5:4 New England Connections
Zachariah Brumfield Gaulden and Palmer Goulding
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The Gaulding Family were listed as pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia.
Zachariah Brumfield Gaulden and Palmer Goulding are listed in the same census
I first investigated this in 2017. Palmer Goulding had a large estate in Liberty, Georgia as evidenced by both the 1820 and 1830 Census. He is listed on the 1809 tax record of Midway, Liberty, Georgia along with his brothers John and Thomas. Palmer was a direct descendant of Capt. Peter Goulding of Mass. Living in close proximity was a man named Zachariah Gaulden, and he may be the same as Zachariah Brumfield Gauldin, the son of Capt. John Gaulden and Susannah Brumfield. Was there a family connection between these two families or is this mere coincidence?
There are 3 people listed in this record named Goulding (Palmer, Thomas and Maria, and the estate of John Goulding) and one named Zachariah Gaulden living nearby. Source: Georgia, Property Tax Digests, 1793-1892 for Palmer Goulding Liberty 1809, https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/1729/40141_1020705384_0024-00017?pid=4809636&backurl=http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26db%3Dgeorgia1890proptaxdigests%26h%3D4809636%26tid%3D%26pid%3D%26usePUB%3Dtrue%26usePUBJs%3Dtrue%26rhSource%3D8058&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true
Palmer Goulding m. Jane Graham had a large estate, as indicated by the number of slaves listed in the household:
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1820 Census - Palmer Goulding was living in Liberty, Georgia on a large estate in 1820. FWF over 45 (1), FWF under 10 (1), People involved in agriculture (11), Free white under 16 (1), Free white under 16 (1), Free white over 25 (1), Total slaves (19), Total people (21)
Palmer and his brothers John and Thomas Goulding were the sons of Peter "of South Carolina" Goulding, who was in turn the son of Captain Peter Goulding of Massachusetts.
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The brother John married Sarah Browne, but not much is known about the brother Thomas, other than the fact that the above tax record shows he paid no tax but is listed as "Thomas and Maria". Dr. Charles H. Gaulden made the following observation based on his personal conversations with Dr. Sherburne Anderson in his 1999 self-published book The Gauldin, Gaulden, Gaulding Family History, Volume 1. This comes from page 19:
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“The Gauldens listed in the research of this book are indeed the descendants of John and Elizabeth Geers Gaulden, however, as of 1998 I cannot state with absolute certainty that this John Gaulding is the son of Reverend Thomas Goulding. Dr. Anderson does make a good point when he makes a connection with the South Carolina Gauldens who moved to Georgia. We see the GOULDING FAMILY and the GAULDEN FAMILY names together in the will of a THOMAS GOULDING probated in 1795.”
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Palmer Goulding, the son of Peter “of South Carolina” Goulding was the grandson of Captain Peter Goulding. He married Mary Bacon, the daughter of Josiah Bacon and they had the following children:
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1. Peter “of South Carolina” Goulding who was born about 1756 in Dorchester, South Carolina and died on 27 April 1789 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia. He married Ann Girardeau on 22 December 1788 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia.
2. Thomas Goulding, Sr. who was born in 1759 in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA and died on 2 December 1795 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA. He married Margaret “Mary” Stacey, the daughter of John Stacey and Sarah Ann Dunham on 10 July 1784 in Midway. His will was probated in 1795.
3. Mary Ann Goulding was born on 13 October 1760 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA and she died on 11 August 1761 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia.
4. Josiah Goulding was born about 1762 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA and he died on 7 March 1773 in Midway.
5. John Goulding was born about 1765 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia and he died on 30 October 1768 in Midway.
6. PALMER GOULDING was born about 1770 and he died in April of 1826 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA. He held a large estate with 19 slaves in the 1820 census. He married Jane Graham on 27 October 1791 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA. This is the PALMER GOLDINGE who along with he and his brothers are listed on the SAME 1809 TAX LIST as ZACHARIAH GAULDEN, the son of CAPTAIN JOHN GAULDEN and Susannah Brumfield his wife.
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The will of Thomas Goulding of Liberty, Georgia, 1795
I have been unable to find this will on the internet, but I assume all of their names are on it as it has been reported they are.
Descendants of Captain Peter Goulding to Thomas Goulding, Sr., his Gr Grandson who left a 1795 will
Captain Peter GOULDING b: 1639 in Shipdham, Essex, England, d: 1703 in Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA + Sarah Palmer b: 1643 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA; Possible connection to Peter of St. Lawrence, Thanet, Kent, England?, m: 1673 in New England, USA; She was his second wife, d: 11 Oct 1703 in Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA
...2 Peter "died young" Goulding b: 1665 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA; He probably died young
...2 Sarah Goulding b: 19 Aug 1670
...2 Elizabeth Goulding b: 06 Oct 1673 + William Jenison
...2 Windsor Goulding b: 03 Mar 1674
...2 Thomas Goulding b: 02 Jan 1677
...2 Captain John Goulding b: 1682 in Merrimac, Essex, Massachusetts, USA + Abigail CURTIS m: 1705
...2 Peter “of South Carolina” Goulding b: 24 Oct 1688 in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA + [unknown spouse]
......3 Palmer Goulding + Mary Bacon
.........4 Peter “of South Carolina” Goulding b: Abt. 1756 in Dorchester, South Carolina, USA, d: 27 Apr 1789 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA + Ann Girardeau m: 22 Dec 1788 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA
.........4 Thomas Goulding Sr. b: 1759 in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA, d: 02 Dec 1795 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA + Margaret "Mary" Stacey m: 10 Jul 1784 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA. His will was probated in 1765 and in it Zachariah Gaulden is listed.
.........4 Mary Ann Goulding b: 13 Oct 1760 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA, d: 11 Aug 1761 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA
.........4 Josiah Goulding b: 1762 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA, d: 07 Mar 1773 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA
.........4 Palmer Goulding b: Abt. 1770 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA, d: 1826 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA + Jane Graham m: 27 Oct 1791
...2 Captain Palmer Goulding b: 1695, d: 11 Feb 1777 + Abigail RICE
......3 Captain Palmer II Goulding + Abigail HEYWOOD
...2 Mercy Goulding b: 09 Sep 1786 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA
...2 Abigail Goulding
...2 Arabella Goulding
...2 Mary Goulding b: 21 Jan 1665 ; Probably died young
...2 Frances Goulding b: 22 Feb 1667 ; Probably died young
...2 Martha Goulding b: Abt. 1670 in Virginia, USA + John "of Hadley" SMITH
Dr. Gaulden makes the observation on p 96 of his book THE GAULDEN, GAULDING, GAULDIN FAMILY: A 700 year history that "merchantile records show Zachariah Goldinge's name sandwiched between THOMAS and PALMER Goldinge, leading some to find a family connection between the GOULDINGS and the Gauldings/Gauldens." On the same page Dr. Gauldin wrote that Zachariah Gaulden moved to Georgia shortly after the death of his father. "After his father's death (his father died in 1780) he eventually moved to Georgia near Savannah.." Is it just coincidence that these two families were living in close proximity to each other?
The person referred to is ZACHARIAH BRUMFIELD GAULDEN, the son of CAPTAIN JOHN GAULDEN and Susannah Brumfield. This particular Zachariah Gaulden was living in Adams, Mississippi in the 1820 Census, and the above tax record is for 1809. The 1820 Census reads: Zachariah Gaulden, Adams Mississippi: FWM under 10 (3), FWM 10-15 (1), FWM 26-44 (1), FWM over 45 (1), FWF under 10 (1), FWF 26-44 (1), FWF 26-44 (1), Slaves (12), Total people involved in agriculture (10), Total Free white (9), Total people (21)
He is probably the same person as Zachariah, the son of Captain John Gaulden. This is the only instance I have found of the two families overlapping.