19 – B: Donald Guthrie

Guthrie Family Group 19 – Branch B
DONALD GUTHRIE (Farmer) bef.1780 – 1811-16 SCT and GRACE CLARK
of Inverness-shire, Scotland

DONALD GUTHRIE
Parents: Unidentified
Birth: c 1780-1785 (estimated based on the birth of known children)
Birth Location: Likely Inverness-shire, Scotland.
Marriage: Grace Clark before 1800, probably in the parish of Kingussie and Insh.
Occupation: Farmer / Tenant Farmer
Death: After 1811 – Before 1841
Death Location: Unverified, probably Kingussie and Insh Parish, Inverness-shire, Scotland
Burial Location: Unknown, most likely in the St. Columba’s Cemetery (Kingussie) or the Insh Churchyard. Many families of this era did not have inscribed stone markers that survived the Highland climate.

GRACE CLARK
Parents: Evan Clark a nd Ann Campbell (identified by her death record
Birth: Abt. 1780
Birth Location:
Marriage 1: Donald Guthrie before 1800, probably in Kingussie and Insh Parish, Inverness-shire, Scotland
Marriage 2: John Kennedy about 1815, probably in Kingussie and Insh Parish, Invernes-shire, Scotland
Guthrie Children: YES
Kennedy Children: YES
Death: 16 Jun 1864 @ 84 years of age.
Death Location: Kingussie and Insh, Inverness-shire, Scotland
Burial Location: Unknown, most likely in the St. Columba’s Cemetery (Kingussie) or the Insh Churchyard.

NOTES:

GUTHRIE CHILDREN: 3
KENNEDY CHILDREN: 4
Y-DNA Project Participants: YES
Autosomal DNA Participants: YES

CHILD 1: ALEXANDER GUTHRIE (coach hirer) c 15 Jun 1800 – 3 Apr 1842 m. Mary McGregor +children

  1. Donald Guthrie: born 10 Jan 1831 in Edinburgh
  2. Gregor Guthrie: born 29 Nov 1832 in Edinburgh (farmer) m. Agnes McGregor +children
  3. Hugh Guthrie: born 21 May 1834 in Edinburgh
  4. Ewen Guthrie: born 23 Dec 1837 in Edinburgh
  5. John Guthrie: born 20 May 1840 in Edinburgh
  6. Alexander Guthrie: born 15 Nov 1841 in Edinburgh

CHILD 2: EVAN (HUGH) GUTHRIE (coach hirer) c9 Jul 1809 – Oct-Nov 1853 m. Catharine MacGregor +children. Hugh and Catherine both died at sea on the ship Emma Fields en route from Liverpool to New York, along with their youngest daughters.

  1. Donald Guthrie, Q.C. M.P.P. (barrister): 8 May 1840 Edinburgh – 31 Oct 1915 Ontario, Canada m.(1863) Eliza Margaret McVicar +children
  2. Margaret Guthrie: born 18 Jun 1842 in Edinburgh m. (1868 CAN) James Walt
  3. Grace Guthrie: born 25 apr 1844 in Edinburgh m. (1871 CAN) David White
  4. Jessie Guthrie: born c1847 in Edinburgh
  5. Marjory / Marcella Guthrie: c1849 Edinburgh – 1853 Died at Sea on the ship Emma Fields (Liverpool to NY)
  6. Jemima Guthrie: c1852/53 Edinburgh – 1853. Died at Sea on the ship Emma Fields (Liverpool to NY)

CHILD 3: MARGARET GUTHRIE (homemaker) 22 Jun 1811 – 5 Jun 1877 (m/c 1835 & m. 1836SCT) John MacDonald (shepherd). This family remained in Inverness-shire.

  1. Sarah McDonald: 21 Oct 1837 SCT – 28 Dec 1889 SCT
  2. Donald McDonald: 18 Aug 1839 SCT – 22 Jul 1927 AUS – Moved to Queensland, Australia
  3. Grace McDonald: 5 Jan 1842SCT – 1945 (?) m. 1866SCT Robert Ayton / Aytoun
  4. Ewen McDonald: 7 Nov 1844 SCT – 1 May 1927 SCT
  5. Mary McDonald: born c1845 SCT
  6. Alexander McDonald: 1848 SCT – 1932
  7. Lachlan Andrew McDonald: born 8 Jul 1849 SCT
  8. Jamesina C MacDonald: 14 Jan 1851 SCT – 24 Jul 1867 SCT – Died at 16 years of age.
  9. John McDonald: 1853 SCT – 1906
  10. James McDonald: born 22 May 1857 SCT
  11. Rachel McDonald: born c1865 SCT

Historical Background: Kingussie & Badenoch (c. 1780–1820)

To understand the world of Donald Guthrie and Grace Clark, we must look at the specific conditions of the Badenoch district during their lifetime.

The Planned Village Era

Unlike many Highland families who lived in isolated clachans (small settlements), Donald and Grace lived through the creation of Kingussie as a “planned village.”

  • The Founding of Kingussie (1799): The Duke of Gordon formally established the village of Kingussie to create a market hub for the interior Highlands. He encouraged wool manufacturing and flax spinning to provide employment for tenants displaced by early agricultural changes.
  • A Changing Landscape: If Donald was a “Farmer” (as opposed to a Crofter or Cottar), he likely held a lease on land that was undergoing “improvement.” The traditional run-rig system was being dismantled in favor of enclosed fields. This transition often forced smaller tenants into the new village or out of the parish entirely.

The Highland Clearances

While Kingussie was intended to be a center of industry, the surrounding glens were emptying.

  • Sheep Walks: By the early 1800s, vast tracts of the Badenoch hills were being converted into sheep walks. This economic shift put immense pressure on families to adapt, migrate south, or emigrate overseas.
  • The “Black Cattle” Trade: Before sheep took over, this area was a critical droving route. Farmers like Donald would have been intimately familiar with the cattle drovers moving herds south to markets in Crieff and Falkirk.

Guthrie Family Group: GFG19
Group Designation: Branch B – The Guthries of Inverness-shire
Haplogroup: R1b – M269
Confirmed Haplogroup: N/A – Not Big-Y Confirmed

Branch B Participants:

Kit 1023529: Inverness: Donald Guthrie / Grace Clark > Hugh (or Evan) Guthrie / Catherine Magregor > Donald Guthrie QC, MPP / Eliza Margaret McVicar (GGP)

Autosomal DNA Kits:
B651305:  Inverness: Donald Guthrie / Grace Clark > Hugh (or Evan) Guthrie / Catherine Magregor > Donald Guthrie QC, MPP / Eliza Margaret McVicar (GGP).

Group Notes: Two 37-marker Y-DNA tests match 36/37 are considered “Tightly Related”

Genealogical Analysis & Origin Theories

The Kingussie Connection

The birth of their son Hugh Guthrie in Kingussie (c. 1809) provides a critical anchor point.

  • Highland Guthries: The surname Guthrie is not native to Inverness-shire (historically being from Angus). The presence of a Guthrie family in Kingussie suggests an earlier migration—perhaps as soldiers stationed at the nearby Ruthven Barracks (active until 1746) or as tradesmen brought in by the Duke of Gordon’s estate improvements.

Genetic Insights

The Y-DNA match to Branch A (Aberdeen) confirms that Donald (Kingussie) and Donald (Aberdeen) share a common male ancestor.

  • Theory: The GFG19 progenitor likely lived in the mid-1700s. His descendants split, with one line (Branch B) integrating into the Gaelic-speaking culture of the central Highlands (Kingussie), while the other (Branch A) moved toward the coastal Lowlands (Aberdeen).

Research Challenges

  • Gap in Records: Kingussie parish records are notoriously sparse for the late 1700s due to a fire and general lack of recording during the penal era for Episcopalians and Catholics.
  • Common Names: The name “Grace Clark” is distinctive and helpful, but “Donald” remains ubiquitous in the Highlands, requiring careful cross-referencing with land rentals and cess rolls.

1. Essential Local History: Badenoch & Kingussie

  • “The Wild Black Region: Badenoch 1750–1800” by David Taylor
    • Why it’s essential: This is the definitive text for the exact time and place Donald Guthrie lived. It details the transition from traditional clan life to the “planned village” of Kingussie, the role of the Duke of Gordon, and the lives of the tenant farmers and drovers.
  • “Lost Badenoch and Strathspey” by Bruce B. Bishop
    • Why it’s essential: Provides visual and historical context for the buildings and settlements that no longer exist, helping you visualize the world your ancestors inhabited.
  • “Kingussie and Upper Speyside (Badenoch): A Descriptive Guide”
    • Why it’s essential: A vintage guidebook (often available as a reprint) that offers a look at the district’s history from a 19th-century perspective.

2. The Highland Clearances & Historical Context

  • “The Highland Clearances” by Eric Richards or “The Making of the Crofting Community” by James Hunter
    • Why it’s essential: Donald and Grace lived through the height of the Clearances, where sheep walks replaced tenant farms. These books explain the economic forces that likely drove the family’s later emigration.
  • “The Costume of the Clans” (Historical Reference)
    • Why it’s essential: While often romanticized, works like these (mentioned in your search results) reflect the Victorian revival of Highland culture that occurred just as the Guthries were leaving or had left the Highlands.

3. Genealogy & Primary Records

  • Old Parish Registers (OPR) for Kingussie and Insh (National Records of Scotland)
    • Resource: ScotlandsPeople
      • Note: As the blog mentions a “gap in records,” use this site to search for collateral lines (siblings/cousins) who might have been recorded when Donald and Grace were not. Look for “Clark” families in Kingussie to trace Grace’s line.
    • Highland Archive Centre (Inverness): Houses the Gordon Castle Muniments, which contain estate papers, rental rolls, and tenant lists for the Duke of Gordon’s lands in Badenoch.
    • Highland Archive Centre (Inverness): Houses the Gordon Castle Muniments, which contain estate papers, rental rolls, and tenant lists for the Duke of Gordon’s lands in Badenoch.
    • The ‘Commissariot Record of Inverness’: Register of Testaments (Wills and Inventories) for the period 1630-1800, essential for finding evidence of the family’s migration into the Highlands.
    • The ‘Commissariot Record of Inverness’: Register of Testaments (Wills and Inventories) for the period 1630-1800, essential for finding evidence of the family’s migration into the Highlands.
    • The ‘Commissariot Record of Inverness’: Register of Testaments (Wills and Inventories) for the period 1630-1800, essential for finding evidence of the family’s migration into the Highlands.

4. Biography: Donald Guthrie, Q.C., M.P.P.

  • “The Canadian Parliamentary Guide”
    • Why it’s essential: For descendants of the son Evan (Hugh) Guthrie, his son Donald Guthrie became a prominent politician in Guelph, Ontario.
  • “Guelph: A People’s Heritage”
    • Why it’s essential: Contains references to Donald Guthrie’s life, his home (which became the Homewood Health Centre), and his role in Canadian politics.

5. Key Locations to Visit (or Research)

  • Ruthven Barracks: The blog theorizes the Guthrie progenitor might have been a soldier here. The ruins are a physical link to the military history of the area.
  • St. Columba’s Cemetery (Kingussie): The likely burial place for Donald and Grace.

Is This Your Piece of the Puzzle?

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