1A-F: Margaret Guthrie
Guthrie Family Group 1A · Branch F · The Next Generation
Margaret Guthrie
Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia
Margaret Guthrie, daughter of William Guthrie and Frances Wilbourn, was born on 9 October 1742 and baptized on 7 November 1742 in Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia. The parish register records her family name as Gutherie.
She married Richard Daniel in Middlesex County. Her brother Benjamin Guthrie’s will, dated 22 February 1780, names his sister Margaret Daniel and leaves her £100, providing a direct connection between her married name and the Guthrie family.
Margaret’s story remains only partly recovered. Questions about her husband’s identity, their possible children, and her later life invite further research. The parish entry and her brother’s will provide firm starting points for following her place among the Guthrie and Daniel families of Middlesex County.
Family at a Glance
Margaret Guthrie
- Parents
- William Guthrie & Frances Wilbourn
- Birth & Baptism
- Born 9 October 1742; baptized 7 November 1742, Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia. Recorded as Margaret Gutherie.
- Married Name
- Margaret Daniel, as named in her brother Benjamin Guthrie’s will.
- Later Family Record
- Benjamin’s will of 22 February 1780 leaves his sister Margaret Daniel £100 Virginia currency.
- Death & Burial
- Date and place unknown.
Richard Daniel
- Marriage
- Named with Margaret Gutery / Guttery in Middlesex County marriage compilations.
- Parents & Birth
- Not securely established for Margaret’s husband. The proposed identification with the son of Richard Daniel and Elizabeth Wortham is discussed below.
- Earlier Marriages
- Ann Bristow and Sarah Tuggle belong to the proposed Richard Daniel identification; those connections remain tentative.
- Death & Burial
- Not established. A 6 February 1770 administration bond for a deceased Richard Daniel is a relevant research lead.
Margaret Guthrie & Richard Daniel
Middlesex County, Virginia · Reported bond: 2 October 1764 · Year disputed
The parish register identifies Margaret’s parents, while Benjamin’s will connects his sister with the Daniel surname in 1780. These records establish her place in the Guthrie family even though much of her married life remains to be traced.
Children & Descendant Research
No child has yet been securely identified for Margaret and Richard. This does not establish that they were childless. The following proposed connection is retained as a research lead.
| Name | Reported Dates | Evidence Status |
|---|---|---|
| Richard DanielProposed son | 1765, North Carolina 1840, Henry County, Georgia |
Appears in online family trees, but no record reviewed establishes his parentage as a son of this couple. His reported movements through North Carolina and Georgia also require independent verification. |
Sources: printed Christ Church Parish Register (1897), p. 155; Benjamin Guthrie’s will, Middlesex Will Book F, pp. 179–180; published Middlesex marriage abstracts and Daniel family histories. See Explore the Records for links and source distinctions.
Family Evidence NotesThe marriage date, Richard’s identity, a proposed remarriage, and the missing descendants.
The marriage year. An online abstract citing the Virginia Genealogical Society’s Middlesex marriage collection gives a bond dated 2 October 1764, with Margaret described as a spinster and James Wortham as surety and witness. Crozier’s Early Virginia Marriages (1907), p. 79, prints 2 October 1763. A 1762 date also occurs in compiled family information without a verified supporting record. The original bond is needed to resolve the year; a bond date should also be distinguished from the marriage ceremony.
The proposed husband. The parish register records a Richard, son of Richard and Elizabeth Daniel, born 17 March 1721 as printed and baptized 15 April 1722. Mann and Mann’s 1959 family history associates this man with Elizabeth Wortham as his mother, earlier wives Ann Bristow and Sarah Tuggle, and a possible third marriage to Margaret Guttery. That possible third marriage is the unresolved link. The seven children listed under his first marriage are not assigned to Margaret.
The 1770 estate. The retained bond transcription names William Daniel as administrator of Richard Daniel’s estate, with James Wortham and Joseph Tuggle also bound. It does not identify Margaret as the deceased man’s wife or prove that William was his son. Margaret’s widowhood in 1770 therefore remains conditional on identifying the deceased.
Churchill Gibson and M. Daniel. The printed parish register, p. 199, records this marriage in July 1771, but gives the bride only as M. Daniel. Identifying her as Margaret requires additional evidence and an explanation of Benjamin’s use of Margaret Daniel in 1780. Churchill is not included as a confirmed husband.
Margaret’s later life. The 1780 bequest is later evidence than the 1765 date sometimes used in her death estimates. No document reviewed establishes her death date, burial, a move to North Carolina or Georgia, or the proposed son’s parentage.
Historical Highlights
A Parish Entry and a Brother’s Bequest
Margaret’s earliest record is a brief entry in Christ Church Parish: a daughter born to William and Frances Gutherie in October 1742 and baptized the following month. It preserves the beginning of a life whose later course is still only partly known.
Her marriage to Richard Daniel connects her with another Middlesex family. The marriage compilations preserve both names, although their disagreement over the year makes the original bond especially valuable.
In February 1780, Benjamin Guthrie remembered his sister Margaret Daniel with a gift of £100 Virginia currency. His will supplies the clearest later link between Margaret’s Guthrie family and her married name.
Family Timeline
| Date | Recorded Event |
|---|---|
| 9 Oct 1742 | A daughter in the Guthrie householdMargaret was born to William and Frances Gutherie in Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia. Source: printed parish register (1897), p. 155. |
| 7 Nov 1742 | Baptism in Christ Church ParishThe same entry records Margaret’s baptism, giving a second dated event in her early life. Source: printed parish register, p. 155. |
| 2 October 1763 or 1764 |
Marriage record naming Richard DanielCrozier prints 1763; the online abstract citing the Virginia Genealogical Society collection gives a marriage bond dated 1764. Both identify Richard Daniel and Margaret Gutery. The year and ceremony date remain to be checked against the original record. Sources: Crozier, Early Virginia Marriages (1907), p. 79; Middlesex Daniel marriage abstracts. |
| 22 Feb 1780 | Benjamin names his sister Margaret DanielHis will leaves her £100 Virginia currency. It was proved on 28 February 1780, preserving her married name in the Middlesex probate record. Source: Benjamin Guthrie’s will, Middlesex Will Book F, pp. 179–180. |
What the Later Records May RevealEstate settlement, the Daniel name, and Margaret’s whereabouts.
Following the bequest. Benjamin’s will records his intention to give Margaret £100; it does not show when or whether she received the money. An executor’s account or receipt could identify her residence, a representative, or another family connection.
Two promising leads. Richard Daniel’s 1770 administration bond and the 1771 marriage of Churchill Gibson to M. Daniel may help explain Margaret’s later circumstances. Neither has yet been securely connected to her, so they are discussed in the evidence notes rather than treated as established events in her life.
A later surname. Benjamin’s use of Daniel in 1780 is an important point of comparison for any proposed remarriage. It does not identify Margaret’s residence or, by itself, explain what happened to Richard.
Explore the Records
Margaret’s research rests on her parish entry, the Daniel marriage references, and Benjamin Guthrie’s will. The associated Daniel records offer useful leads for reconstructing her married life and identifying descendants.
| Record or Source | What It Contributes |
|---|---|
| Christ Church Parish Register1742 · Printed p. 155 | Records Margaret’s parents, birth on 9 October, and baptism on 7 November 1742. The printed transcription has been checked visually. |
| Middlesex Marriage Compilations2 October · Conflicting years | Name Richard Daniel and Margaret Gutery/Guttery. Crozier prints 1763; another abstract gives a bond dated 1764. The original bond remains the priority. |
| Richard Daniel’s Administration Bond6 February 1770 · Middlesex | The retained transcription names William Daniel as administrator and James Wortham and Joseph Tuggle as fellow obligors. The deceased’s connection to Margaret remains unproved. |
| Churchill Gibson & M. DanielJuly 1771 · Printed p. 199 | The parish entry confirms this marriage but supplies only the bride’s initial. It does not identify her as Margaret Guthrie. |
| Benjamin Guthrie’s Will22 February 1780 · Middlesex F:179–180 | Explicitly names his sister Margaret Daniel and gives her £100 Virginia currency. The manuscript images were reviewed during the family research. |
| Daniel Family HistoriesTeetor, 1920 · Mann & Mann, 1959 | Preserve marriage and pedigree references. The proposed identification of Margaret’s husband within the Richard Daniel–Elizabeth Wortham family remains tentative. |
Parish Entries & Benjamin’s WillThe clearest family links, with a separate Gibson marriage lead.
Margaret’s Birth and Baptism
Margaret, daughter of William and Frances Gutherie, born October 9th; baptized November 7th, 1742.
Reading of the 1897 printed parish register, p. 155, with abbreviations expanded. The entry names her mother as Frances; Wilbourn comes from the wider family research.
Benjamin’s Bequest
“I give & bequeath unto my sister Margaret Daniel, one hundred pounds Virginia currency.”
The will is dated 22 February 1780 and was proved 28 February. This clause directly establishes the sibling relationship and Margaret’s Daniel surname.
Middlesex Will Book F, pp. 179–180. View the FamilySearch reference, Ancestry manuscript images, or the complete reading transcription on Benjamin’s page.
The Gibson Marriage
The printed register records Churchhill Gibson and M. Daniel as married in July 1771. The bride’s given name is not expanded. Margaret’s identification as this bride remains a possibility requiring evidence.
Source: printed parish register, p. 199, checked visually.
The Marriage Date: Comparing the Sources1763 and 1764 in published accounts; an additional 1762 family-data date.
William Armstrong Crozier, 1907. Early Virginia Marriages, Part I, Virginia County Records, vol. IV, p. 79, prints 2 October 1763 for Richard Daniel and Margaret Gutery. The year has been checked against the scanned page.
The Virginia Genealogical Society reference. The online “Daniels of Middlesex County, Virginia” abstract gives 2 October 1764 as a bond, identifies Margaret as a spinster, and names James Wortham as surety and witness. Its cited collection is Marriages of Middlesex County, Virginia, 1740–1852, Special Publication No. 3 (1965; reprinted 1977), p. 15. The original bond has not been inspected.
Other family accounts. The retained Daniel research also reports 1764, while a 1762 date occurs in compiled family data without verified support. Repetition across compilations cannot settle the conflict. The bond, any accompanying consent, and a minister’s return would establish what date belongs to which event.
Which Richard Daniel?A parish child, earlier marriages, and a 1770 estate.
The printed parish register, p. 110, records Richard, son of Richard and Elizabeth Daniel, born 17 March 1721 as printed and baptized 15 April 1722. The birth year retains the register’s wording; early-year dates require attention to the calendar then in use.
Mann and Mann’s Middlesex: Virginia, Daniel Descendants (1959) is cited in the family research for this Richard’s proposed identification. The account associates him with Ann Bristow and Sarah Tuggle and treats marriage to Margaret Guttery as a possible third marriage. That qualification is essential when applying its pedigree to Margaret’s family.
The retained transcription of the 6 February 1770 administration bond names William Daniel, James Wortham, and Joseph Tuggle, bound in £100, with William administering deceased Richard Daniel’s estate. The bond sum is an obligation stated in the instrument, not an estate valuation. The transcription does not establish William’s relationship to Richard or name Margaret.
Bond reference: Ancestry, Virginia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1652–1900, Middlesex, Administration Bonds, vol. 2, 1767–1810. The original bond and related estate papers remain to be reviewed for Margaret’s connection.
Reading & Family ResearchPublished Daniel histories and the working research tree.
- R. Neville Mann and C. Cleek Mann. Middlesex: Virginia, Daniel Descendants (1959). HathiTrust reference. Retained as a pedigree source whose proposed third marriage requires corroboration.
- Henry D. Teetor. Early History of the Daniel and Daniels Families in Europe and America (1920). Internet Archive reference. A published family-history lead for comparison with the county records.
- Guthrie Research Tree. Margaret Guthrie’s profile. Follow the source citations and distinguish working hypotheses from established relationships.
The Guthrie DNA Project
No autosomal participant through Margaret’s descendant line has been identified in the current family research. Margaret did not transmit her father’s Y chromosome, so descent through her cannot represent his direct paternal line in Y-DNA testing.
The tested North Carolina line of William Guthrie and Mary Magdalene matches Guthrie Family Group 1A. The Middlesex family shares Christ Church Parish with Branch B. These genetic and geographical connections support the broader Branch F research; Margaret’s own descendants still need to be identified through records.
Most Wanted DocumentsRecords that could resolve the marriage, household, and later generations.
- The original Daniel–Gutery marriage bond. Check its year, signatures, surety, and any accompanying consent or minister’s return.
- Richard Daniel’s complete estate proceedings. Search the 1770 administration, inventory, accounts, distributions, and related court orders for a wife, children, residence, or distinguishing associates.
- Benjamin Guthrie’s estate accounts and receipts. A payment to Margaret Daniel, or someone acting for her, could extend her story beyond the will.
- Churchill Gibson’s marriage and family papers. A fuller record naming M. Daniel could confirm or eliminate the proposed remarriage.
- Records identifying Margaret’s children. Parish entries, deeds, guardianships, probate distributions, or a family Bible could establish descendants and test the proposed Richard Daniel connection in North Carolina and Georgia.
Following Margaret’s Family
A parish entry and a brother’s bequest preserve Margaret’s place in the Guthrie family. The Daniel marriage references offer a path into her adult life, with important questions still open about her household and descendants.
If you have a marriage bond, estate receipt, deed, family Bible, or another record naming Margaret or connecting these families, please share the citation and an image when available. A document that identifies even one relationship could help carry her story into the next generation.
Researched and curated by Ann Guthrie · Guthrie Genealogy