2A-N: Belle Guthrie
Guthrie Family Group 2A · Branch N · Child Page
Belle Guthrie
& John Swaney Summers
Belle: born about 1901 · Death date unconfirmed
Robertson & Sumner Counties, Tennessee
Belle Guthrie was a daughter of William Washington Guthrie and Savannah Mary “Vann” Wheeler. She appears in their Robertson County household in 1910 and married John Swaney Summers in 1917.
By 1920, Belle and Swaney were living on Hendersonville Road in Sumner County. The family reconstruction identifies a son, William Glenn Summers, but a parent-naming Social Security entry records a different given-name form. That discrepancy and Belle’s later life remain important research questions.
The Family at a Glance
Belle Guthrie
- Birth
- About 1901, Tennessee, estimated from the census ages. No exact birthday or birth county has been established.
- Parents
- William Washington Guthrie and Savannah Mary “Vann” Wheeler.
- Marriage
- 7 October 1917, Robertson County, Tennessee; indexed as Bell Guthrie and Swanie Summers.
- 1920 Residence
- Civil District 7, Sumner County, Tennessee, on Hendersonville Road.
- Death
- Unconfirmed. Earlier research suggests 1922–1930, but no death record establishes that interval.
- Burial
- Not established.
John Swaney Summers
- Birth
- Reported as 12 May 1896, Robertson County, Tennessee, in his family profile.
- Name in the Records
- Swanie Summers in the marriage index; Swaney Summers in the 1920 census index.
- Occupation
- Farmer, according to the earlier family account.
- Later Marriage
- His profile records 18 July 1931, Sumner County, to Dora W. Martin. The original return remains to be reviewed.
- Death
- Reported as 1962, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee.
- Burial
- His profile places burial at Mitchellville, Sumner County; a cemetery name has not been established here.
Reported Son
| Child in the Family Profile | Reported Life Dates | Family Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| William Glenn Summers | 4 February 1922–August 1990 | Reported son of John Swaney Summers and Belle Guthrie. A different given-name form in a Social Security parent entry requires further correlation. |
Correlating the son’s records
The William Glenn Summers family profile gives a birth on 4 February 1922 in Davidson County, Tennessee, death in August 1990, and burial in Nashville. It identifies John Swaney Summers and Belle Guthrie as his parents. No spouse is established in the material reviewed.
The Social Security Applications and Claims Index entry for Belle Guthrie names her spouse as John S. Summers, but the child’s given names differ from those in the family profile. The displayed parent entry does not supply the child’s birth or death dates.
The shared parental names make this a useful lead, but they do not resolve the identity. Original application and birth records, correlated with later census, death and burial records, are needed before treating the two entries as records of the same person. The discrepancy also does not establish that Belle had two sons.
Sources: William Glenn Summers family profile; U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007, parent entry for Belle Guthrie.
Belle’s Sisters & Brothers
Historical Highlights
From Her Parents’ Household to Hendersonville Road
Belle was recorded as a nine-year-old daughter in William and Savannah’s Robertson County household in 1910. About seven years later, at approximately sixteen, she married Swaney Summers. The marriage index records the wedding on 7 October 1917.
The 1920 census index places the couple in Civil District 7 of Sumner County, along Hendersonville Road. Belle, aged nineteen, was recorded as his wife and able to read and write. The earlier family account describes John as a farmer.
The Years Still to Be Traced
The family reconstruction places a son’s birth in 1922 and John’s later marriage in 1931. Belle’s own death and burial have not been established. Resolving the son’s name and finding records of the end of Belle and John’s marriage would help connect the documented 1920 household with those later events.
Family Timeline
-
About 1901
Born in Tennessee
Belle’s census ages suggest a birth about 1901.
Open the evidence & source
She was recorded as nine in 1910 and nineteen in the 1920 census index. Both identify Tennessee as her birthplace. These ages support an approximate year, not an exact birthday or county of birth.
Sources: 1910 U.S. census, William Guthrie household, Robertson County, Tennessee; 1920 U.S. census index, Belle Summers, Sumner County, Tennessee.
-
1910
With William and Savannah
Belle was listed as their daughter in Civil District 7, Robertson County.
Open the evidence & source
The household was recorded along White Hill and Cross Plains Road. Belle was nine and single. This entry connects her to the Guthrie family before her marriage.
Source: 1910 U.S. census, Robertson County, Tennessee, Civil District 7, ED 160, sheet 6B, William Guthrie household.
-
1917
Marriage to Swaney Summers
The indexed marriage date is 7 October 1917.
Open the evidence & source
The Tennessee marriage index names Bell Guthrie and Swanie Summers, married in Robertson County. Two displayed index entries give the same date and names; the original license and return are needed for any additional particulars.
Belle’s estimated birth year places her at approximately sixteen. An original record might provide an age, consent, residence or officiant not shown in the index.
Source: Tennessee State Marriages, 1780–2002, Bell Guthrie and Swanie Summers, Robertson County, 7 October 1917.
-
1920
A married household in Sumner County
Swaney and Belle were living on Hendersonville Road.
Open the evidence & source
The index identifies Swaney Summers, twenty-one, and Belle Summers, nineteen, in Civil District 7. Belle was married, identified as his wife, able to read and write, and not attending school.
The index records both of Belle’s parents as born in Tennessee, differing from the Kentucky birthplace recorded for her mother in other family records. Swaney’s indexed age also differs from his reported 1896 birth date. These discrepancies should be checked against the original sheet rather than silently reconciled.
Source: 1920 U.S. census index, Civil District 7, Sumner County, Tennessee, Henderson Ville Road, Swaney Summers household.
-
1922
A son in the family reconstruction
William Glenn Summers’s profile reports a birth on 4 February 1922.
Open the evidence & source
The profile places the birth in Davidson County, Tennessee and assigns John Swaney Summers and Belle Guthrie as the parents. It reports death in August 1990.
The separate parent-naming Social Security entry uses a different given-name form. Until the names and records are correlated, the reported birth should not be used by itself to establish a precise boundary for Belle’s death.
Sources: William Glenn Summers family profile; Social Security Applications and Claims Index, parent entry for Belle Guthrie.
-
1931
John’s reported later marriage
His profile records a marriage to Dora W. Martin on 18 July 1931.
Open the evidence & source
The reported place is Sumner County, Tennessee. The earlier account calls the later wife Dora Whit; the original marriage record is needed to reconcile the name forms.
A later marriage does not, by itself, establish how or when the marriage to Belle ended. John’s profile subsequently places him in Davidson County and records his death in Nashville in 1962.
Source: John Swaney Summers family profile, citing Tennessee marriage records; earlier Branch N family account.
Explore the Research
Guthrie Family Group 2A · Branch N
Belle’s place in William and Savannah’s family is supported by the 1910 household. Branch N’s Y-DNA connection to GFG2A is represented through a direct paternal descendant of her brother Chester.
Big Y testing is a priority for Branch N. Shared downstream SNPs could refine the branch’s placement and identify closer connections with other tested GFG2A families.
DNA Participation
| Family / Child Line | Y-DNA Participation | Big Y Participation | Autosomal Participation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belle Guthrie’s line | N/A | N/A | — |
Big Y and autosomal research opportunities
Big Y testing through the represented Chester Guthrie paternal line, compared with existing GFG2A results, could identify shared downstream SNPs and closer branch connections. Independently documented father-to-son descendants through other sons of William Washington Guthrie could add useful comparisons. The existing Y-111 result should not be treated as a Big Y result.
For Belle’s family, the immediate task is to establish the identity and record trail of the reported son. Once a descendant line is documented, autosomal comparisons may provide additional clues to shared family connections. Descendants through Belle would not inherit the Guthrie Y chromosome from her.
The earlier John Guthrie and Amanda Walker identity question is discussed in the Branch N Family Hub.
Background: FamilyTreeDNA on shared variants and Y-DNA branch refinement.
Questions in Belle’s Records
When did Belle die?
Belle was living as Swaney Summers’s wife in the 1920 census. Earlier research proposes a death between 1922 and 1930, while some family displays shorten the date to 1922. No death certificate, obituary or burial record reviewed establishes either an exact year or that interval.
The proposed range relies on the reconstructed family chronology. The reported son’s identity still needs correlation, and John’s reported 1931 marriage does not prove that Belle died before 1930 or explain how their marriage ended.
Belle’s death and burial therefore remain open questions. Records should be sought under Bell and Belle, Guthrie and Summers, and relevant surname variants. A later absence from a household is not sufficient evidence for an exact death date.
Which records connect the son to this couple?
The family profile calls the son William Glenn Summers, born in 1922 and deceased in 1990. The Social Security parent entry associates Belle Guthrie and John S. Summers with a child whose given names differ from that profile.
The original Social Security application could establish the applicant’s full name, birthday, birthplace and parental information. A birth certificate, the 1930 and 1940 census households, and death or obituary evidence could then show whether these names describe one person or whether the profile contains an incorrect attachment. No alternate-name conclusion is established yet.
John’s later wife and the end of the first marriage
John’s profile records Dora W. Martin as the bride in a marriage on 18 July 1931 in Sumner County. The earlier family narrative uses Dora Whit. These forms should be compared with the complete marriage return before assigning a maiden name or explaining the surname difference.
The original record may also provide information about John’s prior marital status. A death record for Belle or a dissolution record for their marriage would address the separate question of how the first marriage ended. John’s later family should not be attributed to Belle.
Reading & Sources
Sources for this section
- 1910 census: Robertson County, Tennessee, Civil District 7, ED 160, sheet 6B, William Guthrie household; Belle, daughter, aged nine.
- 1917 marriage indexes: Tennessee State Marriages, 1780–2002, Bell Guthrie and Swanie Summers, Robertson County, 7 October 1917. The two displayed entries agree; the original license and return remain to be examined.
- 1920 census index: Civil District 7, Sumner County, Tennessee, Henderson Ville Road, Swaney Summers and wife Belle. Recorded ages are twenty-one and nineteen.
- Parent-naming index: U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007, Belle Guthrie; spouse John S. Summers. This displayed entry does not resolve the child’s differing name in the family profile.
- Family profiles: Belle Guthrie, John Swaney Summers and William Glenn Summers in the Guthrie Research Tree. John’s birth, later marriage, death and burial details, and the son’s dates, remain distinguishable from independently reviewed original records. The family tree link opens William and Savannah’s family profile.
- Earlier research: Belle’s child entry on the Branch N family page, preserving the farming occupation, reported son and proposed death interval. These claims are evaluated alongside the census and index evidence above.
Most Wanted Documents
Priority records for Belle and the Summers family
- Belle’s death and burial evidence: search Tennessee death records, newspapers, cemetery registers and family papers under Bell/Belle Guthrie and Summers. Treat the proposed 1922–1930 interval as a starting hypothesis, not a proven limit.
- The son’s original records: compare the Social Security application naming Belle Guthrie and John S. Summers as parents with the birth, death, obituary and burial records attributed to William Glenn Summers. Correlate parents, dates, places and residences before merging names.
- The complete marriage records: obtain the 7 October 1917 Robertson County license and return and the reported 18 July 1931 Sumner County return. Look for ages, consent, residences, witnesses and prior marital status; pursue any indicated dissolution record.
- The 1920, 1930 and 1940 census households: review original images for John and the reported son, relatives and nearby households. Check the indexed ages and parental birthplaces against the handwriting.
- Family letters, Bibles and labeled photographs: a married name, residence or reference to Belle in a sibling’s papers could extend her known timeline.
Finding Belle’s Later Story
Belle’s childhood household, marriage and 1920 residence provide a foundation for her story. Her later life may be clarified through the Summers family’s records and papers preserved by her Guthrie siblings.
A photograph caption, obituary, birth record or family letter could connect the remaining pieces. Evidence naming Belle’s parents, husband or child would be especially valuable.
Return to the Branch N Family Hub →