Extracted from Historic Homes & Institutions and Personal Memoirs of Worcester, County, Massachusetts. Prepared under the Editorial Supervision of Ellery Bicknell Crane, and Published by the Lewis Publishing Company, 1907. VOL. # III page 36-38

(I) Thomas Gould, the immigrant ancestor of most of the Gould families of Sutton and southern towns of Worcester county, was born in 1639 in England. There were several other emigrants of the same name and the difficulties of tracing their descendants are very great. Very little is known of Thomas. He resided at Salem Village, now Danvers. Thomas had one brother, Adam Gould, who was a soldier in King Philip’s war in Captain Joseph Gardner’s company. He married, Sept. 28, 1687, Rebecca Cooper; (second Hannah Knight, daughter of Joseph Knight, of Woburn, children: Rebecca, born August 25, 1678, married Ezekiel Marsh, who came to Worcester county; John, born Jan. 31, 1679/80, a blacksmith; Dorcas, born Sept. 8, 1683, at Groton, married Jun. 1, 1711, Anthony Buxton. Child of Adam and Hannah: Thomas, died young. Thomas was appointed administrator of the estate of his brother in 1689, but he himself died soon afterward. His widow Elizabeth was appointed administratrix Jun. 24, 1690, and Joseph, son of Thomas, succeeded his father as administrator of the estate of his brother in 1689. The children of Thomas and Elizabeth Gould were: Joseph, born Jan. 15, 1662/3, married 1685, Bethia Raye; Thomas, born Sept. 16, 1664, died Feb. 1, 1667/8; James, born Feb. 8, 1666/7, married Deborah _____, (second) Sarah _____; Thomas, Jr., see forward; Benjamin, born August 26, 1669, was a witness Apr. 11, 1692, in one of the famous witchcraft trials; Samuel, born Feb. 6, 1670/1, married Elizabeth Thorndike; Mary, born May 7, 1694, died 1746, married John Hutchinson.
(II) Thomas Gould, son of Thomas Gould (I), was born at Salem Village, MA, 1667/8. He married Abigail Needham, daughter of Anthony and Ann (Porter) Needham. Their children, all born at Salem Village, were: Abigail, born August 3, 1692; Thomas, born Jun. 23, 1694, see forward; Rachel, married George Needham; George, born 1706, married Mary Giles; removed to Lyndenborough, where he died Apr. 29, 1783; father of Lieutenant Jonathan Gould, who settled in New Braintree; “ fourth deacon of the church, elected before 1775; housewright by trade; died at New Braintree, Oct. 29, 1809, aged 75 yrs; ancestor of most of the New Braintree families. Nehemiah, born Oct. 15, 1715, married, 1737, Esther Bowers; died 1758. Provided, married, Jun. 8, 1721, Joseph Marsh, of Salem and Killingly, CT.
(III) Thomas Gould, son of Thomas Gould (II), was born in Salem Village, MA, Jun. 23, 1694. He married (first) Margaret _____,, (second) Lydia Webber, of Salem, Apr.7, 1743, at Salem. The children of Thomas and Margaret Gould: Thomas, born about 1720 (see forward); Nehemiah, married Jul. 11, 1758, Mary Phipps; Abigail, Margaret, married Nov. 7, 1743, Ebenezer Dunton, of Salem.
(IV) Thomas Gould, son of Thomas Gould (III), was born in Salem Village or Danvers, MA, about 1720. He married at Marblehead, Nov. 27, 1750. Their children: Margaret,bapt. Aug. 25, 1751; Sarah, bapt. Jul. 15, 1753; Thomas, bapt. Nov. 23, 1755, (see forward); Benjamin, bapt. Nov. 26, 1758, Abigail, bapt. Oct. 31, 1762, perhaps married Levi Fay, of Sturbridge, Dec. 22, 1785. The foregoing were baptized, but probably not born in Marblehead. Other members of this Gould family lived at Salem and Marblehead.
(V) Thomas Gould, son of Thomas Gould (IV), was baptized at Marblehead, Nov. 23, 1755. A record of his birth on the town records of Charlton is Nov. 24, 1755, obtained perhaps by subtracting his supposed age at death. Possibly the baptism was on the 25th. Jonathan Gould, possibly an uncle, sold to Thomas Gould land in Sturbridge, Apr. 13, 1780. This Jonathan Gould, of Sturbridge, died there Mar. 9, 1812, aged 87 years, making his birth year 1725; his wife Mary died Jun. 13, 1803, aged 75, making her birth year 1728. Thomas was in Sturbridge in 1780. He removed from there to Ashford, CT, about 1788, and settled finally in Charlton, MA, about 1791. He married, May 23, 1782, Hannah Williams, of Pomfret, CT. Their intentions of marriage were recorded Feb. 10, 1782, at Sturbridge, where he lived, and the marriage is also recorded at Charlton, though the marriage was more than likely at Pomfret. The births of all their children are recorded at Charlton, although several were born in Sturbridge, as indicated, and one at Ashford. The children: Willard, born at Sturbridge, Mar. 3, 1783, married 1805, Sirene Bond, of Holland; John, born Feb. 7, 1785, at Sturbridge; Lyman, born Sept. 19, 1787, at Sturbridge, married May 26, 1818, Polly Marble; Betsey, born at Ashford, CT, Mar. 12, 1790, married Mar. 20, 1814, Abijah Lamb, Jr.; Rufus, born Sept. 3, 1792, (see forward); Lius (Elias ?), born Nov. 6, 1794, at Charlton; Maria, born Mar. 5, 1799, at Sturbridge; Horace, born Jun. 28, 1801, at Charlton.
(VI) Rufus Gould, son of Thomas Gould (V), was born in Charlton, MA, Sept. 3, 1792. He married at Oakham, MA, Mary Henry. They resided in Oakham, Rutland and New Braintree, MA. She was born in Rutland and baptized there Jun. 14, 1801, daughter of Samuel and Polly (Gates) Henry. Her father Samuel Henry, was born in Rutland, Nov. 15, 1765, son of David and Hannah (Watson) Henry, married 1761 in Leicester. David Henry was of Scotch-Irish stock. Some of his family resided in Leicester, where Robert Henry, perhaps his father, married 1731, Charity Tomson. Children of Rufus and Mary (Henry) Gould: Charles Rufus, born Dec. 27, 1824, died 1827; Rev. George Henry, married Oct. 15, 1862, Ellen M. Grout, daughter of Jonathan Grout, of Worcester.; Mary Ann, born Nov. 7, 1829, at Oakham; William Rufus, born Apr. 20, 1832, married Sarah Fayerweather, daughter of John A. Fayerweather; Louisa Jane, born Feb. 7, 1835, at New Braintree, died New Braintree, Nov. 25, 1843, buried in Oakham; Charles Franklin, born Oct. 31, 1837, in Oakham; Dr. John W.; Rev. Edwin s. born Feb. 2, 1844, at New Braintree.

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