Pocahontas, Alias Matoaka

This detailed biography concerns Pocahontas, daughter of a Powhatan Native American chieftain, who became famous upon marrying the colonist John Rolfe at Jamestown, Virginia in the early 1600s.


Drawing on source texts dating to the period, together with later accounts of the descendants of Pocahontas and her husband, the author compiles a compelling genealogical record. First published in 1887, this work was among the first to profile the various families that emerged in colonial New England, all of whom descended from Pocahontas’ only child Thomas Rolfe. As the legend around Pocahontas grew, it was exaggerated – several fictional accounts portray her as a noble princess adorned with colorful Native American dress, whose appearance enthralled Europeans new to the land.


This biography also discusses Pocahontas’ relationship with Captain John Smith, exploring whether her acquaintance with him was romantic – as many literary works have speculated – or merely platonic. Following this, the author appends a total of 24 pages of charts, recording various descendants. Researchers keen to learn about the genealogy will also find the appendix useful: it is comprised of some 23 notices, each of which summarizes the lives of a given descendant or family of descendants of Pocahontas.