1A-D: Thomas B Guthrie
Guthrie Family Group 1A · Branch D · The Next Generation
Thomas B. Guthrie & Julia Purnell
Snow Hill, Worcester County, Maryland
Baltimore, Maryland
Thomas B. Guthrie learned shoemaking through an apprenticeship arranged by his father, John Guthrie, in 1839. Later census records follow his trade in Baltimore and Snow Hill, where he appears with Julia and their young children. Explore the family, the apprenticeship that preserves his birth date and parentage, and the military and pension records associated with his name.
Open the Guthrie Research Tree →The Family
Thomas B. Guthrie
- Parents
- John Guthrie & Betsy Nelson
- Birth
- 1 April 1824 · Maryland
- Death
- Date unknown; pension application recorded 14 February 1882.
- Occupation
- Boot and shoemaker
Julia Purnell
- Family
- Elizabeth Scott is recorded as Thomas’s mother-in-law in 1880; Julia’s father has not been identified.
- Birth
- About 1840 · Maryland
- Death
- Before the 1880 census; exact date unknown.
- Household Role
- Recorded as keeping house in 1870
Marriage date not established · Together in the 1870 Snow Hill household
Thomas and Julia appear in Snow Hill in 1870 with two young boys: Edward, aged three, and Thomas, aged two months. Thomas supported the household through the boot and shoemaking trade he had begun learning as a teenager.
By 1880, Thomas was a widower. Elizabeth Scott, identified as his mother-in-law, and Eddie, identified as his son, were living with him. The household connects the earlier family with the next census while leaving questions about Julia’s death and the younger Thomas’s fate.
Explore the Next Generation
Select a child’s name to explore his story below.
| Child | Birth | Later Life |
|---|---|---|
| Edward H. Guthrie | About 1867 | Edward in 1870 and Eddie in 1880. The family tree also uses Edwin and reports a death in 1924. |
| Thomas Guthrie Jr. | About April 1870 | Reported to have died before 1880; this is inferred from his absence from the later household. |
Edward H. Guthrie
Edward was three years old in the 1870 household. In 1880, Eddie, twelve, appears with Thomas and Elizabeth Scott. The original census explicitly describes him as Thomas’s son.
The Guthrie Research Tree identifies him as Edwin/Edward H. Guthrie and gives a lifespan of 1867–1924. The census entries establish his childhood connection to this household; the alternative given name, middle initial, and reported death year require comparison with his later records. No spouse or children are identified in the evidence presented here.
Thomas Guthrie Jr.
The younger Thomas appears as a two-month-old infant in 1870. The family’s census transcription records April as his birth month, supporting an approximate birth in April 1870.
He is not listed in his father’s 1880 household. The tree’s “before 1880” death entry is an inference from that absence, rather than a located death or burial record. His exact fate remains to be established.
Family Evidence Notes Open for the apprenticeship, census relationships, and date distinctions.
Thomas’s father and birth date. The apprenticeship dated 9 July 1839 names John Guthery of Worcester County and his son Thomas. It states that Thomas had turned fifteen on 1 April and that his term would end on 1 April 1845, at twenty-one. Together, those statements establish a birth on 1 April 1824. The agreement placed him with Levi Nelson to learn shoemaking and included maintenance and four months of schooling.
Betsy Nelson’s maternity. The apprenticeship names Thomas’s father, not his mother. His placement with Betsy follows the family’s marriage chronology, his birth date, and the earlier household evidence discussed in the Branch D Family Hub.
The 1870 household. The supplied index lists Thomas, 45; Julia, 30; Edward, 3; Thomas, two months; and Milly Hayward, 8, in Snow Hill, dwelling 357. The census does not state relationships to the household head. Milly’s presence does not establish her as another child of Thomas and Julia.
Elizabeth Scott and Eddie in 1880. The original image identifies Elizabeth, 64, as “Mother-in-law” and Eddie, 12, as “Son,” following Thomas, 55, in dwelling 474, family 495. Eddie’s surname is represented by a dash beneath Elizabeth’s Scott entry, explaining the index’s “Eddie Scott.” The explicit relationship column identifies him as Thomas’s son. The image does not spell out Edwin or a middle initial.
Julia’s name and death. Purnell is retained from the family research. Elizabeth’s Scott surname does not by itself explain Julia’s maiden name or establish a remarriage for Elizabeth. Thomas’s widower status supports Julia’s death before the 1880 enumeration; it supplies no exact death date.
The younger Thomas. His absence in 1880 is the basis for the tree’s inferred death before that census. Absence alone does not prove death, and no exact date or cause is assigned.
Thomas’s later life. A pension index records an application by Thomas B. Guthrie on 14 February 1882 in Maryland, associated with Smith’s Independent Company, Maryland Cavalry. This is the last dated record identified in the family research. It does not establish survival beyond the end of 1882 or an exact death date. The full pension file could provide further family evidence.
Sources: Worcester County apprenticeship, 9 July 1839, pages 240–241; 1870 census index and family transcription; original 1880 census household, dwelling 474, family 495; Civil War pension index; Guthrie Research Tree.
Historical Highlights
From a Shoemaker’s Apprenticeship to Family Life in Snow Hill
Thomas Guthrie’s working life began with an agreement made by his father. In July 1839, John Guthery placed his fifteen-year-old son with Levi Nelson to learn shoemaking. The surviving agreement preserves Thomas’s birth date, his father’s name, and the terms intended to prepare him for an independent trade.
Later census records show Thomas working as a boot and shoemaker in Baltimore and Snow Hill. His family research also connects him with Union cavalry service during the Civil War and a pension application in 1882. These records trace different parts of his life: training, work, service, and the household he formed with Julia Purnell.
The 1870 household includes Julia and two young sons. Ten years later, Thomas is a widower living with Elizabeth Scott, recorded as his mother-in-law, and Eddie, recorded as his son. Those few lines preserve the family’s changing circumstances without supplying all the dates or experiences behind them.
The Family Timeline
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1 April
1824Thomas Is Born
The 1839 apprenticeship establishes Thomas’s birth date by stating that he had turned fifteen on 1 April and would reach twenty-one on 1 April 1845. Later censuses report Maryland as his birthplace.
Source: apprenticeship of Thomas Guthery to Levi Nelson, 9 July 1839, pages 240–241.
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9 July
1839John Arranges His Son’s Apprenticeship
John Guthery of Worcester County placed his son Thomas with Levi Nelson to learn shoemaking. The term was to continue until 1 April 1845.
Open the terms and family evidence
The agreement provided for maintenance and four months of schooling. John signed by mark; Levi Nelson signed the agreement. It was acknowledged and recorded on 9 July 1839.
John is explicitly identified as Thomas’s father. The document does not name Thomas’s mother or give the middle initial B. Betsy Nelson’s maternity follows the family chronology discussed in the Family Hub.
The acknowledgment also names James Matthews and William Sturgis in connection with the bond for Levi’s performance. Their appearance does not replace John as the father named in the agreement.
Source: Worcester County court record, pages 240–241. The complete volume reference remains to be established.
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1840
Levi Nelson’s Household
The census lists Levi Nelson in Worcester County’s Districts 1 and 2. Four members of the household were reported employed in manufacture or trade. Thomas’s apprenticeship makes this household relevant to his early working life.
Open the household counts and their limits
The household contained eighteen people: fourteen white residents, two free Black residents, and two enslaved people. Among the white males were three aged fifteen to nineteen, an age band that would include Thomas.
Only the household head is named. These counts do not individually identify Thomas, assign occupations to particular residents, or establish their relationships.
Source: supplied 1840 U.S. census index for Levi Nelson, Worcester County, Maryland.
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1 April
1845The Scheduled End of His Training
Thomas’s apprenticeship was due to end when he reached twenty-one. The date marks the agreed endpoint of his training; the agreement alone does not document whether he completed every part of the term.
Source: the 1839 apprenticeship agreement.
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1850
A Shoemaker in Baltimore
Thomas appears in Baltimore’s Ward 15, working as a boot and shoemaker in the household of John W. Albaugh. The family transcription identifies other men in that household with the same trade.
Open the Baltimore household
Dwelling 522, family 698: John W. Albaugh, 50; Elizabeth, 49; Hiram, 22; Caroline, 22; Virginia, 1; William A., 15; John W., 12; James Sivan, 27; and Thomas Guthra.
The supplied index gives Thomas’s age as twenty-four, while the family transcription gives twenty-seven. His birth date follows the apprenticeship evidence. The shared residence does not by itself establish that Albaugh was Thomas’s employer or relative.
Sources: supplied 1850 census index and family transcription, Baltimore Ward 15.
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1860
Back in the Snow Hill Shoemaking Community
Thomas is recorded as a thirty-five-year-old shoemaker in Snow Hill. The family transcription places him in the household of James S. Nelson, another shoemaker—the man with whom Thomas’s brother John S. had been apprenticed.
Open the household transcription and indexing caution
The family transcription lists James S. Nelson, 52; Mary, 40; Mary Priscilla, 20; Elenora, 13; Sydney, 1; Synthia, 1; Thomas Guthry, 35; George Guthrie; William Guthry, 17; and Caroline Guthry, 12.
It describes George as a Black labourer, William as a Black apprentice, and Caroline as Black. These people should not be identified with Thomas’s relatives merely from a shared surname or residence. The shortened index groups them together and automatically suggests relationships that the census did not record.
The full original schedule is needed to verify the transcription and distinguish the individuals. Caroline is not added as Thomas’s daughter on the strength of the index’s inferred relationship.
Sources: supplied 1860 census index and family transcription, Snow Hill, dwelling and family 6.
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1862–1865
Civil War Service Records
Military indexes identify Thomas B. Guthrie as a Union private in Smith’s Independent Company, Maryland Cavalry. They record enlistment on 29 September 1862 and muster out on 30 June 1865.
Open the service dates and evidence
The soldier profile also supplies a muster date of 15 October 1862. Enlistment and muster are separate events and need not share a date.
These records are attached to Thomas’s family research. The compiled service and pension files would help strengthen the connection to the Snow Hill shoemaker and may supply further personal information. The indexes alone do not establish particular campaigns, wounds, or duties.
Sources: supplied Maryland Soldiers in the Civil War and Civil War soldier-profile indexes.
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1870
Thomas and Julia’s Young Family
Thomas and Julia appear in Snow Hill with Edward, three, and an infant Thomas, two months old. Thomas continues working as a boot and shoemaker; Julia is described in the family transcription as keeping house.
Open the complete household
District 2, Snow Hill, dwelling 357: Thomas Guthry, 45; Julia, 30; Edward, 3; Thomas, two months; and Milly Hayward, 8.
The family transcription gives April as the infant’s birth month and describes Milly as a Black domestic servant. The original schedule is needed to check those details. Her presence does not establish her as another child of the couple.
Thomas’s personal estate is reported as $200. The census does not supply the couple’s marriage date.
Sources: supplied 1870 census index and family transcription.
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1880
A Widower, His Son, and His Mother-in-Law
The census records Thomas as a widowed bootmaker. Elizabeth Scott, sixty-four, is explicitly identified as his mother-in-law, and Eddie, twelve, as his son.
Open the original household evidence
The original crop covers lines 46–48, dwelling 474, family 495. Thomas is fifty-five; Elizabeth is described as keeping house, and Eddie as at home.
Eddie’s surname is represented by a dash below Elizabeth’s Scott entry. This explains the index’s “Eddie Scott,” while the relationship column explicitly calls him Thomas’s son.
Thomas’s widower status supports Julia’s death before this census. The younger Thomas is absent; the tree’s inferred death before 1880 is based on that absence, not a located death record.
Source: original 1880 U.S. census household image, Snow Hill, Worcester County, Maryland.
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14 February
1882A Pension Application
The pension index records an application in Maryland by Thomas B. Guthrie, associated with Smith’s Independent Company, Maryland Cavalry. It is the last dated record identified in the family research.
The application date does not establish an exact death date or survival beyond the end of 1882. The full pension file is an important next source for Thomas’s later life and family.
Source: supplied Civil War Pension Index entry.
Explore the Records
Thomas’s apprenticeship supplies unusually direct evidence of his father and birth date. Census records follow his trade and household, while military and pension indexes offer a route into his later life. The original 1880 relationship entries help resolve a misleading surname in the census index.
The Guthrie DNA Project
Thomas belongs to the Snow Hill family within Guthrie Family Group 1A. No Y-DNA, Big-Y, or autosomal participant is documented through his descendants in the project material reviewed here. The tested Snow Hill lines descend through John S. Guthrie, George Leonard Guthrie, and Leonard Guthrie.
| Child | Y-DNA | Big-Y | Autosomal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edward H. | — | — | — |
| Thomas Jr. | — | — | — |
— = no participant is documented here. It does not establish that a son had no descendants or that nobody in his family has tested elsewhere. Select a name to return to his family outline.
What Can DNA Add?
The close paternal matches among the tested Snow Hill lines provide a useful comparison for any future, documented father-to-son descendant of Thomas. Before seeking a test for this line, the first task is to establish whether either son left descendants and trace those generations in the records.
The Related Snow Hill Results Open for the test levels and how they relate to this household.
Kit 290792 represents John S. Guthrie’s line at Y37. Kits 846168 and 952892 represent the George Leonard and Leonard lines at Y111. All three agree at Y37, and the two Y111 results differ by one step.
These are results from related recorded lines, not results from Thomas’s descendants. No Snow Hill Big-Y result is documented in the material used here. The existing matches do not identify a named Scottish ancestor or establish a date of immigration.
The Branch D Family Hub explains the wider comparisons. Family records remain essential for checking the path from each participant to the ancestral household.
Participation and Further Research Open for ways descendants can contribute.
A documented, surviving father-to-son line from Thomas could provide an independent Y-DNA comparison. Descendants through daughters in later generations can contribute records and autosomal comparisons.
The possible death of Thomas Jr. before 1880 remains an inference. Edward’s adult life and any children need further documentation. Neither line should be described as extinct solely because no participant or descendant is currently identified.
Family-Specific Records
The 1839 Apprenticeship — Father, Birth Date, and Training Open for what the original agreement establishes.
9 July 1839, Worcester County, Maryland, pages 240–241: John Guthery placed his son Thomas with Levi Nelson to learn shoemaking. Thomas had turned fifteen on 1 April, and the term was to end on 1 April 1845, when he reached twenty-one. These statements establish 1 April 1824 as his birth date.
The agreement provides for maintenance and four months of schooling. John signed by mark. It was acknowledged and recorded on 9 July 1839. The second page is visibly numbered 241, although the image descriptions assign both pages to 240.
The agreement names Thomas’s father but not his mother. Betsy Nelson’s maternity follows the marriage chronology and wider household evidence already discussed in the Family Hub. It does not rest on a maternal name in this document.
The complete court-book title and volume reference are still needed for a full archival citation. The Family Hub’s Historical Highlights brings together the apprenticeship images for Thomas and his brother John S.
Census Records — From Apprenticeship to His Own Household Open for the locations and the distinction between original entries and indexes.
- 1840 — Levi Nelson, Districts 1 and 2, Worcester County: a household of eighteen, including three white males aged fifteen to nineteen. Thomas’s apprenticeship makes this a relevant household, but the census does not name him individually.
- 1850 — Baltimore Ward 15, dwelling 522, family 698: Thomas appears with John W. Albaugh’s household as a boot and shoemaker. The supplied index and family transcription differ on Thomas’s age.
- 1860 — Snow Hill, dwelling and family 6: the family transcription places Thomas in James S. Nelson’s household. The shortened index suggests relationships that were not explicitly recorded in that census.
- 1870 — Snow Hill, District 2, dwelling 357: Thomas, Julia, Edward, infant Thomas, and Milly Hayward. The family transcription supplies the infant’s April birth month and Milly’s occupation; these should be checked against the full original schedule.
- 1880 — Snow Hill, dwelling 474, family 495, lines 46–48: the original image explicitly identifies Elizabeth Scott as Thomas’s mother-in-law and Eddie as his son.
The Historical Highlights timeline preserves the household lists and their occupational context. Original schedules should be used to check any index inference or conflicting transcription.
The 1880 Original — Elizabeth Scott and Eddie Open for the relationship evidence behind the family reconstruction.
The three entries read as Thomas Guthery, fifty-five, bootmaker; Elizabeth Scott, sixty-four, mother-in-law, keeping house; and Eddie, twelve, son, at home.
A dash represents Eddie’s surname beneath Elizabeth’s Scott entry. This explains why the index calls him Eddie Scott. The original relationship column nevertheless identifies him as the household head’s son.
Thomas’s widower status supports Julia’s death before the enumeration. It does not supply an exact death date. The younger Thomas is absent, which is the basis for the tree’s inferred death before 1880; his absence alone does not prove death.
Elizabeth’s surname does not by itself explain Julia’s Purnell name or establish a particular remarriage. A marriage or family record naming Julia’s parents would help connect those details.
Civil War Service and the 1882 Pension Application Open for the indexed dates and the files still to obtain.
The military indexes identify Thomas B. Guthrie, a private in Smith’s Independent Company, Maryland Cavalry. They record enlistment on 29 September 1862, a muster date of 15 October 1862, and muster out on 30 June 1865.
The pension index records an application in Maryland on 14 February 1882. That is the last dated record identified in the family research; it is not a death date and does not establish survival beyond the end of that year.
The index entries provide a starting point for obtaining the compiled military service record and full pension file. Those files may contain identifying details, residences, family statements, or supporting affidavits. Their contents have not yet been established here.
Use the soldier’s name, unit, and application date to locate the file. The application and certificate numbers should be transcribed from a clear image of the pension card before ordering; no uncertain number is supplied here.
Reading & Resources
Family Studies and Record Repositories Open for the family context and places to continue the search.
- Guthrie Research Tree — family profiles and attached records. This opens the general tree; access may depend on account permissions.
- Branch D Family Hub — John Guthrie’s household, the apprenticeship evidence, and the Snow Hill DNA comparisons.
- John S. Guthrie and Euphemia Jones — Thomas’s brother and the related shoemaking household.
- Maryland State Archives — a starting point for Worcester County court, marriage, probate, and other local records.
- National Archives — a starting point for federal military service and pension research.
The military source material reviewed here consists of the Maryland Soldiers in the Civil War index, a Civil War soldier-profile index, and the pension index. Repository links are research starting points, not citations to additional files already examined.
Most Wanted Documents Open for the records most likely to advance this family’s story.
- Thomas’s full pension and service files. Seek identifying information that connects the soldier with the Snow Hill shoemaker, along with any family statements, later residences, or death information.
- Thomas and Julia’s marriage. A marriage entry, church record, or family paper could establish the date and clarify Julia’s Purnell name and parents.
- Julia’s death or burial. A record identifying her husband or children could narrow the interval between the 1870 household and Thomas’s widower status in 1880.
- The younger Thomas’s later life. A burial, death notice, church register, or later census could test the inferred death before 1880.
- Edward’s adult identity. Records linking Edward or Edwin H. Guthrie to Thomas and Julia could verify the reported 1924 death and identify any marriage or descendants.
- Elizabeth Scott’s family history. Marriage, probate, and death records could explain her relationship to Julia and connect the Scott and Purnell names.
- The full original census schedules and apprenticeship citation. These would resolve remaining transcription details and provide the court-book title and volume for the 1839 agreement.
If you have a family document or a precise reference, please share it with Guthrie Genealogy. Include the source and enough of the original record to show the names and relationships in context.