James Guthrie 1739 Ireland – 1792 Pennsylvania, USA
of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, USA

JAMES GUTHRIE
Parents: Robert Guthrie c1700IRE-1782PA and Bridget Dougherty 1711IRE-1794PA
Birth: 1739
Birth Location: Northern Ireland
Occupation: Carpenter, Cabinetmaker and Tippling House Proprietor
Marriage: None Known
Death: Either 1763 or about November 1792
Death Location: East Pennsboro, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, USA
Burial: Unknown, presumably in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, USA
Notes:
James Guthrie came to America with his mother in 1745 about a year after his father and older brother arrived. The family was living in Carlisle, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania when James grew from boyhood to manhood. Court Records list him both as juror and defendant. He was a carpenter like his father, but may also have run a ‘tippling house’ (tavern) on the side. There is some question about the date of his death. Pittsburgh Mayor, George Guthrie, a descendant of the Branch E line, wrote in a letter to a cousin that James Guthrie was thought to have died in 1763. Yet there is still a traceable record of a James Guthrie living in Cumberland County, PA in the 1770s thru the 1790s. Letters of administration of the estate of James Guthrie, late of East Pennsboro Twp., were granted to James Bell on 12 Nov 1792, and an account filed on 11 Sep 1793.

1739: Birth of James Guthrie.
No specific date is known, but the location was in Northern Ireland prior to his parents moving to Pennsylvania.

1740-1744: Robert Guthrie and his eldest son made the journey from Northern Ireland to America prior to Bridget and son James likely to settle in, obtain work or start a business.

1745: Arrival in America.
Bridget (Dougherty) Guthrie and son James arrived in America. They initially lived in Lancaster County, most likely in Philadelphia.

1750: Moved to Carlisle, Cumberland, Pennsylvania
By this time, James was about 11 years old and likely already learning the trade of his father as a carpenter and cabinetmaker.

1761: Juryman
This 21 April 1761 entry in Carlisle may or may not refer to this James Guthrie. Carlisle was the county seat. This James Guthrie was about 22, so would definitely have been eligible for jury duty. There was another man by the name James Guthrie, aged 44, living in Hamilton Township.

1763: Court Case – The King vs James Guttery, assault
I suspect this case does indeed refer to this James Guthrie. There were several court cases involving James’ parents for physical altercations.

1763: Possible Death Date
George Wilkins Guthrie, the Mayor of Pittsburgh, and a descendant of Robert Guthrie and Bridget Dougherty, wrote in a letter to his cousin Martha that he believed their son James died in 1763. There is no documented evidence of his death in 1763. There is also a paper trail of a James Guthrie in Cumberland County, PA from the 1770s through 1790s.

1776: Was James Guthrie a Rev. War Patriot Soldier?
There is a James Guthrie who served as a 2nd Lt. in the 8th PA out of Cumberland County. This James would have been in his 30s, while the other James Guthrie from Hamilton Twp would be in his 50s. Possible it could be a third man.

1778: Taxes
James Guthrie (single) – East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania

1779: Taxes
James Guthrie “freeman” – East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania

1780: Taxes
James Guthrie “freeman” – East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania

1782: Taxes
James Guthrie “freeman” – East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania

1785: Taxes
James Guthrie “freeman” – East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania

1786: Taxes
James Guthrie “freeman” – East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania

1788: Court Case – Pennsylvania v. James Gutherie – Tippling House

1790 Census: East Pennsboro Not Found
The records for the 1790 census of Cumberland County only report entries for Hopewell, Newton, Tyborn, and West Pennsboro Townships.

1792: Death
James Guthrie of East Pennsboro apparently died sometime in 1792. Letters of administration for his estate were granted to James Bell on 12 Nov 1792. (Cumberland County PA Wills, Book C, pp.1-2)

1793: Estate Records
An account of James Bell, administrator of the estate of James Guthrie, decd, late of East Pennsboro Twp.

1. James Guthrie c1720IRE-1801NC (married Elizabeth MNU died after 1810).
   Residences: Ireland, Maryland, and Orange County, NC. Children to Tennessee and Kentucky.
   This man is not the son of Robert Guthrie and Bridget Dougherty. He is most definitely related to the same genetic line of Guthrie men, however never lived in Pennsylvania. Their most recent common ancestor would be back in Ireland. His family came directly from Ireland to Baltimore, MD. He and his family are also documented in North Carolina at a time R&B’s James Guthrie is a resident in Pennsylvania.
2. James Guthrie c1715 SCT – 1774 Atlantic Ocean (married Elizabeth Dunlap d.1774 Atlantic Ocean)
   Residences: Scotland and Ireland. Children to Virginia and Kentucky.
   This man is not the son of Robert Guthrie and Bridget Dougherty. His father was also named James. He was part of the Rebellion of 1715 and sent his only son and heir, James, to Ireland where his brother was living in County Cork. James married Elizabeth Dunlap there and raised a family. In 1774 they sailed for Virginia leaving their only son, Adam with the uncle to remain as his heir. Both James and Elizabeth died at sea. Their family settled in Virginia. Adam reportedly was so distraught at the news of his mother’s death that his uncle sent him to his sisters. This James and Elizabeth are also often mistaken for the James and Elizabeth listed above, but they are two very distinct couples.

Primary Sources

Primary sources for James Guthrie (1739 IRE–1792 PA), son of Robert Guthrie and Bridget Dougherty, are limited due to the era’s sparse record-keeping for immigrants and non-landowners in colonial Pennsylvania. Many derive from court, tax, and estate documents in Cumberland County, where the family settled around 1750. These provide direct evidence of his existence, occupation, residence, and unmarried status but offer few personal details like exact birth or death dates (often inferred from context). No baptismal, marriage, or burial records have been identified, likely because the family was Presbyterian or Episcopalian, and early church records in Carlisle are incomplete or lost. Immigration is documented indirectly through family movements.

• Estate Administration Records (1792): Letters of administration for James Guthrie’s estate, issued 12 November 1792, in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. As he died intestate (without a will) and unmarried, his estate was handled by administrators, likely family members. This confirms his death year and suggests he had personal property but no heirs. Originals held at Cumberland County Archives, Carlisle, PA; referenced in secondary genealogies like Dunn (1898) and Guthrie (1933). No probate inventory survives, but this implies modest assets from his carpentry trade.
• Court Records (1763): Cumberland County Quarter Sessions Dockets record James Guthrie (aged about 24) charged with assault in Carlisle. This provides evidence of his residence and occupation as a carpenter/cabinetmaker, aligning with family trades. Original dockets available via Pennsylvania State Archives or Cumberland County Historical Society; transcribed in Greene (2000), Cumberland County Pennsylvania Quarter Session Dockets, 1750-1785. Edge cases: This could reflect frontier disputes or family tensions (e.g., his parents’ earlier indictments for similar issues), but it doesn’t indicate criminality—many colonial records involve minor infractions.
• Tax Records (1760s–1780s): Cumberland County tax lists (e.g., 1764, 1765 in Carlisle; 1778–1782 in East Pennsboro Township) list James Guthrie as a single freeman (unmarried adult male), taxed on personal property or trade. These confirm his independence from his father’s household by adulthood and his presence in the area post-immigration. Originals at Pennsylvania State Archives; published in Schaumann (1987), Tax Lists – Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Implications: As a non-landowner, he likely lived with family or rented, focusing on carpentry; this distinguishes him from land-holding Guthries like his brother Robert Jr.
• Immigration and Family Context Records (1740s): Indirect via father’s records—e.g., 1740 Protestant Householders’ Returns in Derry/Donegal, Ireland (listing “Robert Guttery/Guttry”), and Philadelphia port arrivals (inferred 1744–1745 split family voyage). James arrived around 1745 with mother Bridget and siblings. No passenger manifest names him specifically, but family letters (e.g., 1807 endorsement by nephew James Verner Guthrie) tie him to the group’s Derry origins. Original returns via Bill McAfee’s transcriptions; port records fragmented due to colonial inconsistencies. Nuances: Scotch-Irish immigration often lacked formal logs; DNA corroborates Ulster ties (see secondary sources).

Potential gaps: No Revolutionary War service definitively linked (a 2nd Lt. in 8th Pennsylvania Regiment may be a different James from Hamilton Township). Burial likely in Old Public Graveyard, Carlisle (now Memorial Park), but unmarked—common for 18th-century graves.

Secondary sources compile and interpret primaries, often from family traditions, letters, and genealogical research. They provide context like family migrations, occupations, and relations but risk errors (e.g., conflating this James with the 1720–1801 NC one, who married Elizabeth and had descendants in MD/NC). These emphasize his unmarried status, trade, and early death, distinguishing him via DNA and timelines.

• Guthrie, Laurence Rawdon. American Guthrie and Allied Families. Chambersburg, PA: Kerr Printing Company, 1933. Pages 267–301 (Robert Guthrie of Carlisle section): Detailed lineage from Rev. James Guthrie (Scottish martyr) through Ulster to Pennsylvania. Describes James (b. ca. 1739 IRE, d. 1792 PA) as unmarried carpenter/tavern owner in East Pennsboro; notes family immigration (father/brother 1744, mother/James 1745). Sources family letters (e.g., George Wilkins Guthrie, 1893) and Cumberland tax/militia records. Implications: Highlights trade union precursor (Carpenters’ Guild); some date errors (e.g., occasional 1763 death mix-up from letter). Available via Archive.org.
• Dunn, Harriett Nancy and Eveline Guthrie. Records of the Guthrie Family of Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Virginia. Chicago, IL: H.N. and S.L. Dunn, 1898: Traces Scotch-Irish roots, focusing on Pennsylvania lines. Confirms James as son of Robert/Bridget (b. 1739 IRE, d. 1792 PA, unmarried); draws from descendant George Wilkins Guthrie’s records (great-great-great-grandson, Pittsburgh mayor). Includes hand-written 1807 paper by grandfather John Guthrie (brother) endorsing descent from Derry, Ireland