A Haplogroup reveals your place on the Human Family Tree tracing your direct paternal (Y-DNA) or maternal (mtDNA) line back thousands of years. Our deep ancestry provides a look at migration patterns connecting your ancestors to specific geographic regions. This focus on prehistoric timelines may not seem immediately helpful in your parents’ direct ancestry. Charts and tools have been developed by the experts to provide us with a better understanding of how our individual lineages connect and diverge from one another. They can also help solve genealogical puzzles, like identifying NPEs (non-paternal events) or finding biological family for adoptees.

This World Map of Y-DNA Haplogroups shows Dominant Haplogroups in Pre-Colonial Populations with Possible Migration Routes. (Sharable image created by Chakazul for Wikimedia. Permission Granted to copy, distribute, and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.)

The Guthrie DNA Project is focused on direct paternal line (Y-DNA) testing as this is what allows us to confirm which lineages belong to specific Guthrie Family Groups. I hope that more of you will consider upgrading your existing Y-DNA tests to the Big-Y level now that the Holiday Sales Event is in progress at FamilyTreeDNA. (The cost of upgrading an existing Y-111 test is about half the cost of a new test. Click the red “Add Ons & Upgrade” button at the top of your page after signing in to FTDNA.) If each branch of a Family Group includes one Big-Y tester, the Group’s Time Tree will reveal a close estimate of when the Most Recent Common Ancestor lived, and how the various branches may fit together.

The overall haplogroup timeline stretches across the whole of humanity:

Stone Age > Metal Ages > Imperial Age > Middle Ages > Modern Age

If you review the Guthrie DNA Project’s Group Time Tree and check the boxes for every group participating in Big-Y testing, you’ll find that every Guthrie participant with a Y-DNA test does indeed share an ancestor in their direct paternal line. According to the timeline, our mutual Stone Age great-etc*-grandfather was born about 40,000 B.C.E. His haplogroup was IJK-L15. This paternal line formed about 6,000 years earlier when it branched off from the rest of humankind.

Several Guthrie Family Groups have known NPEs or Adoptions affecting their direct paternal line. When these groups are unchecked on the Group Time Tree, the Most Recent Common Ancestor of the remaining Guthrie Family Groups is a man who lived in the Stone Age and was born about 19,758 B.C.E. and is assigned to Haplogroup R-M173.

R-M173 is a major Y-chromosome haplogroup also known as Haplogroup R1, signifying a paternal lineage widespread in Europe and Eurasia. It originated from Haplogroup R-M207, which split into key subclades like R1a and R1b, which dominated in different regions and launched significant human migrations following the last Ice Age. In Europe, R1b (M343) is the most common Y-chromosome haplogroup in Western Europe. R1a is common in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and South Asia.

We’re interested in relationships that are identifiable in a period of time that will apply to the Guthrie families that have formed during the Middle and Modern Ages.

Let’s take a look at our individual Guthrie Family Groups, their Haplogroup assignments, and any connections established by our project participants through Big-Y testing.

The Y-DNA Results Overview Chart (Colorized) available on the Guthrie DNA Project pages includes a column for Haplogroups. Every tested individual is assigned (in red) a base Haplogroup showing their key spot on the Human Family Tree. The chart includes many Guthrie Family Groups with the same key Haplogroup because many of our individual groups do share common human ancestry during the Metal and/or Imperial Ages in Western and Northwestern Europe.

Also included on the Y-DNA Results Overview Chart (Colorized) are Haplogroup designations (in green) that may have a variety of results. These vary based on the level of testing and unique details found in each individual’s Y-DNA. In some cases, the differences reflect inherited genetic changes that identify major branches within a related group.

There are many charts and reports provided within the Big-Y results. We’ll explore a few.
1.) Haplogroup Family: The key haplogroup assigned to an individual and their matches
2.) Most Recent Common Guthrie Ancestor: Haplogroup and Estimated Birth Year
3.) Rare Ancient Connections: Topics Only – Big-Y results include information on Archeological Findings that match the same Haplogroup connections. This tells you where your ancestors and their descendants lived at various times in pre-history and history.
4.) Rare Notable Connections: Subjects Only – Big-Y results include many Notable Connections, and in some cases Rarely Found connections to historical/famous/infamous persons sharing the same Haplogroup and when their MRCA lived.

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP 1
Established Branches: A – G
Big-Y Participant Branches:
A – Guthries of Craigie Line: 1
B – Middlesex VA Line: 1 (results pending)
G: Amherst VA Line: 1
Other Surname Match: 1
GFG1C (NPE): 1

GFG1A Haplogroup Family: R1b-Z381
Most Recent Common Guthrie Ancestor: R-FT13875 / born about 1339 C.E.
Rare Ancient Connections: Roman Age Germany, Longboard Barbarian, Medieval Italy
Rare Notable Connections: Scientist, Pilgrim

Subgroup GFG1C Haplogroup Family: R1b-Z381
NPE Origins: Payne Surname
Most Recent Common Ancestor of that Line: R-FTC72953 / born about 542 B.C.E.
Most Recent Common Ancestor with the GFG1A Participants: R-Z301 / born about 2554 B.C.E.
Rare Ancient Connections: Medieval Britain, Medieval Germany, Flemish
Rare Notable Connections: Nobility

Comments:
* Branch A and our Other Surname Match share their MRCA R-FTA50022 / born about 1616CE.
* Branch G’s common ancestor is further back on the shared GFG1A tree. R-FT13875 / born about 1339 CE.
* We finally have a participant representing Branch B – The Middlesex VA line. He just ordered his upgrade, so it will take a while to see results. This should hopefully give us a better idea of where the Branch B ancestor plugs into the historical Guthrie Family Tree.

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP 2
Established Branches: A – O
Big-Y Participant Branches:
A – Descendants of James Guthrie & Elizabeth (MNU) of IRE/MD/NC: 2
B – Descendants of Adam Guthrie & Mercy Irwin of PA: 2
C – Descendants of Robert Guthrie & Castilla Simpson of PA/WV: 1
D – Descendants of John Guthrey & Lydia Baldwin: 1
H – Descendants of John Guthrie & Ann Hill: 1

GFG2A Haplogroup Family: R1B-DF13
Most Recent Common Guthrie Ancestor: R-BY-107525 / born about 1581 C.E.
Rare Ancient Connections: Iron Age Britain, Iron Age Ireland, Flemish
Rare Notable Connections: None classified as Rare

Subgroup GFG2B – Other Surname Matches: 3
2 Roy and 2 Dingarten surname matches in this subgroup appear to be NPEs to their own Surname.
Big-Y results show that they share a Common Ancestor R-FTC41104 / born about 1508 C.E.
The MRCA they share with their GFG2A Guthrie matches is R-BY60537 / born about 1020 C.E.

Subgroup GFG2C – Descendants of Robert Guthrie & Eliza Jane Caldwell: 1
Plus 1 Other Surname Match from Netherlands (Smith)
NPE Origins: Remains Unverified – Possible Scottish/Dutch Connections
Haplogroup Family: I1-M253
Most Recent Common Ancestor with Matches: I-FT97894 / born about 1350 C.E.
Rare Ancient Connections: Early Slavs, Viking Denmark, Medieval Britain
Rare Notable Connections: Pilgrim

Comments:
The MRCA that Guthrie Family Group 2A shares with its Other Surname Matches, R-BY60537, born about 1020 C.E. is likely to be a continuation of a Guthrie lineage. Only 5 of the group’s 15 branches are currently represented by a Big-Y test. Ideally, participation from other group branches would reveal those deeper connections. The branches in play right now (A, B, C, D, and H) share a common ancestor born about 1508 C.E. Further testing could allow us to trace branch connections back to the Middle Ages.

Guthrie Family Group 2C, the descendants of Robert Guthrie & Eliza Jane Caldwell, remain in this sub-group of GFG2A only because American Guthrie and Allied Families author, Laurence R Guthrie, identified Robert as a theorized son of a hypothetical branch of the family (GFG2A-Branch I: Descendants of James Guthrie & Miss Bissell). There is no genetic connection of the direct paternal line since the Stone Age. This family potentially has origins in the Netherlands where there was a Scottish settlement.

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP 3
Established Branches: A – B
Big-Y Participant Branches:
A – Descendants of Francis Guthrie Sr of PA: 4
B – Descendants of William Guthrie & Ann Hunter / Jacobina McClure of Ayrshire, Scotland: 1
Other Surname Match (Gray): 1

GFG3A Haplogroup Family: R1b – DF27
Most Recent Common GFG3A Ancestor: R-BY12113 / born about 1413 C/E
Most Recent Common Guthrie Ancestor (American Line): R-BY12121 / born about 1656 C.E.
Most Recent Common Ancestor (Ayrshire / Other Surname Line): R-FTC5164 / born about 1447 C.E
Rare Ancient Connections: Medieval Netherlands, Flemish, Viking Sweden
Rare Notable Connections: Politician, President, Author

Comments:
This group is interesting because it is basically divided into two parts between the multiple lineages descending from Francis Guthrie Sr in Pennsylvania, and those descending from William Guthrie in Ayrshire, Scotland. Over 240 years passed between the time that their common ancestor lived and the estimated birth of the American side of the line. Keep in mind these estimates, while much more accurate than those from lower quality tests, still have a margin of error. The fact that William Guthrie’s family is found in Ayrshire increases the odds that the MRCA for the group also lived there.

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP 4
Established Branches: A – B
Big-Y Participant Branches: NONE
Non-Member Descendant of GFG4 Match (No Tree): 1
Other Surname Matches (Key) (Foster): 2

GFG4 Haplogroup Family: I1 – Z60
Most Recent Common GFG4 Ancestor: Unknown. We don’t have a Big-Y test for a Guthrie descendant.
Most Recent Common Ancestor (Non-Member Guthrie / Other Surname (Key): I-BY51025 / born about 1749CE
Most Recent Common Ancestor (Guthrie-Key-Foster): I-BY51002 / born about 1447
Rare Ancient Connections: Roman Era Balkans, Late Sarmatian, Iron Age Scandinavia
Rare Notable Connections: Wild West Legend, Pilgrim

Comments:
Group 4 remains a suspected post-immigration NPE. GFG4-Branch B: William Guthrie (m. Mary Warren Musgrove) could easily be a descendant of Branch A progenitors Thomas Guthrey and Sarah Oakes.

The timeline for our Other Surname (Key) project member shows that his NPE Guthrie Connection is potentially one of the sons of Thomas Guthrey and Sarah Oakes. It would participation from more GFG4 men to discover which one is a more likely candidate.

The Other Surname (Foster) match is a non-member. His genetic connection to the Guthrie-Key participants is three hundred years earlier. At this point the Surname Origin of the line is unknown.

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP 5
Established Branches: A – H
Big-Y Participant Branches:
A – Descendants of William Guthrie and Eleanor Harris: 1
C – Descendants of Shadrack Guthry and Malinda Badley / Ruah Ann Roberts: 1
H – Descendants of Thomas Guthrie and Mildred Howell

GFG5 Haplogroup Family: R1b – L21
Most Recent Common GFG5 Guthrie Ancestor (C and H): R-FTE68872 / born about 1699 C.E.
Most Recent Common GFG5 Guthrie Ancestor (A, C, and H): R-FTC19905 / born about 1487 C.E.
Rare Ancient Connections: Iron Age Britain
Rare Notable Connections: No rare connections classified

Comments:
The earliest verified progenitors of GFG5 are Branch A’s William Guthrie (1722VA-1798KY) and Eleanor Harris. In addition to the other Established Branches, there are several theorized connections in need of a Basic Y-DNA match to rule them in or out of GFG5 contention. Descendants of Daniel Guthrie/Mary Little, Frederick Guthrie/ Mollie Louallen, and all of the other Guthrie lineages entangled in Carteret County, NC.

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP 6
Established Branches: A – L
Big-Y Participant Branches:
D – Non-Member Descendant of John Guthrie (1791IRE-1862CAN) and Isabella Stinson: 1
J – Descendants of James Guthrie (1775CT-1850NY) and Editha Munson: 1
K – Descendants of William Guthrie (c1710IRE-1775DE) and Unk Spouse: 1

GFG6 Haplogroup Family: R1a – Z283
Most Recent Common Ancestor of Branches D, J, and K: R-FTD84152 / born about 1248 C.E
Most Recent Common Ancestor of Branches D and K: R-FT330040 / born about 1495 C.E.
Rare Ancient Connections: Early Slavs, Magyar elite, Avar
Rare Notable Connections: Scientist

Comments:
Guthrie Family Group 6 is a large group with what appears to be old connections. Results at the Y111 level across the whole group show that time has allowed inherited genetic changes to pop up. We don’t really see those results in the Group Time Tree yet because only 3 of the 12 lineages are currently represented there.

Branches D and K arrived in America and Canada at separate times, but came from somewhere in Ireland. They share a MRCA with each other born about 1495 than they do with the rest of the group, or at least Branch J.

Interestingly, the other Big-Y matches are to men whose earliest ancestors lived in Germany and Russia. These, however share much more distant ancestry dating to the late Metal Ages / early Imperial Age.

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP 7
Established Branches: A – E
Big-Y Participant Branches:
D – Descendants of Adam Guthrie (c1740s – 1827) and Mary Anderson of IRE and VA, NC, TN, KY: 1
E – Descendants of the Guthrie-Burrows Family of SCT, ENG, and AUS: 1

GFG7 Haplogroup Family: R1a – Z283
Most Recent Common Ancestor of Branches D and E: R-FTf24857 / born about 1494
Rare Ancient Connections: Medieval Scandinavia, Viking Orkney, Iron Age Scandinavia
Rare Notable Connections: Inventor, Nobility, Royalty

Comments:
GFG7 – Branch E has some deep roots in Ayrshire, Scotland going back to John Guthrie, a Bailie in Prestwick, who died there in 1769, and his wife Jane or Jean Dunlop. Branches D and E took polar opposite routes out of Scotland. Branch D headed to Ireland and then America. Branch E went south to England and then to Australia. About 300 years separate their progenitors from their MRCA.

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP 8
Established Branches: A – D
Big-Y Participant Branches:
A – Descendants of Thomas Guthrie 1711 – 1786VA and Mary Cason of Halifax, VA: 1
D – Descendants of Carter Guthrie and Barbara Beal of NC, TN, and AR: 2

Sub-Group GFG8A – Other Surname Matches (Vaughan): 2

GFG8 Haplogroup Family: R1b – DF13
Most Recent Common Ancestor Overall GFG8 / GFG8A: R-FTA58079 / born about 1304 C.E.
Most Recent Common Ancestor of Branch A and D Participants: R-BY104835 / born about 1656 C.E.
Most Recent Common Ancestor of Branch D Participants: R-FTG17989 / born about 1860 C.E.
Rare Ancient Connections: Medieval Ireland, Iron Age Ireland, Roman Age Ireland
Rare Notable Connections: Politician, Space Explorer, Historical Man

Comments:
Guthrie Family Group 8 is most likely the result of at least two NPE events across a few centuries involving the surnames of Vaughan and Carter. All branches of the main GFG8 family are likely to be descendants of Thomas Guthrie and Mary Cason.

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP 9
Established Branches: A – Descendants of Thomas Guthrie 1732SCT – 1797SC and Jean Duncan
Big-Y Participant Branches: NONE

GFG9 Haplogroup Family: R1b – M269

Comments:
This Haplogroup was established about 4000 BCE. A more specific Haplogroup would be assigned by the Big-Y scientists. This group has very few matches. We need some basic Y-37 and Y-111 participants to establish a better baseline.

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP 10
Established Branches: A – Descendants of Andrew Guthrie 1801 – 1867TN and Isabella Rader
Big-Y Participant Branches: NONE

GFG10 Haplogroup Family: I1 – M253

Comments:
This Haplogroup was established during the late Stone Age – early Metal Ages way back in 2500 BCE. GFG10 is the result of a known adoption into the East TN family of James W Guthrie (c1769-1829TN) and Isabella Carmichal, which is a GFG3 – Branch A descendant line.

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP 11
Established Branches: A – C
Big-Y Participant Branches:
B – Descendants of Tobias Benjamin Guthrey and Sarah (MNU) of VA, NC, and GA

GFG11 Haplogroup Family: R1b – Z381
MRCA for GFG11: R-A10673 / born around 1661 C.E.
Rare Ancient Connections: Iron Age Netherlands, Viking Denmark, Bavarian
Rare Notable Connections: Genetic Genealogist, Royalty

Comments:
Guthrie Family Group 11 is the result of an NPE with the Ballew/Ballou/Belew surname. There are over 10 men of that surname participating in Big-Y testing branching off at various periods. All share an MRCA with our GFG11 participant: R-A10673 / born about 1661 C.E. There are a number of other surname matches branching off with a Common Ancestor at earlier time periods beginning in the late Stone Age, Imperial Age, and Middle Ages.

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP 12
Established Branches: A – B
Branch A: Descendants of Robert Guthrie c1774IRE-1854OH and Jean McGibney
Branch B: Descendants of William Guthrie c1800SCT-1855IN and Margaret Japp
Big-Y Participant Branches: NONE

GFG12 Haplogroup Family: I2 – L460

Comments:
GFG12 appears to be the result of a NPE with the Benbow surname. The majority of YDNA matches are to men of that name. However, the individual Guthrie listed here have Y12, Y37, and Y67 marker tests. There is not enough participation to determine when their Guthrie lineages connect.

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP 13
Established Branches: A – C
Branch A: Descendants of James Guthrie c1762IRE-1839NY and Jane Smith of Antrim, IRE and NY
Branch B: Descendants of Robert Guthrie 1773NC-1856TN and Jean Norwood of SC and TN
Branch C: Descendants of Edwin Guthrie 1808SC-c1875AL and Mary Elizabeth Cagle of SC, GA, and AL
Big-Y Participant Branches: NONE

GFG13 Haplogroup Family: I2 – L460

Comments:
This group may be the result of an NPE back in Ireland. No single surname stand out among its YDNA matches. None of the GFG13 participants have completed the Big-Y testing level at this time.

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP 14
Established Branches: A – B
Branch A: Descendants of George Nelson Guthrie and Unidentified Spouse of NY PA and OH
Branch B: William Guthrie 1803NY-1853NY and Susan Wright
Big-Y Participant Branches:
A – John Guthrie 1805 PA – 1877 IN and Jane Porterfield: 1

GFG14 Haplogroup Family: R1b – DF27
Most Recent Common Ancestor: R-Y7729 / born about 1353 C.E.
Rare Ancient Connections: Viking Britain, Napoleon’s Grande Army, Early Christian Spain
Rare Notable Connections: President, Politician, Author

Comments:
GFG14 is part of a very large Big-Y tree connected to men of the Joyce/Joice/Joss Surname. The Guthrie line’s MRCA with these men comes about 130 years prior to the MRCA shared by all of the Joyce men, R-FT79188. This is not an indication that the Guthrie line introduced Guthrie Y-DNA into the Joyce line. Since George Nelson Guthrie’s origin story suggests he had brothers participating in the Revolutionary War (unidentified, unnamed brothers, and a non-specific location in New England), it is statistically likely that George’s family belonged to either GFG2A or GFG6. George may have been an adoption into that family or an NPE, and the Y-DNA originates from one of the earlier lineages.

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP 15
Established Branches: A – B
Branch A – Descendants of Joseph Guthrie of Liberty, Adams, Ohio
Branch B – Descendants of William Guthrie 1819OH-1844OH and Katy Emeline Boyles of Adams, OH
Big-Y Participant Branches:
B – Descendants of William Guthrie and Katy Emeline Boyles: 1

GFG15 Haplogroup Family: I1 – M253
Most Recent Common Ancestor for GFG15: I-FTE51511 / born about 69 B.C.E.
Rare Ancient Connections: Thuringil, Medieval Scandinavia, Medieval Greenland
Rare Notable Connections: Historical Man, Prolific Man

Comments:
Based on the locations in Adams, OH, both GFG15 branches are probably a single lineage with William being a descendant of Joseph. Several families connected to this group list birth locations in Virginia, so it is possible that Joseph was born there into one of the established Guthrie Family Groups, but with a NPE. Note that some online trees list Branch B’s William Guthrie as a son of David Guthrie and Mary Ann Kirkpatrick. David was a son of GFG2C’s Robert Guthrie and Eliza Jane Caldwell of PA/OH. That line of descent is ruled out by the GFG2C Y-DNA. Due to the limited Y-DNA matches for GFG15 and only a single Big-Y test among them, we cannot yet tell when the MRCA for the Guthrie lineage for GFG15 originated. Currently, the MRCA for the group is I-FTE51511 / born about 69 B.C.E. Its connection to any common ancestor with other Big-Y matches is even further back during the Metal Ages about 1869 B.C.E.

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP 16
Established Branches: A
Big-Y Participant Branches:
A – Descendants of Robert Guthrie 1776SCT – 1827SCT and Janet Andrew of Dunbarton & Lanark, SCT: 1

GFG16 Haplogroup Family: R1b – DF13
Most Recent Common Ancestor: R-F1969 / born about 602 C.E.
Rare Ancient Connections: Viking Sweden, Medieval Ireland, Arpadian
Rare Notable Connections: Polymath, Sports Legend

Comments:
GFG16 is still a small group of only 2 Guthrie men, likely indicating an under-represented lineage. The only other Big-Y match is a non-member Other Surname Match (Gifford) whose MRCA with GFG16 is R-P312, born about 2989 B.C.E.

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP 17
Established Branches: A – C
Branch A – John Guthrie c1725-1820 and Helen Wyllie / resided in Knowhead, Menmuir
Branch B – David Guthrie 1758 – bet.1841-51 and Elspet Christie / resided in Hyndhaugh, Cortachy
Branch C – Charles Guthrie 1781-1857 and Isabella Lyall / Resided in Tannadice and Brechin
Big-Y Participant Branches: NONE

GFG17 Haplogroup Family: R1b – M269

Comments:
All three branches of GFG17 are believed to trace back to David Guthrie c1650SCT – p1732SCT and Janet Stewart of Brechin and Menmuir in Forfarshire (now Angus), Scotland. More Y-37 or Y-111 matches are needed including Big-Y participation for this group.

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP 18
Established Branches: A
Big-Y Participant Branches:
A – Descendants of William Guthrie 1780-90 – aft 1843 and Mary (MNU) of Mondooey, Donegal, Ireland

GFG18 Haplogroup Family: R1b – M222
Most Recent Common Ancestor: R-FTE47143 / born about 1300 C.E.
Rare Ancient Connections: Viking Faroes
Rare Notable Connections: Religious Figure

Comments:
This participant is one of three representing this Guthrie Family Group. He is the only person in the FTDNA database with this Big-Y genetic profile, which probably indicates that it is a rare or under-tested lineage.

UPGRADING, SPONSORING, CO-SPONSORING
Results and estimates may change with any new Y-DNA and Big-Y test that is added to the database. We’ve got some seemingly impenetrable brick walls out there, but DNA lets us chip away at them one test at a time. Think about pooling resources as a family or group to upgrade a personal or key GFG kit. If you’d like to cost-share a kit upgrade, FTDNA can handle the details. There may also be some project Group Funds designated for specific lineages for partial sponsorship. Anyone who would like to sponsor a Big-Y upgrade or co-sponsor one for your Guthrie Family Group is welcome to chime in to see if there are any interested parties from your group. Now is the time to take advantage of the Holiday Sales, which are on through Dec. 31st.

The holiday whirlwind is truly here and 2026 is approaching fast.

May the New Year bring you blessings, peace, and plenty.