Guthrie Family Group 5 – Branch 5
Washington Guthrie 1831KY – 1872CA and Sarah Jane Box
of Kentucky, Missouri, and California, USA

WASHINGTON GUTHRIE aka ‘Wash’
Parents: John ‘Jack’ Guthrie (1807KY-1870CA) and Fairvilla Riddell (1808MD-1868CA)
Birth: 8 January 1831
Birth Location: Lexington, Fayette, Kentucky, USA
Occupation: Blacksmith
Military Service: Unknown – Registered for the Civil War Draft on 1 Jul 1863 in Sonoma
Marriage: 15 Dec 1859
Death: 13 October 1872 (Age: 41)
Death Location: Glen Ellen, Sonoma, California, USA
Burial: Unknown Santa Rosa ‘on the west side of the Greene paling on a knoll.’

SARAH JANE BOX aka ‘Jin’
Parents: Reuben Franklin Box (1808-1854) and Lucy Elizabeth Parker (1817-1893)
Birth: 14 April 1842
Birth Location: Chickasaw County, Mississippi, USA
Guthrie Children: Yes
Death: September 1916 (Age 74)
Death Location: Porterville, Tulare, California, USA
Burial: Home of Peace Cemetery in Porterville, Tulare, California, USa

NOTES:

Washington Guthrie was born on 8 January 1831. Trees list Lexington, Fayette, KY as his birthplace. He worked as a blacksmith alongside his father. In 1848 they traveled to California during the early days of the gold rush. Once settled, Jack Guthrie returned to Kentucky for the rest of the family.

Wash Guthrie married Sarah Jane ‘Jin’ Box on 15 Dec 1859 in Sonoma, California. She was the daughter of Reuben Franklin Box and Lucy Elizabeth Parker, born 14 April 1842 in Chickasaw County, Mississippi. They had five children together, but their marriage was not carefree. “Wash was evidently a philanderer, and it became so bad at one point that (his brother-in-law) Sam told him to leave, and if he ever came back Sam would kill him.” He left during which time Sarah was living with her mother and brother in Guillicos Valley on the Santa Rosa road.

The legal custody of the children was assigned to Sarah Jane’s brother, Samuel Box, with both parents allowed visitation rights. Box bought a lot in Santa Rosa, built a house upon it for Jane and the children, in which they lived for 3 months, but it was suggested that it would lead to a situation that might prevent divorce proceedings.

Washington Guthrie abducted two of the children, but they were returned to Samuel Box’s custody after a legal proceeding. Guthrie was still allowed to visit the children, but according to Sam’s testimony made another attempt to take the children.

Wash was shot to death. Both sides of the family have different variations of the situation. It was deemed that Sam Box acted in self-defense. Having just returned from hunting, Box had a shotgun in his hand, and when Wash made a move that suggested he was pulling out a pistol, he reacted instinctively and shot him. Washington Guthrie died on 13 Oct 1872 and was buried in the Santa Rosa cemetery.

His widow Sarah Jane ‘Jin’ (Box) Guthrie left Sonoma County with her 5 young children and her brothers Joe and Reuben Box. They were headed for Kern County, but learned that people there were dying of some malady, so altered their plans and settled on a location in the White River dististrict southeast of Portersville.

Washington Guthrie’s burial location is unknown. He was only 41 at his death. Sarah lived until 10 Sep 1916 being 74 when she died. Jin was buried at Home of Peace Cemetery in Porterville.

GUTHRIE CHILDREN: 5
Y-DNA Project Participants: YES
Autosomal DNA Participants: NO

CHILD 1: FANNIE FAIRVILLA GUTHRIE
Born: 16 Jan 1861 CA – Died: 1942 CA
Spouse 1: Robert ‘Bob’ McCabe on 28 Nov 1878 in Tulare County, California, USA
Spouse 2: Enos Marion Dent on 15 Aug 1897 in White River, Tulare, California, USA

Born in Santa Rosa, Sonoma, California, Fannie Fairvilla was the eldest daughter of Wash and Jin Guthrie.

Fannie married Robert McCabe when she was 17 on 28 Nov 1878 in Tulare County. Bob was about 35 at their marriage. They made their home on the McCabe Ranch above White River. They were listed with their daughter Nellie during the 1880 census. Bob was a farmer. His birthplace is listed as Canada, and both parents’ nativity listed as Ireland.

They had 4 children born between 1879 and 1892. Bob died on 21 May 1894 at the age of 51 yrs 6mos. He is buried at the Bald Mountain Cemetery in White River. Three years later, Fannie married Enos Marion Dent (1862-1949), a divorcee with 4 children of his own who lived with their mother, Theodosia Behetheland Tatum (1863-1951). Fannie and Enos are not listed in any census records together. They apparently separated soon after their marriage. Enos lists himself as widowed or married most census years, but in 1940 finally identifies himself as divorced.

Fannie died on 26 January 1942 in Los Angeles.

McCabe Children: 4
Dent Children: None
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

1.) Nellie McCabe: 1879CA – 1946CA, (m1.1904CA) Shade W Braly +child, (m2.bef.1930) Marshall John Adams
2.) James Clyde McCabe: 1882CA – 1936CA – unmarried – Farm Laborer / Farmer
3.) Susie McCabe: 1884CA – 1931CA, (m.1916CA) Charles D Macy +children
4.) Kathryn Delia McCabe: 1892CA – 1970CA – unmarried – Chief Clerk / Supplier, High School

CHILD 2: CLARA JANE GUTHRIE
Born 1862 CA – Died 1928 CA
Spouse: Edwin Austin Uhl (1850-1926) m.31 May 1882 in Tulare County, California, USA

Clara Jane Guthrie was born on 4 (or 14) April 1862 in Santa Rosa, Sonoma, California, USA. She was listed with her parents and siblings in the US Federal Census for California in 1870 and 1880. During the latter year she was listed as a ‘homeworker’.

On 31 May 1882, Clara married Edwin Austin Uhl. He was 32 to her 20, born in Iowa, and a farmer. They rented their farm and house during the early years of their marriage. Edwin became a Teamster and they became home owners with a mortgage living in Porterville, Tulare, California.

The Porterville Recorder of Saturday, 20 Aug 1910: Farewell Party to Los Angeles Visitor – Entertainment Last Evening at home of E. A. Uhl. “A most enjoyable evening was spent at the new home of E.A. Uhl, on West Olive street, last evening.”

They had 4 daughters and 1 son born between 1883 – 1893, with their eldest daughter Gertrude dying young.

Edwin Austin Uhl died on 30 June 1926 at 76 years of age. The Fresno Bee on Tuesday, 1 June 1926 reported that Uhl died at his West Olive Street home following an illness of about 3 years. “The deceased was a native of Muscadine, Iowa, and came to California in 1874. After his marriage to Clara Jane Guthrie, also a member of a pioneer family, in 1882, he located on a cattle ranch above California Hot Springs. The family made its home in (Portersville) for many years.”

During her widowhood, Clara Jane (Guthrie) Uhl remained in Porterville residing with her 3 unmarried children: Bertha, Cynthia, and Clifford. She died on 2 May 1935 and is buried at Home of Peace Cemetery in Porterville, Tulare, California.

Uhl Children: 5
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

1.) Gertrude Emeline Uhl aka ‘Gertie’: 2 Aug 1883 / twin – 29 Oct 1899
2.) Bertha Adeline Uhl: 2 Aug 1883 / twin – 8 Dec 1979 – department store bookkeeper – unmarried
3.) Cynthia Jane Uhl: 4 Apr 1885 – 13 Dec 1859 – bookkeeper – unmarried
4.) Laura Frances Uhl: 1889 – Feb 1937 (m.abt. 1818) Archibald ‘Archie’ Franklin Laney +child
5.) Cecil Clifford Guthrie: 31 Dec 1893 – 9 May 1975 – oil co delivery man / oil plant laborer – unmarried

CHILD 3: LAURA ELIZABETH GUTHRIE
Born 8 February 1864CA – Died 29 May 1929 CA
Marital Status: Unmarried / Single

Laura Elizabeth Guthrie was born on 8 Feb 1864 in Santa Rosa, Sonoma, California. She was listed in the 1870 census with her family. The drama surrounding her father’s death took place 2 years later. In 1880, she was listed as a ‘homeworker’ in 1880. During the 1900 census, 20 years later, she was living with her uncle’s family, stock raiser William J Box. He was a widower with two daughters at home, Annie and Margarette, aged 15 and 7 respectively, so it is likely that Laura helped with the household.

On 2 October 1902, Laura E Guthrie was appointed as the Postmaster of the White River, Tulare, CA post office.

The 1910 census shows that Laura was working as a cream maker. Her cousin Maggie Box, presumably Margarette from the previous census, was living with her. Ten years later during the 1920 census, Laura had changed occupations and was working as a Practical Nurse. Cousin Maggie Box, a grammar school teacher, continued to live with her.

Laura died in Porterville in May of 1939. The remains were buried there at Home of Peace Cemetery.

Children: None
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Female Guthrie / No Descendants
Autosomal DNA Participants: N/A – No Descendants

CHILD 4: JOHN FRANKLIN GUTHRIE
Born 5 March 1866 CA – Died 24 February 1929 CA
Spouse 1: Mary Ellen White m. 1 Oct 1884 in White River, Tulare, California, USA
Spouse 2: Elizabeth Houghton m. Nov 1928

John Franklin Guthrie was born in Rincon Valley, Sonoma, California on 5 March 1866. He was the first son in the family. “By the time he was ten years old he was herding sheep for Burr Caldwell and helping support the family.” (Box History).

On 1 October 1884, John married Mary Ellen White at her family homestead at the base of Bald Mountain, both of them 18. She was a daughter of Charles Thomas and Mary Ellen (Ellis) White. They lived at the Guthrie home place. He was then working in the gold mines and remained in that occupation for sixteen years during which time he supported his wife and eight children, his mother, and frequently other family members. When money permitted, he purchased cattle, and after the mine closed down in the early 1900s, John turned exclusively to raising cattle, land buying, and renting out property.

Mary Ellen White was 58 at her death on 22 June 1924.

John Franklin Guthrie remarried about four years later to Elizabeth R Houghton, a native of Visalia. She was in her mid-forties at the time, a daughter of the late Henry Albert Houghton and Margaret Ann Burton. Her father was born in Iowa, her mother in Nova Scotia. Both families had settled in California. Bessie was afforded the privileges of life as the daughter of a merchant, and later as step-daughter to John L Tuohy, a farmer and preservationist. Both her mother and step-father died prior to her marriage to J.F. Guthrie.

At a Fresno hospital following an operation for sinus trouble, John F Guthrie died on 24 Feb 1929 at the age of 62. He was buried at Home of Peace Cemetery in Porterville, Tulare, California. His widow, Elizabeth (Houghton) Guthrie, died in 1960. Her remains were interred at Oak Hill Cemetery in San Jose.

Guthrie Children: 8
Y-DNA Project Participants: YES
Autosomal DNA Participants: YES

1.) Charles Lester Guthrie: 12 Sep 1885 CA – 27 Jan 1946 CA (m.1910CA) Florence Manter +children
2.) Henry Wilfred ‘Fred’ Guthrie: 3 Jan 1887 CA – 30 May 1945 CA – unmarried – miner
3.) Francis ‘Fannie’ Etta Guthrie: 11 Nov 1888 CA – 1 Feb 1973 CA (m.1912 CA) Hiram Guy Hughes +child
4.) Jennie Hazel Guthrie: 17 Oct 1890 CA – 11 Jan 1892 – died aged 1 yr 3 mos.
5.) Guy Ernest Guthrie: 18 Feb 1893 CA – 6 Mar 1974 CA (m.1920-21) Marian Ethel Wiley +children
6.) Robert Garth B Guthrie: 5 Apr 1897 CA – 25 Nov 1991 CA (m.1926 CA) Ellen Shepard – no children
7.) Everette Riddell Guthrie: 30 Mar 1899 CA – 14 Aug 1977 CA – unmarried – stockman
8.) Helen Elizabeth Guthrie: 9 Aug 1909 CA – Oct 1976 AZ (m.1929CA) John Samuel McCall +children

CHILD 5: WILLIAM HENRY GUTHRIE
Born: 12 April 1868 CA – Died: 5 May 1933 CA
Spouse: Wilhelmina Henrietta Rios (m. abt. 1915-16 CA)

The youngest of the Guthrie children was born on 12 April 1868. William Henry Guthrie was called ‘Will’. He worked as a ‘vacurro’, which is a person who looks after cows, a stockman on a ranch. In 1912, Will was accused of larceny involving the alleged theft of a steer. The jury took only 5 minutes to deliberate to acquit him of the charge.

His marriage to Wilhelmina Henrietta Rios probably took place about 1915-1916 as their daughter, Barbara Irene was born in 1917. During the 1920 census, Will was employed by the University Oil Company as a pumper.

William Henry Guthrie died at the age of 65 on 5 May 1933 in Kern County, California. His widow lived until 1947.

Guthrie Children: 1
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – No Male Children
Autosomal DNA Participants: No

1.) Barbara Irene Guthrie: 24 Oct 1917 CA – 25 Aug 1989 CA (m.) Gerald Arvon Ramekin +children

READING and RESOURCES

BOOK: Akins, Alice Box Ramsey, 1991. The Box Family History: Reuben Franklin Box and his California Family. Digital Repository: Family Search (See Book Index for Guthrie names – p.464-465 (img 489, 499 of 507)

p.22 Home of Peace Cemetery, Portersville, Tulare County, CA
Guthrie: John Franklin; Mary Ellen (nee White); Henry Wilford; Everett Riddell; William Henry; Laura Elizabeth
McCabe: Fannie (nee Guthrie; Nellie; James Clyde; Susie; Kathryn Delia
Uhl: Edwin Austin; Clara (nee Guthrie); Bertha Adeline; Cynthia Jane; Laura; Cecil Clifford

NEWSPAPER: San Francisco Chronicle, Monday, 14 October 1872, page 2
A Sunday Murder. Tragedy in Santa Rosa – A Father Shot Dead white Trying to Obtain Possession of hIs Children. (Special Dispatch to the Chronicle).
Santa Rosa, October 13– This morning, about 11 o’clock, Samuel Box shot and killed Washington Guthrie about 12 miles from this place. The difficulty occurred regarding the custody of the children of the deceased, five in number, who had been awarded by the Courts in three different cases to the custody of Mr. Box. Mr Guthrie went to the residence of Mr Box to take the children away by force and was killed in the attempt. Mr Box came to Santa Rosa and surrendered himself to the custody of the Sheriff. The case is regarded as clearly one of justifiable homicide. The Coroner is now holding an inquest, the result of which will be given tomorrow.

NEWSPAPER: The San Francisco Examiner, Thursday, 17 October 1872, page 3
Box Acquitted at Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa, October 16 — The case of The People against Box, charged with the murder of Washington Guthrie on last Sunday, terminated this evening, and the prisoner was discharged. As anticipated, the testimony disclosed a clear case of necessary self-defense. The prosecution was conducted by District Attorney Henley, and the defense by Wm McCullough, both of whom were complimented for the manner in which the case was tried. The decision of Justice McGee gives general satisfaction.

NEWSPAPER: San Francisco Chronicle, Monday, 21 October 1872, Page 1
A Family Tragedy. The Killing of Wash. Guthrie by his Brother-in-Law
A Sad Domestic Story. Box Discharged After an Examination. An Affecting Letter from Guthrie to his Wife. (From the Sonoma Democrat, Oct. 19th)
Digital Repository: Newspapers.com

NEWSPAPER: Porterville Recorder, Friday, 28 June 1946 (Re: Nellie Brady Adams)
County Pioneer Burns to Death in Ranch House
“Mr Nellie Braly Adams, 66, wife of Mark Adams of Ducor, and native of Tulare County, was burned to death Thursday afternoon when she was trapped in the burning ranch house at the old McCabe ranch four miles from White River.”
“Caught in the flames and smoke as she was attempting to remove a family keepsake cherry bedstead, Mrs Adams was apparently unable to find a window through the smoke after flames engulfed the door and was burned to death in the house where she was born.”
“Mrs Adams had gone to the ranch from Ducor to take provisions to her nephew, Douglas Macy, who is there raising turkeys and cattle.”

NEWSPAPER: Evening Recorder, Monday, 25 February 1929, Porterville, CA
Oldest Cattle Raiser Here is Taken by Death
J.F. Guthrie Resident of Hills 57 Years; Saw County Growing

NEWSPAPER: Visalia Times-Delta, Monday, 25 Feb 1929, page 4
J.F. Guthrie, Well Known Cattleman, Dies in Hospital