1663 – The Monmouth Patent, New Jersey – William Goulding (Golding),1613-1672, Land Speculator

On December 3rd, 1663, 20 men travelled from Gravesend, Long Island (now New York) to what is now Navesink, New Jersey. One of these 20 included William Goulding. These gentlemen set their sights upon colonizing New Jersey, then under Dutch control, and many of them would return just over a year later with written rights (patent) to settle the land for what is now much of Monmouth County. The Monmouth Patent of April 8th, 1665 was formal recognition of the ouster of the Dutch from what is now New Jersey. The Patent provided for the  subdivision (patenting) of  land among twelve English land speculators, which were called the Twelve Proprietors. The Dutch had controlled the Isle of Jersey in Europe but then lost control of it, and with its loss the Dutch largely conceded their land rights in North America to the Duke of York who directed that the land be named New Jersey and sold for settlement. The Twelve Proprietors included William Goulding (Golding), Samuel Spicer, Richard Gibbons, Richard Stout, James Grover, John Bowne, John Tilton, Nathanial Sylvester, William Reape, Walter Clark, Nichols Davis, and, Obediah Holmes.

>>> It is not explained as to any significance but in the various lists of the Twelve Proprietors, William Goulding is almost always listed first.

I use the term land speculator, a modern appellation, but that is exactly what they were. The settlement was underwritten through the selling of subscriptions (shares), with a portion of the subscriptions set aside for the Proprietors. The group received wide ranging authority to settle and to establish communities as they saw fit. The 12 Proprietors had three years to settle at least one-hundred families and made their money by selling the land to settlers. It appears that a great many (perhaps the majority) of subscriptions was sold to citizens of Newport, Rhode Island under an enterprise named the Rhode Island Monmouth Association — of which William Goulding was a member and investor. The Twelve Proprieters had sufficient authority granted to them within the Monmouth Patent that they chose the first governor of New Jersey to be Philip Carteret in 1665. Yet of these twelve, only four actually chose to live in New Jersey. The majority of the Proprietors continued to reside at either Gravesend, Long Island — this included William Goulding — or in their homes in Newport, Rhode Island. William Goulding held land in Middletown, New Jersey which he sold in 1672. It is noteworthy that the Monmouth Patent gave authority to the twelve as to what religious practices were to be encouraged — referred to as Liberty of Conscience and of Worship per the land patent. Proprietors had the right to build villages at places of their own selection. Within those villages and towns they received the authority to establish small claims courts (Courts for the trial of Small Causes) but not criminal jurisdiction.  They could also create basic laws. Religious freedom was an issue of interest to William Goulding who had left his original home in Massachusetts and originally moved to Long Island due to Puritan persecution within the colony.

1667 – William Goulding, among six others, was appointed as a Custodian of the moneys of the three townships – Portland, Middletown, and Shrewsbury.

1672 – William Goulding sold his investment share to Richard Hartshorne on November 25th, 1672. This share consisted of Lot 25 and outlands in Middletown, New Jersey. The deed of sale is signed in the name of Will Golding. It is believed that this William Goulding is the same William Golding that first lived in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts in 1643 before leaving due to Puritan persecution of Quakers and settling on Long Island.

Can DNA tell us anything about this William Goulding?

There are now four matching YDNA tests of Goldens, two claiming descendant from the William Goulding that founded New Jersey under the Monmouth Patent. YDNA Haplotype:  R1a1a R-M198 R-M512 R1a1a is strongest among people of Scandinavian descent, with highest levels in Norway and Iceland. This haplotype is fairly rare in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Presence of R1a1a in the UK, primarily England, may be due to Vikings and Normans lineage. The relationship is unknown but Joseph Golden is listed in the Freehold (NJ) township records, after the listing for William Goulding. Joseph bought 130 acres of land new Schenck’s Hill, Middletown, from James Hubbard on December 4th 1704. Joseph Goulding was also listed as a grand juror in 1713.

Background Reading on the Monmouth Patent:

Monmouth Patent Granted, an overview of the basic history of the transition from the Dutch to English Rule and the subdivision of the land according to the Monmouth Patent.

Sandy Hook and the Navesink by Samuel Stelle Smith, page 12.

A history of Monmouth and Ocean counties : embracing a genealogical record of earliest settlers in Monmouth and Ocean Counties and their descendants by Edwin Salter, available as a Google book, starting at page 16.

A Brief History of the Colony of  New Jersey