5-A: John Guthrie
Guthrie Family Group 5 · Branch A · Child Page
John Guthrie & Anna Smith
Halifax County, North Carolina · Warren County, Georgia · Buncombe County, North Carolina
View in Guthrie Research Tree →John Guthrie, son of William Guthrie and Eleanor Harris, worked at the armory near the town of Halifax, North Carolina. John and his brother Henry both left accounts of the British approach in May 1781. Henry identified John as one of the scouts, and John described the wound he received. A guardianship bond in Warren County, Georgia, and estate proceedings in Buncombe County, North Carolina, help trace his children. John’s pension declaration in Buncombe County, North Carolina, S10776.
The Family at a Glance
John Guthrie
- Family
- Son of William Guthrie and Eleanor Harris. His birth is estimated about 1757, probably in Virginia.
- Service
- Worked at the armory near the town of Halifax, North Carolina. He gave his pension declaration in Buncombe County, North Carolina, on 16 October 1820.
- Death
- John had died by the October 1823 court proceedings in Buncombe County, North Carolina. A military marker gives 1822. The pension roll identifies 4 September 1821 as the date of a transfer from Georgia.
Anna Smith
- Marriage
- Wife of John Guthrie. A marriage by the later 1770s is estimated. The original bond or return is sought.
- Smith family
- Peter Smith’s will of 25 September 1794 in Halifax County, North Carolina, identifies Anna as his daughter and provides for her six children. The deed to Peter Smith Jr., dated 25 June 1784 in Halifax County, North Carolina, names John as grantor and bears Ann’s mark.
- Death
- Anna’s death date and place remain open. Her father directed that her children receive their mother’s share. He gave no death date for Anna. The later marker described as “Wife of John” gives no maiden surname.
The Guthrie–Smith children
The original guardianship bond in Warren County, Georgia, names six children. Gabriel, Delilah, and Barsheba also appear in the family reconstruction. The estimated birth years of the older children overlap, so their order is provisional.
| Child | Birth | Marriage & Later Life |
|---|---|---|
| Gabriel Guthrie | 1776–1786 proposed | Married Jane, whose birth surname is unknown. Gabriel’s 1814 estate and Jane’s later marriage to Aaron Osborn help connect their household with Henry Guthrie, husband of Manerva Lyon, whom the project places in this line. |
| Delilah Guthrie | About 1776–1780 | Married Brittain Lewis. In 1820 a Brittain Lewis household was enumerated near John and Jonathan Guthrie in Buncombe County, North Carolina. Several men used Brittain’s name. |
| Jonathan Guthrie | About 1781–1790 | Named on the guardianship bond. His family includes Jemima “Mymie” Arrington and the later household of Sarah Emelina Arrington. Sarah’s prior marital history and the parentage of her children require separate evidence. |
| Andrew Guthrie | About 1781, estimated | Named on the bond. Bought land adjoining John’s line in 1812 and conveyed land on Flat Creek in Buncombe County, North Carolina, in 1839. His later household and marriage history remain open. |
| Barsheba Guthrie | About 1781 | Married Williamson Rowland on 7 August 1797 in Georgia. Five Rowland children are named in the 1836 equity notice. The 1850 census for District 17, Sumter County, Georgia, lists a 69-year-old Bursheba Rowland in Robertson and Mary Bass’s household. |
| Abner Guthrie | About 1782–1783 | Named on the bond. Served in the U.S. artillery in 1812. Qualified to administer Gabriel’s estate in 1815. Later records place him in Pulaski County, Kentucky. |
| Shadrack Guthrie | 1780s, estimated | Married Florence “Flora” Chambers. Named on the bond in Warren County, Georgia. Later held land on Sugar Creek in Buncombe County, North Carolina. His descendants represent Branch A in the Y-DNA project. |
| Sarah “Sally” Guthrie | About 1791–1798, estimated | Named on the 1798 bond. Married James Rutledge and appears with him in Buncombe County, North Carolina, in 1850. She was living in 1860. |
| James Guthrie | About 1792–1794, estimated | Named on the bond. His later life and death remain unresolved. The 1836 equity notice supplies no death date. |
Continue through Gabriel and Jane to Henry Guthrie and Manerva Lyon · Branch G →
Historical Highlights
In Halifax County, North Carolina, a deed places John and Ann in a transaction with Peter Smith Jr. A decade later, Peter Smith’s will identifies Anna as his daughter and provides for six children. In Warren County, Georgia, John’s guardianship bond supplies six children’s names.
Family Timeline
- 1781On 7 May John was wounded near the town of Halifax, North Carolina, while scouting British movements. He later described being captured, treated, and released with a disabling injury.
- 1782–1784John acquired 100 acres from John Scott and 210 acres from William Bagby. On 25 June 1784 he conveyed about 310 acres in Halifax County, North Carolina, to Peter Smith Jr. for £80 proclamation money. Ann’s mark appears below John’s name. Witness Uriah Smith proved the deed at the August 1796 court session, and it was registered on 30 August 1796. Halifax County, North Carolina, Deed Book 18, p. 2.
- 1794On 25 September Peter Smith of Halifax County, North Carolina, made his will. He identified Anna as his daughter under her Guthrie married surname and directed that her six children receive their mother’s share. He also named his wife Mary and a son Peter Smith. Peter Smith’s will and the evidence it supplies.
- 1796–1798Brier Creek transactions place John near Richard and Needham Smith in Warren County, Georgia. On 18 July 1798 his guardian bond named Abner, Jonathan, Andrew, Shadrack, Sarah, and James as his children.
- 1801–1806The Wasson purchase and subsequent conveyances trace the move to Buncombe County, North Carolina. Purchases on Flat Creek identify the neighborhood in which the family settled.
- 1820–1823John testified in Buncombe County, North Carolina, in 1820. In October 1823 the court received a paper offered as his will. The pension transfer in 1821 and the date of 1822 on the military marker are separate entries.
- 1836In Buncombe County, North Carolina, the Fall Term equity notice in Samuel Smith v. the heirs and devisees of John Guthrie Sr. names William, Henry, and Simeon Guthrie and several Rowland descendants. The order concerns service on nonresident defendants.
Halifax County, North Carolina, and Halifax County, Virginia
Anna Smith’s husband worked at the armory near the town of Halifax, North Carolina. His pension file is S10776. The marriage bond for John Guthrey and Betty Ann Allen is dated 25 May 1785 in Cumberland County, Virginia. That John gave his separate pension declaration in Halifax County, Virginia, in 1832, file S8642. The date of John Guthrie and Anna Smith’s marriage remains uncertain.
Why both guardianship dates appear
The original $800 bond in Warren County, Georgia, dated 18 July 1798, names six children of John. William Rose and Gabriel Guthrie appear as securities. A register gives 18 July 1794 for the same amount and securities. The original bond supplies Shadrack’s name. Its wording identifies John as the children’s father and leaves their mother, grandfather, and Gabriel’s relationship unstated.
Gabriel, Jane, and the Georgia shoemaker
Gabriel had died by October 1814. His estate sale identifies Jane as his widow. She married Aaron Osborn in Warren County, Georgia, in November 1821. The lottery names Gabriel Guthrie’s children. Deeds in Newton County, Georgia, describe Jane Osburn’s orphan children as drawers of lot 400. Henry Gutrey sold one quarter of that lot in 1833. The project places Henry and Manerva Lyon in this family. A record expressly naming Henry as Gabriel’s son is still sought.
Shadrack of Sugar Creek in Buncombe County, North Carolina
The 1812 deed from Jonathan and the 1813 state grant concern Shadrack in Buncombe County, North Carolina. Florence’s later estate petition names children or heirs living in several states. The project follows this family in Branch A. Branch C follows Shidrick or Shadrick Guthry of Kentucky, whose proposed connection to Thicketty Creek in South Carolina remains under investigation.
Gabriel on the guardian bond
Gabriel signed as security on the original bond dated 1798 in Warren County, Georgia. The register dates the obligation to 1794. A 1790 survey abstract also names a Gabriel as chain carrier. A single birth year of 1786 is difficult to reconcile with those entries. His age and identity in the early records remain open.
Explore the Research
DNA participation by descendant line
The project follows two paternal lines through this family. One descends through Shadrack Guthrie and Florence Chambers. The other follows Henry Guthrie and Manerva Lyon of Branch G, whom the project places under Gabriel Guthrie and Jane. Shadrack’s Big-Y entry records a tester’s reported descent. That placement remains provisional.
| Descendant line | Y-DNA | Big-Y | Autosomal DNA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gabriel Guthrie | Yes | No | No |
| Delilah Guthrie | N/A | N/A | No |
| Jonathan Guthrie | No | No | Yes |
| Andrew Guthrie | No | No | No |
| Barsheba Guthrie | N/A | N/A | No |
| Abner Guthrie | No | No | No |
| Shadrack Guthrie | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sarah “Sally” Guthrie | N/A | N/A | No |
| James Guthrie | No | No | No |
Shadrack’s Big-Y entry. A separate GFG5 Big-Y tester reports Shadrack and Florence as possible ancestors. The tester’s kit number and descent from this couple have yet to be verified. Kit 157554 is the documented Y37 reference. Project report on the proposed connection · GFG5 haplogroup review.
Yes = project participation reported. No = no participant recorded. N/A = the test does not apply to this Guthrie descent.
Represented kits and descendant lines
- Gabriel Guthrie & Jane. Y-DNA kit 20261 descends through Henry Guthrie and Manerva Lyon, then William Franklin Guthrie and Caroline Julia Bailey. The Family Hub explains the land and estate evidence for placing Henry under Gabriel and Jane.
- Shadrack Guthrie & Florence Chambers. Y-DNA kit 157554 descends through Goodson McDaniel Guthrie and Matilda Caroline Howard. It matches the GFG5 profile at all 37 markers tested.
- Jonathan Guthrie & Sarah Emelina Arrington. Autosomal kits 28330, 28331, 358242, 914778, and B308068.
- Shadrack Guthrie & Florence Chambers. Autosomal kits 126361, 298254, 351143, 393849, and B1196327. Kits 28330, 28331, and 358242 also report descent from Shadrack through Jemima Ann Guthrie and Benagah Joseph Proffitt. An additional autosomal line follows Goodson McDaniel Guthrie and Permelia Wyatt without a public kit number.
Reading & Sources
Key records for this family
Peter Smith identifies Anna as his daughter. In his will dated 25 September 1794 in Halifax County, North Carolina, Peter identifies Anna under her Guthrie married surname and provides for her six children to receive their mother’s share. He also names a son Peter Smith. The handwritten clause counts Anna’s children but leaves them unnamed. The typed abstract on p. 71, image 79 of 538, indexes the will at Book 3, p. 233, and renders the daughter’s name as “Anne Guthey.” It omits the six-child provision.
FamilySearch · North Carolina probate records. Select Halifax County, North Carolina, Wills 1781–1824. Peter’s will begins at the foot of image 268 of 766, Will Book 3, p. 233. The provision for Anna’s children is at the top of image 269.
John and Ann appear together on the deed to Peter Smith Jr. On 25 June 1784 John conveyed about 310 acres in Halifax County, North Carolina, to Peter Smith Jr. for £80 proclamation money. Ann made her mark below John’s name. The deed records the land transaction and her married surname. Her father’s will supplies the relationship that explains her place in the Smith family. Halifax County, North Carolina, Deed Book 18, p. 2.
John names six children in Warren County, Georgia. The original bond of 18 July 1798 names Abner, Jonathan, Andrew, Shadrack, Sarah, and James as John’s children. Six is also the number in Peter’s bequest to Anna’s children. A Smith estate distribution or guardian’s account naming the beneficiaries would allow us to match the individuals across the two records. Warren County, Georgia, guardian bond, image 29.
North Carolina and Virginia · The two John Guthries
John Guthrie & Anna Smith, GFG5. John’s pension declaration in Buncombe County, North Carolina, S10776. His account describes the armory near the town of Halifax, North Carolina.
John Guthrey & Betty Ann Allen, GFG4. John’s declaration in Halifax County, Virginia, S8642. The marriage bond belongs to Cumberland County, Virginia. John and Betty Ann’s GFG4 family page · The Case of the Two Halifaxes.
Halifax County, North Carolina, family records. John Guthrie to Peter Smith Jr., Deed Book 18, p. 2. Peter Smith’s will, Will Book 3, entry beginning on p. 233, images 268–269.
Books, family records, and local history
- John Guthrey and Betty Ann Allen, comparison family. Guthrie Research Tree entry.
- 1821 Georgia land lottery. Buncombe County, North Carolina, newspaper notice concerning Jonathan Guthrie.
- Service record. North Carolina muster rolls, Third Regiment, Shadrack Guthry. War of 1812 service-record index.
- Three-story log cabin reference. Memorials for Shadrack Guthrie and J. Guthrie.
- Fold3 pension images for Henry and John. Henry and Nancy’s pension transcription.
- Anthony Lewis of Isle of Wight County and Lineal Descendants. Flat Creek Baptist Church Minutes. North Carolina session laws, 1835. Scarborough, Southern Kith and Kin, vol. 4.
Georgia land, courts, and Gabriel’s estate
Warren County, Georgia. Original guardian bond, 18 July 1798, and register entry dated 1794. Guardian bonds and administrations.
Warren County, Georgia, deeds. Deeds and mortgages. John to Nathan David, B:474, and James Pierson, B:530. Abner to Johnson and Kunze, C:577. Smith deeds to John, C:52 and C:58. Hardin to Abner, D:334.
Baldwin County, Georgia. Court minutes, 1812–19, images 66, 137, and 138. Gabriel’s inventory, index and images 110 and 111. Additional estate entry, index to p. 96 and image 63.
Washington County, Georgia. Headright and loose lottery plats. John Guthrie file and survey plat.
Newton County, Georgia. Henry’s quarter of lot 400, Deed Book D, p. 645. Henry Guthrie and Manerva Lyon’s Branch G Family Hub.
Buncombe County, North Carolina, land, courts, and estates
John’s estate. October 1823 court session and Fall Term 1836 equity notice naming heirs and devisees.
Court and family records. Court minutes and p. 43. Marriage registers for Guthrie grooms and Guthrie brides. Probate image, Flora’s power of attorney, 33:315, and Flora Guthrie estate, 1872.
Deed indexes. Grantor index, Guthrie entries. Grantee index, film 008569460, and Guthrie entries at G-903.
John’s deeds. From Culbertson, A:210, Palmer, A:220, sheriff, A:360, state, B:274, sheriff, D:129, Wasson, 5:243, Gregory, 10:27, and Brittain, 10:30. State grants 13:54 and 19:142. Conveyances to Wasson, 7:177, Morgan, 13:447, and Weaver, 22:431. For later entries, check whether the named party was John himself, an heir acting after his death, or another John.
Jonathan’s land. Acquisitions E:238, 11:162, 11:348, 12:69, 13:87, and 15:213. Conveyances to Shadrack, E:218, Sally E. Arrington and others, 24:347, Bravard, 19:305, John A. Sorrells, 20:181, Roberts, 21:94, Price, 21:457, and Walter Sorrels and others, 26:290.
Additional deed images. Shadrack’s 1813 state grant, G:55 · E:201 · 12:470 · 14:350 · 21:498 · 22:445 · 23:373.
Most Wanted Documents
A marriage bond or return for John Guthrie and Anna Smith. A Smith estate distribution or guardian’s account naming the children who received Anna’s share. The complete equity bill and decree in Buncombe County, North Carolina. A Georgia guardianship or distribution naming the children of Gabriel and Jane.
Continue the family’s story
Peter Smith’s will gives us the number of Anna’s children who were to share in his estate. A receipt signed when one of them came of age could put a name beside that inheritance. An answer or exhibit from the Buncombe County, North Carolina, equity suit could also show which heirs appeared in place of a deceased parent, a detail especially valuable for the Georgia family followed as Branch G.
Researched & Curated by Ann Guthrie.