Thomas Guttery 1780GA – aft.1820
of Elbert, Franklin, and Hall Counties, Georgia, USA

THOMAS GUTTERY
Parents: Robert Guttery / Guthrie 1750-52SC – 1799GA and Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ (MNU) 1756-1825GA
Birth: abt. 1780
Birth Location: Georgia, probably Wilkes County
Occupation: Unknown, probably farmer
Military Service: Unknown
Marriage: None Found (See Notes)
Death: After 1820
Death Location: Unknown, Last Documented in Hall County, Georgia, USA

NOTES:
The children of Robert and Betsy Guthrie were born ranging between 1770 and 1790 with Thomas being the middle child. His DOB is listed as 1780 but there are no records listing a specific year. The 1820 census of Capt. Buffington’s District, Hall County, Georgia lists the Thomas Guttery Household: 1M 26-44 (born 1776-1794), 1F 45+, 5 slaves. The female listed here is his widowed mother, Betsy. At her death in 1825, there were 6 slaves in the estate inventory. Two other documents provide clues as to Thomas’ age. He signed for his own receipt of inheritance from his father’s estate on 7 Feb 1801, suggesting that he was of legal age to conduct such affairs making him 21. He was on the Franklin County, Georgia Tax Lists for 1800, 1801, and 1803, also indicating that he was 21 or over.

There is no mention of Thomas Guttery in his mother’s estate papers. Eldest brother Leroy was the appointed executor. A search for the name Thomas Guttery (or spelling variants) in the 1830 census produces no results for men in the 40-49 or 50-59 categories for either Georgia or Alabama. The closest is a Thomas Gather 30-39 living in Limestone, AL with his family.

Many trees list this Thomas Guttery as the man who married Elizabeth Cape in Hall County, Georgia on 19 Aug 1827. The timing seems right as does the location in Hall County. However, the census records show that man was born 1810-1820, and that the family was living in Walker County, AL next door to John and Mary ‘Polly’ (Rylee) Guthrie, which suggests that he was their son of the same name. John had been living in Hall County Georgia during the 1820 census, also in Capt. Buffington’s District. John Guttery is the brother of this Thomas Guttery, which makes the Thomas Guttery who married Elizabeth Cape this Thomas Guttery’s nephew.

This means that the fate of this Thomas Guttery remains unknown.

Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – No Known Descendants*
Autosomal DNA Project Participants: No Known Descendants*

* If you are a descendant of Thomas Guttery and Elizabeth Cape and would like to verify whether you descend from Thomas, son of John, rather than Thomas, son of Robert, please search for a direct line male Guthrie descending from Thomas Guttery and Elizabeth Cape to act as your representative. A Y-DNA test should confirm a genetic profile match to GFG2E rather than GFG2A.

Primary Sources

(Original Records) These are the core contemporary documents directly naming or documenting Thomas Guttery/Guthrie (spelling variants include Guttery, Gutrey, Guthery, Guthree, Guttry). They establish parentage, approximate birth year (c.1780, age 21+ by 1801), residences (Elbert → Franklin → Hall Counties, Georgia), household composition in 1820 (living with widowed mother Elizabeth “Betsy”), slave ownership context, and continued presence into 1821. No birth, marriage, death, or will records for Thomas himself have been located. No deeds or court cases under his name appear in indexed Elbert, Franklin, Hall, or Dooly County records beyond those below (a potential edge case for unindexed or lost documents). All are accessible via Georgia county courthouses, Georgia Archives, or digitized collections on Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org (where noted). Negative evidence (e.g., absence from mother’s 1825 estate) is noted as significant for genealogy.

1. Estate of Robert Guttery/Guthree (father), Elbert County, Georgia, 1797–1801
   • Will dated 12 April 1797 (some abstracts note 20 April), recorded 12 September 1799 in Ordinary’s Record 1791–1803, Section B, p. 72 (or Will Book B, p. 92). Names wife “Betty” (executrix) and children (including son Thomas, along with William, Leroy/Lee, Milly, Betsy, John, and Nelly Reives), each bequeathed $1. Executors: Betty Guttery and James Ryley. Witnesses: Daniel Maddox and Betsy Maddox (son-in-law and daughter).
   • Estate inventory/appraisement: Wills, Letters, Returns, Inventories, Appraisements & Sales Book B, pp. 58–59 (recorded April 1799; total value ~$1,015.29).
   • Settlement receipts: Wills, Letters, Returns, Inventories, Appraisements & Sales Books A–B–C, pp. 57–58. Thomas Gutry signed receipt for his $1 inheritance share on 7 February 1801 (alongside siblings William, Leroy, John, etc.); recorded 30 April 1801. Repository/Access: Elbert County Probate Court (originals); digitized on Ancestry.com (“Georgia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1742–1992”); abstracts in Historical Collections of the Georgia Chapters, Daughters of the American Revolution, Vol. III (Elbert County records).What it proves: Direct parentage; Thomas was of legal age (21+) by early 1801; family in Elbert County at father’s death (1799). Contextual nuance: Minimal bequests ($1 each) typical when land/slaves had already been advanced or reserved for widow.
2. Franklin County, Georgia Property Tax Digests, 1800, 1801, and 1803
   • Thomas Guttery/Gutrey listed as a white male poll taxpayer (indicating residency and adult status).
   • 1803 digest specifically: p. 41 (image 81 of 109), alongside Elizabeth Gutrey (mother), Leroy Gutrey, and John Gutrey. Repository/Access: Georgia Archives or Ancestry.com (“Georgia, U.S., Property Tax Digests, 1793–1892”). What it proves: Continued residence in Franklin County (formed 1798 from Wilkes/Elbert area) post-father’s death; reinforces age 21+; family cluster evident. Spelling variation (Gutrey) common in tax records.
3. 1820 United States Federal Census, Hall County, Georgia
   • Population schedule, Capt. Buffington’s (or Huffington’s) District. Thomas Guttery household: 1 white male aged 26–44 (born 1776–1794; fits ~1780 birth), 1 white female aged 45+ (identified as widowed mother Betsy), 5 slaves. Households listed sequentially with brothers John Guthery and Lee (Leroy) Guthery.Repository/Access: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) microfilm M33; digitized images on Ancestry.com (collection 7734; relevant image viewer e.g., around 4433223_00082) and FamilySearch (United States Census, 1820). What it proves: Residence and household in Hall County (formed 1818) by 1820; living with mother; slave ownership shared or inherited from father’s estate. Adjacent family clustering aids identification. Edge case: No 1810 census match located (pre-Hall County formation; Franklin/Elbert searches negative).
4. 1821 Georgia Land Lottery (Act of 15 May 1821), Hall County, Georgia
   • Thomas Guttery (Buffington’s District, Hall County) drew Lot 95, 14th District, Dooly County, Georgia (as a qualified resident/bachelor). Repository/Access: Georgia Archives (original lottery records); compiled in books such as Georgia Land Lottery 1821 indexes or online winner lists (Georgia Virtual Vault or Ancestry/FamilySearch lottery collections). What it proves: Confirmed residency/qualification in Hall County into 1821; potential land ownership in Dooly County (further research edge case: check Dooly County tax/deed indexes 1821–1830 for disposition/sale; none indexed under Thomas). Extends documented life beyond 1820 census.
5. Estate of Elizabeth “Betsy” Guttery/Guthery (mother), Hall County, Georgia, 1825–1831/1834
   • Administration/will filed 7 March 1825; bond by executors Leroy Guttery and John Williams.
   • Inventory and appraisement of Hall County property (including 6 slaves; total value referenced ~$1,925 in summaries), dated 27 December 1831 (recorded in Miscellaneous Book A, p. 44 or B, p. 43 per abstracts). Settled ~1834. Thomas is not mentioned as heir, legatee, administrator, or claimant. Repository/Access: Hall County Probate/Ordinary Court (originals); summaries and bonds in Ancestry.com Georgia probate collections and WikiTree citations. What it proves: Thomas absent from final settlement (negative evidence strongly suggesting he had died without issue, relocated without contact, or had no claim by 1825–1831). Slave count aligns with 1820 census. Contextual note: Family moved to Hall County post-1818; Leroy (eldest brother) handled administration.

No additional primaries located: Searches for Thomas’s own deeds (Elbert/Franklin/Hall/Dooly Counties), 1830 census matches (GA/AL, age 40–50/50–60 variants), marriage (Hall County 1827 record to Elizabeth Cape is disproven—belongs to nephew Thomas b.~1804, son of John), or death/will yield no results. Potential unindexed court packets at Georgia Archives could exist.

Secondary Sources

• Historical Southern Families, Vol. IV (John Bennett Boddie): Covers broader Guttery/GA-AL lines (maiden-name speculation for Elizabeth; less reliable for specifics).
• American Guthrie and Allied Families (Lawrence R. Guthrie, 1933): Broader Guthrie groups; known inaccuracies per modern DNA (not directly citing this Thomas).
• User trees on FamilySearch (Robert Guttery LRDJ-15X), Geni.com, Ancestry, MyHeritage: Often repeat primaries but frequently err on marriage/children (conflation with nephew); treat as clues only.