2A-N: Earl Devan Guthrie
Guthrie Family Group 2A · Branch N · Child Page
Earl Devan Guthrie
28 May 1900–7 March 1925 · Aged 24
Tennessee · Camp Jesup, Georgia
Earl Devan Guthrie was a son of William Washington Guthrie and Savannah Mary “Vann” Wheeler. His records trace a short life from the family’s Tennessee farming community to Army service at Camp Jesup in Georgia.
Earl died in Sumner County, Tennessee, on 7 March 1925. His death certificate records pulmonary tuberculosis, single marital status and burial the following day in Eidson Cemetery. No descendants have been identified.
The Family at a Glance
Earl Devan Guthrie
- Birth
- 28 May 1900, Tennessee. An exact birth county has not been established.
- Parents
- William Washington Guthrie and Savannah Mary “Vann” Wheeler.
- Death
- 7 March 1925, Civil District 7, Sumner County, Tennessee, aged 24.
- Cause of Death
- Pulmonary tuberculosis; the death certificate reports a duration of four years.
- Burial
- 8 March 1925, Eidson Cemetery, according to the original death certificate.
Family & Service Records
- Marital Status
- Recorded as single on his death certificate. No marriage has been established.
- Children
- No known descendants.
- 1910 Household
- Listed as Earle Guthrie, son, aged ten, with William and Savannah in Robertson County.
- Draft Registration
- 12 September 1918, according to the earlier transcription; Sumner County, Tennessee.
- Army Service
- Recorded at Camp Jesup, Fulton County, Georgia, in the 1920 census references.
- Veterans Index
- Names Earl Guthrie of Goodlettsville and supplies a military date of 18 August 1922. The meaning of that date remains unverified.
The death certificate’s family information
The certificate names William Guthrie, born in Tennessee, as Earl’s father and Van Wheeler, born in Kentucky, as his mother. These names connect the record to William Washington Guthrie and Savannah Mary Wheeler’s family.
The informant is written as C. L. Guthrie of Hendersonville, Tennessee. The initials are preserved here as recorded. The certificate gives Earl’s occupation as Military Service; that occupational entry alone does not establish whether he remained on active duty when he died.
Source: Tennessee death certificate, Earl Devan Guthrie, Sumner County, Civil District 7, died 7 March 1925; registration district 48407, registered no. 3.
Earl’s Sisters & Brothers
Historical Highlights
A Tennessee Childhood
The 1910 census places Earl with his parents and siblings in Civil District 7 of Robertson County. Listed as Earle, aged ten, he attended school and could read and write. The family lived along White Hill and Cross Plains Road.
His 1918 draft registration, as transcribed in the earlier family account, describes him as a farmer and names his mother, Van Guthrie, as his contact. The physical description—tall, slender, with brown hair and brown eyes—preserves a small personal detail of the eighteen-year-old Earl.
Service and an Early Death
By the 1920 census, Earl was at Camp Jesup in Fulton County, Georgia. His Army service is part of the family’s recorded history, although his unit, rank and complete service dates remain to be established from the military records.
He died in Sumner County in March 1925, aged twenty-four. His death certificate records pulmonary tuberculosis of four years’ duration. That reported duration does not establish the exact onset or where he contracted the illness. The certificate records burial at Eidson Cemetery the next day.
Family Timeline
-
1900
Born in Tennessee
Earl’s recorded birthday was 28 May 1900.
Open the evidence & source
The original death certificate supplies the date and identifies his birthplace as Tennessee. The draft registration index and Veterans Administration Master Index agree on the birthday. None of these entries establishes a more precise birthplace.
Sources: Tennessee death certificate, Earl Devan Guthrie; World War I draft registration index; Veterans Administration Master Index.
-
1910
At home in Robertson County
Earle Guthrie was listed as a son, aged ten.
Open the evidence & source
The family household was in Civil District 7 along White Hill and Cross Plains Road. Earl was single, born in Tennessee, attending school and able to read and write. The entry records his father’s birthplace as Tennessee and his mother’s as Kentucky.
The age is retained as recorded. The independently reported birthday remains 28 May 1900.
Source: 1910 U.S. census, Robertson County, Tennessee, Civil District 7, ED 160, sheet 6B, William Guthrie household.
-
1918
Registered for the draft
The earlier account dates Earl’s registration to 12 September 1918.
Open the evidence & source
The draft index identifies Earl Guthrie, born 28 May 1900, residing in Sumner County, with Van Guthrie named as his relative. It describes him as tall and slender, with brown eyes and brown hair.
The earlier transcription supplies the exact registration date, farming occupation and identification of Van as his mother. It also reports no disqualifying physical condition on the card. The complete original card would allow these details to be checked directly.
Draft registration is a separate event from enlistment; the registration date should not be used as Earl’s Army entry date.
Sources: U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918, index entry for Earl Guthrie; earlier Branch N family account.
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1920
At Camp Jesup
The census references place Earl at Camp Jesup in Fulton County, Georgia.
Open the evidence & source
The family profile and earlier account identify this as his Army residence and record him as single. The complete census sheet and a service record could establish his company or unit, rank and duties.
Sources: Earl Devan Guthrie’s family profile, citing the 1920 U.S. census, Camp Jesup, Fulton County, Georgia; earlier Branch N family account.
-
1922
A date in the veterans index
The index supplies 18 August 1922 as a military date.
Open the evidence & source
The Veterans Administration Master Index entry identifies Earl Guthrie, born 28 May 1900, associated with Goodlettsville, Tennessee, and deceased 7 March 1925.
Its displayed field is simply Military Date. The underlying card is needed before interpreting 18 August 1922 as an enlistment, discharge or other event. His presence at Camp Jesup in 1920 already places military service earlier in the chronology.
Source: U.S., Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917–1940, index entry for Earl Guthrie.
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1925
Death and burial in March
Earl died on 7 March and was buried on 8 March 1925.
Open the evidence & source
The original certificate records death in Sumner County, Civil District 7, single marital status and pulmonary tuberculosis with a reported duration of four years. Earl was twenty-four.
The burial field names Eidson Cemetery and gives 8 March 1925. A later memorial assigns a different cemetery in Gibson County; that conflict is examined below.
Source: Tennessee death certificate, Earl Devan Guthrie, died 7 March 1925; registration district 48407, registered no. 3.
Explore the Research
Guthrie Family Group 2A · Branch N
Earl’s place in William and Savannah’s family is supported by the census and his parent-naming death certificate. Branch N’s Y-DNA connection to GFG2A is represented through a direct paternal descendant of his brother Chester.
Big Y testing is a priority for Branch N. Shared downstream SNPs could help identify closer connections with other tested GFG2A branches.
DNA Participation
| Family / Child Line | Y-DNA Participation | Big Y Participation | Autosomal Participation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earl Devan Guthrie’s line | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Big Y opportunities through the wider family
A Big Y result for the represented Chester Guthrie paternal line, compared with existing GFG2A results, could reveal shared downstream SNPs and refine Branch N’s placement. Independently documented father-to-son descendants through other sons of William Washington Guthrie could provide further comparisons.
The existing Branch N Y-111 STR result does not establish a Big Y result. Genetic evidence supports the broader paternal relationship, while documentary research remains necessary to identify the family’s earlier John Guthrie and Amanda Walker.
See the Branch N Family Hub for the origins question and the proposed Branch A connection.
Background: FamilyTreeDNA on shared variants and Y-DNA branch refinement.
Questions in Earl’s Records
Eidson Cemetery or Center Baptist Church Cemetery?
The original death certificate names Eidson Cemetery and dates burial to 8 March 1925. This contemporary record is the basis for the burial entry on this page.
The attached Find a Grave memorial, no. 116207202, instead assigns Earl to Center Baptist Church Cemetery in Trenton, Gibson County, Tennessee. The family profile also combines the conflicting locality and cemetery information. The memorial screenshot supplied for review has no grave photograph.
A cemetery register, undertaker’s record, contemporary obituary or identified gravestone could resolve the discrepancy. The later memorial’s location should not displace the certificate’s burial entry without supporting evidence. The sources reviewed do not document a later reinterment.
What remains to be learned about his Army service?
The Camp Jesup census reference places Earl in the Army by 1920. The veterans index adds a date in August 1922, and the 1925 death certificate describes his occupation as Military Service. Together these records justify pursuing his service history, but they do not supply a complete chronology.
The underlying veterans index card, enlistment and discharge records, unit rosters or surviving service papers could establish rank, assignments and dates. No overseas service, combat participation, decorations or service-related cause of illness has been established from the evidence reviewed.
Reading & Sources
Sources for this section
- Original death certificate: Tennessee, Earl Devan Guthrie, died 7 March 1925, Sumner County, Civil District 7; registration district 48407, registered no. 3. Names parents William Guthrie and Van Wheeler and informant C. L. Guthrie; records burial at Eidson Cemetery on 8 March.
- 1910 census: Robertson County, Tennessee, Civil District 7, ED 160, sheet 6B, William Guthrie household; Earle Guthrie, son, aged ten.
- Draft registration index: U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918, Earl Guthrie, born 28 May 1900, Sumner County, Tennessee. The exact 12 September 1918 date and occupational details come from the earlier transcription.
- 1920 census reference: Camp Jesup, Fulton County, Georgia, as cited in Earl’s family profile and the earlier family account; the complete sheet remains a useful review target.
- Veterans index: U.S., Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917–1940, Earl Guthrie; military date 18 August 1922, residence Goodlettsville, death 7 March 1925. The event represented by the military date is unresolved.
- Conflicting memorial: Find a Grave, Earl Devan Guthrie, memorial no. 116207202, and its Ancestry index; assigns Center Baptist Church Cemetery, Trenton, Gibson County. The supplied screenshot does not include a grave photograph.
- Family reconstruction: Earl Devan Guthrie’s profile in the Guthrie Research Tree and the Earl entry on the earlier Branch N family page. The family tree button opens William and Savannah’s family profile.
Most Wanted Documents
Priority records for Earl’s life and burial
- Burial documentation: an Eidson Cemetery register or transcription, the undertaker’s burial record, and a March 1925 obituary or funeral notice. Compare these with the evidence underlying the Gibson County memorial.
- The original veterans index card and service papers: determine what 18 August 1922 represents, then establish enlistment, discharge, unit and rank.
- The complete 1918 draft card and 1920 census sheet: verify the earlier transcription and examine Earl’s Army household and immediate context at Camp Jesup.
- Family papers: a labeled photograph, letter, discharge paper or Bible entry could preserve personal details and clarify where Earl lived during his final years.
The original death certificate already provides a firm starting point for his parentage, death and recorded burial.
Remembering Earl Devan Guthrie
Earl’s life was brief, but his place in the family is preserved in census entries, military references and his death certificate. His mother’s name on the draft registration and his parents’ names on the death record connect those records to the same Tennessee family.
A photograph, letter or military paper may preserve more of Earl’s individual story. A contemporary burial record would also help ensure that his resting place is accurately remembered.
Return to the Branch N Family Hub →