1A-G: Lawrence Perry Guthrie

Lawrence Perry Guthrie (b. abt. 1817 VA – d. aft.1892 CA)
of Amherst County, VA and California, USA

LAWRENCE PERRY GUTHRIE
Parents: William Guthrie bef. 1752VA – abt. 1824VA and Elizabeth Winfield
Birth: About 1817
Birth Location: Amherst County, Virginia, USA
Occupation: Laborer / Farm Laborer / Miner
Marital Status: Single / Unmarried
Death: 28 March 1897
Death Location: Nevada City, Nevada County, California, USA
Burial: Nevada City County Hospital Cemetery, Nevada City, Nevada, California, USA

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

Notes:

Lawrence Perry Guthrie was born about 1817 in Amherst County, Virginia. He was still a minor at the time of his father’s death in 1824. His widowed mother was legally assigned by the Amherst County Court as guardian to all of her underage children. This continued until their majority or the time of her death. On 21 Mar 1832, the courts officially assigned his brother Nicholas Guthrie as legal guardian to Sally, Lawrence P, Oliver, and Elizabeth.

1830: Lynchburg Virginian, Thursday, Oct. 16, 1834, Lyncburg, VA, page 1 – A List of Letters
Nathan Guthrie and L. P. Guthrie are among those listed as having letters remaining in the Post Office at Lynchburg on the 1st October 1834.

Unknown if Lawrence went to California because of the Gold Rush, but he is not found in the 1850 census. He is listed in the California Federal Census for 1860, 1870, and 1880.

The US Federal Census of 1860 – Township 7, Sierra County, California, USA
Large Dwelling with listing of 28 men.
L P Guthrie, 44, male, laborer, born Virginia.

California US Voters Registers – Lawrence Perry Guthrie
1867 – Age 51 – Nevada, California, born Virginia, miner, Local Residence: Bridgeport

The US Federal Census of 1870 – Sierra, Sierra, California (Post Office: Loyalton) – The DB Patterson Household
DB Patterson – 41 male white Farmer RE:2000, PE8000, born New York
A. Patterson 20 female white Keeping House, born New York
J Patterson 3 female white, born California
C Patterson 1 female white, born California
L P Guthrie 54 male white, farm laborer, (No RE/PE Listed), born Virginia
D Miller, 27 make white, farm laborer, RE:1000, PE:100, born Canada
J McMackin 43 male white, farm laborer, (No RE listed) PE:600, born Indiana

California US Voters Registers – Lawrence Perry Guthrie
1871 – Age 51 – Nevada, California, born Virginia, miner, Local Residence: Bridgeport

California US Voters Registers – Lawrence Perry Guthrie
1873 – Age 51 – Nevada, California, born Virginia, miner, Local Residence: Bridgeport

California US Voters Registers – Lawrence Perry Guthrie
15 March 1879 – Age 61 – Nevada, California, born Virginia, Local Residence: Anthony House

The US Federal Census of 1880 – French Corral, Nevada, California – Household of P. Lawrence Guthrie
Dwelling 7, Family 7, P Lawrence Guthrie, white male 63, single, laborer, birthplace of self/parents: Virginia

California, US Voters Registers – Lawrence Perry Guthrie
29 July 1886 – Age 70 – Nevada, California, USA – born Virginia, Local Residence: French Corral,

California, US Voters Registers – Lawrence P Guthrie
1892 – Age 76 – Marysville, Yuba, California, USA – 5ft-7-1/2″, Light Complexion, Blue Eyes, Gray Hair, No visible marks or scars – Precinct: First Ward.

The most likely death date is 28 March 1897 in Nevada City, Nevada, California at the Nevada City Hospital. He is listed in a transcribed burial record as T. P. Guthrie rather than L.P. Guthrie, but the date and location are appropriate. He is buried at the hospital cemetery.

Primary Sources

Primary sources include original documents such as court records, bonds, wills, estate divisions, guardianship papers, marriage records, census enumerations, Bible records, memorial cards, death notices, military service records, and newspaper announcements. These are drawn from archival repositories like FamilySearch, Fold3, and historical newspapers. Many relate to the estate of Lawrence Perry Guthrie’s parents (William Guthrie and Elizabeth Wingfield) and the guardianship of their orphaned children, including Lawrence. Sources are cited with full details for verification, including digital links where available. Note that these documents often reference the broader family, as Lawrence was a minor at the time of his parents’ deaths.

  1. Amherst County, Virginia, Court Bond for Estate of William Guthrie (1825)
    • Description: Bond related to the estate of William Guthrie and guardianship of his orphans, signed by Elizabeth Guthrie (widow, née Wingfield). This document lists the minor children, including Lawrence Perry Guthrie (born about 1817). It establishes familial relationships and inheritance details.
    • Repository: Amherst County Will Book No. 6 with Inventories & Accounts (1818-1827), Pages 619-621.
    • Digital Access: FamilySearch Film #007643859, Images 643-644. Available at: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99P7-SCYH.
    • Context: Recorded at a court held on 19 September 1825. This is a key primary record confirming Lawrence’s parentage and minority status at his father’s death around 1824.
  2. Amherst County, Virginia, Guardianship Bond by Elizabeth Guthrie (1828)
    • Description: Guardianship bond for the orphans of William Guthrie, administered by Elizabeth Guthrie. References the family’s minor children, including Lawrence, and provides evidence of ongoing estate management.
    • Repository: Amherst County Will Book No. 7 with Inventories & Accounts (1827-1830), Pages 145-146.
    • Digital Access: FamilySearch Film #007643860, Images 80-81. Available at: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9P7-S3YR?i=79.
    • Context: Recorded at a court held on 17 March 1828. This bond highlights the transition after William’s death and Elizabeth’s role as guardian.
  3. Amherst County, Virginia, Bond for Unadministered Estate of William Guthrie (1828)
    • Description: Bond for the unadministered portion of William Guthrie’s estate following Elizabeth Guthrie’s death. Signed by Campbell Franklin, Thomas Franklin, John Guthrie, and Nicholas Guthrie (likely siblings or relatives). References the heirs, including Lawrence.
    • Repository: Amherst County Will Book No. 7 with Inventories & Accounts (1827-1830), Pages 188-190 (specifically Page 187).
    • Digital Access: FamilySearch Film #007643860, Image 101.
    • Context: Recorded at a court held on 17 November 1828. This document addresses the estates of both parents after Elizabeth’s death, confirming orphan status for children like Lawrence.
  4. Amherst County, Virginia, Bonds for Estate of Elizabeth Guthrie (1828)
    • Description: Bonds related to the estate of Elizabeth Guthrie (née Wingfield), widow of William Guthrie. Details the distribution and guardianship for her orphaned children, including Lawrence Perry Guthrie.
    • Repository: Amherst County Will Book No. 7 with Inventories & Accounts (1827-1830), Pages 188-190.
    • Digital Access: FamilySearch Film #007643860, Images 102-103. Available at: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9P7-S31Q.
    • Context: Recorded at a court held on 17 November 1828. Provides direct evidence of the family’s circumstances post-1828, with implications for inheritance and relocation (e.g., Lawrence’s later move to California).
  5. Amherst County, Virginia, Guardianship Bond by Nicholas Guthrie et al. (1832)
    • Description: Guardianship bond for the orphans of William and Elizabeth Guthrie, signed by Nicholas Guthrie, Thomas Dinglefield, and Nathan Guthrie. Explicitly ties to the minor heirs, including Lawrence.
    • Repository: Amherst County Will Book No. 8 with Inventories & Accounts (1830-1834), Page 187.
    • Digital Access: FamilySearch Film #007643860, Image 295. Available at: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9P7-SQDD.
    • Context: Recorded at a court held on 21 March 1832. This later bond reflects ongoing legal oversight for the children, potentially influencing Lawrence’s life trajectory.
  6. Franklin County, Virginia, Division of Estate of John Wingfield (1840)
    • Description: Court division of the estate of John Wingfield (maternal grandfather of Lawrence Perry Guthrie), including allocations to the heirs of Elizabeth Guthrie (née Wingfield). Lists the Guthrie children as beneficiaries, confirming Wingfield family ties.
    • Repository: Franklin County Will Book No. 5 with Inventories & Accounts (1837-1845), Page 178.
    • Digital Access: FamilySearch Film #007644996, Image 101. Available at: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99P6-944F.
    • Context: Recorded in Franklin County Court, January 1840. This is crucial for establishing maternal lineage and potential inheritance that may have supported Lawrence’s later relocation to California.
  7. Chancery Court Notice (1846)
    • Description: Newspaper notice regarding a chancery court case involving the estates of William and Elizabeth Guthrie, likely pertaining to land or inheritance disputes among heirs, including Lawrence.
    • Repository: Lynchburg Virginian, Volume 25, Issue 37, Page 5 (Monday, 7 December 1846).
    • Digital Access: Available via GenealogyBank.com.
    • Context: Published in Lynchburg, Virginia. This public notice provides evidence of legal proceedings that could explain family migrations or asset distributions, with nuances around potential disputes among siblings.
  8. Guthrie Memorial Card (circa 1996 photocopy)
    • Description: Memorial card listing death dates for family members, including siblings of Lawrence (e.g., John Guthrie died 1852, Elizabeth L. Guthrie died 1863). While focused on brother John William Guthrie’s line, it corroborates broader family vital records.
    • Repository: Photocopy sent by Winston R. Hall to Sydney Wood Sivertsen in 1996.
    • Digital Access: Ancestry.com (user-submitted tree media). Available at: https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/3406955/person/24881350326/hints.
    • Context: Includes ages at death, offering indirect confirmation of birth years for related individuals. Edge cases: Memorial cards can have transcription errors but are valuable as family-kept records.
  9. Hall Family Bible Record (Death Page)
  10. Death Notice of Elizabeth L. Guthrie (1864)
    • Description: Newspaper obituary for Elizabeth L. Guthrie (wife of John William Guthrie, Lawrence’s sister-in-law), died 18 December 1863, aged 58.
    • Repository: Staunton Spectator, Staunton, Virginia (Tuesday, 12 January 1864, Page 2).
    • Digital Access: Not specified in sources, but searchable via historical newspaper databases like Newspapers.com or Chronicling America.
    • Context: Provides death details amid Civil War disruptions, with implications for family scattering (e.g., Lawrence’s move west).
  11. Civil War Service Records for George W. Guthrie (circa 1861-1865)
    • Description: Military records for George W. Guthrie (likely a nephew or close relative in Branch G), Company H, 5th Virginia Infantry. Indirectly contextualizes family involvement in the war.
    • Repository: National Archives.
    • Digital Access: Fold3.com, Image 10403514. Available at: https://www.fold3.com/image/10403514.
    • Context: While not directly for Lawrence, it highlights wartime impacts on the Guthrie-Wingfield descendants, including potential economic or migratory effects