Background
Edith Wilson was born Edith Bolling in Wytheville, Virginia, on October 15, 1872, the seventh of eleven children and fourth of five daughters in the family of Judge William Holcombe Bolling and his wife, Sallie. Edith's mother, born Sallie White, could trace her ancestry back seven generations to an original Virginia colonist, John Rolfe, the Englishman who married Native American princess Pocahontas.
During the Civil War, the Bolling family lost their property, including the family plantation and the slaves they owned. As the family gradually regained its financial standing, they lived simply, and Edith did not leave town until she was twelve years old.