Sophronia Guthrie 1819 NY – 1830 NY
of Montgomery and Wayne Counties, New York, USA

SOPHRONIA GUTHRIE
Parents: Ahiel Guthrie c1789MA-1851NY and Diantha Bullock 1782NY-1873NY
Birth: 27 July 1819
Birth Location: Canajoharie, Montgomery, New York, USA
Death: 1 August 1830
Death Location: Williamson, Wayne, New York, USA
Burial: Unknown, presumably in Wayne County, New York

Notes:
Sophronia Guthrie was the eldest child of Ahiel and Diantha (Bullock) Guthrie. She was only 11 years old at the time of her death on 1 August 1830. The cause of her death, whether childhood illness or accident, is unknown.

Her parents married in 1818 in Canajoharie, Montgomery, NY and were residing there during the period of the 1820 census. Ahiel and Diantha purchased property in Sodus, Ontario (later Wayne), NY in 1821 and were at the time noted to be of Canajoharie.

Unless the family was living in another household at the time of the 1820 census, you’d expect to find Ahiel Guthrie listed in Canajoharie, Montgomery, NY. He is not found among the transcribed names on Ancestry, however a closer examination of the very poor digital image suggests that he is indeed there, but listed as a “Hill Gardenier” (See image below.) The family of 3 matches the anticipated family profile of a couple with just one daughter.

1820 US FEDERAL CENSUS of CANAJOHARIE, MONTGOMERY, NEW YORK, USA
Household of Ahiel Guthrie (incorrectly transcribed as Hill Gardenier)
1 Free White Male and 1 Free White Female 26-44 (Ahiel and Diantha)
1 Free White Female Under 10 (Sophronia)

Guthrie Children: N/A – Died during childhood
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Female Guthrie – No Descendants
Autosomal DNA Participants: N/A – No Descendants

Primary Sources

These are original or near-contemporary records created at or close to the time of events.

1. 1820 United States Federal Census, Canajoharie, Montgomery County, New York (enumerated 7 August 1820).
   • Household listed under a transcription error as “Hill Gardenier” (likely a misreading of handwriting for Ahiel Guthrie).
   • Composition: 1 free white male 26–44 (Ahiel), 1 free white female 26–44 (Diantha), 1 free white female under 10 (Sophronia).
   • This is the only direct contemporary record placing Sophronia in the family during her lifetime.
   • Accessed via Ancestry.com digital images (poor image quality noted in blog analysis); also available on FamilySearch (NARA microfilm publication M33).
   • Strength: Official federal record. Limitation: No names for dependents under 16, so identification relies on contextual match to parents.

No other primary sources (e.g., New York town/vital records for birth or death, probate mentions, or church baptisms/burials) were located in searches of FamilySearch, Ancestry indexes, or state archives references. Early 19th-century New York vital registration was inconsistent and often church-based rather than civil, especially in rural Montgomery and Wayne Counties.

Secondary Sources

FAMILY SEARCH: Individual Profile (About) – Ahiel Guthrie (9M5-V4N)
FAMILY SEARCH: Individual Profile (About) – Sophronia Guthrie (278V-WYG)

WEBSITE: Herman Bullock and Drusilla Asenith Finton Descendants and Ancestors (PDF). Compiled by Paul David Bullock and Philip Gerald Bullock, December 1999. Latest Edition with Additions and Corrections, May 29, 2013.
p.121 Ahiel Guthrie, Diantha Bullock
p.134 Ahiel Guthrie, Diantha Bullock