2A-G: Elizabeth Guthrie
ELIZABETH GUTHRIE
Parents: John Guthrie 1725-IRE – 1797PA and Jane Reed 1726IRE – 1780PA
Birth: 1755
Birth Location: Londonderry, County Derry, Northern Ireland
American Immigration: 1771
Marriage (1st): Joseph Brownlee about 1776
Marriage (2nd): William Guthrie on 7 July 1784 (per Guthrie family records), or possibly 1786.
Brownlee Sons: John (1779)
Brownlee Daughters: Jane (1782)
Guthrie Sons: William (1785), James (1786), Joseph Brownlee (1798)
Guthrie Daughters: Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ (c1788), twins Jane and Mary (c1789), Jane ‘Jennie’ (c1791), Nancy (c1794) and Joanna (c1796)
Other: One Guthrie child of unknown gender born in 1793
Death: 11 February 1842
Death Location: Redbank, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, USA
Burial: 12 February 1842
Burial Location: Unverified
JOSEPH BROWNLEE
Parents: Unknown (See Speculative Family History)
Birth: 1752
Birth Location: Unknown, reportedly in Pennsylvania, USA
Military Service: Revolutionary War Patriot Soldier (1st Lt 13th PA Reg.), Westmoreland County Militia
Death: 13 July 1782
Death Location: Hannastown, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania
Burial Location: See Report: A Lonely Historic Grave
WILLIAM GUTHRIE
Parents: James Guthrie 1720IRE – 1801PA and Jeanette (Wilson) Moore abt. 1720 – aft. 1787PA
Birth: 9 July 1751
Birth Location: Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, USA
Military Service: Revolutionary War Soldier
Occupation: Soldier / Frontier Ranger (Captain)
Marriage: Mrs Elizabeth (Guthrie) Brownlee on 7 July 1784 in Westmoreland, Pennsylvania
Death: 10 March 1828 (age 76)
Death Location: Redbank, Armstrong, Pennsylvania, USA (Armstrong formed from Westmoreland in 1800)
Burial: Unconfirmed – Old Salem Church Cemetery, Derry, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, USA
NOTES:
Elizabeth Guthrie was born in Londonderry, Northern Ireland to John Guthrie and Jane Reed. She was the eldest daughter in the family and was about 16 years old when they arrived in Pennsylvania. The family settled in Westmoreland County in or near Hannastown. She married Joseph Brownlee soon afterward. Online trees list his parents as Thomas Brownlee and Jean Hamilton, a couple who lived and died in Scotland, but then also report Joseph was born in Pennsylvania. Read Betty Rudolph’s report on ‘The Brownlee History‘ for speculation on Joseph’s connection to that family.
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania during the 1770s and 1780s was still very much the western frontier. The settlers struggled for survival during crises involving the native tribes, food shortages, and taxation. Joseph Brownlee was a young man in his mid-twenties when the American Revolution began. He served in Capt. Joseph Erwin’s Company, which was raised in Westmoreland County, and joined the regiment at Marcus Hook. It was included in the 13th Pennsylvania Regiment, and later the 2nd. Capt. Joseph Brownlee was discharged at Valley Forge on 1 January 1788, by reason of expiration of term of enlistment. He was engaged in battles at Long Island, White Plains, Trenton, Princeton, Quibbletown, Brandywine, and Germantown. Commissions included: Third Lieutenant, 18 Apr 1777; Second Lieutenant, 24 Oct 1776; First Lieutenant, 18 Apr 1777. He also served in a company of Independent Rangers.
Not all of the actions by the frontier rangers and local militia were for the greater good, especially when viewed through our modern lens. Joseph Brownlee was renowned as an Indian fighter, but he made no distinction between the threat of a warlike tribe and those considered friendly to the colonists. “Due to an alliance between the Delawares and the United States, Col. Brodhead, in the autumn of 1780, received the aid of more than forty friendly Delawares of the Turtle and Turkey Clans, who had come to assist him in his contemplated operations against the Wyandots. The chagrin of the loyal Delawares was great when Broadhead told the that the expedition would have to be abandoned on account of lack of food. To make matters worse, a band of militia from Westmoreland County marched to attack these friendly Delawares, their wives, and children. In a letter dated November 2nd, 1780, Broadhead says: “I believe I could have called out near an hundred. But as upwards of forty men from the neighborhood of Hannastown have attempted to destroy them whilst they consider themselves under our protection, it may not be an easy matter to call them out again, notwithstanding they (the Hannastown settlers) were prevented from executing their unmanly intention, by a guard of regular soldiers posted for the Indians’ protection. I was not a little surprised to find that the late Captains Irwin and Jack, Lieutenant Brownlee, and Ensign Guthrie concerned in this base attempt. I suppose the women and children were to suffer an equal carnage with the men.” (PA Archives, Vol. 8, page 596).
Brownlee had a reputation, not only amongst his own kind. To the natives, he was a bitterly hated man who “thought it his duty to kill an Indian as he would a snake or dangerous wild beast.” This certainly played a hand in his death at Hannastown on 13 July 1782 where the community was gathered for the second day of a wedding celebration, when a party of 150 Indians and Tories burned the village. About twenty men, women, and children were captured and made to carry goods stolen from the houses. One woman, said to be Mrs Robert Hanna, unthinkingly addressed Captain Brownlee by name, alerting their captors to his identity. Also among those captured were his wife Elizabeth, their young son John, 3 or 4 years old, and infant daughter, Jane.
Brownlee and John were killed with a hatchet. Elizabeth was forced to watch the murder of her husband and son without any action revealing her own identity and risking the life of her daughter. They were taken as captives and marched from Hannastown to Buffalo and Niagara. When her infant daughter became too heavy to easily carry in her arms, she was strapped to her back. Elizabeth barely survived the harrowing ordeal. One account reveals that the Indians had plans to torture them to death, but a British soldier, convinced the Indians to sell them instead. Elizabeth was sold for $20, Jane for $10, and 2 gallons of rum. They were taken to Montreal where they were exchanged for British prisoners, and returned to Hannastown in July, a year after their capture.
Elizabeth revealed that she returned to Westmoreland County “emaciated, sickly, without consolation of her husband, without money, without friends who could afford her any relief, her house and furniture burned by the savages with all her husband’s papers and accounts.” She supported herself for two years by her own industry at the end of which time she married Capt. William Guthrie who commanded a company of frontier rangers. Considering her situation, the offer of marriage by her cousin may have been Elizabeth’s only viable option in those times.
William Guthrie was the second of two sons of James Guthrie Sr and Jeanette (Wilson) Moore. He also had a half brother John Moore from his mother’s first marriage to William Moore. John Moore became presiding judge for Westmoreland County. His brother James Guthrie served as a Justice of the Peace and was appointed a Wood Ranger for Westmoreland. William Guthrie served as a patriot soldier in the Revolutionary War with the initial rank of private, and later commanded a company of frontier rangers as their captain. He was at the battles of Trenton and Princeton, among others. The soldiering life seems to have been William Guthrie’s main focus. When he married it was not until his early thirties choosing his widowed first cousin.
William Guthrie was apparently ill-suited for the settled lifestyle of a farmer and was unable to commence any other business. The only substantial monetary help they received was his military pension. Yet the couple had no difficulty producing children. William Guthrie met a tragic end when he accidentally fell off of a wagon while crossing a high bridge. After petitioning the state legislature, the state treasurer was authorized to pay Elizabeth Guthrie an immediate sum of $60 for 1829 and scheduling an annuity of the same payable half yearly during the remainder of her life.
WILLIAM’S CHILDREN: 10
ELIZABETH’S CHILDREN: 12
JOHN BROWNLEE
Abt. 1779PA – 1782PA
The eldest child of Joseph and Elizabeth (Guthrie) Brownlee. John was born about 1779. He was only around 3 years old when the Seneca and their British allies attacked Hanna’s Town on 13 July 1782. He was killed that day along with his father and many others, while his mother and infant sister were taken as captives.
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Died in Early Childhood – No Descendants
Autosomal DNA Participants: N/A – Died in Early Childhood – No Descendants
JANE BROWNLEE
1782PA – 18??OH
Jane ‘Jennie’ Brownlee, the only daughter of Capt. Joseph and Elizabeth (Guthrie) Brownlee was likely born in Hanna’s Town, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Elizabeth and Jane, then about 4 months old, were among the captives taken by the Seneca and marched north to Buffalo and Niagara. When the journey made it too difficult to hold an infant Jane was strapped to her mother’s back. Both mother and daughter survived the ordeal. A British officer purchased Elizabeth for $20, Jane for $10, and two gallons of rum, after which they were held in Montreal until they were released through a prisoner exchange and returned to Hannastown. Jane grew to womanhood likely with no memory of the experience, but certainly with the story of what had happened. She married James or Jesse Hugle (or Hike or Hughes). They moved to Muskingum County, Ohio and had 4 sons and 3 daughters. The 1820 Muskingum Census lists a James Hughs, age 26-44, in Brush Creek and a James Huckle in Springfield, also 26-44.
CHILDREN:
1) Unidentified Son, birth order unknown
2) Unidentified Son, birth order unknown
3) Unidentified Son, birth order unknown
4) Unidentified Son, birth order unknown
5) Unidentified Daughter, birth order unknown
6) Unidentified Daughter, birth order unknown
7) Unidentified Daughter, birth order unknown
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: No
WILLIAM GUTHRIE
1785PA – 1867PA
The eldest son of William and Elizabeth Guthrie was named for his father, William. He was born on 21 April 1785 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. He became a farmer. His wife’s name was Jane, but her maiden name is unknown. They had two daughters. William and Jane were living in Porter, Clarion, Pennsylvania. William’s will was written in 1860. He died at Smithland in 1867. His will was registered 9 April 1867.
CHILDREN:
1) Elizabeth ‘Betsey’ Guthrie abt 1819PA – at.1880PA m. Thomas F Elder (farmer) +children
2) Nancy Guthrie 1823PA-1898PA m.Joseph Downs (farmer) +children
Y-DNA Project Participants: No
Autosomal DNA Participants: No
JAMES GUTHRIE
1786PA – 1851
Due to his mother’s tale of suffering at the hands of the Seneca, James Guthrie developed a great hatred for the Indians. James was born the 6th of either January or June of 1786 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. It is said that he had a natural son (born out of wedlock / illegitimate) named for James who was raised by his maternal grandmother James settled on a large farm near Summerville in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania and married 22 Feb 1814 to Margaret McRae (18 Jan 1793-15 Sep 1836). They had 7 children. The 1850 census lists him with “Anna Guthrie” presumably a new wife. James died 29 June 1851.
CHILDREN:
1) James B. Guthrie (farmer/laborer) 30 Mar 1811PA – 13 Jun 1890PA m. Elizabeth Bish +children
2) William Guthrie (farmer/laborer) 27 Jun 1816PA – 14 Oct 1902PA m. Harriette Fuller +children
3) Alexander Guthrie (farmer) 4 Jun 1818PA – 9 Aug 1894WI m. Almira J Fairweather +children
4) James Guthrie (carpenter) 1 Dec 1820PA – 28 May 1899 m1 Docas Jones, m2. Susan Alexander +children
5) Joseph Guthrie (farmer) 31 Mar 1823PA – 11 Nov 1907PA m. Elizabeth Brown +children
6) Thomas Guthrie (laborer) 19 Dec 1824PA – 6 May 1889 m1.Anise Huffman, m2.Mary Morgan +children
7) Elisabeth Guthrie 5 Sep 1826PA – 25 May 1829PA died in early childhood.
8) John Guthrie 31 May 1829PA – 24 Oct 1856WI – marital status and issue uncertain
Y-DNA Project Participants: Yes
Autosomal DNA Participants: No
ELIZABETH ‘BETSY’ GUTHRIE
1788PA – 18??OH
Betsy “married a Mr Boles and moved to Ohio. They had five sons and five daughters.” (LRG, pp416-417) Online trees identify the couple as Walter Boles and wife Elizabeth from Pleasant, Brown County, Ohio and assign them 3 sons: Allen, Walter, and Shaffer Boles who are living with a widowed Elizabeth during the 1850 and 1860 censuses. Other trees credit Shaffer as the sons of John Allen Boles and Elizabeth Shaffer.
CHILDREN:
1) Unidentified Son Boles, birth order unknown
2) Unidentified Son Boles, birth order unknown
3) Unidentified Son Boles, birth order unknown
4) Unidentified Son Boles, birth order unknown
5) Unidentified Son Boles, birth order unknown
6) Unidentified Daughter Boles, birth order unknown
7) Unidentified Daughter Boles, birth order unknown
8) Unidentified Daughter Boles, birth order unknown
9) Unidentified Daughter Boles, birth order unknown
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: No
MARY GUTHRIE
1789PA – abt. 1809PA
Mary Guthrie was one half of a set of twins. Her sister Jane died either at birth or in infancy. Mary reportedly lived until she was nearly twenty, but died unmarried. No further data.
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: N/A
JANE GUTHRIE
1789PA – 1789PA
Jane Guthrie was a twin to Mary Guthrie, but died either at birth or in her infancy.
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A
Autosomal DNA Participants: N/A
JANE ‘JENNIE’ GUTHRIE
1791PA –
Born in 1791, Jennie was presumably named after the twin that died, but her grandmothers Jeanette and Jane.
“William Matthews was born in Armstrong County, PA, where he grew to manhood and learned the trade of a carpenter. For his wife, among the maidens of Armstrong County he chose Miss Jane Guthrie, who was also a native of that county. Soon after marriage they proceeded to Montgomery County, IN, and settled among the early pioneers of that region, where William Matthews followed farming until 1854. (They) came to Illinois with their family, and located on section 29, in Tolono Township. At that time there were only nine families in this locality, who lived amidst timber in the southwestern part of the township. On the north, the nearest settlement was where the city of Urban now stands. (William and Jane) died the following year.”
CHILDREN:
1) Ezekial Matthews (farmer) 1808PA-1875IL m. Clarissa Ann Philips +children
2) Lydia Matthews 1813PA-1885IL m. William Gibson +children
3) Sarah Jane Matthews 1816PA-1891IL m. Joseph McKelvey (farmer) +children
4) Nancy Matthews 1818PA-1882IL m. David Amos Allen (farmer) +children
5) Unidentified Child, probably b. 1820-1824 – d. before 1887
6) Unidentified Child, probably born 1824 – 1828 – d. before 1887
7) John Marion Matthews (farmer) 1830IN-1907IL m.1856 Lovisa Ann Monroe +children
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: No
UNIDENTIFIED GUTHRIE
1793PA – ????PA
William and Elizabeth reportedly had 10 children. One child of unknown gender was born about 1793 and presumably died during infancy.
NANCY GUTHRIE
1794PA – 1826PA
“Nancy Guthrie was born in 1794. She married a Mr. Coon and died on 15 March 1826 of consumption leaving a little daughter, Mary Coon, who was born 1 May 1824. She was adopted and raised by her grandmother Guthrie. She married Robert Brown.” If I have the right family from Redbank, Clarion County, Pennsylvania, Robert Brown was first married to a Margaret, who was the mother of his children, and later to Mary. They are buried in Frazier Cemetery in Mayport, Clarion, PA.
CHILDREN:
1) Mary Coon 1824PA-1894PA m. Robert Brown. His 2nd marriage. No known children.
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: N/A
JOANNA GUTHRIE
1796PA –
Joanna Guthrie was born in 1794. She married Alexander Brown who died 27 May 1860 aged 86 years __ months and 18 days. Buried in Frazier Cemetery in Mayport, Clarion, Pennsylvania. It is unclear whether Alexander and Joanna had children of their own. Alexander’s will includes several small bequests to people with the Brown surname, none identified with a relationship, but the bulk of his estate went to Mary Coon (see above), his wife’s niece, who apparently cared for the couple. Mary was living with them during the 1860 census, which was prior to her marriage to Robert Brown. Joanna presumably predeceased her husband by a matter of months.
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: No
JOSEPH BROWNLEE GUTHRIE
1798PA – 1883PA
Born on 29 Dec 1798, Joseph Brownlee Guthrie was the 10th child of William and Elizabeth Guthrie. He married Mary Ann Fleming (1811-1883) on 16 March 1837. They lived in Licking, Porter Township, Clarion, Pennsylvania. He died on 23 September 1833.
CHILDREN:
1) Sarah Everetta Guthrie (dressmaker) 29 Jan 1839PA – 28 Feb 1919 m. Mr Henderson. No children.
2) William Fleming Guthrie 5 Nov 1840PA – 16 Jun 1899PA m1888PA. Jennie Beatty. No children.
3) Joseph Brownlee Guthrie Jr born 25 March 1843 – died 13 Jan 1862 of diphtheria, aged 18.
4) Elizabeth Ann Guthrie born 16 Oct 1849 – died 13 Jan 1862 of diphtheria, aged 13.
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – No known surviving descendants
Autosomal DNA Participants: N/A – No known surviving descendants
READING and RESOURCES
Report: Thomas, Harold A., ‘A Lonely Historic Grave‘, 1965. Digital Repository: journals.psu.edu
WEBSITE: Westmoreland Historical Society – The 1782 Attack on Hanna’s Town
WEBSITE: Westmoreland County Pennsylvania Genealogy Project – The Destruction of Hannastown
REPORT: Warren, Anna L., A Captive’s Tale: Story of Elizabeth etc Brownlee Guthrie, a 15 page report by the Westmoreland County Historical Society Research Committee, 1977, reprinted 2002. Available for purchase at the Westmoreland Historical Society.
BOOK: Curtis, Gail A., Woman on Fire: Based on True Events: A Story about Elizabeth Guthrie Brownlee Guthrie, 2019. Available for purchase and/or download at Amazon.
JOURNALS: (downloadable PDF)
The Destruction of Hannastown
Download
BOOK: Portrait and Biographical Album of Champaign County, Illinois, Chapman Bros., Chicago, IL, 1887. See sketch of John M. Matthews, son of William and Jane (Guthrie) Matthews, pp.411-412.
BOOK: Miller, Kerby, Schrier, Arnold, Boling, Bruce D. and Doyle, David N, Irish Immigrants in the Land of Canaan, Letters and Memoirs from Colonial and Revolutionary America, 1675-1815, Oxford University Press, 2003. Digital Repository: Google
[See Elizabeth Guthrie Brownlee Guthrie, pp179-184]
BOOK: Heitman, Francis B, ‘Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army During the War of the Revolution‘ The Rare Book Shop Publishing Co., Inc., Washington DC, 1914. Digital Repository: Google Books.
PA ARCHIVES: Pennsylvania Archives, 6th Series, Vol 14, pg 298-299 – Early Petitions
The Petition of Sundry of the Inhabitants of Westmoreland County
Signers include:
1) Brownlee: John, Hugh, Joseph
2) Guthrie (Gothery): John Senior, John Junior
PA ARCHIVES: Pennsylvania Archives, 3rd Series, Vol 22, pg 432-433
Taxables: Westmoreland County, Mount Pleasant Township, 1783
1) Guthrie, Ja’s, Sen’r – 210 acres, 2 Horses, 2 Cattle, 0 Sheep
2) Guthry, Jn’o, Jun’r, single, 0 Acres, 1 horses, 0 cattle, 0 sheep
3) Guthrie, Wm, Cap., single, 0 Acres, 0 horses, 0 cattle, 0 sheep
PA ARCHIVES: Pennsylvania Archives, 3rd Series, Vol 22, pg 512 and 514
Taxables: Westmoreland County, Hempfield Township, (South District) – 1786
1) Brownlee, Jos’h’s, heirs – Amount of Tax 2.11
2) Guthrie, Wm – Amount of Tax 3.10
BOOKS: Boucher, John H. ‘History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania’, Lewis Publishing Co. 1906.
Volume One, Volume Two, Volume Three
[See Capt Joseph Brownlee, Vol. One, pp. 176, 179, 180]
BOOKS: Boucher, John H. ‘Old and New Westmoreland‘, The American Historical Society, Inc., New York, 1918.
Digital Repository: HathiTrust, Volumes One thru Four.
REPORT: Frontier Forts of Western Pennsylvania. Hannastown. Includes Letter from Michael Huffnagle to Irvine, dated the day after the battle at Hannastown
FOLD3: Revolutionary War Pension Application W3245: Joseph Brownlee Elizabeth Guthrie former widow
These are scans of the documents themselves, which include the actual pension application, supporting documentation in the form of depositions, military information, and typed letters from the pension office summarizing the details of the file including key genealogical data.
One such letter dated February 24, 1937, from A.D. Hiller, Executive Assistant to the Administrator:
“Joseph Brownlee, W.3245
Dear Sir:
Reference is made to your request for information relative to ELIZABETH GUTHRIE who first married CAPTAIN BROWNLEE and then married CAPTAIN GUTHRIE who served in the Revolutionary War.
The data which follow were obtained from papers on file in the pension claim, W. 3245, based upon the Revolutionary War service of JOSEPH BROWNLEE.
While living in HANNASTOWN, WESTMORELAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, JOSEPH BROWNLEE married in 1775, 1776, or 1777 ELIZABETH, whose maiden name was not given.
He enlisted in the spring of 1776 as a lieutenant in CAPTAIN JOSEPH IRWIN’s company of Riflemen in COLONEL MILES’ Pennsylvania regiment. He was taken prisoner at the Battle of Long Island, was exchanged and attached to COLONEL STEWART’S and BRODHEAD’S Pennsylvania regiments and was stationed at FORTS PITT and LAURENS. Because of an injury in the foot he left the service in 1779 and resided at HANNASTOWN until July, 1782, when the town was destroyed by Indians and he and his little son, whom he was carrying in his arms, were killed by the Indians at or near MILLER’S FORT. His wife, ELIZABETH, and child, JANE, were captured and taken to BUFFALO and NIAGARA, where the wife was sold to a British officer for twenty dollars and the child for ten dollars and two gallons of rum. ELIZABETH was then sent as a captive to MONTREAL, was exchanged and returned with the child to HANNASTOWN in July, 1783.
ELIZABETH BROWNLEE married in July, 1784, WILLIAM GUTHRIE of HANNASTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA. He enlisted in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, in May, 1776, in CAPTAIN JAMES McCONNEL’S Pennsylvania Company of the FLYING CAMP, was in the battles of Trenton and Princeton and was discharged in January, 1777. He enlisted in 1780 and served as a lieutenant in CAPTAIN MATHEW Jack’s company of Pennsylvania rangers, and he served another year as captain of a company of rangers.
After the close of the Revolutionary War WILLIAM and ELIZABETH GUTHRIE moved to that part of WESTMORELAND COUNTY which was later called ARMSTRONG COUNTY and he was killed by a fall from a wagon March 10, 1828, at which time he was seventy-three years of age.
She was survived by the following children: JAMES GUTHRIE, JOANNA or JOHANNA GUTHRIE who lived in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, and JOSEPH BROWNLEE GUTHRIE and WILLIAM GUTHRIE who lived in CLARION COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA. In 1849 it was stated that JANE (the daughter of JOSEPH and ELIZABETH BROWNLEE) had married JESSE HUKEL and had moved to MUSKINGUM COUNTY, OHIO, and that the family did not know whether she was then living or dead, as they had not heard from her for eight years. Said JANE was four years of age in 1786.
On June 25, 1847, the above-noted JOSEPH BROWNLEE GUTHRIE applied for pension that was due the surviving children of ELIZABETH GUTHRIE, on account of the Revolutionary War service of JOSEPH BROWNLEE and the claim was allowed.
In 1847 SARAH BEATTY, aged eighty-four years and a resident of NORTH BUFFALO TOWNSHIP, ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, stated that she was the sister of ELIZABETH GUTHRIE and that her father (name not given) moved to the vicinity of HANNASTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, before the Revolutionary War. She did not give the date and place of birth of her father nor his place of residence before moving to Hannastown. Said SARAH married WILLIAM BEATTY July 8, 1783. In 1847, JANE BEATTY of ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, who married JOHN BEATTY December 31, 1789, stated that she was the sister of ELIZABETH GUTHRIE and she stated that when the Indians killed JOSEPH BROWNLEE they killed her brother (name not given) at the same place.
The date and place of birth and names of parents of the Revolutionary War soldiers, JOSEPH BROWNLEE and WILLIAM GUTHRIE, were not given and there are no further family data.”
Another document within the record:
“At an ORPHAN’S COURT held at GREENSBURGH for the COUNTY of WESTMORELAND the seventh day of November 1786 before John Moon Esquire president, Christopher Truby Esquire and Michael Huffnagle Esquire Justices of the same Court.
Joseph Brownlee dec’d
Upon application of WILLIAM GUTHRY who is intermarried with ELIZABETH BROWNLEE widow and relict of JOSEPH BROWNLEE decd. Setting forth that he has had in his care a female child of four years of age, of the said deceased from the seventh day of July 1784 until this time and praying that the court would allow him such compensation for boarding and clothing the said child as they may think meet. The court order That the administrators of the estate of the said JOSEPH BROWNLEE deceased pay the said WILLIAM GUTHRY the sum of eight pounds by the year for the time that he has boarded and clothed the said child.”