There are many with the Rolfe name in America. From what I have seen on the various message boards many wish to have decended from John Rolfe and Pocahantis but unfortunately they only had a daughter. The Rolfe names come in various spellings including Rolfe, Rolph, Roffe, Rof and Roff. My family decends from Henry Rolfe who was born in Hamptworth, Wiltshire England in 1515 and married Agnes Butter. They had three children, Margaret, Richard and John. Very little is known about their personal history other than dates. John had a son named Henry and this is where this particular branch of Rolfe came to America.

HENRY ROLFE (John, Henry) was born 05 September 1585 in Melchett Park, Downton, Wiltshire England, and died 01 March 1642/43 in Newbury, Essex, MA. He married HONOUR ROLFE on 26 May 1631 in Whiteparish, Wiltshire, England. She was born abt 1598 in Hamptonworth, Wiltshire, England and died 19 December 1650 in Charleston, Middlesex, MA.
Henry and Honour immigrate to New England in 1635 where they settled in Newburyport Mass, in that part of the town that, in 1764, separated as the town of Newbury. In 1642 Henry was registered as a "proprietor of Lands." He was not recorded as a Freeman, probably because of his early death (1643). It is not known on which vessel they sailed to New England. They have often been erroneously noted as having sailed as passengers on the "Confidence" as did his brother John Rolfe and family and his nephew, Thomas Whittier, ancestor of the famous poet John Greenleaf Whittier. Henry's brother John (b 1558 in Melchett Pk. Wiltshire, England d. 1664) sailed on the Confidence in 1638, but there is no mention of Henry and his family.
Henry and Honour were first cousins, once removed. Henry's father was the brother of Honour's maternal grandfather. Her mother Agnes Rolfe married Richard Rolfe (b. abt 1567) who may or may not have been related. Agnes Rolfe was born in 1573 and Agnes' father was the brother of our John Rolfe of 1550. Honour died at the home of her daughter Ann Blanchard. The will of Richard Rolfe (1598) Honour's father, mentions Henry and Thomas Rof as his brothers-in-law, William Sanders as his brother (actually a half-brother), his wife Agnes, his daughter Agnes, his daughter Honner Rof, John Rofe as his brother-in-law and John Rofe as his "onkele" (probably meaning his wife's uncle). From Images of Pioneers of Massachusetts: Will dated 15 (12) 1642I desire my goods may be equally divided to my wife & all my children, only my sonne John Roffe must have the howse & land morethen all the rest of my children and that their porcons shalbe divided when they be 21 yeares of age if they marry not before. In case my wife dye or marry then the goods shalbe divided; otherwise not till my eldest childe come to be 21 years of age. But still to remayne in their mothers hands with the rest till that either of them are 21 years of age or marry. If any of my children dye then that porcon shalbe equally divided betweene my wife & rest of my children. I doe give unto my wife one great brasse pott and one great brasse pann, and a great brasse posnett and a chafing dish and five pewter platters I doe give unto my Kinsman Thomas Whittear a swarme of bees. I desire my brother John Roffe and my Cosen John Saunders of Sallisbery and William Mondy of Newberry to oversee my will & order it to my desire & according to my will.

Children of Henry Rolfe and Honour Rolfe
I. Anna Rolfe
II. Hannah Rolfe
III. John Rolfe *
IV. Benjamin Rolfe

JOHN ROLFE (Henry, John, Henry) was born 10 May 1634, Cambridge, Suffolk, MA and died. 01 October 1681 in Newbury, Essex, MA. He married MARY SCULLARD 4 Dec 1656 in Newbury, Essex, MA. She was born 1625 in Wiltshire, England and died in Cambridge, Middlesex, MA.
John died at Newbury in the home of his brother Benjamin having made his will on the same day, which was witnessed by Sarah Hale and Apphia Rolfe. Of his 10 children, all the sons, John, Samuel, Joseph, Benjamin, Henry and Moses were residents of Woodbridge NJ, where John, Benjamin and Moses married and had children. John had purchased land in Woodbridge NJ prior to his death. It was shortly after his death that the family, with the exception of the daughter Rebecca, relocated to Woodbridge. The sons of John Jr. changed the spelling of their surname to Rolph. John one of the first settlers of Newbury and a proprietor of Salisbury was admitted freeman in 1639 and died 8 Feb 1663. His last wife, Mary Scullard, he married. 4 Dec 1634 (The First 20 Settlers of New England)
Will of John Rolfe in Essex County Probate Records, Vol.1, p 21-2 leaves L10 to John Rofe my brothers son and unto his two daughters Marie and Rebecca Rofe five pounds.On 1670 Sept 10, Jho. Roffe of Nantucket ack. receipt from Jno. Biship Sr of Nantucket of "forty od pounds" in behalf of his wife Mary Rolfe, formerly Mary Sculler, it being her share.given unto her by her father, Samuell Sculler. The L5 given her by her grandfather Richard Kent included in the value.?

Mary Scullard is the daughter of Samuel Scullard (b. 1610 England d. April 1647 Newbury) and Rebecca Kent b. 1612 Newbury m. 1641 d. 1684 Newbury). It was after the birth of their 3rd child and while John was away from Newbury that Mary became involved in a scandal with a Dr. Henry Greenland, a newcomer to Newbury. He was found guild of adultery and ordered out of Newbury. He went first to Kittery Maine from where he was forced to leave. He then relocated to Piscataway NJ where he and his family settled. Shortly after John's return to Newbury, He, Mary and their daughters, Mary and Rebecca relocated to Nantucket where their next five children were born.

George Cooke built the original Cooke?s mill in 1637. Cooke returned to England where he became a Captain in Cromwell?s army. He died in England. Meanwhile the mill descended into ruin. In 1670 George Cooke daughter Mary, living in England, sold her father?s 600 acre farm at Cambridge Farm (now Lexington) as well as 20 acres of land in Menotomy (now Arlington) to John Rolfe of Nantucket. Rolfe erected an entirely new water powered mill on the old site. After John died in 1681 Mary sold 1/5th of Cooke Farm (abt 120 acres). She and her son Moses laid out a second Mill Brook water mill system of pond, dam, mill and millrace at what is now Mill Street in Arlington. In 1704 Mary?s son in law, William Cutter, built a dam 15ft high near his home on the present Mill Street, raising the level of the pond and erecting a sawmill. In 1714 Moses sold 130 acres of Cooke?s Farm to John Cutter (Wm Cutters son). In 1718 Moses sold 100 acres of Cooke?s Farm to William Cutter.
Children of JOHN ROLFE and MARY SCULLARD:
I. Mary Rolfe
II. Mary Rolfe
III. Rebecca Rolfe
IV. John Rolfe
V. Samuel Rolfe
VI. Sarah Rolfe
VII. Joseph Rolfe
VIII. Hannah Rolfe
IX. Benjamin Rolfe
X. Esther Rolfe
XI. Henry Rolfe
XII. Moses Rolfe *

(now here is a place of confusion. Some people believe that Moses Rolfe married Mary Hale the daughter of Samuel Hale and Sara Ilsley, others say it is Mary Higgins, daughter of Jediah Higgins and Mary Newbold. Most of the later researchers tend to go with Mary Higgins due to the documentation)

MOSES ROLFE (John, Henry, John, Henry) b. 14 October 1682, Cambridge, Middlesex MA; d. 14 April 1746 in Woodbridge, Somerset NJ. He married MARY HIGGINS on 04 June 1702. She was born 24 January 1679 in Eastham, Barnstable, MA and died 5 August 1796 in Amwell, Hunterdon NJ. She was the daughter of Jediah Higgins (b. 5 Mar 1656 d. 12 May 1684) and Mary Newbold (b. 23 May 1661 in York Eng, d. 23 April 1715 Somerset NJ). There is still confusion as to whether he married Marry Higgins or Mary Hale, daughter of Samuel Hale and Sarah Isley.
Moses was accepted as freeholder in Woodbridge NJ in right of his father-in-law, Samuel Hale, by vote of the town meeting of freeholders and inhabitants, January 12, 1712 (lib. A. p 309). The family, with the exception of his sister Rebecca, moved to Woodbridge NJ in 1685. Moses was active in the civil affairs of the community from 1713 to 1721, being a Judge of Middlesex and Somerset Counties. (From The Early Rolfe Settlers of New England)
From New Jersey Family Histories #1, 1600s-1800s, pg 618: Moses Rolfe (Rolph) was born perhaps 1680 and died 1746 when on 24 April his widow, Mary Rolfe, was bonded, with Samuel Rolfe, as the administratrix of the estate of Moses Rolfe. Esq. of Summerset County. Katherine Chapin Higgins in Richard Higgins (1918) shows (p69) that Moses Rolph married 4 June 1702 Mary Higgins, born 1684, a daughter of Zerah Higgins and Elizabeth Oliver. The will of Thomas Martin of Woodbridge dated 20 Nov 1715 makes his kinsman, Moses Rolph, his executor. Thomas Martin had married 28 April 1683 Rebecca Higgins, sister of Zerah Higgins. In 1712 Moses Rolph had been "accepted as a freeholder in Woodbridge in right of his father-in-law, Samuel Hale." which had led some to identify his wife as Mary Hale, born Woodbridge 28 Nov 1678, daughter of Samuel and Sarah (Ilsley) Hale, but the term "son-in-law" at that time could mean "step-son" indicating Samuel Hale had probably married Moses Rolfe's mother as his third wife. Moses Rolfe and Mary Higgins had eleven children born at Woodbridge between 1703 and 1723.
Children of MOSES ROLFE and MARY HIGGINS:
(Birth dates given are actually baptism dates)
I. Samuel Rolfe
II. Elizabeth Rolfe
III. Esther Rolfe
IV. Apphia Rolfe
V. Richard Rolfe
VI. Nathaniel Rolfe
VII. Richard Rolfe
VIII. Robert Rolfe
IX. Sarah Rolfe
X. Henry Rolfe
XI. Jonathan Rolfe *

(The next two generations have sketchy history as I have been unable to find much information on them.)

JONATHAN ROLFE (Moses, John, Henry, John, Henry) was born 30 August 1714 in Woodbridge. Somerset, NJ. He married HESTER (last unkn). At some point they moved to Perth Amboy NJ, where their children were born. At this time there is little information on this generation.
Children of JONATHAN ROLFE and HESTER
I. Martha Rolfe
II. Mercy Rolfe
III. Isabell Rolfe
IV. Elizabeth Rolfe
V. Esther Rolfe
VI. Phobe Rolfe
VII. Mary Rolfe
VIII. Jermima Rolfe
IX. Ephraim Rolfe
X. Moses Rolfe *
XI. Jonathan Rolfe

MOSES ROLFE (Jonathan, Moses, John, Henry, John, Henry) b. 1750 Perth Amboy, Middlesex, NJ; d. 15 October 1832. He married JANE (last unkn). She was born about 1759 in New Jersey and died 18 April 1837 in Albany, Genesee, NY. Jane is buried in the White Cemetery at the Norton Farm. Moses and Jane relocated from New Jersey to Locke, Cayuga Co. NY in 1801. About 1818 they moved to Elba, Genesee Co. NY. Information on the birth dates of the children are estimates as there is no information on them at this time.
Children of MOSES ROLFE and JANE:
I. JONATHAN ROLFE b. 1775
II. EPHAIM ROLFE b. 1777
III. MARIAM ROLFE b. 1780
IV. MOSES ROLFE b. 1783
V. HENRY ROLFE b. 1790*
VI. PRUDENCE ROLFE b. 1794
VII. NATHANIEL B. ROLFE. b. 1800

HENRY ROLFE (Moses, Jonathan, Moses, John, Henry, John, Henry) was born 1790 in Cayuga Co. NY and died 18 April 1842 in Perry, Lake, Ohio. He married FRANSENAH COLTRAIN in 1808. She was born 1794 in New York and died 23 October 1868 in Austin, Mower MN. Henry is buried at the Perry Center Cemetery. Fransenah is buried at the Rose Creek Enterprise Cemetery in Mower Co. Fransenah is also known as Asenath or Senna., her parents were Elisha Coltrain (b 7-31-1767 d. 1-2-1861 and Jane Graham b. 1770 d. 1820 m. 1785). Sennah moved with Sarah and her husband Edgar from Evansville WI to Austin Twp MN in 1860.
1820 census, Perry Twp, Geauga Co OH 4 males 1-10, 1 male 26-45, l female 25-45
1830 census, Perry Twp, Geauga Co. OH
1840 census in Perry Twp. Geauga Co. OH 1 male 50-60, 1 male 10-15, 1 female 40-50 2 5-10, 2 1-15
1850 Green Co. WI
1865 Austin Twp. Mower Co. MN
Henry had military service in the War of 1812 in New York State