John Rolfe and Tobacco

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  The Virginia Company had financed and sponsored the English colony founded at Jamestown in May 1607. The Company expected the colonists to start industrial enterprises in Virginia that would return profits to the Company. The colonists in Virginia tried a number of different enterprises: silk making, glassmaking, lumber, sassafras, pitch and tar, and soap ashes, with no financial success. It was John Rolfe's experiments with tobacco that developed the first profitable export.

 

 

The English colonists did not like the type of tobacco the Virginia Indians grew. They preferred the fragrant sort that Spanish colonists produced in the Caribbean and sold in large quantities at high prices to London merchants.  John Rolfe is credited with the experiment of planting the first tobacco seeds that he obtained from somewhere in the Caribbean, possibly from Trinidad. "...I may not forget the gentleman worthie of much commendations, which first tooke the pains to make triall thereof, his name Mr. John Rolfe, Anno Domini 1612, partly for the love he hath a long time borne unto it, and partly to raise commodity to the adventurers..." Rolfe gave some tobacco from his crop to friends "to make triall of," and they agreed that the new leaf had "smoked pleasant, sweete and strong.” The remainder of the crop was shipped to England where it compared favorably with "Spanish" leaf.

 

 

  At the same time as Rolfe experimented with tobacco, other events transpired that would have profound effects on the colony.  Pocahontas, daughter of Chief Powhatan, was kidnapped and brought to Jamestown. She learned English, converted to Christianity, was baptized, and christened Rebecca. It was about this time that she presumably came to the attention of John Rolfe.  The two married in the spring of 1614. It resulted in peace with the Indians long enough for the settlers to develop and expand their colony and plant themselves permanently in the new land.

In 1616 Rolfe took his wife and infant son Thomas to England, Pocahontas died at Gravesend seven months later, just before returning to Virginia. A sad John Rolfe left his young son in the care of a guardian in England and returned to his adopted home.

~Growing tobacco leaves must be protected against pests

~Tobacco leaves drying in a tobacco barn.  Nicotene from the leaves can soak into the skin and cause headaches.