William Gauldin, Jr., the son of William T. Gauldin and Margaret Lane and his wife Isabelle McDaniels
- Catherine Gauldin
- 18 hours ago
- 10 min read
William Gauldin, Jr. the son of William T. Gaulding and Margaret Lane is named in the chancery records related to the distribution of the estate of his father in 1841, but only indirectly. Although the 1852–1853 Pittsylvania County chancery suit dividing the estate of William T. Gaulding lists one distributive share going to “the heirs of William Gaulding, deceased,” the record does not reveal where this son died. The omission has long obscured the fate of William Gaulding Jr., the eldest son of William T. and Margaret Lane. The surviving evidence, however, makes the picture clear: William Gaulding Jr. left Virginia, settled in Smith County, Tennessee, and died there in 1835–1836, several years before his father’s death.
A will recorded in Smith County, Tennessee, dated 5 September 1835 and proved 21 March 1836, belongs unmistakably to this man. In the document, the testator—recorded as William “Galden”—names his wife Isabell and eight children: Hiram, Eliza, Barnett, Merryman, William Randal, James Cunagin, Sarah, and Robert. These names correspond exactly to the known children of William Gaulding Jr. and Isabelle McDaniels, confirming that the Tennessee testator is the same individual referenced in the Pittsylvania chancery suit.
The Will of William Gauldin (information supplied to me by Charlotte Marshall in an email, 2000. Source: copied from microfilm copy of Smith, County, Tn. Will book at Clayton Library in Houston, TX: (1)
"In the name of God, Amen. I, William Galden, of the county of Smith and the State of Tennessee, being of sick body, but of sound mind and disposing memory, and knowing that it is once appointed to man to die, do make and order this my last will and testament in manner and form following: To wit: First, immediately after my death I wish to be decently buried and the expenses to be paid out of my estate that I may die possessed of. It (?) 1st. I give and bequeth unto my beloved wife, Isabell Galden, all the real and personal estate property that I may die possessed of, household and kitchen furniture, stock of all kinds and farming utensils. And also two negroes, one name Susannah, about fifteen years of age and one boy named Alexander, about ten years of age, to have and to hold this personal property and negros during her natural life for her use and benefit during her natural life. And then after her death, my will is that the property above mentioned, or what remaining thereof at her death, to be equally divided between my eight children: Hiram, Eliza, Barnett, Merryman, William Randal, James Cunagin, Sarrah and Robert. I also give and bequeath unto my beloved wife all the notes and amount that I may die possessed of, and all the rest and residue of my personal estate that has not been named and I do hereby constitute and appoint my said beloved wife, Isabell Galden, my lone Executrix of this my last will and testament. In witness whereof, I have hereto set my hand and seal this 5th day of September 1835. William Galden his (x) mark Signed in presence of: Thomas B. Day Patrick Fergason Bennett Wright Recorded 21 March 1836.”
William Jr.’s Tennessee will disposes of his personal estate, including household goods, livestock, farming tools, and two enslaved individuals, Susannah and Alexander. His widow Isabell was appointed executrix and granted a life interest in the property, with the remainder to be divided among their eight children.[i]
Because William Jr. died before his father, his children—not his widow—became the rightful recipients of his share of the Virginia estate. Thus, when the Pittsylvania County court divided the estate of William T. Gaulding in the early 1850s, one share was assigned collectively to “the heirs of William Gaulding,” (2) referring to the Tennessee children. The chancery court (3) had no need to mention Tennessee, because its purpose was simply to distribute the Virginia estate, not to document the heirs’ residence or the location of their father’s death.
In this way, the Virginia and Tennessee records fit together: William Jr.’s death and probate occurred in Smith County, Tennessee, while his inheritance rights were handled later in Pittsylvania County through the chancery division of his father’s estate.
Marriage and Family
William and his brother Samuel both married sisters. Chloe McDaniel and Isabell McDaniel were both the daughters of Randolph McDaniel (1766-1832) and Sarah "Sally" Bennington (1770-?). Randolph McDaniel had the distinction of being the owner and operator of the Cascade Mill from 1815 to 1824 when he sold it to Benjamin Watkins for $300.
The 1873 Court Action[i]
In 1873, more than thirty years after the death of William T. Gaulding of Pittsylvania County, the lingering balance of his estate—$310.41—was finally ordered to be distributed by court‑appointed commissioner Joseph E. Tarpley. The case, recorded as Thomas Gaulding vs. William Gaulding, was not a dispute between living men but a legal mechanism to force the final settlement of their father’s estate. (4)
Tarpley’s distribution list identifies every surviving heir or heir‑group entitled to a share of William T.’s estate. Among them were William M., James C., and Robert Gaulding, the surviving sons of William Gaulding Jr., who had died before his father. Their inclusion confirms that William Jr.’s Tennessee‑based children were still legally recognized heirs in Virginia decades after his death.
The remaining heirs named in the distribution represent the full family structure of William T. Gaulding: the children of his deceased sons Thomas, Moses, and Samuel; his half‑sister Mary Boaz; and the children of his half‑brother Jabez. Together, these groups correspond exactly to the nine children of William T.—seven by his first wife Margaret Lane and two by his second wife Malessa (Dicey)—as documented in Pittsylvania County records.
This 1873 settlement also aligns perfectly with the Tennessee probate of William Gaulding Jr., who died in Smith County in 1835–1836, leaving eight children. By 1873, only three of those children—William R., James C., and Robert A.—were still living, and they received their father’s share of the Virginia estate.
Thus, the 1873 court action confirms the connection between the Virginia Gauldings and the Tennessee Gauldins, demonstrating that William Jr.’s descendants remained rightful heirs to the Pittsylvania estate long after his migration and death in Tennessee.
The Children of William Gaulding Jr. and Isabella McDaniel
William Gaulding Jr. and his wife Isabella McDaniel began their family in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, but sometime between 1825 and 1829 they migrated west into Tennessee, settling first in Smith County and later in the area that became Macon County. Their children’s birthplaces trace this movement: the older children were born in Virginia, while the younger ones were born in Tennessee. The family appears repeatedly in Tennessee census, probate, and court records, especially after William Jr.’s death in 1835–1836.
Their eldest son, Hiram Gaulding, born about 1815 in Pittsylvania County, appears in the 1840 Smith County census as “Hiram Golden,” heading a household of three and working in manufacturing or trade. By 1850 he was living in Hawkins County, Tennessee, with his wife Rebecca and their two children, William C. Gaulding (born 1843) and Susannah “Sissie” Gaulding (1846–1888).
Their daughter Elizabeth “Eliza” Gaulding, born in 1822 in Pittsylvania County, lived most of her adult life in Tennessee and died in 1881, likely in Smith County where her will was probated. She is named in her father’s 1835 will. A possible marriage to a man named Reece has been suggested but remains unproven.
Barnett Gaulding, born about 1823 in Pittsylvania County, died young in December 1844 in Lafayette, Macon County, Tennessee. He married a woman named Rachel, and they had one son, John Richard Gaulding (1827–1895).
Merryman Gaulding, born 10 January 1824 in Pittsylvania County, also died young, around 1849 in Smith County. Little documentation survives about his short life.
William Randall Gaulden, born 1 October 1824 in Pittsylvania County, lived into adulthood and died 3 January 1863 in Smith County, Tennessee. He married Mary Jane Thompson (1835–1924), and they had two children, Mary Elizabeth Gaulden and Robert Franklin Gaulden. Some evidence suggests he may have married Elizabeth Parker before his marriage to Mary Jane.
James Cunagin Gaulding, born in 1825 in Pittsylvania County, became one of the most prominent of the siblings. He died in 1900 in Lafayette, Macon County. He married Mary Ann Cosby (1835–1922), and together they raised a large family: America Ann, Sarah I. “Sallie,” Mary Isabelle, John F., Amanda Florence, Martha W., Hannah Amaline, Andrew Jackson, Robert Cheatum “Bob,” and Charles Arnold “Charlie” Gaulding.
Robert Allen Gaulding, born 8 November 1829 in Smith County, Tennessee, was the first of the children born after the family’s migration. He later moved west and died on 30 December 1911 in Mansfield, Tarrant County, Texas. He married Arthelia Ann Brown and may have served in Company F, 1st Tennessee Mounted Infantry during the Civil War.
The youngest daughter, Sarah Gaulding, born in 1830 in what became Macon County, Tennessee, lived at least until after 1880. She married Henry Forgusson around 1850. The 1860 census shows Sarah and Henry living in Lafayette with their children E.E. and M.F. Forgusson, as well as D.J. Gauldin, Sarah’s younger brother Daniel, who appears to have been living with her due to concerns about their mother Isabella’s ability to care for him. By 1880, Sarah and Henry were still living in Macon County with two younger children, Mary and William Forgason.
Together, these children illustrate the full migration of the Gaulding family from Virginia to Tennessee, their early establishment in Smith and Macon Counties, and the continuation of the Gaulding line through multiple branches across Tennessee and, eventually, Texas. Below is the permanent Settlement of the Gaulding children:
1. Hiram — Hawkins County, Tennessee (1850)
2. Eliza — Smith County, Tennessee (d. 1881)
3. Barnett — Lafayette, Macon County, Tennessee (d. 1844)
4. Merryman — Smith County, Tennessee (d. ca. 1849)
5. William Randall — Smith County, Tennessee (d. 1863)
6. James Cunagin — Lafayette, Macon County, Tennessee (d. 1900)
7. Robert Allen — Later moved to Texas (d. 1911)
8. Sarah — Macon County, Tennessee (d. after 1880)
Why the Gaulding Family Migrated from Virginia to Tennessee (1825–1829)
The migration of William Gaulding Jr. and Isabella McDaniel from Pittsylvania County, Virginia to Smith County, Tennessee almost certainly occurred between 1825 and 1829, and the timing aligns closely with major economic and demographic forces shaping the Upper South during that period. The birthplaces of their children provide the clearest evidence of the family’s movement: all children born through 1825—including James Cunagin—were born in Pittsylvania County, while their next child, Robert Allen, born in 1829, was born in Smith County, Tennessee. Their youngest daughter, Sarah, born in 1830, was born in what became Macon County, confirming that the family was fully established in Tennessee by the end of the decade. (9)
Their migration fits a well‑documented pattern. By the 1820s, the tobacco‑based agricultural economy of southern Virginia was in steep decline. Generations of intensive tobacco cultivation had exhausted the soil, reducing yields and pushing small farmers into debt. At the same time, Middle Tennessee—including Smith and later Macon County—was opening rapidly to settlement following federal land cessions and state land sales. The region offered cheap, fertile farmland, expanding markets, and new economic opportunities unavailable in worn‑out Virginia tobacco country. (10)
A major migration corridor connected Pittsylvania County directly to Tennessee through the Cumberland Gap, and thousands of Virginia families followed this route westward during the 1820s. The Gauldings fit this pattern precisely: they disappear from Pittsylvania County records after 1825 and appear in Tennessee records by the early 1830s, including William Jr.’s presence in Sumner County in 1833 and his 1835 will in Smith County. Their children’s birthplaces, the timing of their appearance in Tennessee records, and the broader economic pressures of the era all point to a deliberate relocation motivated by the search for better land and improved prospects for a growing family.
Works Cited
1. Smith County, Tennessee, Will Book (1830–1840). Will of William Galden (Gauldin), dated 5 September 1835, proved 21 March 1836. Tennessee State Library & Archives (TSLA), Transcription supplied by Charlotte Marshall from microfilm copy at Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research, Houston, Texas Smith County Wills & Inventories, Microfilm Roll #64.
2. Tennessee, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1779-2008. ancestry.com. [Online] Will Records, Vol 1-3, 7-8, 1803-1896, Smith County, TN. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9176/images/004750388_01850?pId=4539284.
3. Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Chancery Cause 1852–1853. division of the estate of William T. Gaulding. Identifying one distributive share for “the heirs of William Gaulding, deceased, Pittsylvania County Chancery Records, Library of Virginia.
4. Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Order Books and Estate Papers. estate of William T. Gaulding, 1841–1853. Confirming his death intestate and the distribution of his estate among his heirs, including the heirs of his deceased son William.
5. Virginia, Marriages, 1740-1850. ancestry.com. [Online]
6. US Family History Books. ancestry.com. [Online] McDaniel Family Research, Virginia, p 7, Author: Robert, Harry D. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/62282/images/555166_fl6125190_2477425-00008?pId=4467653199.
7. Gauldin, Catherine L. The Gaulding Family of Pittsylvania County, Virginia.
8. Tennessee, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1779-2008. ancestry.com. [Online] Smith County, TN, Will Records, Vol 1-3, 7-8, 1803-1896. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9176/images/004750388_01936?pId=4022038.
9. Williams, Samuel Cole. Early Travels in the Tennessee Country, 1540–1800. Johnson City, TN: Watauga Press, 1928.
10. Inscoe, John C. . Migration in the Upper South. University of Tennessee Press, 1989. Describes the heavy migration of Virginia families through the Cumberland Gap into Tennessee.
Endnotes
[i] The source of this information is The Gaulding Family of Pittsylvania County, Virginia by Catherine L. Gauldin, 2000. According to the court records of Pittsylvania County, "Thomas Gaulding vs. William Gaulding 1873, Joseph E. Tarpley was appointed by the court to distribute $310.41 among the heirs of William Gaulding. "Those named were William M, James C. and Robert (William's son), the children of his brother Thomas, his half-sister Mary Boaz, the children of his brother Moses, the children of his brother Samuel and the children of his half-brother Jabez. (From the will of William T. Gaulden) SURNAME GAULDEN:children,#1-7 by Margaret, #8-9 by Malessa (Pitts. records, heirs from Accts. Current 17:108): 2.William, b. ca 1787 d. 1846 Macon Co., TN m. 12-6-1814 Pitts. Co. bond, Isbell McDaniel (b. 1794, d. after 1860 Macon census), d/o Randolph McDaniel; in Sumner Co., TN 1833. Children, 7 heirs entitled to 1/7 of 1/8 part of Wm. T. Gaulden's estate in 1855 (1830 Pitts. census; DB 56:33, 34; W. Gaulden quoting 1850 Macon Co., TN census): A. son b. 1815-20 B. dau b. 1815-20 C. William R. b. 1820-25; Pitts. suit settled in 1855; P. Atty for bros. & sisters who were in TN D. James C. b. 1825 (1850 Macon Co., TN census) m. Mary A.____. Children (1860 Macon Co., TN census): 1-America b. 1850 2-Sarah b. 1854 3-Isabel b. 1857 4-J.F. (son) b. 1860 E. Sarah b. 1830 m. Henry Ferguson; lived Macon Co., TN 1855 F. Robert b. 1833; in Macon Co., TN 1855 G. Washington b. 1836 H. Mary V. b. 1836 m. James T. Mills; lived Macon Co., TN 1855
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