DNA testing provides new a perspective into our family history, a way to break through the brick walls that block us from learning more about our ancestors. Sometimes the amazing science that gives us that window into the past shows us something unexpected. What happens when we’re not genetically related to the people who are our family? These situations can have a profound effect on those who experience them, especially if there is no other information to explain when, where, or how a ‘genetic mismatch’ has occurred.

One of our participants has waited several years to discover whether or not his Guthrie line has any genetic matches. He had no YDNA matches to any of the established Guthrie Family Groups, which suggests the likelihood of an adoption or false paternity within his direct paternal line. Such an event could have taken place in a recent generation or a distant one, but without having a match for comparison, it was impossible to tell.

Good things come to those who wait. Today, Guthrie Family Group 15 is being created for the Descendants of Joseph Guthrie of Adams County, OH and any future genetic matches. One of our newest participants is a YDNA match. His earliest proven ancestor, William Guthrie, is a good candidate to be Joseph’s grandson, which would make Joseph Guthrie the Most Recent Common Ancestor of the two project members.

The new YDNA match answered one important question about whether or not this genetic introduction to the Guthrie family occurred recently or more distantly. Since there have been no earlier lineages found with a matching genetic profile, it seems likely that Joseph Guthrie would also be the first person of this Guthrie family with GFG15 YDNA.

There is no single source found within either participant’s match list that suggests the surname origin of their direct ancestor’s family. Haplogroup predictions tell us that their prehistoric human ancestry is similar to men living in Sweden and Finland. While that might provide some insight into their ancient origins and ethnicity, it doesn’t provide the details needed for identifying their biological paternal ancestor.

What little we know about Joseph Guthrie tells us that he was born before 1775, lived somewhere in Virginia and Pennsylvania, and later settled in Liberty, Adams County, Ohio. That probably describes half of the various Guthrie Family Groups, which means the road to discovering Joseph’s birthplace and original Guthrie line is going to require more clues.

Check out the new section on Guthrie Family Group 15 and new branches:

• A – Descendants of Joseph Guthrie & Unidentified (MNU)
• B – Descendants of William Guthrie & Katy Emeline Boyles