The Woodall Line: John W. Woodall and Elizabeth Gaulding

Catherine Gauldin
Jul 13
12 min read

The purpose of this document is to prove that John W. Woodall who married Elizabeth Gaulding, the daughter of William T. Gaulding and Margaret Lane was the son of James Sampson Woodall and Betsy Taylor.

Vertical Pedigree Chart for John W. Woodall

The Woodall line in Virginia begins in the early eighteenth century with John Woodall, who by 1723 held 300 acres on the north side of Nennestoe (Genestoe) Creek in Henrico County, later part of Goochland. When John died in 1747, his will named three children—John Woodall Jr., William Woodall, and Sarah Prior—and his wife Judith Sampson. A decade later, in 1757, John Woodall Sr. deeded additional land to his sons John Jr. and Sampson Woodall, establishing Sampson as another member of the direct line.

Sampson Woodall, born about 1735, married Sarah Steele in 1756 and had several children whose births were recorded in the Douglas Register: John (1758), an unnamed child (1761), Saly/Sally (1763), and Jacob (1763). After selling his Goochland land in 1762, Sampson moved his family to Charlotte County, Virginia, where he expanded his household. By 1782, he was head of a family of nine, and additional children—William, Susannah, and James S. (James Sampson)—were born there.

James Sampson Woodall, born around 1765, married three times: first to Betsy Hankins in 1790, then to Betsy Taylor in 1797, and finally to Jane Shackleford in 1815. He fathered several children, including Daniel H., James S. Jr., Christopher T., John Anderson, Nancy, and Elizabeth. Because James S. Jr. was born around 1800, he is understood to be the son of James Sampson Woodall and Betsy Taylor, whose marriage occurred in 1797.

This timeline places John W. Woodall (1797–1831) squarely within the same generational window. His birth year matches the year of his father’s marriage to Betsy Taylor, and his presence in the same counties and family networks strongly supports the conclusion that John W. Woodall was indeed a son of James Sampson Woodall and Betsy Taylor. His later marriage to Elizabeth Gaulding continues the pattern of intermarriage among the Woodall, Taylor, Gaulding, and McDaniel families who lived along the same corridor of Goochland, Charlotte, and Pittsylvania Counties.

In sum, the documentary trail—from land deeds and wills to marriage records and county registers—forms a coherent line of descent from John Woodall (d. 1747) through Sampson Woodall, then James Sampson Woodall, and finally to John W. Woodall, whose marriage into the Gaulding family anchors this branch firmly in Pittsylvania County’s early nineteenth‑century history.

The marriage records from Virginia help clarify two generations of the Woodall family. In 1790, James Woodall—later known as James Sampson Woodall—married Betsy Hankins in Charlotte County. This was his first marriage, marking the beginning of his adult life and establishing him in the community before his later marriage to Betsy Taylor in 1797.

A second record identifies Susan Woodall as the daughter of Sampson Woodall, and shows her marrying William E. Easter. This confirms that Sampson Woodall, born about 1735 and son of John Woodall Sr., had a daughter named Susan. Her marriage record provides documentary support for Sampson’s place in the Woodall lineage and helps connect him to the next generation.

Together, these records reinforce the family structure:

John Woodall Sr. → Sampson Woodall → James Sampson Woodall → the children of James Sampson, including those born to his wives Betsy Hankins and Betsy Taylor.

Children of John W. Woodall and Elizabeth Gaulding

1 John W Woodall* ** b: Oct 1797 in Campbell, Virginia, USA, d: 10 Apr 1831 in Pittsylvania, Virginia, USA + Elizabeth Gaulding* ** b: 1792 in Bedford, Virginia, USA, m: 29 Jan 1817 in Pittsylvania, Virginia, USA, d: 15 Mar 1882 in Pittsylvania, Virginia, USA

...2 William F Woodall* b: Abt. 1818 in Whitmell, Pittsylvania, Virginia, USA, d: 1880 in Grant, Randolph, North Carolina, USA + Ellender "Nellie" PRICE* b: Abt. 1818 in Leaksville, Rockingham, North Carolina, USA, m: Bef. 1840 in Pittsylvania, Virginia, USA, d: Aft. 1880 in Pittsylvania, Virginia, USA

...2 Mahala Woodall* b: 12 Mar 1820 in Vandola, Pittsylvania, Virginia, USA, d: Aug 1891 in Bachelor's Hall, Pittsylvania, Virginia, USA + Thomas J. Gauldin^ b: 01 Apr 1817 in Pittsylvania, Virginia, USA, m: 13 Sep 1838 in Pittsylvania, Virginia, USA, d: 1892 in Rockingham, North Carolina, USA

...2 Samuel Jefferson "Sam" Woodall* b: 14 Aug 1822 in Pittsylvania, Virginia, USA, d: 06 Jun 1912 in Henry, Virginia, USA + Susan Gravely b: 1845 in Henry, Virginia, USA, m: 20 Jun 1907 in Henry, Virginia, USA, d: 19 Aug 1921 in Henry, Virginia, USA + Eleanor S. "Nellie" Lawrence* b: Mar 1827 in Henry, Virginia, USA, m: Bef. 1852 in Leatherwood,

Henry, Virginia, USA, d: 1900 in Henry, Virginia, USA

...2 Samantha Woodall b: 1829 in Pittsylvania, Virginia, USA, d: Aft. 1870

Narrative: The Life and Lineage of John Woodall (1797–1831)

The Woodall family story in Virginia begins in the early eighteenth century with John Woodall, who by 1723 held 300 acres along Nennestoe (Genestoe) Creek in what was then Henrico County and later became Goochland County. When he died in 1747, his will named his wife Judith Sampson and three children—John Jr., William, and Sarah Prior. A decade later, in 1757, he deeded additional land to his sons John Jr. and Sampson Woodall, confirming Sampson as another member of the direct line.

Sampson Woodall, born around 1735, married Sarah Steele in 1756. Their children—John (1758), an unnamed child (1761), Sally (1763), and Jacob (1763)—were recorded in the Douglas Register of Goochland County. After selling his land in 1762, Sampson moved his growing family to Charlotte County, Virginia, where he appears in the 1782 tax list as head of a household of nine. Additional children—William, Susannah, and James S. (James Sampson)—were born during this period.

James Sampson Woodall, born about 1765, represents the next link in the chain. He married three times: first to Elizabeth “Betsy” Hankins in 1790, then to Elizabeth Taylor in 1797, and finally to Jane Shackleford in 1815. His children included Daniel H., James S. Jr., Christopher T., John Anderson, Nancy, Sarah, and Elizabeth. Because James S. Jr. was born around 1800, he is understood to be the son of James Sampson and Elizabeth Taylor, whose marriage occurred in 1797.

Within this generational window appears John Woodall, born about 1797 in Charlotte County. His birth year aligns precisely with the marriage of James Sampson Woodall and Elizabeth Taylor, and his later presence in Pittsylvania County—alongside siblings whose marriages and migrations match the same family cluster—strongly supports the conclusion that John was their son.

On 30 January 1817, John married Elizabeth Gauldin in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. This marriage linked the Woodalls to the Gauldin, Taylor, and McDaniel families, forming a tight-knit kin network that shaped the social landscape of Pittsylvania County in the early nineteenth century. John’s siblings—James S. Jr., Anderson, Simeon, Nancy, Christopher Taylor, Sarah “Sally,” and Elizabeth—married into neighboring families and spread outward into Henry County, Tennessee, and beyond, but John remained rooted in Pittsylvania, where he and Elizabeth established their household.

Taken together, the documentary trail—from land deeds and wills to marriage registers and county records—forms a coherent line of descent:

John Woodall Sr. (d. 1747) → Sampson Woodall (b. 1735) → James Sampson Woodall (1765–1848) → John Woodall (1797–1831)

John’s marriage to Elizabeth Gauldin anchors this branch firmly in Pittsylvania County’s early nineteenth‑century history, continuing the Woodall legacy that began nearly a century earlier along the creeks and tobacco fields of Goochland County.

Narrative: The Life of William F. Woodall (1818–before 1880)

William F. Woodall was born around 1818 in the Whitmell area of Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Although his exact parentage is not yet documented, his early life and adult years place him firmly within the network of Woodall families living in southern Pittsylvania during the mid‑nineteenth century.

On 7 July 1838, William married Ellender “Nellie” Price, who was born about 1818 in Leaksville, Rockingham County, North Carolina. Their marriage was recorded in Pittsylvania County (FHL Film 33326, p. 118), marking the beginning of a household that would remain in the county for decades.

By the 1840 census, William and Nellie were living in Pittsylvania County with a small two‑person household—one male aged 20–29 and one female aged 20–29. One member of the household was literate, the other was not, and William was listed as a farmer.

The 1850 census shows the family in the Southern District of Pittsylvania County. William, age 37, worked as a laborer and could not read or write. Nellie, age 35, was also illiterate. Their children at that time were Fanny (11), Samuel (9), and Nathan (7). The family continued to live in the same region through the 1860 census, where Nellie appears as the head of household—age 42, born in North Carolina—with real estate valued at $500 and personal property valued at $75. The children listed were Elizabeth F., Samuel J., Nathan A., and William N. Woodall.

By 1880, Nellie appears as a widow living in Pittsylvania County with her daughter Nancy J., who had married Peter Garner. This confirms that William F. Woodall died sometime before 1880. Although an unverified record suggests a death in Grant, Randolph County, North Carolina, no evidence supports this claim; all confirmed records place William’s life and death in Pittsylvania County.

William’s life reflects that of many small farmers in antebellum Pittsylvania—modest means, limited literacy, and a household built through steady labor. His marriage to Nellie Price connected Virginia and North Carolina families, and their children continued the Woodall presence in Pittsylvania County into the late nineteenth century.

Narrative: The Life and Family of Samuel Jefferson “Sam” Woodall (1822–1912)

Samuel Jefferson “Sam” Woodall was born on 14 August 1822 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Raised in the rural communities along the Pittsylvania–Henry County line, Sam belonged to the generation that came of age just before the Civil War and lived well into the twentieth century. By the early 1850s, he had settled in the Leatherwood area of Henry County, where he married Eleanor S. “Nellie” Lawrence, daughter of Henry Lawrence Jr. and Gilly Ann Allen. Their marriage occurred before 1852, likely in Leatherwood, where both families lived.

Nellie, born in March 1827 in Henry County, became Sam’s partner in building a large and deeply rooted Leatherwood family. She died around 1900, while Sam lived until 6 June 1912, passing away at the remarkable age of 92. His long life spanned the antebellum era, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the dawn of modern America.

Sam and Nellie raised a substantial family whose children remained closely tied to Henry and Franklin Counties:

1. William Jefferson Woodall was born on 17 March 1852 in Leatherwood. He married Martha Jane Motley in 1880, and the couple lived their lives in Leatherwood. William died in 1921, and Martha in 1934, both buried in the community where they were born.

2. John Henry Woodall, born 15 August 1856, also grew up in Leatherwood. He married Victoria Ann Wingfield on 23 December 1880 in Franklin County. Victoria, born in 1862, later died in Leatherwood, where the couple made their home.

3. Quintina R. Woodall was born on 28 May 1860 in Henry County. She married William Jasper Wingfield on 10 March 1881, linking the Woodalls to another long‑established Franklin County family. Quintina died in 1901, while William lived until 1929, passing away in Sago, Franklin County.

4. Elizabeth J. “Betty” Woodall, born 1 December 1861, married Henry N. “Tom” Lawrence in 1883, continuing the close ties between the Woodall and Lawrence families. Tom was born in Stokes County, North Carolina, but the couple lived in Henry County.

5. Robert Patrick Woodall, born 22 August 1866, married Raney Lee Eanes in 1889. Robert died in 1902, while Raney lived until 1954, both remaining in Henry County.

6. Darling Carroll Woodall, born around 1870, married Sally F. Copeland in 1891 in Franklin County. Darling died young, around 1902, at about 32 years old.

Through these children, Sam and Nellie established a wide network of Woodall, Lawrence, Wingfield, Motley, Eanes, and Copeland descendants who remained anchored in Henry and Franklin Counties for generations. Their lives reflect the continuity of rural Virginia families—deep roots, intermarried kin groups, and a strong sense of place.

Samuel Jefferson “Sam” Woodall’s long life and large family form a central branch of the Woodall lineage in southwestern Virginia, carrying the family forward from its Pittsylvania origins into the twentieth century.

Narrative: The Life and Family of Samuel Jefferson “Sam” Woodall (1822–1912)

Samuel Jefferson “Sam” Woodall was born on 14 August 1822 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, part of the extended Woodall family whose roots in the region stretch back to the early eighteenth century. By 1850, Sam was living in the Southern District of Pittsylvania County as a young man of twenty‑eight, preparing to establish his own household.

Sometime before 1852, Sam married Eleanor S. “Nellie” Lawrence, born in March 1827 in Henry County, Virginia, the daughter of Henry Lawrence Jr. and Gilly Ann Allen. The couple settled in the Leatherwood community of Henry County, where they would spend the remainder of their lives and raise a large family.

By the 1860 census, Sam—listed as “Saml Woodall”—was a farmer with real and personal property valued at $1,000 each. He and Nellie had begun building their family, with young children Abigail, John, Henry, William, and infant Quintina in the household.

In October 1864, during the final year of the Civil War, Sam enlisted in Company C, 5th Virginia Regiment, later appearing in records of the 36th Virginia Infantry. He was captured at Waynesboro on 2 March 1865 and imprisoned at Fort Delaware, where he remained until taking the Oath of Allegiance on 7 June 1865. Military records describe him as 5'9", with hazel eyes and brown hair.

After the war, Sam returned to Leatherwood. The 1870 census shows him as a farmer with increasing property value, living with Nellie and their growing family: John H., Abigail E., William, Quintina, Elizabeth J., Samuel L., Robert P., and Carroll D. Woodall. By 1880, the household still centered around farming, with Sam and Nellie joined by several of their adult and teenage children.

In 1900, Sam—then seventy‑five—was still living in Leatherwood, owning his farm and unable to read or write, a characteristic consistent throughout his life. Nellie died around 1900, and Sam remarried late in life. On 20 June 1907, at age eighty‑two, he married Susan Belcher, a widow, in Henry County. The marriage record identifies his parents as Jno. Woodall and E. Woodall, confirming his connection to the Pittsylvania Woodall line.

The 1910 census shows Sam, age eighty‑five, still farming in Leatherwood, living with Susan and two young boarders. He remained active and independent until his death on 6 June 1912 at the age of 89. He was buried in Leatherwood, the community where he had lived for more than sixty years.

Children of Samuel Jefferson “Sam” Woodall and Eleanor S. “Nellie” Lawrence

Sam and Nellie raised a large family whose descendants remained deeply rooted in Henry and Franklin Counties:

1. William Jefferson Woodall (1852–1921), married Martha Jane Motley

2. John Henry Woodall (1856–after 1900), married Victoria Ann Wingfield

3. Quintina R. Woodall (1860–1901), married William Jasper Wingfield

4. Elizabeth J. “Betty” Woodall (1861–?), married Henry N. “Tom” Lawrence

5. Robert Patrick Woodall (1866–1902), married Raney Lee Eanes

6. Darling Carroll Woodall (1870–1902), married Sally F. Copeland

Narrative: The Life of Samantha Woodall (1829–after 1870)

Samantha Woodall was born around 1829 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, a member of the extended Woodall family that lived for generations along the Dan River and the surrounding communities. Her early life is sparsely documented, but the 1850 census places her in the Southern District of Pittsylvania County, living with her mother Elizabeth Woodall, indicating that Samantha remained closely tied to her natal household into adulthood.

By 1870, Samantha was still residing with her mother in the subdivision north of the Dan River, an area served by the Whitmell and Pleasant Gap post offices. The census that year lists Elizabeth Woodall, age seventy, as head of household, owning real estate valued at $500. Samantha, recorded as age thirty, lived with her mother and had no occupation listed, suggesting she may have been assisting in the household or caring for younger relatives. Also present were Robert M. Woodall, age seventeen, and John Woodall, age seven—likely younger kin within the extended family network.

No confirmed marriage record has been found for Samantha, and no documentation traces her beyond the 1870 census, leaving her exact date of death unknown. What survives of her story reflects the life of many unmarried women in rural nineteenth‑century Virginia—remaining within the family home, contributing to household labor, and forming part of the multigenerational structure that sustained families through changing times.

Though the records are few, Samantha’s presence in two consecutive censuses anchors her firmly within the Woodall lineage and the Pittsylvania County communities where her family lived for decades.

Works cited

ancestry.com, 1820 United States Federal Census, https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7734/images/4433241_00110?pId=1121200

ancestry.com, 1830 United States Federal Census, https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8058/images/4411349_00737?pId=956145

ancestry.com, Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940,https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60214/records/899335?tid=163174124&pid=422121228527&ssrc=pt

ancestry.com, War of 1812 Pension Application Files Index, 1812-1815, https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1133/images/miusa1814_114203-00247?pId=59063

ancestry.com, 1840 United States Federal Census, William F. Woodall https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8057/images/4410827_00248?pId=1913711

ancestry.com, Virginia, U.S., Select Marriages, 1785-1940, William F. Woodall https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60214/records/3205831?tid=163174124&pid=422121228564&ssrc=pt

ancestry.com, 1850 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules, Samuel Jefferson Woodall,

https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8055/images/VAM432_992-0083?pId=92937894

ancestry.com, 1850 United States Federal Census, Samuel Jefferson Woodall, https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8054/images/4206390_00169?pId=15427524

ancestry.com, 1860 United States Federal Census, Samuel Jefferson Woodall

https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7667/images/4297383_00034?pId=33745407