Interesting information on the extinction of English surnames can be found at: http://homepages.newnet.co.uk/dance/webpjd/intro/big.htm In a nutshell within 30 generations 85 percent of the English surnames have become extinct. That said in the 1881 British census there are more than 200 entries for Rolfe (or its vairiations). One surname that I am interested in is Poythress appearing in Virginia about 30 years after Rolfe. It has only 85 entries in the 1881 British census. Wonder which will become extinct first. By 1881, by exampe the surname Pennypurse was extinct, as was Barlaycorn. Not finding a surname in an English surname book is not indicative of anything other than you have not looked in enough books or that the authors of the surnames books did not consider the surname to be worth their time. You will find the entry for Rolfe in Charles Wareling Barsley's English Surnames: Their Sources and Signifcations (1898, reprint Heritage Books, 1990). You will also find and entry for Rolfe in Mark Antony Lower's Patronymica Britannica: A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom (1860, reprint Heritage Books, 1996) C. Craig R. Scott, CG President & CEO Heritage Books, Inc. 65 East Main Street Westminster, MD 21157 800 876-6103 410 876-6101 (fax) 410 871-2674 [log in to unmask] Visit our websites www.HeritageBooks.com and www.WillowBendBooks.com Subscribe to Heritage Books eNews http://www.HeritageBooks.com/hbsignup.htm ----- Original Message ----- From: "John P. Adams" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2006 6:11 PM Subject: Re: MALICK'S PIRATES OF THE CHESAPEAKE > Not to change the subject, totally. However I have a very serious > question. > Is it possible that ROLFE is not a Rolfe, but ROSSE. I cannot find any > Rolfe's in the English name books and since I am little familiar with the > Germanic script of this time. The double SS format would look Ro"lf"e > instead off the spelling ROSSE. > Can any of you help me out. > Thank you, > > John Philip Adams > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions > at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html > > ---------------------------------------- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for private users. It has removed 3393 spam emails to date. Paying users do not have this message in their emails. Try www.SPAMfighter.com for free now! To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html