Pocahontas and her husband, John Rolfe. He is often confused with his firstborn son of the same name (who also held the same militia rank of major), John Bolling (1700-1757) who at various times because of the creation of new counties and his own establishment of "Bolling Hall" plantation in Goochland County, represented Goochland, Henrico and Chesterfield counties).<ref>Dorman p. 29</ref>
== Early life == [[File:Coat of Arms of Robert Bolling.svg|thumb|Bolling's coat of arms]] John Bolling was born at Kippax Plantation, which his father had established in Charles City County, in the east central part of Virginia, a site which is now within the corporate limits of the City of Hopewell. John Bolling was the son of Jane Rolfe (who died shortly after birth) and her husband, English-born merchant and later burgess Colonel Robert Bolling (1646-1709).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/thomas-rolfe.htm|title=Thomas Rolfe – Historic Jamestowne Part of Colonial National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)|website=nps.gov}}</ref> Thus, he was the only great-grandchild of Pocahontas and her husband, John Rolfe.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1995/07/09/laying-claim-to-pocahontas/37df7358-fa6e-4008-8e13-0c8fac00ee67/|title=LAYING CLAIM TO POCAHONTAS|work=The Washington Post}}</ref> After this boy's mother died in 1709, his father remarried, to Ann Stith, who bore several additional children, including his half brother who also served in the House of Burgesses.
== Merchant and planter == Like his father, John Bolling was a merchant, later writing that he "devoted himself to commerce" and "received all the profits of an immense trade with his countrymen, and of one still greater with the Indians."<ref name="DVB" /> In November 1704, this man bought "Cobbs" plantation just west of Point of Rocks on the north shore of the Appomattox River downstream from present-day Petersburg, Virginia. (Cobbs was located in Henrico County until the area south of the James River was subdivided to form Chesterfield County in 1749.) In 1722, Bolling opened a tobacco warehouse in what is now the 'Pocahontas' neighborhood of Petersburg.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}}
Bolling had many conferences with William Byrd II, a powerful merchant, politician and planter associated with Westover Plantation. Byrd made Bolling his supply agent for an expedition to survey the colony's southern boundary, which expedition occurred the year before Bolling's death.<ref name="DVB" />
Bolling inherited about 5,000 acres from his father, and acquired much more land in what became several different counties in his lifetime and more later. He operated those plantations at least in part using enslaved labor, and owned many slaves when he died. His last will and testament bequeathed Cobbs plantation and 600 acres to his widow, as well as 1,200 acres to each of their two daughters, with his son and primary heir receiving 15,000 acres.<ref name="DVB" /> == Public life == Bolling probably was a vestryman of Dale Parish, and served as an officer in the county militia, receiving promotions from captain to major.<ref name="DVB" />
Henrico voters elected John Bolling as one of their representatives in the Virginia House of Burgesses for most (but not all) of the sessions between 1710 until succeeded by his son in 1726.<ref>Cynthia Miller Leonard, The Virginia General Assembly 1619-1978 (Richmond: Virginia State Library 1978) pp. 65, 67, 69, 72</ref>
==Personal life== John Bolling married Mary Kennon (–1727), daughter of Richard Kennon and Elizabeth Worsham, on December 29, 1697. They had six children, whose names appear in John Bolling's will:<ref>Henrico Wills & Deeds 1725-1737, p.242</ref> * John Bolling Jr. (1700–1757) married Elizabeth Lewis in 1720. Later he married Elizabeth Blair (daughter of Archibald Blair and the niece of James Blair, the first president of the College of William & Mary; her second husband was Richard Bland) on August 1, 1728. He had at least nine children, including John Bolling III, who married Mary Jefferson (the sister of United States President Thomas Jefferson<ref name="Pecquet du Bellet">{{cite book |last1=Pecquet du Bellet |first1=Louise |title=Some Prominent Virginia Families |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3iQSAAAAYAAJ |volume=IV |publisher=J.P. Bell Company |location=Lynchburg, Virginia |pages=304–314 |chapter=Bolling Family |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3iQSAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA304 |year=1907 }}</ref><!-- The reference incorrectly states "Martha Jefferson". --><!-- First marriage to Elizabeth Lewis? -->). His great-great-granddaughter was Edith Bolling, the future First Lady for her husband, Woodrow Wilson. * Jane Bolling (1703–1766) married Colonel Richard Randolph in 1724 and had seven children.<ref name="Pecquet du Bellet"/><ref name="Page">{{cite book |last1=Page |first1=Richard Channing Moore |title=Genealogy of the Page Family in Virginia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cOBBAAAAMAAJ |edition=2 |year=1893 |publisher=Press of the Publishers Printing Co. |location=New York |pages=249–272 |chapter=Randolph Family |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cOBBAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA247 }}</ref><ref name="Glenn">{{cite book |editor1-first=Thomas Allen |editor1-last=Glenn |title=Some Colonial Mansions: And Those Who Lived in Them : With Genealogies of the Various Families Mentioned |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iQkpAAAAYAAJ |volume=1 |year=1898 |publisher=Henry T. Coates & Company |location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |pages=430–459 |chapter=The Randolphs: Randolph Genealogy |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iQkpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA433 }}</ref> * Elizabeth Bolling (b. 1709), married William Gay of Scotland and had three children.<ref name="Pecquet du Bellet"/> * Mary Bolling (1711–1744), married John Fleming and had eight children.<ref name="Pecquet du Bellet"/> * Martha Bolling (1713–1737), married Thomas Eldridge in 1729 and had four children.<ref name="Pecquet du Bellet"/> * Anne Bolling (1718–1800), married James Murray and had six children.<ref name="Pecquet du Bellet"/>
==Death and legacy== Bolling died at Cobbs plantation on April 20, 1729, according to various historians either still a burgess,<ref name = "DVB"/> or three years after his firstborn son began serving in the House of Burgesses.<ref>Dorman</ref> In either event, he was buried at Cobbs plantation.<ref name = "DVB"/> In addition to the land bequests described above, Bolling also left cash gifts totaling more than 700 pounds.
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{Find a Grave|34656576}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolling, John}} Category:1676 births Category:1729 deaths John Category:17th-century owners of plantations in the Thirteen Colonies Category:Slave owners from the Thirteen Colonies Category:People from Charles City County, Virginia Category:House of Burgesses members Category:18th-century owners of plantations in the Thirteen Colonies Category:Merchants from colonial Virginia Category:American people of Powhatan descent Category:Slave owners from Virginia