Alexander Gaulding, Sr. of Prince Edward

Alexander Gaulding, Sr. of Prince Edward County

Alexander Gaulding was the son of John and Ann Gaulding of New Kent County, Virginia. He later lived in Amelia and Prince Edward counties. Records show that Alexander died in 1752 in Prince Edward County. The claim that he was executed in Williamsburg is false and is not supported by any surviving document. At the time of his death, Alexander left minor children, including a son John and a daughter who is unnamed but perhaps referenced indirectly in later records as a woman named Susannah.

Alexander’s wife is believed to have been Mary Sheart, based on the guardianship arrangements made for their children. In 1757, the Prince Edward County court bound Alexander’s orphaned children to John Sheart and Thomas Scott, indicating that the Sheart family had a direct connection to the children and suggesting a maternal relationship. No record identifies any other relatives involved in their care.

After Alexander’s death, Matthew “John II” Gaulding and Elizabeth supposedly petitioned for custody of Alexander’s children. Their petition was recorded among the papers of the Court of Oyer and Terminer, although the court itself did not decide guardianship. The information is contained only in an Abstract of the petition but the details of the case are not available online.

Taken together, these records establish the sequence of events following Alexander Gaulding’s death: his children became orphans; his brother Matthew “John II” Gaulding and wife Elizabeth petitioned for custody; and the Prince Edward County court ultimately placed the children under the care of members of the Sheart family. These individuals—Alexander, his wife Mary, his children, his brother John “Matthew,” and his sister‑in‑law Elizabeth—are connected through the documented guardianship actions that followed Alexander’s death in 1752.

Read more about Alexander Gaulding, Sr. of Prince Edward County on Gaulding Origins

Alexander Gaulding, son of John and Ann Gaulding of New Kent

Alexander Gaulding was not executed!

Did Alexander Gaulding marry Mary Sheart?

The unnamed daughter of Alexander Gaulding

Oyer and Terminer Abstract as it relates to John “Matthew” Gaulding and his wife Elizabeth