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

There are two assumptions about Alexander Gaulding, the son of John and Ann Gaulding of New Kent, Virginia that need to be cleared up, because neither of them are correct. 

There is an excerpt from a publication called The Gaulden, Gauldin, Gaulding Family History, A Seven Hundred Year Study, Vol 1, (1) written by Dr. Charles H. Gaulden, 1999 that reads:

 “ALEXANDER GAULDING, SR. son of Anne Stuart and John Gaulden of New Kent, Virginia died December 1752, and James Stuart was given custody of one of his minor children. This would support the assumption that his mother's name was Stuart. Perhaps James Stuart was Anne's brother, thus the court ruled in favor of the great-uncle (James Stuart) rather than the uncle (John Gaulden II). Alexander Gaulding was executed for highway robbery at Williamsburg, Virginia on January 12, 1753.”

First of all, Alexander Gaulding was not executed in Williamsburg.  He died in Prince Edward County in 1753.  See my post entitled Alexander Gaulding was not executed on Gaulding Origins.

Secondly, the name James Stuart may actually be James Sheart.  The children were bonded to Thomas Scott and James Sheart, but without actually having read the details of the case regarding the guardianship of Alexander’s two minor children, it’s difficult to say exactly what it says or if anyone named Stuart or Stewart is actually mentioned.  The bond is the only document that survives, as far as I know. 

The Oyer and Terminer case is only an Abstract because the original Court Book was destroyed, and it is housed in the Library of Virginia.  There is no online copy.  Supposedly, according to the Gaulden, Gauldin, Gaulding Family History (1), Matthew “John II” Gaulding, the brother of Alexander petitioned the court for custody but was turned down in favor of James (Stuart).  The Oyer and Terminer Court would not have had jurisdiction, so this is questionable.  Again, without having seen the actual text of the Abstract, it’s hard to say what it says.  See Oyer and Terminer Abstract as it relates to John “Matthew” Gaulding and his wife Elizabeth on Gaulding Origins.

Another correction that needs to be made is related to the name of Alexander’s daughter, who was bound out to Thomas Scott after her father’s death.  Her name has been recorded over and over again as Susannah, but actually the girl is never named.  She is probably Susannah, who appears later in the records with a child that is bonded to the church but in the guardianship case, Alexander’s daughter is not identified by name.  See my Gaulding Origins post entitled The unnamed daughter of Alexander Gaulding.  She did not marry William Woodall.  That person was the daughter of Alexander Gaulding, the son of Matthew “John II” Gaulding.

About Alexander Gaulding

He was born 8 November 1717 in St. Peter’s Parish, New Kent, Virginia. (2)  His death is mentioned in the Prince Edward County Order Book 1 (1752) and in the Guardianship Bond and perhaps in the Oyer and Terminer Abstract on file at the Library of Virginia.  Other than that, very few records still exist. The evidence supporting the real details of his life are indirect rather than direct. 

Type	Record	Details
Parish Register	St. Peter’s Parish Register, New Kent County (1680–1787)	Baptism entry for Alexander Gaulding, son of John Gaulding, confirming his birth in St. Peter’s Parish around 1717. Surviving in both the 1904 Colonial Dames and 1937 Chamberlayne editions.
Court Record	Prince Edward County Order Book 1 (1752)	Mentions the death of Alexander Gaulding and the guardianship petition for his orphan children John and Unnamed Daughter Gaulding, heard by the Court of Oyer and Terminer in December 1752.
Public Service Claims	Virginia Public Service Claims, Prince Edward County (1770s)	Later references to payments for guard duty attributed to Alexander Gaulden (variant spelling), confirming his presence and service before death.
Land & Tax Abstracts	Amelia and Prince Edward County Deed Books A–C (1740s–1750s)	Indirect references to adjoining lands of John Gaulding and Alexander Gaulding; no surviving deeds directly in his name due to record loss.
Probate Context	Prince Edward County Court Minutes (1752–1753)	No will survives, but guardianship and estate administration entries confirm his death and minor heirs.

Supporting and Corroborative Sources

• Virginia Colonial Abstracts, Vol. I–III (Blomquist & Fleet) — includes Gaulding surname variants in New Kent and Amelia.

• Chamberlayne, C. G., The Vestry Book and Register of St. Peter’s Parish, New Kent and James City Counties, VA (1684–1786) — authoritative transcription of Alexander’s baptism.

• Prince Edward County Order Books 1–2 (Library of Virginia microfilm) — guardianship and estate references.  Petition of John and Elizabeth Gaulding listed within the records of County court Orders 1, 1754-1759, Prince Edward County, Virginia. Image 161 of 219; records available on FamilySearch.org (3)

• Virginia Public Service Claims, Prince Edward County (Auditor’s Accounts, 1770s) — identifies Alexander Gaulden as a guard paid for services rendered. 

The Barksdale Family History and Genealogy by John Augustus Barksdale, 1940 has only one entry about Alexander Gaulding “In 1757 Henry Barksdale was surety on the bond of John Sheart, gdn. of the orphans of Alexander Gaulding” as per the Prince Edward County Order Books (O.B. I, p. 115) (3)

Henry Barksdale was surety on the bond of John Sheart, guardian of the orphans of Alexander Gaulding

His wife’s name was probably Sheart

The name had traditionally been recorded as Mary, but if there ever was a source to confirm this, it has been lost because there does not seem to be a marriage record.  The only record that links her to a surname is the Guardianship bond which very clearly identifies James Sheart.  “Ordered that the Church Wardens of this Parish Bindout Jacob Gaulding to James Sheart and the Daughter of Alex Gaulding to Thomas Scott.” (5)  Her name was probably Sheart because of this.  See my Gaulding Origins blog post entitled  Did Alexander Gaulding marry Mary Sheart?

Summary

Alexander Gaulding’s life is documented through a handful of surviving parish and court records. His baptism in St. Peter’s Parish anchors him in the Gaulding family of New Kent. His death in 1752  Prince Edward County is confirmed by the Guardianship bond which appointed Thomas Scott and James Sheart as guardians for his orphaned children. Although no will or deed survives, the combination of parish, court, and service records establishes his presence in Virginia’s westward migration from New Kent to Prince Edward County to settle on "Gaulden Mountain" with his brother Matthew, later joined by their younger brother Samuel.  He probably married a close relative of James Sheart and her name may have been Mary although there is no marriage record that would prove that. James Sheart and Mary (?) were probably siblings.

Works Cited

1. Gaulden, Dr. Charles H. The Gaulden, Gauldin, Gaulding Family History, A Seven Hundred Year Study, Vol 1. Volume 1 was the only book written, as far as I know. [Online] The book was self-published. a lot of this book was taken from Laura Gaulden's History of the Gaulden Family, 1999.

2. Virginia, Births and Christenings, 1584-1917. Family Search . [Online] https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VRRC-F3Y : 28 January 2020), Alexander Gawlin, 1717, Son of John Gawlin. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VRRC-F3Y?lang=en.

3. Gaulding and Sheart Family Relationship, Virginia, 1752. GoldenGenealogy.com. [Online] https://goldengenealogy.com/gaulding-and-sheart-family-relationship-virginia-1752/.  Note: This is a very well-researched website, but the family Golden is not related in any way to the Gaulding descendants of John and Ann of New Kent.  Nevertheless there are several well-researched articles related to the Gaulding-Gauldin-Gaulden family with no claim there is any direct connection.

4. Barksdale, John Augustus, 1890. Barksdale family history and genealogy (with collateral lines). archive.org. [Online] [Richmond : William Byrd Press], 1940., 1940. https://archive.org/details/barksdalefamilyh00bark/page/62/mode/2up?q=Alexander+Gaulding.

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