2A-H: Elizabeth Guthrie
ELIZABETH GUTHRIE
Parents: John Guthrie 1708IRE-1790PA and Ann Hill (or Emmons) 1715IRE-1814PA
Birth: 10 June 1746
Birth Location: Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA
Marriage: About 1770-71 to Hugh Gilkeson
Gilkeson Children: Margaret (1772), Ann (1775), Elizabeth (1778), David (1782), William (1784), James (1785)
Death: May 1830
Death Location: Augusta County, Virginia, USA
Burial Location: Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church Cemetery
HUGH GILKESON
Parents: William Gilkeson ????IRE-1788VA and Margaret Lynn
Birth: 1748
Birth Location: Londonderry, Chester County, Pennsylvania
Marriage 1st: Margaret Cowan (no children)
Marriage 2nd: Elizabeth Guthrie
Occupation: Unknown, probably a farmer
Military Service: Unknown
Death: 1806 – between February and April
Death Location: Augusta County, Virginia
Burial Location: Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church Cemetery
NOTES:
The Guthrie and Gilkeson families may have known each other back in Northern Ireland. We are told that John Guthrie and William Gilkeson sailed to America on the same ship. Whether that was a coincidence and they just happened to meet during the voyage or afterward is unknown.
Elizabeth Guthrie was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania on 10 Jun 1746. Her parents had settled along Octoraro Creek, a stream forming part of the boundary between Chester and Lancaster Counties, at a place later known as Andrews Bridge. At the time they were members of Fagg’s Manor Presbyterian Church.
Hugh Gilkeson was the eldest of the children of William and Margaret (Lynn) Gilkeson. William had initially settled in Lancaster County. Hugh was born in Pennsylvania in 1748.
The settled in Augusta County, Virginia and were early members of Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church. They had three daughters and three sons. Hugh became ill in 1806 and wrote will in February that was proved in April 1806. Elizabeth died in May of 1830. They are born buried at Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church Cemetery.
CHILDREN: 6
MARGARET GILKESON
1772VA-1815
Margaret Gilkeson was born about 1772 or1773 in Augusta County, Virginia. The family were members of Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church (originally founded in 1740 by missionaries from Pittsburgh), which is the oldest Presbyterian congregation in the Shenandoah Valley. He married two first cousins. His marriage to Margaret Gilkeson occurred on 15 May 1794 by the Rev. John McCue. She was the daughter of Hugh Gilkeson and Elizabeth Guthrie. They had 10 children and resided in Waynesboro, Augusta, Virginia. The 1830 census shows that his household included a total of 44 people: 16 white family members and 28 slaves. By 1840 the household had dwindled in size to 3 white family members and 12 slaves. About five years after Margaret’s death in 1815, when he was about 60 years old, John married Ann Guthrie, who was a spinster daughter of James Guthrie and Sarah Love. She was about 47 at the time of her marriage to John, and they had no children. She died on 27 April 1832 in Fishersville, Augusta, Virginia, and is buried at Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church. John Guthrie died on 27 January 1845 in Augusta County, Virginia.
CHILDREN:
1) Hugh Gilkeson Guthrie 1795VA-1881VA m.1849 Mrs. Elizabeth ‘Bettie’ Evans (Patterson) Gilkeson. No children.
2) William Gilkeson Guthrie 1796VA-1886VA (farmer) m. Margaret McClanahan +child
3) Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Guthrie 1798VA-1879VA m.1817 Charles Harrison (Dancing Instructor). Children Unknown.
4) David Guthrie 1801VA-1877VA m.1845VA Jane Ann Paxton +children
5) Matilda Guthrie 1803VA-1873WV m.1824 George Evans Craig +children
6) Hadassah McClellan Guthrie 1805VA-1886VA m.1827VA Robert Stuart Moffett +children
7) Ann Guthrie 1808VA-1887KY m. Samuel Wallace. No children
8) Amanda Guthrie 1810VA-1875IL m.1838VA Jacob Lehre Guthrie +children
9) Margaret Lynn Guthrie 1813VA-1893VA m.1841VA Daniel Fishburne +children
10) John Gilkeson Guthrie 1815VA-1891VA m.1846 Adeline Barclay Paxton +children
Y-DNA Project Participants: Yes
Autosomal DNA Participants: Yes
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: Yes
ANN GILKESON
1775VA-1849
The second daughter of Hugh and Elizabeth (Guthrie) Gilkeson was Ann Gilkeson, born about 1775 in Augusta County, Virginia. She married James Craig (III) on 29 January 1801 in Augusta County, VA. Like the Guthrie family, his ancestry included a Stuart line from Ireland. Whether those lineages were related is unknown. The family arrived in Illinois by way of Kentucky. During the 1820s they were living in Spencer County, Kentucky. They eventually settled in Woodson, Morgan, Illinois. Ann died there on 9 August 1849 and James on 17 March 1855. They are buried in Craig Cemetery in Woodson.
CHILDREN:
1) Elizabeth Gilkeson Craig 1801VA-1877IL m. 1827KY Allen Hall +children
2) Hugh Gilkeson Craig 1802VA-1844IL m1.1833IL Mary Rice, m2.1837IL Elizabeth Ann Johnston +children
3) William Craig 1806VA?-???? – No further data.
4) James Craig 1807KY-1875IL m.1832 Maria Street Posey +children
5) Edward Craig 1807KY-1883IL m.1832 Mary Ann Posey +children
6) Mary Ann Craig 1809KY-1852IL m.1832IL Barnabas Barrows +children
7) Margaret Jane Craig 1811KY-???? (Possibly the Jane Craig who m.1833IL John Williams – Need Info)
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: Yes
ELIZABETH GILKESON
1778VA-1856VA
Elizabeth Gilkeson was born on 25 January 1778 in Virginia. When she was 30 years old, on 7 July 1808, she married David Gilkeson, a cousin, the son of William Gilkeson and Sarah (Love) Guthrie. David was a cabinet maker in the furniture industry. No children. David died 11 September 1851 and Elizabeth five years later on 13 January 1856. They are buried at Tinkling Springs Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Fishersville, Augusta County, Virginia.
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: N/A – No Known Descendants
DAVID GILKESON
1782VA-1866VA
David Gilkeson was born in 1782 Virginia and married Polly Humphries in Augusta County on 23 May 1808. He was a farmer and became an elder in the Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church. Polly died 21 December 1860 and David on 7 December 1866. They are buried at Tinkling Springs Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Fishersville, Augusta County, Virginia.
CHILDREN:
1) Hugh Lynn Gilkeson 1810VA-1836IL – Unmarried. Died at 26 years of age.
2) Margaret Finley Gilkeson 1812VA-1848VA m.1838 Andrew Patterson +children
3) David Carlisle Gilkeson 1815VA-1864VA m1842VA Harriet Newall Finley +children
4) Elizabeth Ann Gilkeson 1820VA-1882MO m.abt1850 Rev. William W Trimble +children
5) James William Gilkeson 1822VA-1901VA m.1849VA Mary Frances ‘Fanny’ Wright +children
6) John Addison Gilkeson 1824VA-1891VA m.1851 Isabella Sterrett Humphreys +children
7) Samuel H. Gilkeson 1826VA-1857VA – Unmarried, aged 30. COD: Mashed by a saw log.
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: No
WILLIAM GILKESON
1784VA-1864
Born about 1784 in Augusta County, Virginia, William Gilkeson married a cousin, Sarah, daughter of his uncle, John Gilkeson, of Frederick County, VA. They lived and farmed in Staunton and had four children. William died on 23 December 1864 and Sarah on 29 August 1858.
CHILDREN:
1) John Gilkeson 1816VA-1841VA m. Bettie Patterson – No Children.
2) Hugh William Gilkeson abt.1821VA-1863GA m1.1850 Letitia Russell, m2.1854 Isabella Rounsaville, m3.1871 Harriet Moseley +children
3) Andrew Todd Gilkeson 1825VA-1890VA m.1851 Emma Heiskell +children
4) David Vance Gilkeson 1826VA-1871GA m.1858 Mary Esteline Gamble +children
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: No
JAMES GILKESON
1785VA
James Gilkeson was born on 21 Feb 1785. He married Eliza Crawford 23 March 1808 Mercer County, Kentucky, USA. The family lived near Springfield, Kentucky.
CHILDREN:
1) Elizabeth Gilkeson m. Rev. Aaron Alexander Hogue +children
2) James Sidney Gilkeson m. Mary LouiseHopper +children
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: No
Primary Sources
These are original or near-contemporary records (wills, tombstones, enumerations, taxes, court/church entries). They provide direct evidence of relationships, timelines, residency, and parentage.
- Gravestone Inscriptions, Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Fishersville, Augusta County, Virginia (physical monuments, surveyed ~1936/1954). Elizabeth: “84yr d/o John & Ann Guthrie w/o Hugh Gilkeson” (confirms death May 1830, age ~1746 birth, exact parentage). Hugh: “60yr” (confirms death February 1806). Access: Find A Grave Memorial IDs 24835705 (Elizabeth) and 24835706 (Hugh); physical site visit or church records. Transcribed in Howard McKnight Wilson’s church history (Appendix E, p. 458). Contribution: Definitive for death/parentage/age; no photos attached to memorials but inscriptions primary. Nuance: Age rounding common; no GPS or full epitaphs beyond this.
- Last Will and Testament of Hugh Gilkeson, Augusta County, Virginia, Will Book 10, p. 44 (dated 3 February 1806; proved 28 April 1806). Bequeaths to wife Elizabeth; daughters Margaret, Anna (Ann), Elizabeth; sons James, David, William (executors: David & William). Witnesses: Jacob Larew, Thomas Marshall, Joseph & Benjamin Larew. Access: Original at Augusta County Circuit Court Clerk, Staunton, VA; images via Ancestry.com (Virginia Wills & Probate collection); full abstract/transcription in Lyman Chalkley, Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia (extracts from original court records); WeRelate.org (Person:Hugh_Gilkeson_(1)). Contribution: Primary proof of family composition at Hugh’s death, executors (sons), and estate details. No mention of first wife Margaret Cowan or Ireland origins.
- U.S. Federal Census Records, Augusta County, Virginia (1810, 1820, 1830 enumerations). Post-1806 widow Elizabeth appears in or heads Gilkeson households (likely with sons David/William; 1830 notes large white families + enslaved persons in related lines, e.g., daughter Margaret’s household). Earlier censuses with Hugh pre-1806. Access: Digitized/indexed on FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com (search “Gilkeson” or variants + Augusta VA). Contribution: Confirms residency, household size/composition, and economic status (slavery, farming). Nuance: 1830 census timing overlaps Elizabeth’s May death; indexing variants require manual review.
- Augusta County, Virginia, Land Deeds, Personal Property Tax Lists, and Real Estate Tax Records (~1780s–1830s). Hugh listed as taxpayer/landowner (Beverley Manor area); post-1806 entries for widow Elizabeth or heirs (sons David/William). Deeds reference neighbors (Larew, Marshall) and church proximity. Access: FamilySearch.org (Augusta Co. deed/tax microfilm); Library of Virginia; Augusta County Historical Society lists; Ancestry.com Virginia tax collections. Contribution: Proves migration timing, land ownership, and economic continuity. Strong for residency verification.
- Marriage Bonds and Minister Returns, Augusta County, Virginia (for children; indirect for couple). Examples: Margaret Gilkeson m. John Guthrie (15 May 1794, surety possibly linked); Ann m. James Craig (29 January 1801); others 1808 (David m. Polly Humphries; Elizabeth m. David Gilkeson). Access: Augusta County Clerk or FamilySearch “Virginia Marriages”; Chalkley abstracts. Contribution: Ties children to parents via bonds/sureties; no direct record for Elizabeth/Hugh (presumed ~1770–1771 in PA/VA border area).
- Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church Records (membership rolls, elder lists, possible baptisms ~1770s onward). Early membership for Hugh/Elizabeth; sons (e.g., David as elder). Access: Church archives or abstracted in Wilson’s history (Appendix C: Elders, p. 431). Contribution: Confirms religious affiliation and community role. Possible PA Fagg’s Manor records for Elizabeth’s early life (baptism/parents).
- Potential Gilkeson Family Bible Record (Bible printed 1802; copy referenced in Augusta County Historical Society collections). Access: Contact Augusta County Historical Society, Staunton, VA (possible accession for Gilkeson/Humphries line; verify applicability). Contribution: If matching, primary for exact birth/death dates. Nuance: May pertain to descendants (David’s line); cross-check needed.
Additional PA primaries (for context/parents): Chester County tax lists (Londonderry Twp., 1730s–1740s) and land warrants (Octoraro Creek) for John Guthrie/Ann; Fagg’s Manor Presbyterian affiliation.
Secondary Sources
These interpret or compile primaries; valuable for context, child details, and migration traditions but verify against originals (e.g., dates rounded).
BOOK: Guthrie, Laurence R, ‘American Guthrie and allied families : lineal representations of the colonial Guthries of Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North and South Carolina, some post-revolutionary emigrants and of some allied families.‘ Chambersburg, Pa.: Kerr Print. Co., c1933. Digital Repository: Ancestry.com [See Allied Families: The Gilkeson pp.538-52]
BOOK: Wilson, Howard McKnight, ‘The Tinkling Spring, Headwater of Freedom: a Study of the Church and Her People, 1732-1952,’ 1974. Digital Repository: Hathitrust.org. [Volumes for Purchase][See Appendix C: Leaders at Tinkling Spring, III. Elders, p.431] [See Appendix E: Old Cemetery Gravestones, p.458]
WEBSITE: Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church
BOOK: McClure, James Alexander, ‘The McClure Family‘ Petersburg, VA, Presses of F.A.Owen, 1914.
The appendix contains an account of the Alexander, Baxter, Bumgardner, Mitchel, McCown, Pilson, Draper, Ingles, Gilkeson, Humphreys, Steele, Tate, and Wallace families: p. 184-220. Digital Repository: Archive.org. [See The Gilkeson Family, beginning on p.204]
BOOK: Chalkley, Lyman. Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia: Extracted from the Original Court Records of Augusta County, 1745–1800 (3 vols., 1912; multiple reprints). Will abstract (Hugh) + court/marriage sureties. Full text on Archive.org/HathiTrust. Contribution: Compiled primary abstracts; standard reference for Augusta records.Online Compiled Profiles: WikiTree (Guthrie-936; cites gravestone); WeRelate.org (Person:Elizabeth_Guthrie_(5) and Hugh_Gilkeson_(1); cites Chalkley/Lacy Moffett notes); FamilySearch ancestors pages (e.g., LH3L-QH1 for Hugh).Contribution: Aggregates above with user sources; use cautiously—secondary.Additional Local Histories: Joseph A. Waddell, Annals of Augusta County, Virginia (various editions); Augusta County Historical Society files (Bible/cemetery collections). Contribution: Broader county context.
