Catch up on the latest Guthrie Genealogy news.

We’re growing again. Two new branches! It’s always exciting to confirm the Group Origins of a family line. We are adding branches to GFG6 and GFG8.

New members, DNA test upgrades, continued expansion of Guthrie Family Group family data, and research links have kept us busy.

First, an announcement from our friends at Clan Guthrie USA who are working to save an historical site tied to our Guthrie heritage, the Guthrie Kirk. The Church of Scotland plans to sell the site, but Clan Guthrie is working to establish a foundation with the vision of operating the old kirk as a Guthrie Historical Visitor Center for future generations. Learn more: www.saveguthriekirk.org

Guthrie Family Group 6 has officially expanded to include its 12th branch. This group has some very old genetic ties. Its branches have roots in Scotland, England, Ireland, Canada, and the United States.

Descendants of John Guthrie (1823 – 1888) & Ellen Demster are now designated as GFG6-Branch L.

This family came from County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland toward the end of the Great Famine to Saint John, New Brunswick. Their children eventually moved to Boston, Massachusetts.

Y-DNA testing potentially reveals a closer connection to GFG6’s Branch K line, the Descendants of William Guthrie of Mill Creek Hundred, Delaware than to the rest of the group. William Guthrie immigrated to Colonial America in the mid- 1700s. This means the Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) for the two branches would probably be found in Ireland.

William’s line does not currently have a documented Parish or County of origin in Ireland. Knowing that John Guthrie’s family came from County Fermanagh may finally give our Branch K families a starting point for Irish research on their own line.

John Guthrie’s Branch L story is one of endurance, celebration, and loss. He was a ‘jolly friend’ and served as a host to travelers and dignitaries during their stay in Saint John.

Another Guthrie Family Group that will benefit from a new branch is GFG8. This one is technically unofficial until the Y-DNA tester joins the project. For now, he is a match to the Guthrie men of GFG8, so we have proof that his ancestral line shares direct paternal ancestry with the rest of the group.

Group 8 has been a challenge for its participants. The earliest lineage connected to the group is Thomas Guthrie 1711VA-1786VA & Mary Cason. The whole group may genetically be the result of a Non-Paternal Event (NPE) or adoption which links them to men of the Carter & Vaughan surnames. So the origins their Guthrie connections to one of the other established Guthrie Family Groups, most likely GFG1A, GFG4, or GFG5 remains undetermined.

Other genetically-matched lineages for this group, also likely to be descendants of Thomas Guthrie and Mary Cason, are the Nelson Guthrie- Catherine Lowe family from Virginia and Lincoln County, NC, as well as the Thomas Guthrie-Mary Russell line from North Carolina and Tennessee.

This newest DNA match descends from Hamilton Wade Guthrie (1821TN-1880AR) and Orpha Adeline Roark. Hamilton was born in Tennessee, and after his marriage settled in Madison County, Arkansas. It is believed that he is the son of Carter Guthrie (c1771-80NC – p1850AR) and Barbara Beal. (We’ll need a Y-DNA test from another one of their sons as conclusive evidence of that relationship.)

Carter Guthrie married in Lincoln County, North Carolina to Barbara Beal on 15 August 1800. They had a number of children who remain unidentified enumerated in early census records, and a few whose names are known or at least have been linked in trees to their line. This includes a son named Nelson (1813-1850), showing a potential naming pattern, if indeed related to Guthrie Family Group 8’s Branch B: Nelson Guthrie-Catherine Lowe. They also have regional connection with Lincoln County, North Carolina.

Carter Guthrie is listed in the 1830 census of Warren County, Tennessee, and by 1837 was located in the Arkansas Territory being listed on a Tax List for Madison County. He’s at the right place at the right time to be Hamilton Wade Guthrie’s father.

Placeholders will be added to the GFG8 pages for the future addition of this new branch and its family data.

Expansion of the Guthrie Genealogy family information, research data, and links continues. Work continues on Guthrie Family Group 5: Descendants of Shadrick Guthry and Malinda Badley / Ruah Ann Roberts.

Speaking of Malinda Badley… Do any of you descendants have actual data about her identity and origins? While digging through this family tree I found a marriage record with some alternate name/surname information. See Shadrick’s GFG5-Branch C family page for details.

Guthrie Profiles found in Other Places

The Guthrie Research tree associated with Guthrie Genealogy and the Guthrie DNA Project is on Ancestry because where I have it started over 20 years ago. I realize that not all of you have Ancestry access, which is one reason that I am expanding the Guthrie Family Group data here at Guthrie Genealogy whenever I find the time. I am also trying to add research links and reading recommendations along the way.

Some of you may have a Family Tree located at Geni, a MyHeritage Company. It is similar to Family Search in that it has a ‘World Family Tree’ in which everyone may collaborate by adding data and merging their personal tree into one super-tree. At their best, these collaborative trees open up new lineages to explore, and provide a way to discuss and share research and resources. At their worst, they easily create identity errors. They are often assumed to be official records and cited as sources. All user-submitted data at Geni, MyHeritage, Family Search, Ancestry a clue, guide, or suggestion rather than irrefutable evidence.

Beginning last year, while stuck at home with a broken leg, (not that I needed an excuse for research) I started a “clean up” project at Geni for those lineages connected to the major Guthrie Family Groups, and other prominent individuals or families that contained either errors or were in need of additional information. A biography, links, and other sources were added. Hopefully, these profiles will be available for comparison when people are surfing around.

One example is the bio added for Rev. James Guthrie, Minister of Sterling. aka the Martyr of Sterling, information on his wife and children. I also added the bio to Guthrie Genealogy’s Research & Resources section.

BIG-Y 700 Participants
Use your FTDNA sign-in to log on to the Project and access the Group Time Tree for the visual results.

GFG1A Y700 Kits: 3
Descendant of GFG1A-Branch A: Patrick Guthrie 1704 SCT – p1762SCT & Agnes Foord (72673)
Descendant of GFG1A-Other Surname Match (294936)
Descendant of GFG1A-Branch G: Descendant of William Guthrie 1752VA-1824VA & Elizabeth Wingfield (259168)
Results so far…
The Group Time Tree shows the MRCA to all three lived about 1325.
The MRCA for 72673 and 294936 probably lived about 1594.

GFG2A Y700 Kits: 6
Descendant of GFG2A-Branch A: James Guthrie c1820IRE-1800NC & Elizabeth MNU (24607)
Descendant of GFG2A-Branch A: James Guthrie c1820IRE-1800NC & Elizabeth MNU (934432)
Descendant of GFG2A-Branch C: Robert Guthrie 1790PA-1874WV & Castilla Simpson (146782)
Descendant of GFG2A-Branch D: John Guthery 1744PA-1823OH & Lydia Baldwin (128728)
Descendant of GFG2A-A Other Surname Match (IN114735)
Descendant of GFG2A-A Other Surname Match (B829251)
Results so far…
The Group time Tree shows the MRCA to all 6 lived about 1131.
The two Other Surname matches (a father & son) are way back to 1131.
All 4 Guthrie-surname kits shared their MRCA about 1609.
The two Branch A kits (brothers) MRCA is estimated by the test to have lived about 1887. Their father was actually born in 1901 and grandfather in 1868, so the estimate is right in the middle.
The Branch C and D Kits share a MRCA born about 1700 separate from the Branch A kits with the MRCA of all four being about 100 years earlier.

GFG3A Y700 Kits: 6
Descendant of GFG3A-Branch A: Francis Guthrie > John Guthrie > Robert Guthrie & Francis Fowler (129769)
Descendant of GFG3A-Branch A: Francis Guthrie > John Guthrie > Alexander Guthrie & Eleanor Amis (208725)
Descendant of GFG3A-Branch A: Francis Guthrie > John Guthrie > James Guthrie & Elizabeth Casdorph (645225)
Descendant of GFG3A-Branch A: Francis Guthrie > Robert Guthrie & Esther Giles (8393)
Descendant of GFG3A-Branch B: William Guthrie c1771SCT-1884SCT & Anne Hunter (319359)
Descendant of GFG3A Other Surname Match (883155)
Results so far…
The MRCA of all 6 lived about 1432.
The Branch B Kit from Scotland and the Other Surname match share a MRCA from around 1463.
All of the Branch A Kits do branch off in an expected way from what we know about their tree.
The MRCA for all of those kits would be Francis Guthrie. The Group Time Tree estimates about 1665, which is a little earlier than estimated age ranges for Francis, about 1697-1709.
Son Robert and Son John’s line appear separate on the GTT.
The three kits descending from Francis’ son John are shown sharing a MRCA (John) about 1789. Our est. DOB range for John Guthrie is 1730-1750.

GFG4 Y700 Kits: 1
Other Surname Match (18334)
This Group needs participation from its Guthery members at the Y700 level.

GFG5 Y700 Kits: 3
Descendant of GFG5 Other Surname Match (973728)
Descendant of GFG5 Branch C: Shadrick Guthry & Malinda Badley (898982)
Descendant of GFG5 Branch H: Thomas Guthrie & Mildred Howell (1002703)
Results so far…
The MRCA for all three kits lived about 1479.
The two Guthrie men of Branches C and H share a more recent common ancestor with each other (lived about 1697) than they do with the Other Surname match (about 1479).

GFG6 Y700 Kits: 2
Descendant of Branch J: James Guthrie 1775SCT-1850NY & Editha Munson (959499)
Descendant of Branch K: William Guthrie c1701 IRE – 1775DE & Unidentified Spouse (124483)
Results so far…
These two branches share their MRCA about 1316.
This group is expansive with branches in a lot of places and has a lot to benefit from Y700 testing as it begins to reveal the time periods our ancestors branched off from one another to explore and settle around the world.

GFG7 Y700 Kits: 1 + 1 pending results
Descendant of GFG7-Branch D: Adam Guthrie c1740IRE-1827KY & Mary Anderson (962550)
Descendant of GFG7-Branch E Guthrie-Burrows Family of SCT/AUS (B708932)
Results so far…
The Guthrie-Burrows family descends from an Ayrshire Guthrie line who’s earliest ancestors are John Guthrie (d1769) and Jean Dunlop..
The Branch D line has been traced back to Ireland in the 1740s, so presumably the MRCA would be in Scotland at an earlier date. It will be interesting to see the prediction as to how much earlier their MRCA lived.

GFG8 Y700 Kits: 3
Descendant of GFG8-Branch A: Thomas Guthrie & Mary Cason (33800)
Other Surname Match – County Cork, IRE (644644)
Other Surname Match – County Cork, IRE (742404)
Results so far…
This group appears to be of ‘other’ genetic origins. The question is how far back does that genetic mismatch go? The two Other Surname kits share the same Vaughan surname with origins in County Cork. They share their MRCA about 1678.
The MRCA between them and our Guthrie participant lived about 1422.
The earliest we can trace GFG8 under the Guthrie surname is 1711 with the birth of Thomas Guthrie. Matches for this group at the Y67 and Y111 level include men of the Carter surname. Some researchers believe the earliest MRCA for the overall group is biologically of Carter origin with the Guthrie and Vaughn/Vaughan lineages being two separate surname splits from the genetic line. The group includes 2 Carter and 1 McCarter match, but none are testing at the Y700 level at this time.

GFG11 Y700 Kits: 1
Descendant of Tobias B Guthrey 1781-90VA – 1851-60GA & Sarah MNU (234794)
Results so far…
This Guthrie/Guthrey Group matches men of the Ballew/Ballou Surname.
Since there is only 1 participant in the Guthrie DNA Project participating at the Y700 level, a peek at the generic Big-Y 700 comparison results shows that his MRCA compared to all others with Big-Y 700 tests lived around 1665. Current admin access does not allow a peek at the surnames of these other men, so I cannot tell if they are Ballew/Ballou men or from another specific group.
The earliest Guthrie/Guthrey lineage in GFG11 is George Guthery 1769VA-1855IN & Mary Young.

GFG14 Y700 Kits: 1
This group matches men of the Joyce/Joice Surname descending from a colonial NY line. Unable to make a comparison to other Big-Y matches for a comparative time frame.

GFG15 Y700 Kits: 1
This is a tiny group of 2 people, both with lineages in Ohio.
When compared to all men of the same generic haplogroup, this man has 1 ‘closer’ match on the timescale of human ancestry with their MRCA living around 606BC. Not exactly helpful for modern genealogy.

NEW PROJECT MEMBERS

924854 – Descendant of Hamilton Wade Guthrie 1821TN-1880AR & Orphia Adeline Roark
Autosomal DNA Test
Uncle with Y-DNA matching GFG8 > plans to join project > new branch pending

1011367 – Descendant of John Guthrie / Ellen Demster
Y37 DNA Test – Match to GFG6 > Branch L created

B972352 – Descendant of Jesse Purnell Guthrie 1799VA01869IL & Mary Pauline Goode
Y111 Test – Pending Shipment to Lab
Anticipating a genetic match to GFG1A – Branch B: Guthries of Middlesex County, VA

B941690 – Descendant of George Guthery 1769 VA – 1855 IN & Mary Young via son Timothy C Guthery
Y37 Test – Pending Shipment to Lab
Anticipating a genetic match to GFG11 – Branch A

B1083583 – Descendant of Guthries of Eastern NC
Autosomal DNA Test – Lineage review pending

B1057869 – Other Surname Match to GFG1A
Recent ancestry in England. Genetically closest to GFG1A-Branch A.

B974218 – Descendant of Patrick Guthrie 1825 County Clare, IRE- 1905 Massachusetts, USA & Bridget Flaherty
Ancestral line projected 1 additional generation
Y37 Test – Remains in an Ungrouped Family Status
Need another male Guthrie for comparative testing / matching

IN135530 – Descendant of Henry Guthrie 1781-1829 Largo, Fife, SCT & Elizabeth Lundie
Ancestral line continues back 6 generations in Largo.
Y111 Test – Remains in an Ungrouped Family Status
Need another male Guthrie for comparative testing / matching

B725774 – Descendant of Moses R Guthrie c1804IL – 1854-60AR & Matilda MNU
Autosomal DNA Test

B1053462 – Descendant of Alexander Guthrie 1781ENG – 1864ENG & Margaret Bruce
Autosomal DNA Test

AncestryDNA – Descendant of Peter Guthrie 1766SCT & Ann Cobban
Autosomal DNA Test

929316 – Descendant of GFG2C – Robert Guthrie 1752PA – 1815OH & Elizabeth Jane Caldwell
Upgrade to Y111 to Big-Y 700 – Results pending

AncestryDNA – Descendant of GFG2A – Branch G James Guthrie 1720IRE-1801PA & Jeanette Wilson AND GFG2A-Branch G John Guthrie 1725IRE – 1797PA & Jane Reed
Autosomal DNA Test

1015277 – Descendant of GFG7 – Daniel Guthrie 1737PA – 1826IN & Jane Flinn
Autosomal DNA Test