Anne, the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Gaulding

Catherine Gauldin
7 hours ago
7 min read

The Daughters of Samuel Gaulding and Elizabeth Turner

Samuel Gaulding and his wife Elizabeth Turner had two sons and five daughters. They were William Turner Gaulding 1752–1841, Archibald Gaulding 1754–1841, Anne Gaulding 1764–1855, Martha "Patty" Gaulding 1765–1850, Kesiah Gaulding 1766–1786, Elizabeth Gaulding 1766–1785, Lucy Gaulding 1768–1800.

ANNE GAULDING

Anne Gaulding, the daughter of Samuel Gaulding and Elizabeth Turner was born on 26 December 1764 in St. James Northham Parish, Goochland, Virginia and she died on 7 June 1855 in Charlotte County, Virginia, USA. She married John Stewart. The 1850 census of Charlotte County states that he was born in 1765 in King William County, Virginia which means there must have been a group of the Stewart family in King William at about that time. Their marriage is recorded in Campbell County, Virginia, bond 16 November 1795. A few years later Henry Stewart married Polly Armstrong, the daughter of Benjamin Armstrong. That bond was dated 6 April 1805. It’s reasonable to assume John and Henry were related.

Marriages of Campbell County, Virginia, 1782-1810 (1)

In 1847 John Stewart wrote a will in which he named the members of his family. (2)

The will of John Stewart of Campbell County, Virginia

"In the name of God amen - I John Stewat of Charlotte County Virginia having the exercise of my reason do make this my last will and testament.

I direct immediate provision for Just debts and funeral expenses.

I give to my wife Anna the privilege of holding what she chooses of my estate during her natural life or widowhood. In case she marries I wish the law to take its course by confining her to the thirds.

I give to my grand daughter Lucretia Jane Hill the sum of eight hundred dollars accounting what her mother & brother and herself had been charged with, if she dies without having any living children it is to be returned back to the estate she is to have no more of my estate.

I give and direct the ballance of my estate to be equally divided between my other children. I direct Mickey Webb's part to be placed in the hands of Larkin D. Stewart & Thomas Davis & Anderson Davis as trustees to be kept secure for their benefit and their lawful heirs of their body. I direct Lucy Davis part to be hers and her children's. I direct Ann G. Armistead’s part to be placed in the hands of Addison Armistead as trustee for Ann G. Armistead and her children for there benefit each legatee is to account for every cent they have had charged on my book. I disinherit any legatee who will go to law for any part of my estate, should any one feel aggrieved, redress shall be had by reference to Henry S. Thornton, E.W. Roach, Andrew Mann, Stephen Moore, Benjamin Sublett or any three of them where decision shall be binding.

I appoint Larkin D. Stewart, Addison Armistead, Executors and Ann Stewart and Elizabeth Stewart and Mary Stewart executrixes to this my last will and testament. Witness my hand and seal this 14th August 1847. John Stewart (seal)

Benjamin B. Sublet

Richard T. Sublett

Henry A Thornton

Tho Pugh

Two Codicils attached to the will of John Stewart

In March of 1851, John Stewart added two codicils to his will to clarify how portions of his estate should be handled for two of his daughters. In the first codicil, dated March 10, he created a special trust for his daughter Elizabeth Stewart. He directed that her share of the estate be placed under the control of Addison Armistead, who was to act as trustee and hold legal title to the property throughout Elizabeth’s lifetime. Stewart emphasized that Elizabeth’s inheritance was to be used solely for her comfort and support and must remain entirely beyond the reach or control of any future husband. Elizabeth was allowed to use the property as she wished and, at her death, she could transfer what remained to any of her siblings or their children by will, deed, or other sealed writing. Armistead was charged with carrying out whatever disposition she chose.

Ten days later, on March 20, Stewart added a second codicil to address the portion of his estate intended for Ann G. Armistead. In this brief amendment, he clarified that Ann’s share should also go into the hands of Addison Armistead, but without requiring him to act as trustee. This ensured that the restrictive trust arrangement created for Elizabeth would not be applied to Ann. Her inheritance was simply to be delivered to Addison Armistead as directed in the original will, free of the special protections and limitations placed on Elizabeth’s portion.

Together, the two codicils distinguish the treatment of the daughters’ inheritances: Elizabeth’s share is placed in a carefully structured trust for her lifetime protection, while Ann’s share is transferred without such conditions.

Summary of Elizabeth Barlow’s Will (1854) (3)

In her 1854 will, Elizabeth Barlow, daughter of John Stewart of Charlotte County, exercises the special authority her father granted her in his will and codicils. Because her inheritance was placed in trust with Addison Armistead, she was permitted to transfer her property only to one of her siblings or to their children. In this final testament, she directs how her portion of the Stewart estate is to be distributed at her death.

Elizabeth leaves $500 to her brother Larkin D. Stewart of Tennessee and $300 to her sister Mary Stewart. She then gives the remainder of her estate—including her interest in her father’s property still held by her mother for life—to the children of her deceased sister, Ann G. Armistead. She names each of Ann’s children individually. Elizabeth appoints her brother‑in‑law Addison Armistead as executor and instructs that he be allowed to qualify without posting security. This will proves that her mother Anne was still alive in 1854.

People Named in the Will and Their Relationship to John Stewart

1. Elizabeth Stewart Barlow - Daughter of John Stewart. Testator of this 1854 will. Wife of John H. Barlow

2. John H. Barlow - Son‑in‑law of John Stewart. Husband of Elizabeth

3. Addison Armistead - Brother‑in‑law of Elizabeth, Executor of her will. Trustee appointed by John Stewart in the codicils. Husband of Ann G. Armistead, Elizabeth’s deceased sister.

4. Larkin D. Stewart - Son of John Stewart. Elizabeth’s brother. Receives $500.

5. Mary Stewart - Daughter of John Stewart. Elizabeth’s sister. Receives $300.

6. Ann G. Armistead (deceased) - Daughter of John Stewart. Elizabeth’s sister. Wife of Addison Armistead. Her children receive the residue of Elizabeth’s estate.

Children of Ann G. Armistead (John Stewart’s grandchildren:

7. Robert S. Armistead

8. Eveline Armistead

9. Elizabeth Armistead

10. Lee Armistead

11. John Armistead

12. James Armistead

13. Booker Armistead

14. Mary Susan Armistead

There was a daughter Lucy, born 16 March 1802 in Virginia and she died 3 January 1861 in Wilson County, Tennessee. She married William Davis. In addition there was a daughter named Mickey and she married George Webb. She is mentioned in John Stewart’s will.

John Steward is listed in the 1810 Census of Charlotte County. The only other Steward listed in the 1810 Census was Samuel Steward, who had 8 slaves. He was between 26 and 44 years old. According to the Marriages of Campbell County, Virginia, 1782-1810 Henry Stewart married Polly Armstrong, the daughter of Benjamin Armstrong, bond 6 April 1805.

What the Evidence Suggests About the Ancestry of John Stewart of Charlotte County

The documentary trail for John Stewart of Charlotte County, who appears in the 1810 census, is thin but revealing. In that census, only two men of the surname Stewart were living in the county: John himself and Samuel Steward, a man between twenty‑six and forty‑four years old who owned eight enslaved people. The scarcity of the surname in Charlotte at that time strongly suggests that John and Samuel were related—perhaps as brothers, cousins, or uncle and nephew—but the census alone does not specify the connection. Still, their proximity in time and place marks Samuel as the most promising lead for uncovering John’s origins.

A marriage record from nearby Campbell County shows a Henry Stewart marrying Polly Armstrong in 1805. (2) Although the date fits the general period in which John was raising his family, Henry does not appear in Charlotte County in 1810, nor does his name surface in John Stewart’s will, codicils, or in the later will of John’s daughter, Elizabeth Barlow. Nothing in the surviving records ties Henry to John’s household or to the cluster of names associated with John’s children—Elizabeth, Ann G., Mary, and Larkin. For this reason, Henry Stewart of Campbell County is almost certainly not part of John’s immediate family.

The names found in John Stewart’s family do not match the naming patterns of Stewart families of New Kent, Hanover, Goochland, Prince Edward, or Amelia Counties. Those lines favored names such as James, Robert, Alexander, William, and Matthew. John’s children—Elizabeth, Ann, Mary, and Larkin—reflect a different naming tradition, one more typical of families who settled in Southside Virginia, particularly Amelia, Prince Edward, Halifax, and Lunenburg Counties. These counties supplied many of the early settlers of Charlotte, and they contain Stewart families whose timelines and migration patterns align with John’s appearance there.

Taken together, the evidence suggests that John Stewart was not descended from the New Kent or Hanover Stewarts, nor from the Goochland or Prince Edward branches. Instead, his origins most likely lie among the Southside Virginia Stewarts, whose movements into Charlotte County during the late eighteenth century match the period in which John established his household. The presence of Samuel Steward in the 1810 census—close in age and living in the same county—may prove to be the key to unlocking John’s ancestry. If Samuel’s probate, land transactions, or marriage records can be located, they may reveal the names of his parents or siblings, which in turn could identify John’s family of origin. There are no records to prove his descent from the Southside Stewart family of Amelia, Prince Edward, Lunenburg County. No known connection to Steward of New Kent, if that is indeed what Ann Gaulding’s name was.

Ann (Gaulding) Stewart, the daughter of Samuel Gaulding and Elizabeth Turner died on 7 June 1855 in Campbell County.