The Golding Family of New York

John of Huntington Golding — The Last American Descendant of Arthur the Translator

John of Huntington Golding represents the final known American branch of the distinguished English Golding family descending from Arthur Golding, the celebrated Elizabethan translator of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The Gaulding Origins page traces John’s lineage back through the Bermuda Goldings, a colonial offshoot of Arthur’s extended family. This line begins with Percival Golding, the Schoolmaster of Bermuda, whose arrival in Bermuda in the early 1600s established the first Atlantic settlement of this Golding branch. Percival’s descendants—including William “the Clergyman” Goulding, Bartholomew Goulding, and later the Eleuthera Gouldings—carried the family name through the English Atlantic world.

John "of Huntington Golding" emerges in New York, far from the earlier Bermuda and Eleuthera settlements, but genealogically tied to them through the same ancestral line descending from Arthur’s kin. The page emphasizes that John is the last documented Golding in America who can be confidently connected to the Arthur‑the‑Translator lineage, marking the end of that family’s presence in the mainland colonies. His life in Huntington reflects the typical pattern of English colonial families who migrated northward from the Caribbean or coastal settlements, integrating into emerging communities in New York and New England.

This New York branch did not continue beyond John—no proven male heirs carried the surname forward—making him the terminal point of the Arthur‑connected Goldings in America. His story, when placed alongside the Bermuda and Eleuthera narratives, illustrates how one English literary family dispersed across the Atlantic, contributed to early colonial society, and ultimately left only faint traces in the genealogical record.

Timeline: From Arthur the Translator to John of Huntington Golding
1. Arthur Golding (1536–1606)
The renowned Elizabethan scholar and translator of Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
A member of the East Anglian Golding family connected to the de Vere Earls of Oxford, Arthur’s extended kin formed several branches that later spread into the Atlantic world.
His line produced the ancestors of the Bermuda and Eleuthera Goldings.

2. The Post‑Arthur Generations (late 1500s–early 1600s)
Arthur’s wider family—through collateral male lines—continued in Essex and Suffolk.
One of these branches produced the ancestor of Percival Golding, the Schoolmaster of Bermuda.

3. Percival Golding, the Schoolmaster of Bermuda (early 1600s)
Percival is the founder of the Bermuda Golding/Goulding line.
He arrived in Bermuda during the early settlement period and became known for his role in education and community life.
Percival is the key link connecting the English Goldings of Arthur’s generation to the later Atlantic branches.

4. William “the Clergyman” Goulding (mid‑1600s)
William was associated with Percival Golding and may have been related to him. He was probably of the Suffolk branch of the Golding family, but this has not been proven. William became a clergyman serving in Bermuda and later Eleuthera in the Bahamas.
His life reflects the movement of English colonial families throughout the Atlantic. William may have been connected with Bartholomew Goulding.

5. The Eleuthera and Bahamas Branch (late 1600s–1700s)
The Gouldings of Eleuthera maintained the family name in the Bahamas for several generations. This branch eventually produced individuals who migrated northward into the mainland colonies.

6. William “of Gravesend” Goulding or Goulder (1600s)
A related figure in the same extended line, associated with maritime activity between England and the colonies. His presence illustrates the family’s connection to Atlantic trade routes and migration pathways.

7. John of Huntington Golding (New York, 1700s)
John appears in Huntington, New York, representing the final known American descendant of the Arthur‑connected Golding line.
No proven male heirs continued the surname after him, making John the terminal point of this lineage in mainland America.
His presence in New York shows how the Bermuda/ELEUTHERA branch eventually intersected with northern colonial communities.

Summary Insight
This timeline shows how a distinguished English literary family—beginning with Arthur Golding—spread across the Atlantic through Percival the Schoolmaster, William the Clergyman, and the Eleuthera Gouldings, before ending with John of Huntington Golding in New York.

Though entirely unrelated to the Gaulding family of New Kent, Virginia, their story forms a fascinating parallel thread in the broader tapestry of early American settlement.

Read more about John "of Huntington" Golding and learn how he was the last of the line of Arthur Golding, the translator.