1A-F: Samuel Guthrie
Guthrie Family Group 1A · Branch F · The Next Generation
Samuel Guthrie& Jane Kinningham
Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia
Proposed continuation: Chatham County, North Carolina
Samuel Guthrie is identified with the son of William Guthrie and Frances Wilbourn whose birth was recorded on 8 July 1752 in Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia. The printed parish register preserves only the ending “*uel” of the child’s given name and names his parents as William and Frances Guthery. The identification as Samuel draws on the later family records.
In his will of 22 February 1780, Benjamin Guthrie named Samuel as his brother and one of his executors. Their father’s will, dated 2 April 1781 and proved 22 July 1782, likewise named his son Samuel among the executors. These records firmly place an adult Samuel within the Middlesex family.
The proposed North Carolina continuation concerns Samuel Guthrie of Chatham County, remembered in American Guthrie and Allied Families as the husband of Jane Kinningham. That account names his mother Frances Wilburn but calls his father John. The shared maternal name and other family associations make the connection worth pursuing; whether the Virginia and North Carolina records describe the same Samuel remains unresolved.
A useful independent source is Harper v. Hancock (1845), which names the North Carolina Samuel’s three children: William, John W., and Elizabeth Guthrie. Its statement that Samuel had died about forty years earlier suggests a death about 1805. The case provides valuable evidence for this descendant family, although it does not name Samuel’s wife or parents.
Family at a Glance
The Middlesex records identify Samuel within William Guthrie’s family. The North Carolina household outlined here is the proposed continuation of that line; its children are documented independently in an 1845 court case.
Samuel Guthrie
- Middlesex Parents
- William Guthrie & Frances Wilbourn. Whether their son was the later Chatham County man remains under investigation.
- Birth & Baptism
- 8 July 1752, Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia, for the child entered as “*uel” Guthery and identified as Samuel. No baptism date is supplied.
- Family Responsibilities
- Named brother and executor by Benjamin Guthrie in 1780; named son and executor by William Guthrie in 1781.
- North Carolina Records
- A Samuel Guthrie held land in Chatham County and appears in the family’s 1790 and 1800 census references. His occupation is not established.
- Death & Burial
- The Chatham County Samuel died about 1805, inferred from testimony summarized in 1845. Exact date, place, and burial are unknown.
Jane Kinningham
- Reported Parents
- John Kinningham & Mary Reins, as given in the family genealogy. Supporting original records remain to be located.
- Birth & Baptism
- Dates and places unknown.
- Marriage
- Named as Samuel’s wife in American Guthrie and Allied Families. The date and place have not been established by a marriage record.
- Children
- The family account assigns John Wilburne, Elizabeth Reins, and William Guthrie to Samuel and Jane. The court case establishes their father as Samuel but does not name their mother.
- Death & Burial
- Dates and places unknown.
Samuel Guthrie & Jane Kinningham
Marriage reported in the family genealogy
Date and place unresolved
The North Carolina Children
Harper v. Hancock (1845) names William, John W., and Elizabeth as Samuel’s three children and heirs. The order below follows the family presentation and does not establish birth order.
| Child | Dates | Family & Records |
|---|---|---|
| John Wilburne GuthrieJohn W. in the court record | Born about 1790, estimated Died 1821 | A physician associated with Washington, North Carolina; the published family history describes his service as a surgeon during the War of 1812. His wife is reported as Mary Elizabeth MacDaniel. The court case identifies John Julius Guthrie as his only child and heir. |
| Elizabeth Reins GuthrieElizabeth R. O’Rorke | Born about 1794, Virginia, from census evidence Died by 18 Mar 1865 | Married John O’Rorke, an Irish-born coachmaker in Raleigh. Wake County marriage records are indexed to 12 October 1822. Her funeral notice names her husband; his obituary identifies her as Dr. J. W. Guthrie’s sister. No children are identified in the assembled research. |
| William Guthrie | Birth unknown Died before the 1845 case | The court account states that he left two daughters, both minors at his death, who later died unmarried and without descendants. Their names and their mother’s identity remain unknown. |
Principal relationship evidence: Harper v. Hancock, 28 N.C. 124 (1845); Elizabeth’s funeral notice, The Daily Conservative, 18 March 1865, p. 2; and John O’Rorke’s obituary clipping. Expanded names and additional biographical details also draw on the published family histories.
Family Evidence NotesThe Virginia connection, marriage estimates, and conflicting dates.
Connecting the two states. The shared maternal name Frances Wilburn, the Kinningham surname in the Middlesex area, and Guthrie associations in Chatham County support continued investigation. The North Carolina tradition names Samuel’s father John, while the Middlesex will identifies him as William. The connection remains a working conclusion to test with further records.
Samuel and Jane’s marriage. “Before 1780” and “before 1790” have appeared in family summaries. Neither should be treated as a documented marriage date. John Wilburne’s estimated birth has likewise appeared as 1780 and about 1790; the latter is retained as a working estimate, not a recorded birth.
Elizabeth’s marriage and land. John O’Rorke’s obituary gives their marriage year as 1821, conflicting with the 1822 marriage-record indexes. An original bond and any marriage return should resolve the date. A 29 March 1791 deed to an Elizabeth Reins Guthrie predates this Elizabeth’s estimated birth and needs a separate identity review.
John O’Rorke’s age. His obituary reports birth in 1788 in the parish of Swords, County Dublin. That conflicts with the approximately 1796 birth implied by his reported age of 54 in the 1850 census. The obituary also places his arrival in America in 1818 and his move to Raleigh in 1820.
Historical Highlights
Family Responsibilities, Land & an Inheritance Dispute
Samuel’s place in the Middlesex family emerges most clearly through the responsibilities entrusted to him. Both Benjamin Guthrie and their father William selected him to help administer their estates. Robert Stamper’s appearance in both the 1775 deed abstract and Benjamin’s will links these records within the same local circle.
In North Carolina, land records and a later inheritance dispute preserve another Samuel Guthrie’s family. That case connects the Chatham landholder to the physician John W. Guthrie, Elizabeth O’Rorke, William Guthrie, and the next generation.
The chronology brings the Virginia records and proposed North Carolina continuation together for comparison. The missing step is a record that directly connects the two places and identifies Samuel’s earlier family.
Family Timeline
| Date | Recorded Event |
|---|---|
| 8 Jul 1752 | A son is born in Christ Church ParishThe register names William and Frances Guthery as parents of a son whose surviving given name reads “*uel,” identified with the later Samuel.Source: Printed parish register, p. 288. |
| Apr 1775 | Samuel witnesses a Middlesex deedA published abstract places Samuel among the witnesses when William Lewis and his wife Sally conveyed Middlesex land to Robert Stamper.Source: Hutchinson, Middlesex County, VA Land Records, 1767–1785, p. 70; abstract retained for original-record follow-up. |
| 22–28 Feb 1780 | Benjamin names his brother SamuelBenjamin Guthrie appoints Samuel and Robert Stamper as executors. The will and codicil are proved six days after they were written.Source: Middlesex Will Book F, pp. 179–180; see Benjamin’s page. |
| 1781–1782 | William entrusts his estate to family and a friendWilliam’s will of 2 April 1781 names wife Frances, son Samuel, and friend John George as executors. Probate follows on 22 July 1782.Source: Middlesex Will Book F, p. 237; will and probate endorsement. |
| 1788 | A Chatham County land purchaseThe North Carolina Samuel acquired land from William Finley. The later court account says the deed was proved on 21 June 1788.Source: Harper v. Hancock, 28 N.C. 124 (1845). |
| 1790 | A substantial household in Chatham CountyThe retained census extraction totals fifteen people, including five enslaved people. William Guthrie’s household also appears in the county.Source: 1790 U.S. census, Chatham County; household details and interpretation below. |
| 28 Nov 1792 | A 640-acre land grantThe family’s grant reference identifies land on the waters of Dry and Varna’s Creeks, issued to Samuel Guthrie.Source: North Carolina Land Grant Files: grant 1066, book 79, p. 361; original grant packet remains a research target. |
| 1800 | Samuel appears again in the censusThe retained extraction identifies a male aged 45 or older in Chatham County. Its apparent one-person household needs checking against the original page.Source: 1800 U.S. census, Hillsborough, Chatham County. |
| About 1805 | Approximate death of the North Carolina SamuelThe 1845 court account places his death roughly forty years earlier. This supports an estimate, not an exact death date.Source: Harper v. Hancock. |
| 1843–1845 | Inherited land brings the family into courtA conveyance dated 22 March 1843 led to litigation that preserved relationships among Samuel’s children and grandson.Source: North Carolina Supreme Court, December Term 1845; see the court-record discussion below. |
| 1865–1867 | The O’Rorke household closesElizabeth’s funeral was announced for 18 March 1865. John’s obituary reports his death on 12 March; the retained estate research places it in 1867.Source: Funeral notice, obituary clipping, and Wake County estate references. |
| 25 Nov 1877 | A grandson dies during a rescue effortCaptain John Julius Guthrie died when a boat capsized during efforts to reach survivors of the wrecked USS Huron.Source: NOAA’s history of the officers of Robert J. Walker. |
The Households Behind the Census TotalsFree residents, enslaved people, and an incomplete-looking extraction.
1790. The retained extraction for Samuel lists two free white males aged sixteen or older, three younger males, four free white females, one other free person, and five enslaved people: fifteen people in all. These categories do not identify everyone as Samuel’s child or relative.
1800. The available extraction shows only a male aged forty-five or older. Until the manuscript columns are checked, it should not be used to conclude that Samuel lived alone or that his wife and children had died. His absence as a named household head in 1810 is also insufficient by itself to establish death.
Raleigh in the next generation. The retained O’Rorke census research records thirteen enslaved people in 1840 and fourteen in the 1850 slave schedule. Their names are not supplied in these census extracts. Estate inventories, sales, distributions, and later records may help restore their individual identities and family connections.
Captain John Julius Guthrie & the Next GenerationA documented grandson and the distinction between father and son of the same name.
Captain John Julius Guthrie (1815–1877), son of Dr. John W. Guthrie, married Louisa Sarah Spratley. Stewart’s 1902 history follows their family at Swimming Point near Portsmouth and distinguishes the captain from his namesake son, John Julius. The latter is the subject of the sketch; this distinction explains references to Samuel as a great-grandfather.
NOAA’s account describes the captain’s attendance at West Point for one year before entering the Navy, his role in the 1861 capture of the slave ship Nightingale, subsequent Confederate naval service, and appointment to the Life-Saving Service in 1875. His death occurred during rescue efforts on 25 November 1877, the day after Huron grounded.
Stewart reports ten children in the captain’s household, seven reaching adulthood. That published account supplies further descendant leads; the individual lineages have not all been traced here.
Explore the Records
Parish entries and wills establish the Middlesex family. Land litigation, newspaper notices, and estate references document the North Carolina descendants. The sources below preserve both parts of the investigation and the question connecting them.
| Record | Evidence & Source |
|---|---|
| Christ Church Parish Register8 July 1752 · Printed p. 288 | The birth entry names William and Frances Guthery and preserves only “*uel” of their son’s given name. The printed image agrees with the supplied Ancestry birth index. |
| Middlesex Wills1780–1782 | Benjamin Guthrie: 22 February 1780, proved 28 February, F:179–180; Samuel is his brother and an executor. William Guthrie: 2 April 1781, proved 22 July 1782, F:237; Samuel is his son and an executor. |
| Harper v. HancockDecember Term 1845 · 28 N.C. 124 | The published court opinion supplies the North Carolina descent and discusses the 1788 Finley deed. It also provides the basis for Samuel’s approximate 1805 death. |
| Land & Census References1788–1800 · Chatham County | Finley purchase; 1790 and 1800 censuses; 28 November 1792 grant 1066, 640 acres, book 79, p. 361. A tree note also cites a 2 May 1791 release in the Alston Family Papers, 1770–1897, Land Records. The release and grant originals remain to be examined. |
| O’Rorke Newspaper Notices1865 and 1867 context | Elizabeth’s funeral notice identifies her husband. John’s obituary identifies her as Elizabeth R. Guthrie, sister of Dr. J. W. Guthrie, and provides his Irish birthplace and migration account. |
| John O’Rorke’s EstateWake County · 1867 | Three probate folders preserve the source trail for his intestacy and the reported distribution to collateral relatives. These files warrant a full review alongside the newspaper notices. |
The Middlesex Connection & the Family TraditionsWhat the records establish and what still needs a connecting document.
The parish entry and family wills support the identification of the Middlesex son as Samuel. Benjamin’s will is available in FamilySearch’s will-book images and the Ancestry manuscript collection. Its transcription and source discussion appear on Benjamin’s page; the father’s will is discussed at the Family Hub.
American Guthrie and Allied Families, pp. 424–427, presents a descendant’s account of a Scottish immigrant John Guthrie, husband of Frances Wilburn and father of Samuel, with a brother settling in Kentucky. The maternal name is a useful connection, but the father’s name and immigration story conflict with the proposed Middlesex identification.
Stewart’s 1902 history reports Samuel’s Revolutionary service with two brothers. This is a published family tradition requiring comparison with service, pension, or bounty-land records. Neither that account nor Kinningham surname occurrences in the Middlesex area independently establishes Samuel’s marriage or migration.
The 1845 Court CaseFamily evidence preserved in a dispute over an earlier deed.
Citation: Harper v. Hancock, 28 N.C. 124 (6 Ired. 124), pp. 124–128, Supreme Court of North Carolina, December Term 1845.
The opinion traces the inheritance through Samuel’s children and grandson. Its approximate death statement supports “about 1805” for the North Carolina Samuel. It names neither his wife nor his parents.
The dispute concerned use of a certified copy of the Finley deed when the original could not be produced. The court affirmed a nonsuit because the necessary sworn evidence accounting for the original was insufficient. That ruling concerns the deed’s admissibility; it does not reject the family relationships recited in the case.
The opening sentence uses “John Louis,” while the ensuing account repeatedly names John Julius Guthrie. This variation should not be used to create another child. The term “infant,” applied to William’s daughters and John’s son, means a minor in this legal context.
Elizabeth Guthrie & John O’RorkeNewspaper evidence, marriage dates, census findings, and estate files.
Elizabeth’s Funeral Notice
The notice for Elizabeth R. O’Rorke invites friends to attend her funeral from the residence of her husband, John O’Rorke, at eleven o’clock on Saturday. The retained citation is The Daily Conservative, 18 March 1865, p. 2. It establishes that she had died by the funeral date; it does not state an exact day of death.
John’s Obituary
The obituary clipping reports death on 12 March and names his wife as Elizabeth R. Guthrie, sister of Dr. J. W. Guthrie. It reports his birth in Swords parish, County Dublin, in 1788; arrival in America in 1818; initial residence in Newark, New Jersey; and move to Raleigh in 1820.
The clipping gives their marriage year as 1821, while the retained Wake County indexes give 12 October 1822. Its title and issue date are outside the crop; the family’s estate research places John’s death in 1867. These source details should be completed before treating every obituary statement as settled.
Census and Property Questions
The retained 1850 extraction lists John as a coachmaker, aged 54, born in Ireland, with real estate valued at $10,000; Elizabeth is 56 and born in Virginia. Her age supports a birth about 1794. The 29 March 1791 conveyance from Ambrose Petty to an Elizabeth Reins Guthrie, involving lot 79, therefore requires an original-record and identity check. Land ownership does not itself prove adulthood.
Estate References
North Carolina Wills and Probate Records, Wake County, John O’Rorke estate: Folder 1, Folder 2, and Folder 3. The retained research describes intestacy, no lineal descendants, and distribution to O’Rorke nieces and nephews. The folder contents have not been fully reassessed for this update.
Reading & Research ResourcesThe family histories and biographical sources retained with this page.
- Guthrie, Laurence R. (1933). American Guthrie and Allied Families, pp. 424–427, “John Guthrie of North Carolina.” Source of the reported Samuel–Jane Kinningham family and earlier-generation tradition.
- Stewart, William Henry (1902). History of Norfolk County, Virginia, and Representative Citizens, Guthrie sketch, pp. 505–508. It follows Dr. John Wilburn Guthrie, Captain John Julius, and the captain’s namesake son. The available web transcription should be checked against the scan when quoting exact wording.
- Hutchinson. Middlesex County, VA Land Records, 1767–1785, p. 70. Source of the April 1775 deed-witness abstract.
- Collison, Helen Hatton (2010). Records of Middlesex County. Westminster, Maryland: Heritage Books. A resource for the county’s Guthrie, Kinningham, and associated families.
- NOAA Maritime Heritage. Officers of Robert J. Walker, including John Julius Guthrie’s career and the circumstances of his death.
- Bruce, Annette C. G. (1977). “John Julius Guthrie and the Cruise of the Levant to China, 1855–1858.” University of Richmond, Honors Theses, 411.
- Additional biographical reading: “Rebel Captured Last Slave Ship for the Union”, The Virginian-Pilot (1996), and FamousAmericans’ John Julius Guthrie biography. Compare names, generations, and service dates with contemporary records.
- Samuel in the Guthrie Research Tree. Working reconstruction and source leads; estimated dates remain subject to revision.
The Guthrie DNA Project
| Child’s Line | Guthrie Y-DNA | Autosomal DNA |
|---|---|---|
| John Wilburne Guthrie | A documented direct male-line descendant would be a candidate for testing; none is identified in the assembled material. | No participant identified for this line in the assembled material. |
| Elizabeth Reins Guthrie | Not transmitted through a daughter. | No descendant line established; no participant identified. |
| William Guthrie | The court account identifies two daughters and no continuing male line. | Both daughters reportedly died without descendants. |
The tested North Carolina line of William Guthrie and Mary Magdalene matches GFG1A, and the Middlesex family shares Christ Church Parish with Branch B. These are positive genetic and geographical connections supporting the broader research.
A Y-DNA result from a documented male-line descendant of Samuel’s North Carolina family could help test its placement alongside those branches. The present table describes the evidence assembled for this page; it does not imply that every descendant lineage has been researched.
Most Wanted DocumentsThe records most likely to resolve the remaining family questions.
- A direct Virginia–North Carolina connection. A deed, estate receipt, power of attorney, or court entry naming Samuel’s earlier residence, parents, or siblings.
- Samuel and Jane’s marriage and Jane’s parentage. Original Kinningham and Reins probate, parish, or family records.
- Chatham land and estate records. The Finley deed, full 1792 grant packet, 1791 Alston release, and an estate or guardianship file around Samuel’s estimated death in 1805.
- Elizabeth’s original marriage documents and the 1791 deed. Compare the bond, any marriage return, and the complete Ambrose Petty conveyance to resolve dates and identities.
- Descendant and service records. Dr. John W. Guthrie’s estate and military file; records naming William’s wife and daughters; and documented pedigrees through Captain John Julius Guthrie’s children.
Following Samuel’s Family
Samuel’s story brings together a Middlesex son trusted with family estates and a North Carolina landholder whose descendants appear in court records, newspapers, and maritime history. The evidence gives each family a clearer outline while leaving a meaningful connection to investigate.
A family Bible, deed, letter, estate paper, or documented descendant lineage may provide the next step. If your research touches the Guthrie, Kinningham, Reins, MacDaniel, Spratley, or O’Rorke families, please share the record image and citation so that the findings can become part of this shared history.
Researched and curated by Ann Guthrie · Guthrie Genealogy