Zachariah Brumfield Gaulden
- Catherine Gauldin
- Jun 24
- 15 min read
Updated: Jun 26
Zachariah Brumfield Gaulden was born about 1765–1768, most likely in Prince Edward County, Virginia (1), during the final years of the Gaulding family’s residence in the Virginia Piedmont. He was the son of John Gaulden Jr., a grandson of John and Ann Gaulding of New Kent, and Susannah Brumfield, daughter of the long‑established Brumfield family of the region. His middle name, Brumfield, preserved his mother’s lineage and provides one of the strongest documentary anchors for placing him within the Prince Edward Gaulding line.
Zachariah spent his early childhood in Virginia, but like many families of the Piedmont, the Gauldens joined the large migration into South Carolina’s backcountry during the 1770s. His father, John Jr., died in the Camden District in 1782 (2), leaving Zachariah and his siblings as minors. The probate record of John Jr.’s 1781 will required that the estate remain intact for eight years, with the children receiving their portions as they reached adulthood (3)—an arrangement that shaped Zachariah’s early life in South Carolina.
As a young man, Zachariah settled among the cluster of Virginia‑born families who populated the High Hills of Santee, Orangeburg. (4) He married Elizabeth Moore (5), daughter of a prominent Moore family of the region. Their marriage united two Virginia‑born backcountry families and produced a large group of children who would later spread into Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, forming one of the most prolific branches of the Gaulden/Gaulding family.
Goulding and Gaulden in Liberty, Georgia
Distinguishing Two Men Named Zach Gaulden
The appearance of a “Zach Gaulden” in the 1806–1809 Liberty County, Georgia tax digests has long raised questions for researchers tracing the descendants of John Gaulden Jr. and Susannah Brumfield. At first glance, the name seems promising—Zachariah is an uncommon given name, and the spelling “Gaulden/Gaulden” appears frequently in the Virginia and South Carolina branches of the family. The obvious question is whether or not this person refers is the same as Zachariah Brumfield Gaulden. Was he ever in Liberty County, Georgia? See Gaulding Origins Zachariah Brumfield Gaulden and Palmer Goulding
The Liberty County tax lists place “Zach Gaulden” on the same page as Palmer Goulding, Thomas and Maria Goulding, and the Estate of John Goulding. These individuals are members of the New England Goulding family, descendants of the Puritan settlers who migrated from Dorchester, Massachusetts to the Midway Congregationalist community in Liberty County, Georgia during the colonial period. Their surname appears in the records as Goulding, Golding, Goulden, and occasionally Gaulden, reflecting the fluid spelling practices of the time. This Goulding family is well‑documented and entirely separate from the Gaulding/Gaulden families of Prince Edward County, Virginia.
The will of Thomas Goulding of Liberty, Georgia, 1795
I have been unable to find this will on the internet, but I assume all of their names are on it as it has been reported they are.
Descendants of Captain Peter Goulding to Thomas Goulding, Sr., his Gr Grandson who left a 1795 will
Captain Peter GOULDING b: 1639 in Shipdham, Essex, England, d: 1703 in Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA + Sarah Palmer b: 1643 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA m: 1673 in New England, USA; She was his second wife, d: 11 Oct 1703 in Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA
...2 Peter "died young" Goulding b: 1665 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA; He probably died young
...2 Sarah Goulding b: 19 Aug 1670
...2 Elizabeth Goulding b: 06 Oct 1673 + William Jenison
...2 Windsor Goulding b: 03 Mar 1674
...2 Thomas Goulding b: 02 Jan 1677
...2 Captain John Goulding b: 1682 in Merrimac, Essex, Massachusetts, USA + Abigail CURTIS m: 1705
...2 Peter “of South Carolina” Goulding b: 24 Oct 1688 in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA + [unknown spouse]
......3 Palmer Goulding + Mary Bacon
.........4 Peter “of South Carolina” Goulding b: Abt. 1756 in Dorchester, South Carolina, USA, d: 27 Apr 1789 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA + Ann Girardeau m: 22 Dec 1788 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA
.........4 Thomas Goulding Sr. b: 1759 in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA, d: 02 Dec 1795 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA + Margaret "Mary" Stacey m: 10 Jul 1784 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA. His will was probated in 1765 and in it (according to Dr. Gaulden (7)) “Zachariah Gaulden” is listed. I think it is more likely that this Zachariah was part of the GOULDING family as is evidenced by the listing in the Georgia Land Lottery. (8)
.........4 Mary Ann Goulding b: 13 Oct 1760 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA, d: 11 Aug 1761 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA
.........4 Josiah Goulding b: 1762 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA, d: 07 Mar 1773 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA
.........4 Palmer Goulding b: Abt. 1770 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA, d: 1826 in Midway, Liberty, Georgia, USA + Jane Graham m: 27 Oct 1791
...2 Captain Palmer Goulding b: 1695, d: 11 Feb 1777 + Abigail RICE
......3 Captain Palmer II Goulding + Abigail HEYWOOD
...2 Mercy Goulding b: 09 Sep 1786 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA
...2 Abigail Goulding
...2 Arabella Goulding
...2 Mary Goulding b: 21 Jan 1665 ; Probably died young
...2 Frances Goulding b: 22 Feb 1667 ; Probably died young
...2 Martha Goulding b: Abt. 1670 in Virginia, USA + John "of Hadley" SMITH
Dr. Charles H. Gaulden wrote on p 96 of his book THE GAULDEN, GAULDING, GAULDIN FAMILY: A 700 year History that "merchantile records show Zachariah Goldinge's name sandwiched between THOMAS and PALMER Goldinge, leading some to find a family connection between the GOULDINGS and the Gauldings/Gauldens." On the same page Dr. Gauldin wrote that Zachariah Gaulden moved to Georgia shortly after the death of his father. "After his father's death he eventually moved to Georgia near Savannah.."
Zachariah Brumfield Gaulden, son of John Jr. and Susannah was probably surrounded by the same cluster of Virginia‑born families who migrated south along the Great Wagon Road. The Liberty County man, appears only among the Midway Colony Gouldings. His proximity to the Estate of John Goulding strongly suggests that he was a son or close relative of that John, consistent with the way Georgia tax digests grouped adult sons near the estates of recently deceased fathers. The Gouldings of Liberty County followed a completely different migration path, religious tradition, and naming pattern than the Gauldens of Prince Edward and South Carolina.
What the Georgia Land Lottery Records Show
The 1832 Georgia Land Lottery list is not available online as a searchable index but there are several previously published lists that can be accessed in the digital archives. The list provides an unexpected but very useful piece of evidence for sorting out the two similarly named families—Gaulden/Gaulding of Virginia and South Carolina, and Goulding/Golding/Goulden of the New England Midway Colony in Liberty County, Georgia. Among the lottery winners appears a man recorded as “Zachariah Goulding”, drawn from Cleland’s District, Chatham County. His surname is spelled with the characteristic “Goulding” form used by the Midway Congregationalist families who migrated from Massachusetts to coastal Georgia in the 1750s.
There are also listed on page 25 some individuals who have no family connection to either Goulding or Gaulding/Gaulden:
Elender Golden p. 315
Frances B. Golden p. 73
Martin Golden p 299
Pleasant Goldin p. 362
Tim C. Goldin p 148
Isaiah Golding p 401
Susan Golding p 237
Also listed are two people named Gaulding who were winners in the land lottery, but no Zachariah.
This record is important because it shows that a man named Zachariah existed within the Goulding family itself, independent of the Virginia/South Carolina Gaulden line. The presence of a Zachariah Goulding in the lottery rolls demonstrates that the given name Zachariah was not unique to the Prince Edward Gauldens and was also used among the New England Gouldings. This directly supports the conclusion that the “Zach Gaulden” who appears in the 1806–1809 Liberty County tax digests could easily have been a Goulding by birth, even if a clerk spelled his name phonetically as “Gaulden.”
The lottery list also shows multiple entries tied to Goulding’s District in Lowndes County, including John Dean, Archibald Strickland, Joseph Yates, Judith McFail, and Ely Hendry. These entries confirm that the Goulding family was well established in Georgia and had a district named for them—further evidence of their prominence and long residence in the state. The Gauldens of Prince Edward and South Carolina never lived in this region, never appear in these districts, and never participated in the Midway Congregationalist community.
Conclusion
Gaulding Origins therefore concludes that the “Zach Gaulden” of Liberty County, Georgia, belongs to the New England Goulding family and is not the same man as Zachariah Brumfield Gaulden, son of John Gaulden Jr. and Susannah Brumfield. The similarity in spelling is coincidental, not genealogical. This distinction matters, because it preserves the integrity of both family lines and prevents the accidental merging of two unrelated Southern and New England families who happened to share a similar surname. By grounding the analysis in documented records—census entries, tax lists, probate files, and migration patterns—the historical picture becomes clear: these were two different men, living in two different places, belonging to two different families.
Was Zachariah Brumfield Gaulden the same man who died in Amite, Mississipppi?
There was a man named Zachariah Gaulden who served in Hinds Battalion Cavalry during the War of 1812 and was with General Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans. This man is well documented, and he died in July 1821 in Amite, Mississippi. That information comes from the SAR Application below, submitted by John Sherbourne Anderson, a direct descendant of John Gaulden, Jr.
War of 1812
There is also a record for Zachariah Gaulden who served in the War of 1812 (9)
Company HINDS' BATT'N CAVALRY, MISSISSIPPI MIL.
Rank - Induction 1 LIEUTENANT
Rank - Discharge 1 LIEUTENANT
Roll Box 79
Microfilm Publication M602
It is credible that a man born in 1767 could have served as a First Lieutenant during the War of 1812. He would have been 45 years old in 1812, an age that was not only acceptable but typical for militia officers. State and local militia units frequently appointed older, established men—often landowners or community leaders—to officer positions such as lieutenant, captain, or major. Contemporary military records and historical studies show that officers in their forties and fifties were common in the militia structure of the War of 1812. Nothing in the age profile of a man born in 1767 would have prevented him from holding the rank of First Lieutenant.
This comes from Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Mississippi: Embracing an Authentic and Comprehensive Account of the Chief Events in the History of the State, and A Record of the Lives of Many of the Most Worthy and Illustrious Families and Individuals, Vol 1, p 272-3 "Roll of Capt. John G. Richardson's company of Thomas Hind's battalion, Mississippi volunteer militia of the war of 1812: John G. Richardson, captain, enlisted from September 30, 1814, to six months; Zachariah Gauldin, first lieutenant, from September 30, 1814 to six months..."
Zachariah Gaulden is recorded as living in Wilkinson, Mississippi in 1813. (11) That does not conflict with the Military Record of the man who was in Capt. John G. Richardson’s company during the War of 1812, because that man does not begin his service until September of that year.
Zachariah Gaulden
First Muster Date 17 Sep 1815
Discharge Date 28 Mar 1815
Series Number M678
Roll number 14
This is a transcription of the Service Records of Zachariah Gaulden: (12)
Mississippi Territory in the War of 1812
1. Zach Goulder, 1Lt, Capt. John G. Richardson's Co. Appears on a Muster Roll ..War of 1812 for __ Roll dated Town of Washington Jan. 14, 1814.
2. Zachariah Gaulden, 1 Lieut... Appears on Company Muster Roll for from Sept. 17, 1813.... Commencement of service, Sept. 17, 1813. Present.
3. Zach Gaulden, 1 Lieut... Appears on Company Muster Roll for Sept. 17 to Nov 23, 1813...Commencement of service, Sept. 17, 1813. Expiration of service, Nov. 23, 1813. Present.
4. Zach Gaulden, 1 Lieut... Appears on Company Pay Roll for Sept. 17 to Nov. 23, 1813. Roll dated: not dated. Commencement of service or of this settlement, Sept. 17, 1813. Expiration of service or of this settlement, Nov. 23, 1813. Term of service charged, 2 months, 7 days. Pay per month, 33 1/3 dollars.
5. Zachariah Gaulden, 1 Lieut... Appears on Company Muster Roll for Sept. 30 to Oct 2, 1814, Roll dated Liberty, Oct. 2, 1814. Present.
6. Zachariah Gaulden, 1 Lieut... Appears on Company Pay Roll for Oct. 2 to Nov. 30, 1814.
7. Zachariah Gaulding, 1 Lieut, Capt. John G. Richardson's Co of Dragoons, of the Squadron of Horse commanded by Major Hinds, from the Mississippi Territory, War of 1812, Appears on Company Muster Roll for Oct. 2 to Dec. 31, 1814, Roll Dated New Orleans, Dec. 31, 1814, For what time engaged or enlisted: One tour of duty. Present. Name appears in present column as Zachariah Gaulden.
8. Zach Gaulden, 1 Lieut,.. Appears on Company Muster Roll for Dec. 31, 1814 to Feb. 28, 1815, Roll dated: Camp near New Orleans, La. Feb. 28, 1815. Date of appointment, engagement or enlistment Sept. 30, 1814. For what time engaged or enlisted: 6 months. Present.
9. Zachariah Gaulden, 1 Lieut...Appears on Company Muster Roll for Feb. 28 to March 28, 1815,... For what time engaged or enlisted: 6 months. Absent: On furlough.
10. Zachariah Gaulden, 1 Lieut... Appears on Company Pay Roll for Oct. 2, 1814 to Mar. 28, 1815.... Term of service charged: 5 months, 27 days. Pay per month 33 1/3 dollars, Amount of pay due: 266 dollars 89 2/3 cents.
11. The United States to Zach Gaulden 1 Liet Reimbursement for Expenses: For myself $33; For private servants $8; For horses ; Clothing _. Amount $477.32 No. of Days 180, No of Rations per day 3, Total no. of Rations 540. He had two horses with him and got 180 days ration at 40 cents per horse per day.
Summary of Zachariah Gaulden’s War of 1812 Service
The surviving service‑record cards for Zachariah Gaulden document a well‑defined pattern of military activity in the Mississippi Territory during the War of 1812. They show that he served as a First Lieutenant in Captain John G. Richardson’s Company of Dragoons, part of Major Thomas Hinds’s Squadron of Mounted Horse, one of the most active mounted units in the Gulf South campaign.
First Period of Service: September–November 1813
Gaulden first appears on a company muster roll dated 17 September 1813, listed as present and holding the rank of 1st Lieutenant. His service in this period lasted until 23 November 1813, a span of 2 months and 7 days, for which he was paid at the standard officer’s rate of $33⅓ per month. These early rolls place him in the Mississippi territorial militia during the tense months when the Creek War and British coastal activity threatened the Gulf frontier.
Second Period of Service: September 1814–March 1815
Gaulden re‑entered service on 30 September 1814, again as 1st Lieutenant, and this second enlistment was far more substantial. He appears on muster rolls at:
Liberty, Mississippi (2 October 1814)
New Orleans (31 December 1814)
Camp near New Orleans (28 February 1815)
These locations correspond directly to the movements of Hinds’s Dragoons, who were ordered to reinforce General Andrew Jackson in Louisiana during the British invasion. The roll dated New Orleans, 31 December 1814, places Gaulden in the city during the critical days immediately preceding the Battle of New Orleans (8 January 1815). Although the muster roll does not explicitly state participation in the battle, his presence in the city with Hinds’s mounted force on that date makes it historically consistent with the unit’s known involvement.
His term of service for this second enlistment was calculated as 5 months and 27 days, ending 28 March 1815, with a brief period of furlough noted at the end.
Pay, Equipment, and Rations
The pay records provide unusually rich detail. Gaulden was reimbursed not only for his own expenses but also for:
Private servants
Two horses, each receiving 180 days of forage rations
540 total rations issued to him as an officer
The reimbursement total—$477.32—is substantial and reflects the cost of maintaining a mounted officer in active field service for half a year.
What the Records Establish
Taken together, these cards show that:
He served twice, first in late 1813 and again from late 1814 through early 1815.
He consistently held the rank of First Lieutenant, indicating a position of authority and trust.
He belonged to Captain John G. Richardson’s Company of Dragoons, part of Major Hinds’s Squadron, a unit documented in contemporary histories as present at New Orleans.
He was physically present in New Orleans on 31 December 1814, during the British campaign.
He served nearly six months in his second enlistment, a full mounted tour.
He furnished and maintained two horses, marking him as a fully equipped mounted officer.
He was paid and rationed at the standard rate for a First Lieutenant, confirming the legitimacy and continuity of his commission.
What is even more compelling is that his nephew James Brumfield Richardson, the son of Zachariah's sister Martha served in the same Company as did other members of the Richardson family. See Zachariah Gaulden and James B. Richardson were both in Hind’s Battalion on Gaulding Origins.
The service‑record cards and the fact that there were other members of his family who were in the same unit provide strong, direct evidence that these records are for Zachariah Brumfield Gaulden, the son of John Gaulding, Jr. He was an active mounted officer in the Mississippi territorial militia, served under Major Hinds and Captain Richardson, and was present with the unit in New Orleans during the climactic phase of the War of 1812. His service was not symbolic or nominal—he completed two distinct tours, furnished his own horses, and remained with the squadron through the end of the war.
1820 Census
Zachariah Brumfield Gaulden listed in the 1820 Census, living in Adams County, Mississippi. This fits the provenance of the man who died in 1821 and left slaves for his sons. The census lists five sons and two daughters. Zachariah is the man 45 and over. He had 12 slaves.
Zachariah Gaulden
Enumeration Date: 7 Aug 1820
Home in 1820 (City, County, State): Adams, Mississippi, USA
Free White Persons - Males - Under 10 3
Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 15 1
Free White Persons - Males - 26 thru 44 1
Free White Persons - Males - 45 and over 1
Free White Persons - Females - Under 10 1
Free White Persons - Females - 26 thru 44 1
Free White Persons - Females - 45 and over 1
Slaves - Males - 14 thru 25 1
Slaves - Males - 45 and over 2
Slaves - Females - Under 14 3
Slaves - Females - 14 thru 25 3
Slaves - Females - 26 thru 44 3
Number of Persons - Engaged in Agriculture 10
Free White Persons - Under 16 5
Free White Persons - Over 25 4
Total Free White Persons 9
Total Slaves 12
Total All Persons - White, Slaves, Colored, Other 21
Zachariah Gaulden left a will and the transcription is below.
This is from Mississippi, U.S. Wills and Probate Records, 1780-1982. (15)
"Inventory of the property which has come to the hands of John B. Anderson, Guardian of Thomas Gaulden, Joseph Gaulden and William Gaulden, heirs of ZACHARIAH GAULDEN, dec'd
Thomas Gaulden - One negro woman Matilda valued at $450, One negro man March $175, One negro child Lizets $100, One negro woman Phillis $50.
Joseph Gaulden - One boy Peter valued at $375; One woman Harriet $100; One girl Susan $175; One boy James $100.
William Gaulden - 1 Woman Chany $400; 1 Man Sam $150; 1 Girl Betsey $150; 1 Boy Adam $150.
The Guardian States that the negro man Sam, belonging to William Gaulden is dead and that the amount of cash due from the adms to the wards as appears of record on the division of the property among the heirs has not yet been received by the Guardian. The Guardian states further that there has been a negro child -- belonging to Joseph Gaulden, and one also born belonging to Thomas Gaulden."
State of Mississippi
Amite County
Personally appeared John B. Anderson and made oath the within and foregoing, Tis a true and perfect inventory of the property which has come to his hands as Guardian, belonging to Thomas Gaulden, Joseph Gaulden and William Gaulden minor heirs of ZACHARIAH GAULDEN, decd.
Sword to an ascribed
18th Oct 1830
John B. Anderson
W. Baker Regr”
Thomas, Joseph, and William were young enough to require a court‑appointed guardian. In the early 19th century, a “minor” was almost always defined as under 21, meaning any son born after 1809 would still have been underage in 1830. Since Zachariah lived until 1821, he could easily have fathered children between 1810 and 1821, who would have been between 9 and 20 years old when the estate was settled.
His wife’s age fits this scenario perfectly. A woman born in 1790 would have been 20 years old in 1810 and 31 in 1821, which places her squarely in the normal childbearing range for the period. Women commonly had children from their late teens through their late thirties, and births in the twenties and early thirties were the most typical. Thus, she was not only capable of bearing children during this entire window, but she was at the age most women of the era were actively raising young families.
Conclusion
The suggestion made in The Gaulden, Gaulding, Gauldin Family: A 700-year History that Zachariah Brumfield Gaulden was in Liberty, Georgia and was named in the will of Thomas Goulding, Sr. is incorrect. The index of the Georgia Land Lottery winners confirms that man’s name was Zachariah Goulding and he was part of the Massachusetts Goulding family who helped establish Midway Church. There is no confirmed overlap between the two families. They are distinct and separate.
The man named Zachariah Gaulden who left a will in Amite, Mississippi naming his three sons Thomas, Joseph and William is definitely Zachariah Brumfield Gaulden, the son of John Gaulden, Jr. and Susannah Brumfield.
Works Cited
1. Prince Edward County, Virginia, Deed Books & Parish Context. Library of Virginia, Prince Edward County Microfilm.
2. Will of John Gaulden Jr., 15 January 1781; proved January 1782, Camden District.
3. Gauldin, Catherine L. The story that John Gaulden, Jr. died of smallpox at Eutaw Springs may be a myth. Gaulding Origins. [Online] https://www.gauldingorigins.com/post/the-story-that-john-gaulden-jr-died-of-smallpox-at-eutaw-springs-may-be-a-myth.
4. Knight, J. H. Georgia’s Roster of the Revolution.
5. Moore family presence in Orangeburg/Barnwell: Holcomb, Brent H. Orangeburg District, South Carolina, Abstracts of Deeds. [Online]
6. Georgia, U.S., Property Tax Digests, 1793-1892. ancestry.com. [Online] https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1729/images/40141_1020705384_0024-00017?pId=4809621.
7. Gaulden, Dr. Charles H. The Gaulden, Gaulding, Gauldin Family: A 700 year History. 1999. Self-published.
8. Smith, James F. The Cherokee land lottery, containing a numerical list of the names of the fortunate drawers in said lottery, with an engraved map of each district. internet archive. [Online] New York, Printed by Harper & brothers, 1838. https://archive.org/details/cherokeelandlott00smit/page/n567/mode/2up.
9. Zachariah Gaulden. Fold 3.com. [Online]
10. Roll of Mississippi Commands in the War of 1812. ancestry.com. [Online] Mississippi Territory in the War of 1812. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/48048/images/MSTerritory1812-002625-158?treeid=210374911&personid=232796134646&hintid=1016629945849&usePUB=true&pId=174728.
11. Mississippi, U.S., State and Territorial Census Collection, 1792-1866. ancestry.com. [Online] Wilkinson, 1813. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1125/images/v229_3-0246?pId=81286.
12. Service Records transcribed by Catherine L. Gauldin, 2026.
13. Mississippi, U.S., Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers, 1812-1815. ancestry.com. [Online] Hind's Battalion of Cavalry. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2126/images/32646_b036850-00528?pId=9387.
14. 1820 United States Federal Census. ancestry.com. [Online] Mississippi, Adams. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7734/images/4433380_00036?pId=608359.
15. Mississippi, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1780-1982. ancestry.com. [Online] Record of Administrations, Book B, 1856-1858; Administration of Estates, 1827-1831, Amite. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8995/images/005827242_00745?queryId=b5562b6b-71b4-4620-8bf1-187beb66f1be&usePUB=true&_phsrc=osm4638&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=1366526&treeid=163174124&personid=422121230420.
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