2A-N: Vara Guthrie
Guthrie Family Group 2A · Branch N · Child Page
Vara Guthrie
Born about 1894 · Living in 1910
Robertson County, Tennessee
Vara Guthrie was a daughter of William Washington Guthrie and Savannah Mary “Vann” Wheeler. She appears with her parents and siblings in the 1910 census of Civil District 7, Robertson County, Tennessee, along White Hill and Cross Plains Road.
The census records Vara as sixteen years old, single and born in Tennessee. Her marriage, any children, and her death and burial have not been established. This household entry preserves her place in the family while the search for her later life continues.
The Family at a Glance
Vara Guthrie
- Birth
- About 1894, Tennessee, estimated from her age sixteen in the 1910 census. No exact birth date or county is established.
- Parents
- William Washington Guthrie and Savannah Mary “Vann” Wheeler.
- Residence
- 1910: Civil District 7, Robertson County, Tennessee; White Hill and Cross Plains Road.
- Relationship in the Census
- Daughter of the household head, William Guthrie.
- Literacy
- Recorded as able to read and write.
Marriage & Later Life
- Marital Status in 1910
- Single.
- Spouse
- No spouse has been securely identified.
- Children
- No children have been established. This does not demonstrate that Vara had no children.
- Later Residence
- Not yet traced beyond the 1910 family household.
- Death & Burial
- Unknown. “Living in 1910” records the evidence without assigning an unsupported death date.
Her Name in the Records
Vara and the spelling Vera
The 1910 entry and the family profile identify her as Vara Guthrie. A summary list on the earlier family page uses Vera, while its dedicated child entry uses Vara.
Vara is retained here. Vera is a useful search variant, but a later record under either spelling still needs evidence connecting that woman to William and Savannah’s daughter.
Vara’s Sisters & Brothers
Historical Highlights
A Daughter in the 1910 Household
The census places Vara in a farming household on White Hill and Cross Plains Road. Her father was recorded as a farmer, and brothers William and Chester worked as farm laborers on the home farm. Vara’s own occupation column records none; the census does not describe her daily activities.
Her older sister appears as Viola Young, reflecting Viola’s marriage, while Vara is recorded as single. The children’s entries give Tennessee as their birthplace, Tennessee for their father and Kentucky for their mother. Vara could read and write.
This record establishes a family setting and a point from which to trace her forward. A later marriage, a household under another surname, or a relative’s family papers may connect the sixteen-year-old Vara to her adult identity. No such connection has yet been established.
Family Timeline
Vara’s short documented timeline rests on one securely identified census entry.
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About 1894
An estimated birth in Tennessee
Her census age supplies the approximate year.
Open the evidence & source
Vara was recorded as sixteen in the 1910 census and born in Tennessee. About 1894 is a working estimate derived from that age, rather than a date established by a birth record.
An exact birthday and birthplace within Tennessee remain unknown. A Bible entry, church register or later parent-naming record could provide more precise information.
Source: 1910 U.S. census, Robertson County, Tennessee, Civil District 7, ED 160, sheet 6B, William Guthrie household.
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1910
At home with William and Savannah
Vara is listed as their single daughter, aged sixteen.
Open the census household & source
The household is recorded along White Hill and Cross Plains Road in Civil District 7. Vara’s entry identifies her as a daughter, single, born in Tennessee, and able to read and write.
Names, ages and relationships from the 1910 household; ages are recorded values, not reconciled birth dates. Name Age Recorded Relationship William Guthrie 58 Head Savanna Guthrie 38 Wife Viola Young 20 Daughter William Guthrie 18 Son Vara Guthrie 16 Daughter Chester Guthrie 14 Son Earle Guthrie 10 Son Belle Guthrie 9 Daughter Lena Guthrie 4 Daughter Martin Guthrie 11 months Son Eight children appear with the parents. Josephine Eva, the youngest child in the later family reconstruction, was born after this census. The record’s ages should be preserved even where other family sources differ.
Source: 1910 U.S. census, Robertson County, Tennessee, Civil District 7, ED 160, sheet 6B, William Guthrie household, lines 63–72; Vara on line 67.
Explore the Research
Guthrie Family Group 2A · Branch N
Y-DNA through a direct paternal descendant of Vara’s brother Chester Guthrie supports the family’s connection to GFG2A. Vara’s place in this family is documented by the 1910 household.
Big Y testing is a priority for Branch N. Shared downstream SNPs could refine the branch’s placement within GFG2A and identify closer connections with other tested branches.
DNA Participation
| Family Line | Y-DNA Participation | Big Y Participation | Autosomal Participation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vara Guthrie’s line | N/A | N/A | — |
Big Y testing and closer Branch N connections
A Big Y result for the represented Chester line, compared with existing GFG2A Big Y results, could reveal shared downstream SNPs and closer paternal connections. Independently documented father-to-son descendants through other sons of William Washington Guthrie could also help distinguish variants shared across Branch N from those within individual child lines.
This testing follows the unbroken Guthrie paternal line. If descendants of Vara are identified, their family records and autosomal comparisons could contribute to the documentary reconstruction; they would not inherit the Guthrie Y chromosome through Vara.
Background: FamilyTreeDNA’s explanation of shared variants and Y-DNA branch refinement.
Connecting a possible descendant line to Vara
The first task is to establish Vara’s adult identity and any children through records. A matching name, estimated birth year or autosomal match is a lead to investigate, rather than a complete parent-to-child connection.
The earlier identity question concerning John Guthrie and Amanda Walker is discussed in the Branch N Family Hub. Vara’s page does not assign John to the Branch A family.
Questions in Vara’s Records
What happened after the 1910 census?
No later marriage, household, death or burial record has been securely connected to this Vara. A marriage and surname change, a move, or an early death are possibilities to investigate; none is established.
Her absence from a later household or from a relative’s list of survivors would not, by itself, establish a death date. A continuous record trail or a document naming her parents or siblings is needed.
Reading & Sources
Sources for this section
- Original census: 1910 U.S. census, Robertson County, Tennessee, Civil District 7, ED 160, sheet 6B, William Guthrie household, lines 63–72; Vara Guthrie, line 67, aged sixteen, daughter, single.
- Family reconstruction: Vara Guthrie’s profile in the Guthrie Research Tree, identifying the 1910 census as the source for her birth estimate and residence. The family tree link opens her parents’ family profile.
- Earlier research: the Vara Guthrie child entry and 1910 household transcription on the Branch N family page. Its brief summary also uses the spelling Vera.
- DNA context: the Guthrie DNA Project’s documented participation through Chester’s paternal line and the Branch N comparison discussed in the Family Hub.
Most Wanted Documents
Records that could identify Vara’s later life
- A marriage record after the 1910 census: search Vara and Vera, with Guthrie and surname variants, beginning in Robertson and adjoining Tennessee counties and extending to relevant Kentucky connections. Compare ages, residences, witnesses and relatives.
- A later census or household record: search under possible married names and within relatives’ households. Connect any candidate to the known parents or siblings before accepting the identification.
- Family Bibles, letters and labeled photographs: the papers of William and Savannah’s children may preserve a married name, residence or date absent from indexed records.
- Death, burial and newspaper records: seek parent-naming evidence under both maiden and possible married surnames. A survivor list alone is not a complete account of all siblings.
- A birth or church record: an original entry could resolve the approximate birth year and supply the precise date and place.
The 1910 census is already in hand. The central need is a record connecting that daughter to her later identity.
Help Find Vara’s Next Chapter
Vara’s place among William and Savannah’s children is preserved in the 1910 census. Her later story may survive under a married surname or in papers kept by another branch of the family.
A photograph caption, family letter or Bible entry naming Vara could provide the next connection. Evidence identifying her as a daughter or sister in this family would be especially valuable.
Return to the Branch N Family Hub →