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Thomas Bouldinge

Posted in Family Biographies/Histories

Thomas Bouldinge arrived in Elizabeth City, Virginia on the ship Swan in 1610. The colony of Jamestown was established in 1607 and became the first permanent English settlement in America. The winter of 1609-1610 in Jamestown is known as the “starving time.” Over half of Jamestown’s settlers died waiting for supplies; supply ships were delayed. The area occupied by the colony was mosquito-infested, and the brackish water of the James River was no good for drinking. Native Americans were rightfully inhospitable to the colonists, as well. Many historians believe Jamestown’s high mortality rate can partially be blamed on poor planning. The colonists expected to trade with the locals for their food between supply ships and threw most of their cultivating energies into growing tobacco. By 1611, most of the Jamestown settlers had died. The colony’s prospects for survival looked bleak until 1617, when the colony’s tobacco exports finally generated enough income to keep the colony going.

Very little is actually known about Thomas Bouldinge. He is accepted as one of the “Ancient Planters” of America. The Order of Descendants of Ancient Planters, much like the Mayflower Society, is a genealogy society whose members trace their lineage to early American settlers. In the case of the Ancient Planters, members must prove lineage from a settler who emigrated to America prior to 1616, paid their own passage, and survived the massacre of Jamestown in 1622 (i.e., lived at least three years after the attack). Thomas Bouldinge was 40 when he emigrated to America. He may have come to Virginia with a wave of immigrant farmers in order to cultivate the land for the purpose of growing food for the fledgling colony. He married a woman named Mary, whose name is often spelled “Bouldin.” Herein lies one of the major problems that descendants of this family have in tracing their lineage: the name has a multitude of spelling variations, and it would seem our ancestors themselves were not terribly picky about how they spelled it. Some variations on the spelling include Bouldin, Bolton, Bolding, Bolden, Bolling, Bowling, Bollin, Boulding, and Bouldinge.

Another problem with researching this line is that overzealous genealogists in the past have created outright fiction in order to establish family connections to Pocahontas. If I might be granted a moment’s indulgence, I have rarely come across any other historical figure that so many people wanted to claim as an ancestor. It is true that many Bollings may trace their ancestry to Pocahontas, whose granddaughter Jane Rolfe married Robert Bolling. However, Robert Bolling arrived in Virginia in 1660. If he is related to Thomas Bouldinge, it is distantly; therefore, Thomas Bouldinge’s descendants most likely cannot claim Pocahontas as an ancestor (unless they descend through some other line in their families as well). I have examined the problem of the Blue Bollings in another post.

Inconsistency with name spellings and shoddy research done by genealogists more concerned with documenting wishful thinking than actual facts are not the only problems I have encountered in researching this line. I have made the acquaintance of two distant cousins, Larry Bowling and Joe Bowling. Their collective research has traced the Bowling lineage back to three brothers — Alexander, William, and Thomas Bowling, who lived in West Tennessee in the early 1800’s. My ancestor is William Bowling (1784-1870), who is the great-grandfather of Stella Ophelia Bowling — my great-great grandmother. If you are doing math, you have probably wondered how I can possibly maintain a connection to Thomas Bouldinge through a descendancy from William Bowling.

My connection to Thomas Bouldinge cannot yet be proven through historical documentation, but it can be proven through science. Larry Bowling and Joe Bowling participated in the Bolling Family Association DNA Study in 2001. Their DNA results were compared with those of a known, documented descendant of Thomas Bouldinge. Larry summarized the conclusions of the study:

Several descendants of Alexander, one of William and one of Thomas participated in the study. They all matched exactly using the 12 loci y-chromosome test conducted by Family Tree DNA and the Univ. Of Arizona. This proves that they all shared a common Bowling ancestor and proves the relationship of these three men when combined with other evidence. In 2002, John Bouldin, a documented descendant of Thomas Bouldinge 1580-1655, Fh665, who immigrated to America in 1610 on the Swan, also took the DNA test and matched my group 12 of 12. This test was expanded to the 25 allele test and compared with mine. We, again, matched exactly 25 of 25, proving that we share a common Bouldin/Bowling ancestor within 23 generations with a 90% confidence and 7 generations at 50%. Another desc. of Thomas Bouldinge 1580 has also matched this group. Thus it would appear, based upon the DNA evidence collected thus far, that Alexander, William and Thomas are descendants of Thomas Bouldinge 1580-1655 through an as yet undiscovered branch of his tree.

Because my relationship through the Bowling line to both Joe Bowling and Larry Bowling can be established through historical documentation, and their relationship to Thomas Bouldinge can be established through scientific documentation, it follows that I also have a relationship to Thomas Bouldinge.

My husband has Bolton relatives through his father’s mother, and my mother’s maternal aunt Winnie married Arvel Bolding. Despite the different spellings, these family members might find connections to Thomas Bouldinge (or other known Bolling branches) if they are willing to participate in the Bolling Family Association’s DNA test. Participants must be male, as it is a Y-chromosome study.

Thus, I can say my earliest immigrant ancestor in my Bowling line would seem to be Thomas Bouldinge, though I cannot trace my own Bowling ancestors past my ggggg-grandfather William Bowling. My ancestry to William Bowling is as follows:

Dana Michelle Swier
+ Patti Jo Cunningham
++ Udell Oliver Cunningham
+++ Herman Cunningham (1895-1980)
++++ Stella Ophelia Bowling (1867-1938)
+++++ William Jones Bowling (1840-1916)
++++++ Burgess Bowling (Abt. 1819-Bef. 1845)
+++++++ William Bowling (1784-1870)

This post is the fifth in a series about my known immigrant ancestors.

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79 Comments

  1. Bob O'Neil
    Bob O'Neil

    Please see the correction attached to March 8, 2010.

    December 8, 2012
    |Reply
  2. Danielle Cason
    Danielle Cason

    I’m related to Benjamin Bolling (6th ggrandfather) but then the name changes with my 5th to James Bolin, then Eli, Herman and my ggrandmother, Elizabeth Belle Bolin. Anyone related to this line? Any ideas why the name changed? And from all the research, I’m guessing I’m not related to the Pocahontas line. Any ideas who Benjamin’s parents were?
    Thanks, 1314danielle@gmail.com

    October 18, 2013
    |Reply
  3. les
    les

    I am related to benjamin bolling through hannah bolling and solomon osborne. I don’t really care if am related to pocahontas or not. From all of the various geneaology information posted on the internet it looks like lots of people cannot make up their minds about what john olling’s name was..some say his name is john kennon bolling some say he was named john fairfax bolling .there was an ALL HALLOW’S Parish in Maryland as well as in englan. Robert bolling according tl one story waited for a yeR after his parents died before leaving england and arriving here in 1660…BUT his dad died according to some in 1684 his mother is said to have died in 1648 if he wIted a year after his mother died to leave england he would have been 3 years old when he left england if he waited until after his dad died in 1684 then he would not have been in usa in 1660 nor would he have been the robert bolling that married jane rolfe.It is mind boggling.I am already an indian so am not searching for that in my research into benjamin bolling line, Truth of ancestry is the only thing I am interested in because I would not want my family NOT knowing WHO they really came from that would be cheating them of their real ancestry and regardless of any ties to pocahontas or royalty or famous persons..their ancestry would still be one they can be proud of because it would be who they really descended from. It had even been said martha patsy phelps name may have been Phipps instesd of phelps. I sure wish someone can find the parentage of benjamin bolling and martha patsy phelps or phipps it has been big headache trying to find out who they were.

    February 21, 2014
    |Reply
  4. Susan Cook
    Susan Cook

    I am a descendant of Colonel Thomas Bouldin, as proven through a paper trail verified by Colonial Dames of America. My descent goes through Thomas’s daughter, Francenia Bouldin who married John Cox, Jr. in Georgia. Is it possible to join your group?
    I continue to hope that a Bouldinge descendant in England can be located and compared with our DNA to prove William I is the infant William listed in the muster.

    April 28, 2016
    |Reply
  5. I am larry bowling I live in gun barrel city tx. Itook the dna test along with joe bowling and larry bowling a perfect 12 out of 12 for all 3 of us. we are all descendants of Thomas-bouldinge.

    August 8, 2016
    |Reply
    • Patrick Bouldin
      Patrick Bouldin

      Hi Larry, I’m Patrick Bouldin, and live in Henderson county (a few miles from GBC)

      July 12, 2021
      |Reply
  6. scryde.ru
    scryde.ru

    The second Thomas Boulding arrived in Virginia in 1624, and was aged 40 at his arrival. He then pretty much disappears.

    April 28, 2017
    |Reply
  7. Linda P Bass
    Linda P Bass

    I don’t know which Bolling group I might belong: My connection to any Bolling goes as such: George Frederick Hopkins, Sr Born 1905 TN…his father, William David Hopkins Born 1863… his father, William Hopkins Born 1804… his father, jesse Hopkins born 1758 in Orange County, VA and his wife, Polly Vaughn born 1770 VA…Jesse’s father, William Hopkins born 1735 probably Orange County, NC married to a Jane Bolling born 1740 in Petersburg, Dinwiddie, Va….William and this Jane Bolling and they had these children:
    Isaac Hopkins (M2- Mary Boatwright)
    1756–1852

    Jesse Hopkins *
    1758–1846

    William Hopkins
    1759–

    Andrew Hopkins (M- Sarah Dill)
    1761–1820
    Edit

    James A Hopkins (M-Elizabeth Billingsley)
    1765–1849

    I do not know anything about my “Jane Bolling”

    February 22, 2019
    |Reply
  8. chris smoot
    chris smoot

    I have another problem with this name. I have a Leah Boulden born in Cecil Cty MD and died in 1804, Pencader Hundred DE. She married Spenser Hukill. I have followed the descendants of Thomas Bouldinge (ODAP) down to the time when they moved to Cecil County, But I have never been able to tie into them with any accuracy.
    Do any of you folks ever heard of Leah? If so, do you know any of her ancestry?

    Thanks for any help you can give.

    April 22, 2019
    |Reply
  9. Barry Boling
    Barry Boling

    I took the DNA testing and discovered that I’m a descendant of Thomas of the Swan. I can only trace my family back to my gggrandfather Lewis (Bolling or Boling) who died in Quincy, Illinois. He moved there probably from Hayward County, Tennessee (un-proven). According to Larry Bowling of BFA, he was probably the son of Thomas. I have seen Lewis being born in Virginia or Georgia. So, how did he get to Illinois? He married a Mary who died a few years later and then married Permelia (Amelia) Hughes a few years later where my gggrandfather, Thomas was born. When did Bouldinge become Bolling or Boling? Questions questions. Any answers or suggestions?

    June 21, 2023
    |Reply

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