John Guthrie 1689VA – 1733VA m1Sarah Stiff / m2.Jane Meacham / m3.Mary Shay
of Christchurch Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia

JOHN GUTHRIE (Jr)
Parents: John Guthrie (Sr) born bet.1645-65 SCT – died 1706 VA and Elizabeth Baskett
Birth / Location: June – July 1689 in Middlesex County, Virginia
Baptism / Location: 28 July 1689 in Christchurch Parish, Middlesex, Virginia
Mistaken Identity: John Howard Paul Guthrie (See Notes & Reading and Resources)
Occupation: Planter
Marriage 1: Sarah Stiff on 5 Jan 1708 in Christchurch Parish, Middlesex, Virginia
Marriage 2: Jane Mitcham / Meacham on 4 Aug 1710 in Christchurch Parish, Middlesex, Virginia
Marriage 3: Mary Shay / Shae on 23 Sep 1722 in Christchurch Parish, Middlesex, Virginia
Death / Location: 24 Oct 1733 in Middlesex County, Virginia
Burial / Location: Abt. 24 Oct 1733 in Christchurch Parish, Middlesex, Virginia

SARAH STIFF
Parents: Thomas Stiff and Sarah Salter (possibly) – married in CCP on 8 Feb 1684
Birth / Location: Unknown, birth is not listed in the CCP Register
Baptism / Location: Unknown, baptism is not listed in the CCP Register
Guthrie Children: None
Death / Location: 1708 – 1709, presumably in Middlesex County, Virginia
Burial / Location: Unknown, presumably in Christchurch Parish, Middlesex, Virginia

JANE MITCHAM / MEACHAM
Parents: Unknown, she might be a Mitcham/Meacham widow rather than daughter
Birth / Location: Unknown, est. 1689 – 1694
Baptism / Location: Unknown
Guthrie Children: Jane (1713), John (1716), Nanny (1718), William (1722)
Theorized Guthrie Children: Judith (c1715)
Death / Location: 22 April 1722 in Middlesex County, Virginia
Burial / Location: 24 April 1722 in Christchurch Parish, Middlesex, Virginia

MARY SHAY / SHAE
Parents: Unknown, No one else of this surname in the CCP Register
Birth / Location: 1 Jan 1689 (Source?)
Baptism / Location: Unknown
Mistaken Identity: Mary Elizabeth Shay – No Use of Elizabeth in the CCP Documents
Guthrie Children: Garritt (1723), Henry (1726), William (1729), James (1729)
Death / Location: 2 Jan 1743 in Middlesex County, Virginia
Burial / Location: Unknown, presumably about 2 Jan 1743 in Christchurch Parish, Middlesex, Virginia

NOTES:
On 28 July 1689 in Christchurch Parish, “John ye Sone of John & Elizth Guthrey baptiz.” His father was a local planter and surveyor.

As far as can be traced, John Guthrie (Jr) is the only son to produce a direct male line of descendants. If he indeed had an older half-brother, Henry, we know of no children. John had two sisters without any known descendants, but they would have no Guthrie Y-DNA to pass down in any case. No further trace of his brothers, Richard and Masey has been found beyond baptismal records. Unless previously unidentified documentation is discovered, John Guthrie (Jr) is the only familial representative of inherited Y-DNA from the Middlesex VA line. A similar issue happens with the next generation. Despite having numerous children including 6 documented sons, only 2 of John Guthrie’s sons are attributed with surviving, traceable male offspring. From those there are now multiple examples of direct paternal line Y-DNA tests verifying their match to the GFG1A genetic profile.

In recent years, online trees have created a new identity for John Guthrie (Jr) as “John Howard Paul Guthrie” that has undergone widespread copy/pasting into trees and websites. John Guthrie of Middlesex County, Virginia is not documented with any middle name much less two. The source for the false information can be reviewed below in the Reading and Resources section. This record pops up as an Ancestry Hint because it lists parents named John Guthrie and Elizabeth Guthrie with a son named John. Only their son is fully named John Howard Paul Guthrie. A couple of clicks later and John has a brand new name. The document title shows that the record is for Church of England Baptisms in Bristol from 1813-1921. John Guthrie of Middlesex, VA died in 1733, so that should be a red flag if not an instant rejection. Reviewing the actual document image rather than just the transcription synopsis shows the John Howard Paul Guthrie was baptized on 2 Jan 1880, his father John a plumber, and his mother Elizabeth a decorator. This English record and the name John Howard Paul Guthrie do not in any way apply to John Guthrie of Middlesex, Virginia.

John’s father died in 1706 leaving his mother Elizabeth widowed. The court records show that on 3 Feb 1706/7, William Finney was appointed guardian and his inheritance as such designated at that time. “Know all men by these presents that I William Finney of County of Middlesex do give John Guttry two 2-year old heifers and their increase to him and his heirs forever.” Court records later show that his youngest sister, Mary Guthrie, had also been assigned a guardian, but no similar assignments have been found for their other underage siblings, suggesting that they had perhaps died by the time of their father’s passing.

Two years later, when John was 19, he married Sarah Stiff. It is unknown whether illness or childbearing caused Sarah’s death. No children are documented for the couple. Her death occurred sometime between 1708-1709.

On 4 August 1710, John Guthrie remarried. Jane Mitcham or Meacham may have been a new bride or a widow. No specifics were found documented. She was the mother of at least 4 children: Jane, John, Nanny, and William. Descendants of Judith Guthrie and Charles Gunter, who were married in Christchurch Parish 15 April 1734, believe that Judith is an undocumented daughter of John and Jane (Mitcham) Guthrie. Autosomal DNA testing has not ruled out this possible connection. Jane died on 22 April 1722, which left her husband with a house full of young children aged 1 – 9. He married a few months later on 23 Sept. 1722 to Mary Shay.

Wasting no time, they produced son Garritt by 19 Feb 1723. He was baptized 8 March 1723. Their son Henry came along in 1726, and then twins William and James in 1729. Assignment of descendants to these children has resulted in a lot of twisted family tree errors. People have found some ingenious ways to connect their personal ancestral line to this family despite a lack of any form of documented evidence. Y-DNA testing now provides a method for some of this to be fixed. Even knowing that certain family lines belong to GFG1A, it is still difficult to determine the exact path of their relationship to John Guthrie (Jr) because documents rarely announce which of his sons is the correct father of the next generation.

Although details in Y-DNA results will sometimes reveal a pattern of inheritance between its descendant branches, that is not the case with lineages associated with John Guthrie’s sons. Out of 6 sons, the only two credited with male descendants are Garritt and Henry. Their older half-brother John Guthrie (III) produced two daughters for whom no descendants have been traced. There was also Jane’s son William, but his childhood death is documented. The big question has to do with twins William and James. Did they die young, or simply get lost in the records? One of them, William, was already 14 years old the last time he is mentioned in the records, yet we have apparently counted him out. When GFG1A matches appear to lead directly back to this Middlesex VA family they are sorted into one of two parent houses: Garritt or Henry’s. Record keeping does not always make the choice clear.

“John Guttery dyed October ye 24 1733.” in Christchurch, Middlesex County, Virginia. Mary survived him. She died on 2 Jan 1743.

Children: 8 – 9
Y-DNA Project Participants: Yes
Autosomal DNA Participants: Yes

CHILD 1: Jane Guthrie – 1713VA – ????VA
Jane was born in Middlesex County, Virginia and baptized at Christchurch Parish Church on 7 Mar 1713.
If she survived to adulthood, she would have been 20 years old at the time of her father’s death, and may have already been married by that date. If so, the marriage is not recorded in the CCP register. Nor, would it appear, was her death. Did Jane Guthrie die young, or did she produce a family? No further trace of her has been found in the records, but there may be one possible explanation. See below.

Children: None Known
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Female Guthrie / No Known Descendants
Autosomal DNA Participants: N/a – No Known Descendants

CHILD 2: Judith Guthrie c1715VA-1752VA (theorized relationship)
There is no birth/baptismal record for Judith Guthrie in the CCP register. Descendants theorize that she is an undocumented daughter of John and Jane (Mitcham/Meacham) Guthrie. Could she actually be eldest daughter Jane, of whom nothing else is known? To differentiate herself from her mother, she may have gone by Judith instead. Autosomal DNA tests are inconclusive, but frequently skew toward GFG1 matches. Since Judith Guthrie married Charles Gunter in Christchurch Parish, Middlesex, VA on 3 April 1744, she definitely has a documented foothold in the area.
Children: 5
1) Charles Gunter Jr 1734VA-1788VA m. Mary Bell +children
2) William Gunter 1736VA – ???? m. 1772 York, VA Anne Sandeford +children
3) Milvey Gunter 1740VA – Bef. 1750 – No further details – Not listed in father’s 1750 will.
4) Jane Gunter 1742VA – Aft. 1750 – Died without issue.
5) John Gunter 1744VA-1816VA m. Susanna Harris +children

Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: Yes

CHILD 3: John Guthrie (III) 1716VA – 1747VA
This is the eldest son of John Guthrie (Jr) and his wife Jane Mitcham / Meacham. He was born on 16 August and baptized on 26 August 1716 in Christchurch Parish, Middlesex, Virginia. His mother died when he was only 3 – 4 years old, and it was his stepmother, Mary Shay who raised him.

John’s father died in 1733 when he was 17. He became a bricklayer.

His marriage to Mary Gest (or Guest) is not documented in the CCP records, but the Guess / Guest name is found in the register. They were probably married about 1840 – 1842. This couple had 2 daughters: Jane Guthrie and Ann ‘Nanny’ Guthrie.

His stepmother Mary’s death came on 2 Jan 1743. The Court ordered inventory of estate of Mary Guthrie on 7 Feb 1743. From Middlesex Co., VA will Book C: 1740-1748. John Guthrie and Rames Reid adx.

In 1745, John’s younger half-brother, Henry Guthrie, was bound to him by the parish to learn the bricklayer’s trade and to learn to read & write.

John Guthrie was only 30 at the time of his death. On 5 Jan 1747 Mary Guthrey and George Gueist adx. James Daniel was appt to appraise the estate of John Guthrie dec’d WB C, pp 392-394.

Court records show that on 7 Feb 1744, “On the petition of John Guthrey administration is granted on the estate of Mary Guthrey, dec’d.

On 3 May 1757: WB D, p394: George Daniel, guardian to Jane Guthrie and Anne Guthrie, orphans of John Guthrie.

On 3 Mar 1764: WB E p172: William Daniel, guardian to Ann Guthrey, orphan of John Guthrey.

Children: 2
1) Jane Guthrie – Born 3 Feb / Bapt. 24 Feb 1744 in CCP. Died aft. 1757. No further data.
2) Ann ‘Nanny’ Guthrie – Born 8 Nov / Bapt. 7 Dec 1748 in CCP. Died aft. 1764. No further details.

Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – No Sons
Autosomal DNA Participants: No

CHILD 4: Nanny Guthrie 1718VA – aft. 1768VA
The name ‘Nanny’ is frequently a variation or nickname for Ann. It is unknown whether that was the case here as the official record lists this child as Nanny Guthrie. She was born on 31 Jan and baptized on 8 Mar 1718 in Christchurch Parish, Middlesex, Virginia. There is no record of her death in the CCP Register in 1719 as is found in some online trees. Contrary to that belief, Nanny Guthrie survived to adulthood and married.

There is a huge void of information about Nanny’s life until she is 50 years of age. A property sale in Middlesex, VA dated 2 Feb 1768 mentions that Nanny Milby is the daughter of John Guthres. Joseph Milby and Nanny his wife sell to Jeremiah Shepard for 10pounds, 15shillings and one negro girl 100 acres in Parish of Christ Church. (Source: Hutchinson, Richard S. 2009. Middlesex County Virginia Land Records 1767-1785, Colonial Roots, Lewes, DE)

No Further Data.
Children: Unknown
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: No

CHILD 5: William Guthrie 1722VA-1723VA
William was born on 14 Feb 1722 and baptized 10 March 1722. The parish register names Mary as William’s mother, but his birth occurred 2 months before Jane’s death. It is probable that Jane was William’s biological mother and his birth was later recorded with Mary as his mother.

Little William died on 27 April 1723. He was only 1 year of age.

Children: N/A
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – No Descendants
Autosomal DNA Participants: N/A – No Descendants

CHILD 6: Garritt Guthrie 1723VA-1805NC

Garritt Guttery was born on 19 Feb and baptized 8 Mar 1723 in Christchurch Parish, Middlesex, Virginia. That’s what can be said with confidence about Garritt’s early life and backed up by documentation. The next 30 – 40 years have a few gaping holes some of you descendants may want to help me fill in. Much of what we know about Garritt Guthrie is shaped by the lives of those around him. We’re filling in blanks from other people’s puzzles.

Speaking of filing in the blanks, Garritt has picked up the middle name of Garner appearing in some trees as Garritt Garner Guthrie. This is a merged identity based on Garner Guthrie found in ‘American Guthrie and Allied Families‘ beginning on p428, which asserts (incorrectly) that Garner was descended to the martyr Rev. James Guthrie if Stirling, that he came from Ireland to America settling in Virginia where his son Charles and presumptive son Nathaniel Guthrie served in the Revolutionary War. If you check the list of Garritt Guthrie’s children, you’ll find both Charles and Nathaniel on it. Was Garner a real person and if so, how did a man with a completely different origin story become entangled with Garritt Guthrie whose Virginian birth and parentage is firmly documented?

Garritt’s father, John Guthrie, died when he was 10 years old, and his mother, Mary (Shay) Guthrie, when he was 20. His older half-brother, John Guthrie (III) was then about 27, newly married, and still residing in Middlesex, VA. Perhaps this gave Garritt the freedom to leave home and begin to create an independent life. During the late 1740s, Garritt was probably still in Virginia.

Let’s assume that he married for there are a whole passel of boys attached to his name. Although putting a ring on it might not be necessary for procreation, being a man of the 18th century, we’ll give Garritt the benefit of the doubt. Some trees include a wife, Sarah Coleman, which is actually a name found in the tree of an unrelated Guthrie Family Group (GFG4). No marriage record or document listing his spouse has been found to date. What is the origin of the use of Sarah Coleman as Garritt Guthrie’s wife?

The identity of his children comes pieced together from varying accounts and perhaps inferred connections rather than a convenient family bible or single parish record. The one thing we do have is Y-DNA testing of each descendant lineage (except son John), and all lines tested match the genetic profile for Guthrie Family Group 1A.

By November 1764, Garritt had moved to Orange County, North Carolina. The court ordered that a road be laid out to Granville by the following July, and Garritt Gutterly was listed as a hand to assist. In 1777, Caswell County was formed out of Orange County, and Garritt Guthrie and a John Guthrie were listed on the Tax List for St Lawrence District in Caswell County. John is the first of Garritt’s presumed sons. Garrott Guttery made some purchases at the 1783 estate sale of Elkanah Haralson in Caswell. In 1784, he is on the Tax List for Nash District in Caswell, with 250 acres on Adams Creek, 2 white polls, and 0 black polls, a value of £283.6sh.8p. Eventually, his land is listed on the Person County tax lists after the county is divided again in 1792.

1790 Garrott Guttery (Caswell County, NC) – Tax List /1790 US Census records for 3 NC Counties do not survive
1800 Jarrot Guthrey (Person County, NC) – 1M and 1F 45 and over, 1M 16-25

Garritt Guthrie died about 1805 most likely in Person County, North Carolina. His resting place is unknown.

Children: 6
1) John Guthrie c1750VA-p1836SC – Spouse Unidentified +children (No Y-DNA)
There is a John Guthrie listed in St. Lawrence District, Caswell, NC in 1777 at the same time as Garrett Guthrie. As Garrett’s half-brother by that name died in 1747, and a family relationship is assumed, it is believed that John was Garrett’s son.

[Note that my GFG2A-Branch A family lived near the tri-county border of Orange, Caswell, and Person about the same time and we have no one by the name John in the family. It is also interesting that the origin story of Garner Guthrie sounds very much like my Guthrie family origin story, which is associated with covenanting religious men who had immigrated from Ireland to America. Did the proximity of these two unrelated lines cause their origin stories to become confused, if not by them, then perhaps by ‘AGAF’ author LRG? upon its retelling?]

John Guthrie is associated with the Rev. War Soldier who served in the area, but the documents show an age discrepancy.. On 10 Nov 1784, he had a Caswell NC land grant of 150 acres on Gents Creek. Caswell documents later identify him as John Guthrey of Lawrence (Laurens) SC. The only census record for which John Gouthory is listed as a HOH is the 1800 Laurens, SC census wherein there are: 1M and 1F 45 and over, 1F 16-25, 2M 10-15. Presumed brother William Guthrie had been there during the 1790 census, but moved on to Georgia before 1800. John’s is the only Laurens, SC household for the Guthrie name in 1800. In 1810, the only one listed is John’s presumed son Dudley. John was alive and still living in Laurens, SC on Oct 1836 according to Rev War Pension papers, His death occurred sometime afterward. Those same papers list him as 98 years of age. Maybe they meant 89 instead? Recent trees have linked this John to the Find-a-Grave site for a John Guthrie and family resting in Guthrie Cemetery in McCormick County, SC (John Guthrie 17 Dec 1765 – 11 Sep 1838). This county was not formed until after 1900 from Edgefield, Abbeville, and Greenwood.
Children: Benjamin (1776), Dudley (1784)
Y-DNA Project Participants: No
Autosomal DNA Participants: No

2) James Guthrie 1756VA – 1837SC m.1782 Nancy Garrett +children
Rev War Pension files list James’ birthplace as Hanover, VA. He was living in Caswell, NC during his enlistment, which is consistent with presumed father Garritt Guthrie’s location at that time. and then in Union County, South Carolina by about 1785. I am not entirely convinced that this is the James Guthrie who married Nancy Garrett in CCP on 28 Mar 1782 since he was noted to be living in King and Queen County at the time, and James’ daughter Elizabeth later identified her mother’s birth location as SC.
Children: Garritt (1776)?, Mary (1780), Benjamin Franklin (b.1791-4), Unidentified Son (b.1791-1794), Unidentified Son (b. 1795-1800), James M (b.1795-1800), Robert (b.1801-4), Absalom (b.1802-4), Mourning P (b.1805-10), Elizabeth P (1806), and Nancy C (1818).
Y-DNA Project Participants: Yes
Autosomal DNA Participants: Yes

3) Charles Guthrie c1760VA – c1840KY m.1786 Mariah (MNU) +children
Charles Guthrie is noted in American Guthrie and Allied Families under the story for Garner Guthrie. After the close of the Revolutionary War he was a resident of Halifax County, Virginia. This location is also the home of GFG8’s family line, which is genetically unrelated to this one. An early finding there is on 25 Jul 1798 when Charles Guthrie was a witness to the marriage of his presumptive brother Nathaniel Guthrie to Fanny Link. Charles’ marriage date to his wife is given as 7 Jun 1786 in Virginia. His wife was named Mariah. Their names are inscribed together on a stone in Jeff Stewart Cemetery in Trigg County, KY. Her dates are given as ca 1760 – 1835.
Children: Patrick (1791), William (1792), Vincent (1794), John (1795), James Allen (1797), Jesse P (1799), Elizabeth Ann (1801), Irby (1803).
Y-DNA Project Participants: Yes
Autosomal DNA Participants: Yes

Mistaken Identity:
Do not be taken in by the marriage record for a Charles Guthrie and Mary Hendrickson dated 23 Mar 1801 in Carteret County, Bondsman: John Marshall and Wit: Saml. Leffers. These have now popped up in trees linked to Charles Guthrie, as well as attached to Find-a-Grave. There is an unrelated Guthrie line descending from Daniel Guthrie and Mary Little living in Carteret County that includes several generations of men named Charles Guthrie. They are not associated with this family. Mary Hendrickson may have been the 2nd wife of Charles Guthrie Jr (1748-1809) depending on the DOD of his wife, Mary Morse, or the 2nd wife of their son, Charles Guthrie IIII (c1764-bef.1820) depending on the DOD of his wife Nancy.

4) William Guthrie 1764 – 1840GA m. Elisabeth Sheppard +children
William Guthrie’s presence in the Caswell and Person County, NC area add him to the list of presumed children of Garritt Guthrie, but he may have been too young to be the only William Guthrie there during the Rev. War era. Again, my GFG2A-Branch A line living nearby does not have a William Guthrie in that generation. This William Guthrie is believed to be the man who married Elisabeth Sheppard on 2 Oct 1782 in Caswell, Bondsman: Andrew McNight, Witness: H. Haralson, Deputy Clerk. They show up in various Caswell, NC records, apparently make a move to Laurens, SC and then Edgefield, SC before settling in Georgia. William Guthrie died Coweta GA on 21 Dec 1840, and his wife Elisabeth the previous year. Census records, if selected correctly, suggest a large family of sons and daughters. Two presumed sons were added to their family group based on Coweta GA connections.
Children: James Martin (1802), William Jackson (1807)
Y-DNA Project Participants: Yes
Autosomal DNA Participants: Yes

5) Nathaniel Guthrie 1769NC – 1839AL m1.1794 Margaret Mann, m2.1798VA Frances Link +children
Nathaniel Guthrie is documented in LRG’s AGAF, p428 as a presumptive son of Garner Guthrie. The data found in this Guthrie Family Info page in the US GenWeb Archives explores the submitter’s theories and data collected (Larry J Guthrie, Descendant of Nathaniel & Fanny (Link) Guthrie, GFG1A, another Guthrie DNA Project Admin)

Nathaniel was born in 1769, a date which could technically make him either a son or a grandson of Garritt Guthrie. Living in Person County, NC, he was witness on 27 Nov 1792 to a deed between William Guthrie of Laurens SC to Absolom Guthrie of Person NC. He was twice married and had children by both wives. First, to Margaret Mann est. about 1794. She died in or about 1798. Nathaniel shows up in militia records in 1796 in Halifax County, Virginia, and remarried there on 25 July 1798 to Fanny Link, bondsman: John Link, witness: Charles Guthrie. The majority of the remainder of his life seems to have been spent in Halifax County, VA. Near the end of his life he was living in Franklin, Alabama.
Children: Susannah Mann (1795), Mary Ellen (1798), John B (1801), Anne Maria (1806), Melinda Ellen (1810), Eliza (1813), Lucette (1817), and William Carroll (1818).
Y-DNA Project Participants: Yes
Autosomal DNA Participants: Yes

6) Absalom Guthrie 1776NC – bef. 1836 m. Rebecca Allen +children
Another presumed son of Garritt Guthrie. There is a lot of discrepancy in online trees about the placement of this Absalom Guthrie either as a son of Garritt or as a grandson via his son James, but there seems to be a division based on a date of death. The Absalom Guthrie whose spouse was Rebecca wrote a will, which was proved by 19 July 1836 in Spartanburg, SC, while in 1837, James provided a Deed of Gift to his son Absolem, living in Union, SC.

Absolem Guthrie married Rebecca Allen in Leasburg, Caswell, NC on 18 Feb 1807. They moved to Union, SC for a time and were there during the 1810 census, but were residing in Spartanburg, SC by the 1820 census where they remained.
Children: Lucy (1808), James Henry (1810), John Dorris (1812), Sarah (1815), Lucy (1819), Micajah Rollin (1821), and Isaac (1825).
Y-DNA Project Participants: Yes
Autosomal DNA Participants: Yes

CHILD 7: Henry Guthrie 1726VA-1786

Henry Guthrie was born 8 Jan and baptized 29 Jan 1726 in Christchurch Parish, Middlesex, Virginia. His wife Penelope Johnson, whom he married 11 Jan 1755 in Louisa County, VA, was a Quaker, who was disowned by that community for marrying an outsider. Henry purchased property on Ivy Creek in Bedford County, Virginia, later sold it, and purchased another nearby property of 330 acres on the north side of the Otter Riber. He later sold this property as well. Another property along the Staunton (Roanoke) River was purchased, and this tract later became part of Franklin County in 1786. Henry and Penelope had a large family, and remained in Virginia throughout their lives. Henry wrote a will prior to his death on 18 May 1786. Penelope was unable to provide security in order to administrate her husband’s will, and so it was initially assigned to John Hook and Richard Booth, but Penelope was later reinstated. An inventory of the estate was returned on 5 Feb 1787. Penelope, at the age of 62, remarried to John Candler, on 27 July 1801, but her new husband did not live much longer. He died in 1802. Penelope Candler was listed as the head of household during the 1810 census in Lynchburg, Campbell, VA, which included herself at 45 and over, and two other females of 26-44 and 16-25 years of age. Penelope died on 1 Jan 1815 in Lynchburg, Campbell, Virginia. Numerous descendants are participants in the Guthrie DNA Project.
Children: 12
1) Mary Guthrie – 1756 VA – ???? m.John Forqueran +children
Mary Guthrie was born on 1 January 1756 in Louisa County, Virginia. She was 16 at her marriage to John Forqueran on 26 Feb 1772 in Bedford County, Virginia. They had many children. There are differing accounts in various trees about the location of their deaths as being in either Kentucky or Kanawha, VA (WV).
Children: Nancy (abt.1773), John (abt. 1776), Elizabeth (abt. 1782), Henry (abt 1784), Mary ‘Polly’ (abt 1788), William (abt. 1794), Arthur (1bt. 1798), Crittington (Abt. 1800), Peter (Abt. 1802), Charles (b. unk) [List of children at Family Search – Recommend Verification.]
YDNA Project Particiapants: N/a – Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: No

2) Agnes ‘Agge’ Guthrie 1756VA – 1848VA m. William Candler +children
Agnes Guthrie was born 1 January 1756 in Louisa County, Virginia. Her marriage to William Candler (b.1751 – d. 1836) has been reported through family correspondence as no record has been found for verification. The date was about 1774.

Recall that her mother Penelope’s second husband was to John Candler (c1730-1802). According to Ed Marsh’s research on the Lynchburg Candlers, John and first wife Elizabeth (Gibson) Candler were parents to: William (m. Agnes Guthrie), Daniel, James, Jane (m. James Guthrie), Hannah, John, and Henry.

William and Agnes (Guthrie) Candler resided in Bedford and Campbell Counties, Virginia. They are credited with children: Jane, Polly, Penelope, John, and William.
YDNA Project Particiapants: N/A – Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: No

3) James Guthrie 1758VA – 1848OH m.Jane Candler +children
James Guthrie was born on 15 Feb 1758 in Louisa County, Virginia. He married Jane Candler in 1778 and joined the Quakers of the South River Monthly Meeting in 1782. When his father Henry Guthrie died in 1786 he accepted administration of his father’s estate along with his mother. He paid taxes in Bedford County. Jane died in 1807. During the 1810 census, James was living in Lynchburg, Campbell County, Virginia. Between 1816-1817, James’ youngest sister Ruth and her husband Joshua Lazenby moved to Highland County, Ohio, and it seems that James may have moved there at the same time. His son Henry Guthrie also moved his family to Fairfield in Highland County, and James appears to be enumerated with them during the 1840 census. James Guthrie died on 27 Feb 1848 in Leesburg, Highland, Ohio.
Children: William (1779), Henry (1782), Martha ‘Patsey’ (1784), Penelope (1787), Agnes (1790), Elizabeth (1793), John Charles (1795), Mildred (1798), James (1801), and Harriett (1806).
YDNA Project Particiapants: Yes
Autosomal DNA Participants: Yes

4) John Guthrie 1761VA – 1829IL m. Nancy Ann Crump +children
First, be aware that lineage errors have occurred due to the misplacement of the Guthrie-Crump line with the family of King & Queen County, Virginia. A study of both lineages, supported by YDNA evidence, suggests that this is the correct placement.

Born 10 Feb 1761 in either Bedford or Franklin County, Virginia, John was the second son in the family. Henry Guthrie died a month before John’s 25th birthday. Six months later, John married Nancy Ann Crump, so his father missed out on two milestones. The court records of Franklin County, Virginia include various mentions of John Guthrie / Guttery throughout the years. The family grew to nine children born between 1790 and 1810. About 1825, they moved to Pike County, Illinois settling on Six Mile Creek. Some of their adult children also joined them settling in the area. John died about 1829 and Nancy in 1831. They are buried at Martinsville, Pike County, Illinois.
Children: Henry (c1790), Susan M (c1790), John A (1794), William W (c1794), Catherine Ann ‘Kitty’ (1801), Charles Grandison (1802), Elizabeth M ‘Betsy’ (1804), Archibald ‘Archer’ (1806), and Richard (1810).
YDNA Project Particiapants: Yes
Autosomal DNA Participants: Yes

5) David Guthrie 1764VA – 1842SC m. Mary Booth +children
David Guthrie was born on 14 Feb 1764 in Bedford or Franklin County, Virginia. He married Mary Booth in Franklin County, Virginia when he was 22 years old on 13 Sep 1786. Prior to 1800, his children are listed as being born in Virginia, but David and family were living in Pendleton District, South Carolina by the time of the 1800 census. David and Mary are credited with 12 children born between 1788 and 1814. David Guthrie died on 19 Oct 1842 in Pendleton, Anderson, South Carolina. Mary lived another 15 years. She died on 7 June 1857.
Children: Sophia (1788), Nelson (1790), Temperance (1792), Benjamin (1796), William (1796?), Mildred ‘Milly’ (1799), Henry (1803), Agnes (1805), Mary (1807), Stephen Booth (1814) and Sara (17/18??)
YDNA Project Particiapants: Yes
Autosomal DNA Participants: Yes

6) Sarah ‘Sally’ Guthrie 1766VA – ????
This daughter needs further research. There are at least 3 different spins on her potential marriage and DOD in circulation. She was named as “Sally” in the will of her father, Henry Guthrie, so we do know that she was alive in 1786.
Children: None Verified
YDNA Project Particiapants: N/A – Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: No

7) Penelope Guthrie 1767VA – 1851TN m. Stephen Booth +children
This daughter appears to be named for her mother Penelope (Johnson) Guthrie. She was born about 1767, so the family was probably either in Bedford or Amherst County at the time. Family sites list her husband as Stephen Shaybe Booth (or Boothe). They married in Franklin County, Virginia on 15 Sep 1786, and were already living in Pendleton, South Carolina by the time of the 1790 Census. They had 5 sons and 2 daughters. Sometime between the 1800 census and an 1812 TN Tax List, they moved to Tennessee initially in Bedford County and then by 1830, Haywood. Stephen Booth died there in 1832. Penelope died in 1851 at the age of 84.
Children: Charlotte Penelope (1787), Henry (1788), James (1790), Harry (1794), Benjamin (1800), Stephen (1809), and Mary (1818).
YDNA Project Particiapants: N/A – Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: No

8) Ann Guthrie 1769VA – bet.1860-70IN m. Daniel French +children
Daughter Ann Guthrie was probably born in Bedford County, Virginia we’re told around 1769. That would make her about 16 years old on 24 Mar 1785 for her marriage to Daniel French. Census records suggest that she may have been a few years older. The 1860 census lists her age as 98 making her DOB about 1762. In 1850 she was listed as 83, which would calculate out to a birth year of about 1767. Either way, Ann lived a very long life. Daniel French was a Revolutionary War Veteran. In 1860, Ann submitted a widow’s pension application under the Bounty Lands Acts of Congress of 1855-1856. She stated her age at the time to be 90 years of age bringing her DOB back to about 1770.

Ann identified her father, Henry Guthrie, and mentions brothers John and David. Ann stated that she had been acquainted with Daniel French and his family from the time of her earliest memories. The record of their marriage and birth of their children was burnt in a schoolhouse fire in Virginia. Second record was also lost or destroyed. Their marriage was performed by Baptist preacher, William Johnson. They moved from Virginia to Kentucky and Harrison County, Indiana. After her husband Daniel’s death, she remained a widow.

Testimonials were provided including Catherine (French) Flanagan stated she was the 6th child of the family. The oldest child was Sarah, deceased at the time of the application. Only knows of 1 other child living, which is her older brother Daniel. Her son, William Flanagan, also provided a testimonial. Another to provide a statement was William D Littell, who was Ann’s son-in-law. He does not name his deceased wife, but states that she was their youngest daughter and next to youngest child.
Children: Sarah ‘Sally’ (b.1785/6), Mason (1787), Hugh (1789), Wesley (1792), Mildred ‘Milly’ (1794), Daniel (1796) Catherine (1798), Penelope (1804), and Sofia (1809). (Was there another son after Sofia?)
YDNA Project Particiapants: N/A – Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: Yes

9) Mildred ‘Milly’ Guthrie – 1769VA-1848VA
m.1 Leroy Smith, m2.Thomas Wilson, m.3 FNU Gentry, m4.Benjamin Vawter, m5.Obadiah Echols +children

Mildred, called Milly / Milley, was born on 1 Jan 1769 in Bedford County, Virginia. If I have this right, Milly married five times. I’m not saying that Milly was a “Black Widow” but she certainly went through husbands quickly. Let’s see if this tracks correctly.

First: On 25 March 1792 in Franklin, VA, Milly married Leroy Smith, and her mother Penelope Guthrie signed for surety. Her father Henry Guthrie was already deceased. Children: No Children, or at least not that survived for the records. Presumably, Leroy Smith died sometime between 1792-1795.

Second: On 7 Sep 1795 about 3 and a half years after the first marriage, Milly Smith married Thomas Wilson in Franklin County, Virginia. Again, no children were found documented for the couple. There is a broad gap of time when Thomas Wilson may have been alive or dead, anytime between late 1795, and the first decade of the 1800s.

Third: There was apparently a marriage to a man named Gentry. No marriage record has been found for Milly Wilson to a (FNU) Gentry, however, the next time Milly married her name was listed as Milly Gentry. Children: None found for this marriage.

Fourth: On 7 Jan 1811 in Lynchburg, Campbell, Virginia, Milly Gentry married Benjamin Vawter, a tailor. At the time of this marriage, Milly was 42 years old. Four years later, in 1815, Milly’s mother, Penelope, was noted to have died in the home of Benjamin and Millie Vawter. It is this record that allows us to track back through all of the other marriages. Tragedy struck on 25 April 1830 when Benjamin Vawter took his own life. See the articles in ‘Reading and Resources’ below. Milly is listed as a Head of Household in the Lynchburg 1830 census. She is 50-59 years of age (born 1771-1780), and there are 2 boys aged 15-19 (born 1811-1815) and 10-14 (born 1816-1820) as well as 3 slaves. Since Milly and Benjamin married in 1811 and both boys were born in or after that year, it seems that Milly was the mother of 2 sons. Their identities are later revealed through guardianship and probate records.
Vawter Children: Silas Parker (1811), Bransford (1815)

Fifth: The Lynchburg Virginian, 8 Aug 1831, published: Echols, Obadiah married on Thursday last to Mrs Mildred Vawter of this place by The Rev. Robert Ryland. Groom of Pittsylvania. (Source) The marriage took place on 3 August 1831. Obadiah legally became guardian to Milly’s two sons, Silas and Bransford. Tragedy was not done with Milly yet. Both sons died soon after. Silas died on 31 July 1833. Her younger son, Bransford Vawter, hailed as Lynchburg’s First Poet, died of tuberculosis in 1838. See his memorial stone, inscriptions, and the cemetery marker at Find-a-Grave. He was 23.

Milly’s fifth husband died about Sept. 1836 even while she was still dealing with the loss of her sons, and the administration of their father, Benjamin Vawter’s estate in 1838. Possibly prompted by this string of losses, she wrote a will on 15 August 1839. Mildred Echols died on 17 July 1848 in Lynchburg, Campbell, Virginia. The estate inventory included the valuation of her slaves, Nancy & her 2 children, at $900.00.

The will was written 24 years before the Emancipation Proclamation, but Mildred Echols had a directive of her own. “It is my will and desire and I hereby especially direct that my negro woman Nancy shall immediately upon my death be liberated and set free. It is also my will and desire that my slaves Davy & Charles children of the said Nancy together with any child or children which the said Nancy may hereafter have, shall upon them attaining to the ages of twenty five years respectively, be likewise liberated and set free, and especially injoin(?) it upon my excecution herein after named to see to the due execution of the request in this clause contained.” A nephew, Henry Lazenby, is her primary beneficiary. She allows him the use of Davy and Charles’ services until they reach 25 years of age, as well as gives him the entirety of her real estate. She also makes a bequest to Mary Vawter, the widow of John Vawter..The will is signed 15 Aug 1839. She died on 17 July 1848.

Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: No Surviving Descendants

10) Benjamin Guthrie 1769VA – 1853VA m. Sarah Bradley +children
Benjamin Guthrie is sometimes listed as T. Benjamin Guthrie, but there may be some confusion because he is not the man known as Tobias Benjamin “TB” Guthrie, who has been proven to belong to a genetically unrelated line. Benjamin was born about 1769 in Bedford County, Virginia. He was 30 at the time of his marriage on 23 Feb 1799 to Sarah Bradley in Franklin County, Virginia. She was the daughter of Philip and Sarah Bradley. Benjamin bought 115 acres of land on Merrymon’s Creek from his sister and brother-in-law, Ann and Daniel French. There are no Guthrie households listed in Franklin, VA in 1820. Floyd County, VA, where Benjamin and Sarah would end up, was not formed until 1831. The only Benjamin Guthrie household in Virginia in 1830 is in Botetourt, VA. He is listed as 50-59, so it’s a close estimate. By 1840 Benjamin and his family have settled in Floyd County, Virginia. He was a carpenter by trade. Benjamin died on 16 January 1853. His widow Sarah died the same year on 13 Nov 1853. Her COD is listed as ‘unknown’ on the death register.
Children: William (1809), Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ (1810), Patsy (1812), Henry William (1815), Parmelia (1820)
Y-DNA Project Participants: Yes
Autosomal DNA Participants: Yes

11) Henry Guthrie / Guthery 1771VA – 1840AL m. Unidentified Spouse +children
This Henry Guthrie is sometimes mistaken for Henry P Guthrie / Henry Pigg Guthrie who married Mary Catherine Stedman in York County, Virginia on 19 Dec 1818. He is also not the Henry Guthrie who married Catherine Dobson and lived in Claiborne County, TN.

Henry Guthrie was reportedly born on 3 Oct 1771, or at least 1770-80 per the census. His father, Henry Guthrie, died in 1786 when Henry Jr was only 15. Being the youngest son of the family he had limited responsibilities compared to his older siblings. His mother remarried and moved to Lynchburg, Campbell, Virginia. It seems that Henry headed to Pendleton District, South Carolina where his elder brother, David Guthrie and wife Mary Booth settled during the early-mid 1790s. For it is in that location that Henry Guthrie and Stephen Booth witnessed a deed on 24 Nov 1794.

According to the “Henry Guthery Brick Wall” notes posted by family researcher Lem Guthery on Genealogy.com, the one son who is definitely attributed to Henry is David Guthery, born in 1811 SC, later married to Mary Ann Crone. Lem’s post mentions that it was Abbeville, but there is no sign of Henry living there, and the only Guthrie lineages in residence belong to GFG9 and GFG13.

“One record in a Georgia Genealogy paper that extracted information from the Indian papers, this was from a WPA work program that collected information from the archives. This paper was a list of men who received a license to live among the Cherokee Indians in Georgia in 1831. On this list was Henry Guthry, married, with 7 children, and was a farmer. The next name on the list was David Guthry, not married, no children, and a farmer. We already knew Henry and David had lived in Cherokee Co, Alabama from before 1840, so were living with the Cherokee Indians before their removal to Oklahoma. This new record showed they had been living with the Cherokee since the 1820’s or before, as you will not find them on any census in 1810 through 1830.” (Clan Guthrie Article: A Fifty year Search for One Ancestor) – Note: Need to find an image of that document!

Henry Guthery died sometime after the 1840 census, presumably in Georgia or Alabama.
Children: 7 – David (1811), Edwin (1813), 5 others
Y-DNA Project Participants: Yes
Autosomal DNA Participants: Yes

12) Ruth Guthrie 1781VA – 1868OH m. Joshua Lazenby +children
Ruth’s birth on 5 March 1781 occurred 11 years after Penelope’s last documented child, but still well within the range of childbearing years. Autosomal DNA matches do include other members of GFG1A.

Ruth married Joshua Lazenby in Bedford County, VA. The date is found as 9 or 12 Oct 1802. This may be a matter of license versus actual ceremony. This couple had 9 children. Birth locations for the last two children indicate that the Lazenby family had removed to Ohio before 1820. Ruth’s older brother James also made the journey to Ohio.

Joshua Lazenby died on 13 Jan 1865 at 91yrs of age. Ruth died 13 Feb 1868. She was 86. They are buried at Sugar Grove Cemetery, in Wilmington, Clinton County, Ohio.
Children: 9
Henry (1803), Robert (1805), John C (1808), Benjamin (1810), Penelope (1812), Christopher (1814), Rezin (1817), Mary Margery (1818), Joshua (1823).
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: Yes

CHILD 8: William Guthrie 1729VA-Aft. 1744
Now we come to the twins, William and James Guthrie, born on 19 April 1729. Upon the death of their father, John Guthrie in 1733, these boys were only 3 – 4 years old. The next time any notation is made in the local records is on 4 Nov 1740 when William Guthery, orphan of John Guthery, dec’d bound out until age 21 to James Daniel Jr to apprentice as a shoemaker & weaver and to be taught to read & write. The order was confirmed on 5 March 1744: William Guthrey, orphan of John Guthrey, decd’d is now bound out to Robert Daniel.

If William did survive to adulthood and created a family somewhere else in Virginia or in one of the other colonies, be on the lookout for men of the same name who have already been ruled out. For example, numerous trees link William Guthrie (1722VA-1798KY) who married Eleanor Harris Abbott to this child of John Guthrie and Mary Shay, but the DNA does not match. The two family lines are genetically unrelated. This is not simply a matter of a “paternal event” as there is evidence of a more extensive family far beyond the Guthrie-Abbott lineage associated with GFG5.

Children: None Identified
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – No Descendants Identified
Autosomal DNA Participants: N/A – No Descendants Identified

Child 9: James Guthrie 1729VA-????
James was born on 19 April 1729, probably the second born of a set of twins since William is named first. Unlike his twin, James Guthrie is not mentioned again in the records. No guardianship or apprenticeship was assigned. He likely died in infancy or childhood.

Children: N/A – Probably Died Young
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – No Descendants
Autosomal DNA Participants: N/A – No Descendants

READING and RESOURCES

DETAILS on the CASE of MISTAKEN IDENTITY:
This John Guthrie is not John Howard Paul Guthrie.

Online Database: Bristol, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1921. Digital Repository: Ancestry.com

This tempting document…..

Is actually this….

With these details from the original image….

Obviously, since John Howard Paul Guthrie was born in 1880, he cannot be the same person as John Guthrie (1689-1733) from Middlesex County, Virginia. There is no documentation of any middle name for John Guthrie found in the Christchurch Parish Register or other Middlesex, VA documents.

Back to our Regularly Scheduled Reading and Resources…..

BOOK: The Parish Register of Christ Church, Middlesex County, Va. from 1653 to 1812, Richmond, VA, 1897.

DOCUMENT: Last Will and Testament of Charles Gunter. Virginia, USA Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1900. Digital Repository: Ancestry.com.
Wife Judith and 4 children are named: William, John, Jane, and Charles.

BOOK: Guthrie, Laurence R. (1933) ‘American Guthrie and allied families: lineal representations of the colonial Guthries of Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North and South Carolina, some post-revolutionary emigrants and of some allied families. Chambersburg, PA. Digital Repository: FamilySearch.
[See Garner Guthrie, p.428]

WEBSITE: Guthrie Family Info – Nathaniel Guthrie of Halifax, VA (Incl. Garritt Guthrie). Digital Respository: USGenWebArchives.

WEBSITE: Lynchburg Candlers – The First Generations, by Ed Marsh., 1999. Digital Repository: Rootsweb

DOCUMENTS: The Estate Inventory and Last Will and Testament of Henry Guthry, Franklin County, Virginia. US, Wills and Probate, 1652-1900, Franklin, Will Books, Vol 1-2, 1786-1825. Digital Repository: Ancestry.com.
[Inventory – Image 28 of 590; Will – Image 29 – 30 of 590]

WEBSITE: Benjamin & Sarah “Sally” (Bradley) Guthrie Family. Digital Repository: Rootsweb.

DOCUMENT: David Guthrie’s Family Bible Record

NEWSPAPER NOTICES: The Lynchburg Virginian

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