William J. “Bill” Gauldin (1845–1934) and Elizabeth Pemberton
- Catherine Gauldin
- 6 hours ago
- 16 min read
William J. “Bill” Gauldin was born around 1845 in the Whitmell area of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, the son of Thomas J. Gauldin and Mahala Woodall. He grew up in one of the largest and most interconnected families in the Southern District, surrounded by siblings, cousins, and neighbors whose lives were shaped by tobacco farming, small homesteads, and the close kinship networks typical of Southside Virginia.
Bill first appears in the 1850 census as a five‑year‑old boy living with his parents and older siblings—James, Almira, John, and younger siblings Eliza and Robert. The Gauldin household was modest but active, sustained by the labor of every family member. By 1860 (1), fifteen‑year‑old Bill was still living at home near Whitmell, part of a household that had grown to include Harden, Thomas, Harriet, Parthenia, Mary, and their last son Dock, who is identified in the census as “Babe.” His teenage years unfolded during a period of rising sectional tension, and like many young men of his generation, he soon found himself drawn into the Civil War.
Civil War Service
Bill enlisted in the 38th Virginia Infantry (2), Company K, a regiment composed largely of Pittsylvania men. His military records show a long and difficult service marked by illness, hospitalization, imprisonment, and eventual survival.
He enlisted on 10 March 1862 at Cascade, Virginia, and was mustered into Company K the same day. Within weeks, he suffered his first recorded casualty: hospitalization at Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond on 30 March 1862, diagnosed with pleurisy, a painful inflammation of the lungs. He returned to duty later that year, only to be hospitalized again in May 1863 at Farmville with rheumatism, another debilitating condition.
Despite these hardships, Bill continued to serve until the final collapse of the Confederacy. On 2 April 1865, he was captured near Amelia Court House, one of the last major Confederate retreats before Appomattox. He was confined at City Point, Virginia, then transferred to Point Lookout, Maryland, one of the largest Union prisoner‑of‑war camps. On 27 June 1865, he took the Oath of Allegiance and was released, ending his wartime ordeal.
His physical description from the POW records paints a vivid picture: 5'10", dark hair, dark complexion, and blue eyes.
Marriage and Family Life
After the war, Bill returned to Pittsylvania County and began rebuilding his life. On 27 August 1868, he married Elizabeth “Lizzie” Pemberton, born in 1848. Their marriage marked the beginning of a long partnership that lasted more than forty years. The 1870 census shows Bill, age twenty‑four, living with Lizzie and their young son Whitfield Gauldin. Bill worked as a farmer, owned personal property valued at $125, and—like many rural men of his generation—could not read or write. Lizzie’s sister, Milly Pemberton, lived with them.
By 1880 (5), Bill and Lizzie’s household had grown to include three children: Whitfield, Laura B., and William T. Their son Whitfield was working as a farm hand. Bill continued farming, and the census again notes that he could not read or write, though he spoke English.
Narrative Biography of Elizabeth “Lizzie” Pemberton (1848–after 1910)
Elizabeth “Lizzie” Pemberton was born around 1848, reportedly in Kernersville, Forsyth County, North Carolina, though later census records consistently list her birthplace as Virginia. Her early life remains partly obscured by the absence of parental records, but census evidence reveals that she had at least one sister, Milly Pemberton, who appears alongside her in later household listings. The two women likely came from a modest rural family, moving between North Carolina and Virginia during their youth.
By the late 1860s, Lizzie had settled in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, where she entered a new chapter of her life. On 27 August 1868, she married William J. “Bill” Gauldin, a young Confederate veteran from the Whitmell–Tunstall area. Bill, born around 1845, was the son of Thomas J. Gauldin and Mahala Woodall, placing Lizzie within one of Pittsylvania’s largest and most interconnected families. Their marriage marked the beginning of a partnership that would last more than four decades.
Lizzie first appears as a wife and mother in the 1870 census (4), living with Bill in the Subdivision North of the Dan River near Whitmell. She is listed as “Elizabeth S. Gouldin,” age 31, though her age is likely overstated. Her occupation is recorded as “Keeping House,” reflecting the domestic responsibilities that defined rural womanhood. Their young son, Whitfield Gauldin, appears in the household, along with Lizzie’s sister Milly Pemberton, age 30. The presence of Milly suggests that Lizzie maintained close ties to her birth family and may have relied on her sister for support during the early years of marriage.
By 1880 (5), Lizzie and Bill were living in the Tunstall District of Pittsylvania County. Their household had grown to include three children: Whitfield, Laura B., and William T. Gauldin. Lizzie continued her role as homemaker while Bill worked as a farmer. Like many rural women of her era, Lizzie could not write, though she could read—a literacy pattern that appears again in later records.
The 1900 census (6) provides a fuller picture of Lizzie’s life. Now 56 years old, she is listed as “Lizzie Gaulding,” living with Bill in Tunstall. They had been married for 32 years, and Lizzie reported having three children, all of whom were still living. A nine‑year‑old boy named Lawson Woodall lived with them, identified as Bill’s cousin, reflecting the extended kinship networks that shaped rural households. Lizzie could read but not write, and she spoke English. The family rented their home, and Bill worked as a farm laborer, suggesting limited financial means.
By 1910 (7), Lizzie—now 64—was still living in Tunstall with Bill. The census shows her as able to read and write, a notable improvement from earlier decades. She reported having two children, both living, though earlier records indicate she had three; this discrepancy may reflect a reporting error or the loss of a child not captured in surviving documents. Bill was still working as a laborer at the age of 65. Lizzie’s life in 1910 reflects continuity: a long marriage, a stable household, and the quiet endurance typical of rural Southern women who lived through the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the early twentieth century.
After 1910, Lizzie disappears from the surviving records. She does not appear in the 1920 or 1930 census, suggesting she likely died sometime in the 1910s or early 1920s, probably in Pittsylvania County. Her husband Bill lived until 1934, spending his final years in the Rockingham County Home in North Carolina, but Lizzie’s death preceded his by at least two decades.
The children of William J. “Bill” Gauldin and Lizzie Pemberton were:
1. Whitfield "Whitt" Gauldin 1869–1942 - Whitfield “Whitt” Gauldin was born on 30 May 1869 in the Whitmell area of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, the eldest child of William J. “Bill” Gauldin and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Pemberton. He entered the world during Reconstruction, a time when rural families were rebuilding their lives after the Civil War. His father, a former Confederate soldier, worked as a farmer and laborer, and his mother managed the household while maintaining close ties to her sister, Milly Pemberton, who lived with the family for many years. Whitt first appears in the 1870 census (4), a one‑year‑old child living with his parents in the Subdivision North of the Dan River near Whitmell. The household included his mother’s sister Milly, suggesting that the Pemberton sisters relied on one another for support. Whitt grew up in a modest rural home, surrounded by extended kin and shaped by the rhythms of farm life. By 1880 (5), eleven‑year‑old Whitt was living in the Tunstall District of Pittsylvania County. The census lists him as a farm laborer, already contributing to the family’s livelihood. His siblings—Laura B. and William T. Gauldin—rounded out the household. Like many rural children of his era, Whitt could not yet read or write, and his childhood was defined by work rather than schooling. As a young man, Whitt moved south across the state line into Rockingham County, North Carolina, a migration pattern common among Pittsylvania families seeking farmland or mill work. On 5 December 1894, he married Laura Alice Shumate (8) (also recorded as Saunders) in Ruffin, North Carolina. Laura, born in 1872 was the daughter of John Shumate and Mary (8) his wife, and together they began building a life rooted in farming and family. The 1900 census shows Whitt, age thirty‑one, living in Ruffin with Laura and their growing family. Their children at that time were: Turner B. Gauldin, age 4, Nannie V. Gauldin, age 2 and Mary E. Gauldin, four months old. Whitt rented a farm and worked full‑time as a farmer. Unlike his childhood years, he could now read and write, reflecting the slow spread of literacy in rural communities at the turn of the century. By 1910 (9), Whitt and Laura had moved slightly east into Pelham, Caswell County, North Carolina, where Whitt continued farming. Their children—Turner, Nannie, and Mary—were now teenagers. Whitt rented his farm and worked as an employer, suggesting he may have supervised hired labor or sharecroppers. His life during these years was typical of small farmers in the Piedmont region: long days, seasonal labor, and reliance on family to maintain the household. In the 1930 census, Whitt appears under the spelling “Whitt Golden,” a common variant of the Gauldin surname. Now about sixty‑one, he owned his home in Ruffin, valued at $800, and continued farming “on his own account.” He had no radio, lived on a farm, and reported being able to read and write. His age at first marriage—twenty‑four—matches his 1894 wedding to Laura. By this time, his children were grown, and he and Laura were living alone. Laura Alice Shumate Gauldin died in 1938, leaving Whitt a widower. He spent his final years in Reidsville, Rockingham County, where he continued to farm despite declining health. On 3 February 1942, Whitt died at the age of seventy‑two. His death certificate lists the cause as cancer and pneumonia, and identifies his parents as William Golden and Lizzie Pemberton, confirming his place within the Gauldin–Pemberton lineage. He was buried at Mount Carmel United Methodist Church Cemetery in Reidsville, North Carolina, where many members of the extended Gauldin family rest.
2. Laura Bell "Laurie" Gauldin 1872–1920 - Laura Bell “Laurie” Gauldin was born on 10 June 1872 in Chatham, Pittsylvania County, Virginia, into the large and deeply rooted Gauldin family of Southside Virginia. She was the daughter of William J. “Bill” Gauldin and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Pemberton (10), and grew up in a rural household shaped by farming, kinship networks, and the steady rhythms of agricultural life. Her early years unfolded in the Whitmell–Tunstall region, where her father worked as a farmer and her mother kept the home while raising several children. By 1880, Laurie—then about eight years old—appears in the Tunstall District census as Laura B. Gauldin, living with her parents and siblings. Her childhood was typical of rural girls of her era: helping with household chores, tending younger siblings, and learning the domestic skills that would define her adult life. The Gauldin household was modest, and like many families in Pittsylvania County, they relied on the labor of every member to sustain their farm. Laurie entered adulthood in the early 1890s, and on 25 December 1892, at age twenty, she married Noah Washington “Will” Gammon (11), born in 1870. He was the son of Washington C. Gammon and Mariah Ann Scearce. Their marriage took place in Chatham, the county seat, and marked the beginning of a long partnership rooted in the Tunstall community. Noah came from the Gammon family, another established Pittsylvania lineage, and together they built a household that blended the traditions of both families. The couple’s early years of marriage were spent in Tunstall, where Laurie appears in the 1900 census as a twenty‑six‑year‑old wife. Noah worked as a farmer, and Laurie managed the home and cared for their growing family. Their children included: George Daniel Gammon, Jettie Elizabeth Gammon (later Strader), Dock Gammon and N. S. Gammon (listed in later records). Laurie’s life during these years was defined by domestic labor, child‑rearing, and the constant work required to maintain a rural household. She lived near her parents and siblings, and the Gauldin and Gammon families remained closely connected through proximity and shared community ties. By 1920, Laurie—now about forty‑eight—was still living in Tunstall with Noah. The census records her as Laura Gauldin Gammon, continuing her role as homemaker while Noah farmed. Their children were grown or nearing adulthood, and the household reflected the stability of a long‑established farming family. Laurie’s presence in the 1920 census is the last confirmed record of her life. After 1920, Laurie disappears from surviving documentation. No death certificate or burial record has been located, but her husband Noah lived until 1948, suggesting Laurie likely died sometime in the 1920s or 1930s, probably in Pittsylvania County. Her death certificate is referenced in North Carolina records, but the details remain incomplete.
3. William T. Gauldin 1875–1880 - William T. Gauldin was born July 17, 1875 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia (12), the youngest child of William J. “Bill” Gauldin and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Pemberton. He entered the world during a period of profound transition in the rural South, just a decade after the Civil War, when families like the Gauldins were rebuilding their lives through farming, kinship support, and hard labor. William’s early childhood unfolded in the Tunstall–Whitmell region of Pittsylvania County, where his father worked as a farmer and his mother managed a busy household that included several children and extended family members. His older siblings—Whitfield, born in 1869, and Laura Bell, born in 1872—were already part of the household when William arrived, forming a small but active family unit typical of rural Virginia. William appears only once in the surviving historical record: the 1880 census (5). In that year, he is listed as “William T. Gaulden,” age 5, living with his parents and siblings in Tunstall. The household consisted of: Wm. J. Gaulden, age 33, Elizabeth Gaulden, age 32, Whitfield Gaulden, age 11, Laura B. Gaulden, age 8 and William T. Gaulden, age 5. The census record places him firmly within the Gauldin family and confirms his identity as the youngest of Bill and Lizzie’s known children. After 1880, William disappears from the documentary record. He does not appear in the 1900, 1910, 1920, or 1930 censuses, nor does any marriage, death, or burial record survive under his name. His absence from all later records strongly suggests that William died young, likely sometime in the 1880s or early 1890s. Child mortality was tragically common in rural Virginia during this period. Illnesses such as diphtheria, typhoid, pneumonia, and childhood fevers claimed many young lives, and families often lost children whose deaths were never formally recorded. Because Pittsylvania County did not maintain consistent death records before the early twentieth century, it is unsurprising that no documentation of William’s death survives. His siblings lived long lives—Whitfield into 1942 and Laura Bell into the 1920s—yet William’s story appears to have ended quietly in childhood, preserved only in the single census that captured him at age five.
Marriage to Emma Lee Gaulding
Sometime between 1900 and 1930, Bill migrated south into Rockingham County, North Carolina, where many members of the extended Gauldin family eventually settled. He married Emma Lee Gaulding, the daughter of Thomas Gaulding and Martha Anne Scarce. (13) There does not appear to be a marriage record. To understand the life of Emma Lee Gaulding, it is necessary to begin with the story of her parents—two rural Virginians whose lives were shaped by poverty, hard labor, and the close‑knit kinship networks of Pittsylvania County. Emma’s death certificate (14) identifies her parents as Thomas Gaulding and Anne Scearce, and the surviving records allow their lives to be reconstructed with clarity, even though both left only faint traces in the historical record.
Her Father: Thomas Gaulding (1826–after 1880)
Emma’s father, Thomas Gaulding, was born around 1826 in Virginia. His origins are uncertain. Some researchers have speculated that he was the son of Andrew “Andy” Gaulding and Unity Bray, but no surviving record supports this claim. If he had been their child, he would have been orphaned at age two, yet no census, guardianship, or probate record places him in their household. Instead, Thomas emerges in the historical record as a young man living among unrelated families, suggesting he may have been raised outside the main Gauldin lines or simply lost to documentation. Thomas first appears in the 1850 census, a 25‑year‑old laborer living in the household of Britton and Syntha Banes in the Southern District of Pittsylvania County. His presence there does not indicate kinship; it was common for young men without land or inheritance to live with neighbors while working as farm laborers. The census notes that Thomas could not read or write, a circumstance typical of rural working‑class men of his generation. By 1860, Thomas was still living in the Southern District, again recorded as a farm hand, unmarried and working for others. His life during these years would have been shaped by the rhythms of agricultural labor—tobacco planting, harvesting, and the seasonal demands of Southside Virginia farming. Thomas’s life changed dramatically during the 1860s. By 1870 (15), he appears in the Subdivision North of the Dan River, near Chatham, as a 44‑year‑old farm laborer with a family of his own. His wife is listed as Ann Gauldin, age twenty‑eight, and their children include:
John Gauldin, age 11
James Gauldin, age 9
Lucy Gauldin, age 7
Emma Gauldin, age 5
The presence of Lucy and Emma is crucial. Both later appear in Pittsylvania County death records identifying them as daughters of Thomas Gaulding and Ann Scarce, confirming that “Ann Gauldin” in the census was indeed Martha Anne Scearce, Emma’s mother. The 1870 census also notes that Thomas still could not read or write and worked as a farm laborer, indicating he continued to rely on wages rather than land ownership. His life was typical of rural Reconstruction‑era Virginia: hard labor, limited resources, and dependence on family networks. By 1880, Thomas appears again in Pittsylvania County, now in the Tunstall District, listed as a 54‑year‑old married man and head of household. He remained unable to read or write and continued working as a laborer. After 1880, Thomas disappears from the surviving records. No death certificate or burial record has been found, but he likely died in the late 1880s or early 1890s, having lived his entire life in Pittsylvania County.
Her Mother: Martha Anne Scearce (1840–before 1880)
Emma’s mother, Martha Anne Scearce, was born around 1840 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, into one of the large and long‑established Scearce families of the region. Although her exact parentage is not definitively documented, the strongest evidence suggests she was the daughter of Leonard Scarce and his wife Sarah, whose 1850 household includes a daughter named Martha of the right age. In the 1850 census, Martha appears as “Martha Scarce,” age fifteen, living in the Southern District of Pittsylvania County. Her household was substantial, headed by Leonard and Sarah Scarce, both forty‑eight years old, and filled with children ranging from young adults to toddlers. Martha’s siblings included Edward, John, Rhener, Mariah, Sarah, Thomas, Francis, Sandy, Allen, and Daniel. Growing up in such a large family meant Martha’s daily life was shaped by constant activity—cooking, cleaning, tending younger siblings, and helping with the domestic work that sustained rural households. By adulthood, Martha had married Thomas Gaulding, though no marriage record survives under her maiden name. The 1870 census provides the clearest evidence of her identity. Listed as “Ann Gauldin,” age twenty‑eight, she appears as Thomas’s wife, keeping house and caring for their four children. Like her husband, she could not read or write, a common circumstance among rural women of her generation. Her children—John, James, Lucy, and Emma—anchor her identity. Later death records for Lucy and Emma explicitly name their mother as Ann Scarce, confirming that Martha Anne Scearce was indeed the woman recorded as Ann Gauldin in 1870. After 1870, Martha disappears from surviving records. She does not appear in the 1880 census, suggesting she likely died in the 1870s or early 1880s. Her death may have been related to childbirth, illness, or the harsh realities of rural life—common causes of death for women of her era.
Their Daughter: Emma Lee Gaulding
Born around 1865, Emma Lee Gaulding grew up in a household defined by poverty, hard labor, and the close bonds of a rural Virginia family. She was the daughter of a farm laborer who never owned land and a mother who came from one of Pittsylvania County’s largest families. Her childhood unfolded in the years after the Civil War, a time when families struggled to rebuild their lives amid economic hardship and limited opportunity. Emma’s identity is preserved most clearly in her death certificate, which names her parents as Thomas Gaulding and Anne Scearce. This document, combined with census records and the death records of her siblings, allows her place within the Gaulding–Scearce lineage to be firmly established. Emma’s early life would have been shaped by the same realities that defined her parents’ lives: agricultural labor, limited schooling, and the constant work required to sustain a rural household. She grew up alongside her siblings in the Dan River region of Pittsylvania County, surrounded by extended kin from both the Gauldin and Scearce families.
William J. Gaulding and his wife Emma both died in the County Home
By 1930, at about eighty‑seven years old, he was living in the Rockingham County Home for the Aged and Infirm in Wentworth. The census lists him as an inmate, unable to read or write, and living among other elderly residents who could no longer support themselves.
His final years were spent in this institution, a common fate for elderly rural men who lacked property, income, or surviving family able to care for them. Not a fitting end for a soldier of the Confederacy.
Death and Burial
On 22 June 1934 (17), William J. “Bill” Gauldin died at the Rockingham County Home at approximately ninety years old. His death certificate confirms his parents as Thomas Gaulding and Mahaley Woodall, preserving his connection to the Gauldin–Woodall lineage. He was buried in the County Home Cemetery in Wentworth, North Carolina. It is located on County Home Road almost at the intersection with NC Hwy 65 in Wentworth. (18) Emma is buried in the same cemetery.
Emma Lee Gaulding 1869 – 30 Dec 1936 Memorial ID 135559639
William J. Gaulding 1844 – 22 Jun 1934 Memorial ID 3592362
For many years, his grave was unmarked. Only later did inmates from a local prison create crude concrete markers to identify the resting places of those buried there, including Bill.
Works Cited
1. 1860 United States Federal Census. ancestry.com. [Online] Virginia, PIttsylvania, Southern District. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7667/images/4298865_00397?pId=34102381.
2. U.S., Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 . ancestry.com. [Online] https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1138/records/5251190?tid=163174124&pid=422121230375&ssrc=pt.
3. U.S., Civil War Prisoner of War Records, 1861-1865. ancestry.com. [Online] Confederate, Maryland: Point Lookout, Military Prison, v. 356: Prisoner registers, 1863-1865. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1124/images/M598_114-0213?pId=700177.
4. 1870 United States Federal Census. ancestry.com. [Online] Virginia, Pittsylvania, Subdivision North of the Dan River. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7163/images/4268802_00227?pId=40342857.
5. 1880 United States Federal Census. ancestry.com. [Online] Virginia, Pittsylvania, Tunstall. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6742/images/4244750-00391?pId=13942459.
6. 1900 United States Federal Census. ancestry.com. [Online] Virginia, Pittsylvania, Tunstall. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7602/images/4117883_00239?pId=72200011.
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8. North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011. ancestry.com. [Online] Rockingham, Marriage Register, White, 1894, p 109. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/60548/images/42091_342704-00476?pId=3561643.
9. 1910 United States Federal Census. ancestry.com. [Online] North Carolina, Caswell, Pelham. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7884/images/4449911_00825?pId=20381989.
10. Virginia, U.S., Birth Registers, 1853-1911. ancestry.com. [Online] Halifax County, Virginia. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/62153/images/62153_i1023879-00455?pId=808092.
11. Virginia, U.S., Select Marriages, 1785-1940 . ancestry.com. [Online] Their son was Dock Gammon. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60214/records/5366863?tid=163174124&pid=422121228111&ssrc=pt.
12. Virginia, U.S., Birth Registers, 1853-1911. ancestry.com. [Online] Pittsylvania County, Virginia, "William Gaulding, born July 17, 1875, the son of W.J. Gauldin and Bitte Gauldin". https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/62153/images/62153_i1023879-00548?pId=811191.
13. Emma Lee Gaulding. Find a Grave. [Online] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/135559639/emma-lee-gaulding.
14. North Carolina, U.S., Death Certificates, 1909-1976. ancestry.com. [Online] "Inmate of County Home, daughter of Thomas Gaulding and Anna Scarce". https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1121/images/S123_1157-0797?pId=1686142.
15. 1870 United States Federal Census. ancestry.com. [Online] Virginia, Pittsylvania, Subdivision North of the Dan River. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7163/images/4268802_00041?pId=39293686.
16. 1930 United States Federal Census. ancestry.com. [Online] North Carolina, Rockingham, Wentworth. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6224/images/4608313_00104?pId=75607469.
17. North Carolina, U.S., Death Indexes, 1908-2004. ancestry.com. [Online] https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8908/images/NCVR_D_425_0007-1941?pId=5394139.
18. County Home Cemetery. Find a Grave. [Online] https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2301312/county-home-cemetery.
19. Image of the gravestone of William Gauldin. ancestry.com. [Online] Image added by: Julie Hampton on 15 Apr 2009. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/35923620/william-j.-gaulding#view-photo=16927755.
20. North Carolina, U.S., Death Certificates, 1909-1976. ancestry.com. [Online] Rockingham, 1934, June. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1121/images/S123_1116-0629?pId=1189471.
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