The Third Generation: The Life and Legacy of Samuel Gaulding

Samuel Gaulding’s life reflects the experience of thousands of young men who came of age in colonial Virginia, shaped by apprenticeship, frontier movement, Revolutionary War service, and the practical realities of early American family life. Born around 1732–1735 in the New Kent–Hanover region, Samuel entered adulthood under difficult circumstances. In 1742, the Goochland County Court ordered that he, “an orphan boy,” be bound to Thomas Edwards, carpenter,” marking the beginning of his apprenticeship in St. James Northam Parish. This apprenticeship not only provided Samuel with a trade but also placed him within the westward‑moving frontier communities that would define his later life.

By the 1760s, Samuel was part of the cluster of Gaulding men who appear in records across Goochland, Amelia, Bedford, and Prince Edward Counties. Samuel’s sons Archibald and William T. Gaulding served in the Revolutionary War, linking the family to the conflict across two generations. Archibald's service record proves that he was in the 5th Virginia Regiment, the Virginia Line, and was wounded in the Philadelphia Campaign and was with Washington at Valley Forge.

Samuel’s wife, Elizabeth Turner, has long been the subject of genealogical debate, but the best-supported evidence places her origins firmly in Goochland County, Virginia. She was not related to the Brashear Family of Maryland. Parish boundaries, land clusters, and marriage patterns all point to her belonging to the Turner families living near the Edwards, Vest, and other Goochland neighbors who intersect with the Gauldings in court, land, and church records. Her consent for her daughter Kesiah’s marriage in 1786 further anchors her in the Goochland–Campbell County migration corridor.

Marriage practices on the Virginia frontier also shaped Samuel and Elizabeth’s family story. In sparsely settled areas, couples often postponed formal marriage ceremonies until a minister was available. This explains why some Gaulding marriages appear late in parish registers or are recorded only through bonds or consents. Frontier families relied on traveling ministers, long distances, and informal community recognition, meaning that legal or church documentation often lagged behind the actual union. Their marriage is recorded in the Douglas Register, further proving that they were in Goochland, Virginia.

Together, these threads—apprenticeship, frontier movement, Revolutionary War service, Goochland family origins, and frontier marriage customs—create a cohesive portrait of Samuel Gaulding and his descendants. His life illustrates the resilience and adaptability of early Virginians who carved out new communities in the backcountry while participating in the defining events of the emerging nation. Through apprenticeships, military service, migration, and family formation, Samuel’s story embodies the broader experience of colonial and Revolutionary Virginia families whose lives bridged the old world and the new American republic.

Read more about Samuel Gaulding and his family on my blog posts on Gaulding Origins

Outline Descendant Report for Samuel Gaulding

Samuel Gaulding: His Life as an Apprentice

Samuel, Alexander, John and William Gaulding in the Revolutionary War

Elizabeth Turner, the wife of Samuel Gaulding was from Goochland, VA

Frontier marriages were sometimes postponed until a minister was available