To prepare to portray Williamsburg tavern keeper Jane Vobe, Sharon Hollands started her research last year into the life of Colonial Williamsburg’s newest Nation Builder — and she encountered a problem that many Historic Area interpreters know well. Much is known about such famous Founders as Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry and George and Martha Washington. The historical record for lesser-known figures, especially those who did not belong to the gentry, is often much skimpier.
For Hollands, the record offered a special challenge: It included references that could apply to two or even three people. Or perhaps the references all trace back to a single person. And each instance referred to events that could help shape Hollands’ portrayal.
Who Was Jane Vobe?
London and Virginia records mention three names: Jenny Burr Vobe, Jane Vobe of Williamsburg and “Jane Vobe alias Moody.” Put the three together, and there was enough, albeit just barely, for Hollands to understand something about the woman who kept the King’s Arms Tavern on Duke of Gloucester Street.
Jenny Burr (sometimes noted as Jane) appears in London records. Burr was the daughter of a wine merchant and tavern keeper. She was born in 1720 and orphaned when she was 6. Her father’s will divided his property among his five children. In 1739, Jenny married Thomas Vobe, also a wine merchant and tavern keeper.
The London records indicate that Thomas Vobe went bankrupt, and his creditors wanted the money his wife inherited as payment for his debts. But a court determined that since she had married before she was 21 and without the permission of her guardians, Thomas and his creditors could have access to only half of her inheritance. The rest would remain invested for Jenny and her children.
So far, no record of the Vobes in London after 1742 has been found. They may well have left England. In 1744, the name Thomas Vobe shows up in Williamsburg. This Thomas Vobe opened a tavern and then fell into bankruptcy — for a second time, assuming this was the same Thomas cited in the London records.
A Mrs. Vobe appears in Williamsburg records in 1747, and within a few years a Jane Vobe appears in all sorts of Williamsburg records, including those of the courts, Bruton Parish and the Bray School as well as newspaper ads and other people’s account books.
Was this Jane Vobe the same person as Jenny Burr Vobe? Had she been able to weather her husband’s latest financial ruin because of her experience with his first business failure? This certainly could inform Hollands’ portrayal.
Similarly, Hollands found in the 1764 York County records a “Jane Vobe alias Moody,” which, along with other evidence, suggests Vobe may have had a common-law relationship with a Mathew Moody.
What became of Thomas Vobe is not clear. He may have died by then — and indeed, Jane Vobe is sometimes referred to as a widow — or he may have left his wife. This, too, would help inform Hollands’ portrayal.
Delving into Vobe’s Story
Hollands’ research demonstrates the challenge of creating a rounded character from limited historical references.
“Sometimes there are holes in interpreting,” she explained. “Sometimes I’ve found handwriting that’s difficult to read or portions of a page eaten away. But you have to reasonably infer. Even when we sometimes are imagining, our imagining is always based on our research.”
Interpretations can evolve as more is learned, and Hollands remains open to the possibility that newly uncovered evidence might change the nature of her portrayal of Vobe. There may be, for example, records in London that have not yet been digitized and that will offer a clearer picture of the woman who operated taverns in Williamsburg for some 30 years.
Hollands has portrayed other historical figures since coming to Williamsburg in 1998. She has a degree in theater but always had an interest in history and embraced playing many characters in the Historic Area. Before she began interpreting Vobe in the spring, her most recent role was Elizabeth Braxton, the wife of a signer of the Declaration of Independence who was also the daughter and sister of British loyalists.
“It’s interesting to do a range of characters and challenging to flip that switch, but I wanted to portray a Nation Builder,” she said. So when the decision was made to add Jane Vobe to Colonial Williamsburg’s Nation Builders, Hollands saw her opportunity and applied.
Vobe’s addition to the list of Nation Builders that includes George Washington and Thomas Jefferson is part of an effort to show that a range of people — and not just the famous Founding Fathers — helped build the new nation.
“Women filled surprising roles in the past,” said Beth Kelly, Colonial Williamsburg’s Theresa A. and Lawrence C. Salameno Vice President for Research, Training and Program Design, “and we have an opportunity with Jane Vobe to bring to our audiences the story of a very successful business owner who worked hard moving from tavern to tavern, building her clientele, and was well connected to all levels of society — and happens to be a woman. We chose this historical figure because Jane frames for subsequent generations an identity of focused hard work, excellence and compassion that becomes a work ethos for our national identity.”
For Hollands, portraying Vobe offered autonomy and the chance for a deep dive into research. “All first-person interpreters do tons of research, but the Nation Builder position gives me the chance to focus on one name,” she said. “A deep dive is exciting, even if it’s a deep dive into a shallow pool.”
Sharon Hollands discusses her research in Performance: Finding Jane Vobe, which is scheduled at the Hennage throughout the summer.