Golding/Golden on Facebook / My Family History Notes
Updated 2017.03.31
Before immigrating from England to America it appears that the Golding family of Essex/Suffolk England migrated first to the Caribbean.
These Goldings descend from the famed Arthur Golding of English literary history.
One branch immigrated by way of Barbados and Bermuda before settling into New York. Family lore has it that after leaving Bermuda that they were going to immigrate to Jamestown but found the Virginians so sickly and underfed that they set sail again and set down in Queens, New York.
Two New York Goldings claiming descent have taking a YDNA test and both are ‘I’.
Gideon Golding did not make the move to America, passing away in 1686 in Barbados.
Whether Gideon’s health had soured or he was just a ‘plan ahead’ kind of person is not recorded. Gideon began preparing for his death nine years prior (1677) to his demise (1686).
Below are his instructions as transcribed from the handwritten codicil books of the Barbados archives.
Just prior to his death (1686), Gideon gave additional instructions (1685) reemphasizing that Baddue ‘… that negro boy that used to run with me …’ was to get his freedom.
Baddue was to have been given freedom when he turned 25. It is somewhat of a safe assumption that Baddue was young enough that Gideon dd not wish to take chances that his successors might inherit Baddue and not follow his instructions and so Giden updated his thoughts on his wishes in 1685:
Gideon was the son of Percival Golding, Sr. (1579-1635) and Emily (Farmer ?) (1580-1673), and brother to Percival Jr., (1608-1680 Barbados). Percival Jr’s son Ephraim, born in Barbados, would immigrate to New York from Barbados at some time between late 1687-1689.
Gideon and Percival Jr had a brother named William. Very little is known of him, even his years of birth and death are only guesstimates. More info about William is presented below.
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About William Golding
Many American Golding family histories have laid claim to descent from William Golding but there is no evidence that he ever left England or ever married and had children.
Louis Thorn Golding, a descendant of Percival Golding claims to have tracked down living descendants of William, living in England during the 1930s. Louis Thorn Golding claims to have actually met with William’s living descendants and to have been presented proof of their descent — but that proof is not known to have been documented and passed on in his 1937 book on the Golding family.
Louis Thorn Golding was perhaps one of the most knowledgeable of Golding family historians, having traveled throughout the Caribbean and the United Kingdom in search of Goldings. At one time, Louis Thorn Golding had the theory that the Rev William Golding of Bermuda was related to these Goldings. He later discarded the theory, but did not leave any written words as to why other than he had consulted with a professional genealogist knowledgeable of Bermuda.
There is an Andrew Golding that was active in various genealogy groups and claimed that he was descended from William Golding (2011), and that William Golding had indeed immigrated to the New World. No evidence offered and Andrew has not responded to my contact efforts requesting more info.
William has been identified in various family histories as William Leftridge Golding — but this is not so.