New England Connections
Rev. Thomas Goulding of Dorchester, Massachusetts
On pages 17-18 of his book The Gaulden, Gauldin, Gaulding Family History: A Seven Hundred Year Study, Volume I Dr. Gaulden writes:
“Dr. Sherburne Anderson, a descendant of Zachariah Gaulden has also done extensive research on the Gaulden and Goulding family. He is convinced that he first Gaulden to come to America was Rev. Thomas Goulding in 1630, who came from Dorchester, England in the great migration of more than 1000 Puritans who helped establish Dorchester, Massachusetts. Dorchester preceded Boston as a town. In 1633 the settlers organized the first township form of government in New England.”
I do not believe this to be true, and I do not believe this man ever existed. I believe he is being confused with Thomas of the Suffolk Golding Family who was a clerk of the Bishop of Norfolk, but there is nothing in the documentation associated with the founding of Dorchester that indicates there was anyone by the name Goulding who particpated.
Rev. Thomas Goulding, Great Migration immigrant never existed
There is no historical or genealogical evidence that a Thomas Goulding from Dorchester, Dorset, England migrated to Dorchester, Massachusetts during the Great Migration (1620–1640) or helped settle the town. All available, authoritative Great Migration sources show no such man.
⭐ 1. The Great Migration Records Do Not List a Thomas Goulding from Dorchester, England
The definitive scholarly sources for the Great Migration include:
Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620–1633
Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634–1635
*The Great Migration Directory (2015), which lists every known immigrant 1620–1640
The Winthrop Fleet passenger lists (1630)
Dorchester Company records (Rev. John White’s group)
None of these sources list a Thomas Goulding, Goulden, Golding, Gaulding, or variant spelling as a migrant to Massachusetts. None list a man of that name among the settlers of Dorchester, Massachusetts.
This is conclusive because Anderson’s Directory is exhaustive and includes even fragmentary or speculative entries.
⭐ 2. Dorchester, Massachusetts Settlers Are Well Documented
The founding of Dorchester, Massachusetts (1630) is one of the best‑documented migrations in New England history. The settlers were part of:
The Dorchester Company (1623–1626)
The West Country Puritan migration led by Rev. John White
The Winthrop Fleet (1630)
The surnames of the founding families are known and include:
Clap / Clapp
Minot
Blake
Glover
Maverick
Rossiter
Ludlow
Hull
Stoughton
Withington
Wiswall
Atherton
A Goulding or Golding does not appear among them.
⭐ 3. No Evidence of a Goulding in Dorchester, MA Town, Church, or Land Records (1630–1700)
Searches of:
Dorchester town records
First Church of Dorchester membership lists
Early land grants
Vital records (births, marriages, deaths) Probate records of Suffolk County show no man named Thomas Goulding in Dorchester, Massachusetts during the 17th century.
⭐ 4. The Only “Thomas Goulding” Connected to Dorchester in Secondary Literature Is a misinterpretation
Your search result () refers to a claim made in a modern family history (Gaulden, 1999) that a Rev. Thomas Goulding came from Dorchester, England and helped establish Dorchester, Massachusetts.
However: This claim is not supported by any primary source. The same passage admits that information on this supposed Thomas is “scarce.” Thus, this is not accepted historical evidence.
⭐ 5. Dorchester, England Migrants Are Known—and No Goulding Is Among Them
The Puritan migration from Dorchester, Dorset is well documented through:
Rev. John White’s correspondence
Dorchester Company records
Passenger lists of the Mary & John (1630)
Records of the West Country congregations
Again, no Thomas Goulding appears.
⭐ Conclusion
There is no record—primary or secondary—of a man named Thomas Goulding from Dorchester, England who migrated to Massachusetts during the Great Migration or helped settle Dorchester, Massachusetts. The claim appears only in a modern family history and is not supported by any authoritative Great Migration scholarship.
Robert Charles Anderson's The Great Migration Begins is a comprehensive database of the biographies of the men and women who made the voyage to America during the Great Migration period. There are four entries for “Goulding” to New England.
All New England, The Great Migration and The Great Migration Begins, 1620-1635 results for Goulding. Changing the spelling to “Golding” yields the same four results.
William Goulding https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/14329:2496?_phsrc=xjf4608&_phstart=successSource&gsln=Goulding&ml_rpos=1&queryId=c356922282834c004271e302bf359515
Thomas Goulding https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/27382:2496?_phsrc=xjf4609&_phstart=successSource&gsln=Goulding&ml_rpos=2&queryId=c356922282834c004271e302bf359515
Prentice Goulding https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/27381:2496? This refers to the Unnamed Goulding and Thomas Prentice named in the Harlakenden Will. The link is _phsrc=xjf4610&_phstart=successSource&gsln=Goulding&ml_rpos=3&queryId=c356922282834c004271e302bf359515
John Goldin https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/35473:2496?_phsrc=xjf4611&_phstart=successSource&gsln=Goulding&ml_rpos=4&queryId=c356922282834c004271e302bf359515
Peter Goulding of Sudbury was the original immigrant to Massachusetts and he came from Shipdham in Essex, England. It is not known who his parents were but my conclusion is undocumented other than several references that he was a descendant of Thomas Golding, Clerk of the Bishop of Norwich. That would make him a descendant of the influential Golding Family of Suffolk.
Please refer to my page on Gaulding Origins called 5:1 New England Connections Thomas Goulding, Clerk of the Bishop of Norwich and Peter Goulding. Peter Goulding of Sudbury most certainly existed, and in multiple resources he is said to have been a direct descendant of Thomas Goulding (or Golding), Clerk to the Bishop of Norwich. There is no genetic connection between this family and the descendants of John "of New Kent" Gaulding of Virginia.