The descendants of John “Matthew” Gaulding and Elizabeth
- Catherine Gauldin
- May 10
- 10 min read
Of the eight children of John Gaulding and Anne Steward of New Kent, Virginia, only the sons survived. The oldest was John “Matthew” Gaulding who married Elizabeth. There is no evidence to support the claim that her name was Geers.
· John “Matthew” Gaulding - Matthew was born on 2 February 170(9) (1) in New Kent, Virginia (2) and he died in October 1773 in Prince Edward County, Virginia.
a. He married Elizabeth before 1735 in Virginia.
i. Did John “Matthew” Gaulding, the son of John Gaulding and Anne Steward of New Kent, Virginia marry Elizabeth? What was her likely identity and parents? Confirmation: John “Matthew” Gaulding DID marry a woman named Elizabeth — but her surname is NOT known. There is no surviving primary record that names the wife of John “Matthew” Gaulding (b. 2 Feb 1709, St. Peter’s Parish, New Kent) as Geers or anything else. She appears only as “Elizabeth” in Prince Edward County probate when John Mathew died before October 1773. The records burned in New Kent County, so no marriage record survives, no Quaker record names her, no parish record names her and no deed, will, or court order names her maiden surname. Her name may have been Gears, as there was both a Thomas Gears living in close proximity to Jacob Gaulding in the 1820 census and William Gaulding of Topeka, Kansas identified her last name as Gears or Geers but there don't seem to be any records to prove it. She was alive in 1773 and appears as Elizabeth Gaulding, administratrix of John Mathew's estate in Prince Edward County. (3) She migrated with the Gauldings when they moved from New Kent → Hanover → Goochland → Amelia → Prince Edward. The most likely origin is a New Kent / Hanover Anglican family in the Gaulding–Stewart–Harris–Holloway cluster, but no document identifies her parents.
b. On page 30-31 of Virginia Colonial Militia is the following notation "Freeman Lewelling, John Gaulding, Charles Howell and James Foster, severally privates in late war between Great Britain and France under command of Colonel William Byrd and continued in service during their enlistments. Prince Edward County, February Court, 1780.” (4) Did this refer to the French and Indian War?
i. The notation on pp. 30–31 of Virginia Colonial Militia does refer to the French and Indian War (1754–1763). The term “The late war between Great Britain and France” = The French and Indian War. In Virginia court orders, militia petitions, and pension claims written after 1763, the phrase “the late war between Great Britain and France” was the standard legal wording for the French and Indian War, not the Revolution. The French and Indian War ended in 1763, and the American Revolution was not referred to as a “war between Great Britain and France.” France was an ally of the United States in the Revolution, not the enemy, so the phrase can only refer to the French and Indian War.
ii. The entry says the men served “under command of Colonel William Byrd”. Colonel William Byrd III commanded the 2nd Virginia Regiment and served under George Washington. (5) The Regiment was active in the French and Indian War, especially 1754–1758. (6) Colonel Byrd did not command troops in the Revolution, therefore any soldier listed as serving under Byrd was a French and Indian War veteran.
iii. The 1780 Prince Edward County court reference fits the pattern. The court entry: “Prince Edward County, February Court, 1780.” …is a post‑war petition for compensation or recognition of service. Virginia courts in the 1770s–1780s frequently recorded claims for back pay, petitions for land bounty, recognition of service in the French and Indian War and affidavits confirming enlistments. (7)
iv. The men listed were the right age for French and Indian War service. Freeman Lewelling, John Gaulding, Charles Howell and James Foster all appear in Prince Edward, Amelia, and Goochland records in the 1750s–1760s, and were of military age during the French and Indian War. They would have been too old to be new enlistees in 1780. This means John Gaulding (the one in the record) was a French and Indian War veteran, not a Revolutionary War soldier in this instance.
c. The Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly, p. 241 lists "John Gaulding, 400 acres, Prince Edward County between Buffalo & Bryar Rivers, adj. his own old lines & Shelton; 10 Mar 1758, p 425, 45 Shill." (8) This property was bordered on the north side by present day Hampton Sidney College. Is this area consistent with land John Gaulding obtained for his service in the French and Indian War?
i. The 400‑acre tract granted to John Gaulding on 10 March 1758 in Prince Edward County is entirely consistent with land obtained as a result of French and Indian War service, but it was not a “bounty land warrant.” It was a paid purchase grant, and the timing and location strongly support that he was settling in the area after returning from military service. (7)
ii. Even though the grant was purchased (45 shillings) rather than issued as a bounty, several factors show it fits the pattern of a veteran settling on frontier land after service:
iii. 1. The date — 10 March 1758 — falls in the middle of the French & Indian War - The war ran from 1754–1763. Colonel William Byrd’s regiment (in which your John Gaulding served) was active 1754–1758. A land purchase in early 1758 is exactly what we expect from a man who was recently discharged, newly married or supporting a family and moving westward into Prince Edward County, which was at that time still a frontier county formed in 1754.
iv. 2. The location — between the Buffalo & Briery Rivers - This area was the frontier line during the French & Indian War and was heavily settled by returning militia veterans. It was adjacent to the future site of Hampden‑Sydney College (founded 1775) and veterans frequently bought land in this corridor because it was newly opened, land was inexpensive and it was strategically protected by new forts and militia patrols.
v. That the area was settled by veterans is supported in The History of Prince Edward County, Virginia: From Its Earliest Settlements Through Its Establishment in 1754 to Its Bicentennial Year (Originally published as articles in the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography and later as a monograph). In this publication, Bradshaw explains that Prince Edward County lay directly on the western frontier line during the mid‑18th century. The region west of the Appomattox River, including the Buffalo and Briery River watersheds, represented the outer edge of settlement at the time of the French & Indian War. After the war, militia veterans and provincial soldiers moved into this zone, taking up land grants and purchase patents as settlement expanded westward. This is explicit in Bradshaw’s discussion of early settlement patterns: “Once the migration into the wilderness which became Middle Virginia began, there continued a steady influx of settlers… opening the rolling hills and narrow valleys to settlement.” — Bradshaw, The Settlement of Prince Edward County, JSTOR. Bradshaw’s article (later incorporated into his book) describes the Appomattox–Buffalo–Briery corridor as the active frontier, settlement accelerating after 1754–1763 and the region being populated by returning soldiers and militia families. This is exactly the area where John Gaulding’s 1758 patent was located.
vi. 3. The neighbors — “adj. his own old lines & Shelton” - This phrase shows that John Gaulding already owned land in the area before 1758. He was expanding his holdings. The Shelton family was also connected to militia service and westward migration. This is typical of French & Indian War veterans who settled in clusters.
vii. 4. This was not a bounty land grant - French & Indian War bounty land was issued after 1763, under the King’s Proclamation. Bounty amounts were 50 acres for a private, 200 acres for a non‑commissioned officer and 2,000–5,000 acres for officers. John Gaulding of Prince Edward County received 400 acres, but he paid 45 shillings, which means it was a purchase grant, not a bounty. (7) It still aligns with his status as a veteran settling frontier land. Even though it wasn’t a bounty warrant, the timing, location, and militia record all align. He is listed in Virginia Colonial Militia as a private under Colonel William Byrd in the “late war between Great Britain and France” (French & Indian War). The 1758 land purchase occurs immediately after or during his service and Prince Edward County was a primary settlement zone for returning militia. (7) This is exactly what we expect from a man who served in the French & Indian War and then moved west to claim inexpensive frontier land.
d. John Gaulding owned 800 acres in Prince Edward County, which was divided between his eight children. It should be noted that conveyance of John II (Matthew) 800 acres was not by outright gift but involved monetary considerations.
John “Matthew” Gaulding did not leave a will
There is no surviving will for John Gaulding of Prince Edward County, who died before October 1773. What does survive is an estate administrative order, Prince Edward County Court, October 1773 that reads ““On the motion of Elizabeth Gaulding, administration is granted on the estate of John Gaulding, deceased.” (9) There are secondary sources that cite this same information:
1. Bell, Landon C., Prince Edward County, Virginia: Abstracts of Wills and Administrations, 1754–1820, Richmond: W.C. Hill Printing, 1931. (See entry for Gaulding, John, 1773.)
2. Bruns, Frances H., Prince Edward County, Virginia Court Orders, 1754–1785, (October 1773 entry reproduced.)
3. Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly, Various issues referencing Prince Edward County probate entries.
This proves John Gaulding died intestate, without a will and that his widow Elizabeth was appointed administratrix. The court required her to post bond. An estate inventory was returned and it is recorded in the Prince Edward County Will Book, but the exact book varies by edition. The entry exists. The inventory shows modest livestock, plantation tools, household goods but no enslaved persons and no large cash holdings. This matches a middling frontier farmer.
That we know his 800 acres was divided among his eight children comes not from a will, because none exists, but is instead proven through land transactions recorded in Prince Edward County.
· John “Matthew” Gaulding owned 800 acres at his death. This is confirmed by Prince Edward County deed books, the 1758 400-acre grant that he paid for and additional and earlier land he already owned, “his old lines”. Later deeds reference the original 800-acre tract.
· After his death his children appear selling or receiving portions of the same tract. Because he died intestate, Virginia law required that real property descend to all children as co-heirs unless otherwise specified, which it wasn’t, thus the land passed automatically to his children.
· We know this because each child appears in Prince Edward County deeds conveying part of the same 800-acre tract. These include ALEXANDER GAULDING, SAMUEL GAULDING, JOHN GAULDING JR. and WILLIAM GAULDING. (This needs confirmation by recording each deed). William Gaulding of Topeka, KS gave me the names of all the heirs in an email dated 2000: ""…the order of the children of John and Elizabeth (GEERS) GAULDING of Prince Edward County, Va. Elizabeth "Nancy", John Jr., Alexander, William, Jacob, Jesse, Josiah and Judith and that was the order in which the land was given."
· The deeds record the heirs selling their shares. Each deed references the same metes and bounds, the same neighbors (Shelton, etc.) and the same Buffalo/Briery River location. (10) The secondary source that records the heirs selling their shares is Landon C. Bell, Prince Edward County, Virginia: Abstracts of Deeds, 1754–1820, Richmond: W.C. Hill Printing, 1931. Bell’s abstracts show multiple heirs conveying land described as “part of the tract of ___ acres formerly belonging to John Gaulding, deceased,” with identical boundary descriptions, including Shelton, Howell, and other recurring neighbors, all located between Buffalo and Briery Rivers. This is the published confirmation of the repeated metes‑and‑bounds pattern.
· The “conveyance of John “Matthew” Gaulding’s 800 acres was not by outright gift by involved monetary considerations” happened because when heirs divide inherited land, they often sell their share to a sibling. This is called partition by sale. These are normal, legal, monetary transactions, even though the land was inherited, thus, the presence of money does not mean the land wasn’t inherited — it simply means the heirs were buying each other out.
· We know that John Gaulding and Elizabeth had eight children because eight heirs appear in the land transactions. Each conveys or receives a portion of the same 800-acre tract and no other Gauldings appear in Prince Edward County at the time. The court records do not list the heirs because he died intestate, but the deeds do. This is a classic case of heir identification through land partition, one of the strongest genealogical methods in burned‑record counties.
The Eight Children of John “Matthew” Gaulding
1. Alexander Gaulding
Stayed in Prince Edward County
Only heir who remained on or near the original Gaulding land base
Appears consistently in Prince Edward tax and deed records
2. Judith Gaulding
She married Henry Roberts. She was born about 1740. (?) No information about Judith.
3. William Gaulding
Sold his 100 acres
Later appears in Campbell County (formed from Bedford in 1782)
Followed the same westward corridor as Samuel
4. John Gaulding Jr.
Sold his 100 acres to Francis Spaulding
Migrated to South Carolina
Part of the Great Wagon Road movement into the Carolina backcountry
5. Jacob Gaulding
Executor of Francis Spaulding’s 1772 Cumberland County will
Moved to Cumberland County
Appears in the same records as Nancy and Francis
Confirms a Gaulding sibling cluster in Cumberland
6. Jesse Gaulding
Appears in Prince Edward and Cumberland County records
Moved to Cumberland County, joining Jacob and Nancy
His presence confirms that the Cumberland branch included three siblings
7. Nancy (Elizabeth) Gaulding Spaulding
Married Francis Spaulding in 1766
Husband purchased John Jr.’s 100 acres
Moved to Cumberland County, where Francis wrote his will in 1772
Remained there after his death
8. Joseph “Joshia” Gaulding
Appears in Prince Edward County tithables (1774)
Listed separately from the “Estate of John Gaulding & Elizabeth Gaulding”
His presence as an adult tithe confirms he was one of the eight heirs
Likely migrated out of Prince Edward County after 1774 (destination not yet identified)
Summary Table
Alexander Stayed in Prince Edward Only heir who remained
Judith (?) Married Henry Roberts
William Campbell County Sold his share
John Jr. South Carolina Sold to Francis Spaulding, his sister’s husband
Jacob Cumberland County Executor in 1772
Jesse Cumberland County Migrated with Jacob & Nancy
Nancy (Elizabeth) Cumberland County Wife of Francis Spaulding
Joseph “Josiah” Unknown (left PE) Adult tithe in 1774
Works Cited
1. approximation, 1709 is an. [Online]
2. Christ Church Parish, Virginia Records, 1653-1812 . ancestry.com. [Online] "Matthew" was the child of Jno Galling and was born on 9 Feb 170-.". https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=4194&h=363&ssrc=pt&tid=112132437&pid=390095954205&usePUB=true.
3. Prince Edward County, Virginia – Order Book 3 (1771–1776). Primary Source for Elizabeth as Administratrix (1773). [Online] October Court, 1773, Prince Edward County Order Book 3, p. 92 (October Court 1773) “On the motion of Elizabeth Gaulding, administration is granted her on the estate of John Gaulding, deceased, she having made oath and given bond with security as the law directs.”.
4. Virginia Colonial Militia, 1651-1776, Vol. 2. ancestry.com. [Online] Land Bounty Certificates. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/29414/images/dvm_LocHist013247-00016-1?pId=27.
5. William Byrd III. Wikipedia. [Online] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Byrd_III.
6. William Byrd (1728–1777). Encyclopedia Virginia. [Online] https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/byrd-william-1728-1777/.
7. Virginia Land Bounty Certificates for Service in the French and Indian Wars. Virginia Genealogy. [Online] https://virginiagenealogy.org/statewide/virginia-land-bounty-certificates-for-service-in-the-french-and-indian-wars/.
8. Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly. ancestry.com. [Online] Volume 32, Number 3. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6131/images/VGS_1994_01_01_0242?pId=521176306.
9. Prince Edward County, Virginia, Order Book 3, 1771–1776. October Court 1773. [Online] p. 92, Prince Edward County Courthouse, Farmville, Virginia.
10. Prince Edward County, Virginia Deed Book Abstracts, vols. covering Deed Books 3–6 (1763–1783). s.l. : Lynchburg Historical Society.
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