Guthrie Family Group 6 – Branch A
AGNES GUTHRIE 1786SCT-1855SCT & THOMAS JOHNSTON
of Berwickshire, Scotland

AGNES GUTHRIE
Parents: George Guthrie (miller/farmer) & Janet (Jennet) Mennion (Mennen/Menion/Mennon)
Birth: circa 1786 (Christened 17 December 1786)
Birth Location: Edrington Mill, Mordington, Berwickshire, Scotland
Marriage: 7 May 1809 to Thomas Johnston (millwright/engineer/miller)
Marriage Location: Foulden, Berwickshire, Scotland
Residences: Early years in Foulden and Chirnside parishes; primarily Edrom parish (Broomhouse Paper Mill in 1841; Chirnside Bridge in 1851); resided in Edrom for approximately 41 years
Death: 19 August 1855 (age 68)
Death Location: Chirnside Bridge, Edrom, Berwickshire, Scotland
Cause of Death: Dropsy of the chest
Burial Location: Edrom, Berwickshire, Scotland
Notes: Death record explicitly names parents as George Guthrie (farmer, deceased) and Janet Mennon (deceased), spouse Thomas Johnston (engineer), and notes 10 children born to the marriage. The family’s milling connections echo her father’s occupation at Edrington Mill.

THOMAS JOHNSTON
Parents: Peter Johnston & Barbara Waters Birth: 1784 (Christened 17 October 1784)
Birth Location: Gordon, Berwickshire, Scotland
Occupation: Miller, millwright, and engineer (associated with paper and grain milling operations)
Marriage: 7 May 1809 Marriage Location: Foulden, Berwickshire, Scotland
Residences: Foulden (early marriage); Edrom parish (Broomhouse Paper Mill in 1841; Chirnside Bridge in 1851) Death: 10 November 1857
Death Location: Chirnside Bridge, Edrom, Berwickshire, Scotland
Burial Location: Edrom, Berwickshire, Scotland
Notes: Thomas’s trade aligned with the early industrial milling economy of Berwickshire, including paper production at sites like Broomhouse. The couple’s shared residences reflect typical parish mobility for mill workers in the Borders region during the early 19th century.

FAMILY NOTES/HISTORY
Agnes Guthrie, daughter of George Guthrie (miller at Edrington Mill) and Janet Mennion, married Thomas Johnston in 1809. The family moved between Foulden, Chirnside, and Edrom parishes in Berwickshire, with a long-term base in Edrom linked to paper milling at Broomhouse and later Chirnside Bridge. This reflects the transitional agrarian-industrial economy of early 19th-century Scotland’s Borders, where milling skills passed through families. They had ten known children. No evidence of emigration in this nuclear family unit; descendants may show further occupational or migratory patterns.

JOHNSTON CHILDREN: 10
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Female Guthrie / Children’s Paternal Line is Johnston
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

CHILD 1: Peter Johnston – 1809 Foulden, Berwickshire – 20 August 1887 (buried Edrom)
Spouse: Isabella Wilson (c.1807–29 May 1894, buried Edrom)
Children: Not detailed in summary records
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Paternal line is Johnston / Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE
Notes: Eldest son; remained in Berwickshire area.

CHILD 2: Janet Johnston – c.1811 Chirnside, Berwickshire
Spouse: Thomas Trotter Pringle (10 April 1806–13 November 1846) m. 25 September 1843 Edrom
Children: Not detailed
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Female / Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

CHILD 3: Barbara Johnston – 1813 Chirnside/Edrom area, Berwickshire – 1853 (spouse died bef. 1852)
Spouse: Robert Robertson m. 8 March 1833 Duns, Berwickshire
Children: Not detailed
Notes: Early marriage outside core Edrom/Foulden circuit.
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Female / Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

CHILD 4: George Johnston – 1816 Edrom, Berwickshire
Spouse: Mary Ann Blyth (1824–2 August 1881, Bolton, Lancashire) m. 24 December 1847 Blanerne, Berwickshire Children: Not detailed in summary
Notes: Possible later migration or family connections noted in compiled trees.
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Paternal line is Johnston / Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

CHILD 5: Sarah Johnston – c.1818 Edrom, Berwickshire
Spouse: Unknown/not recorded in summary trees
Children: Unknown
Notes: Limited details; requires further OPR/census review.
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Female / Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

CHILD 6: Thomas Johnston – 25 February 1820 Edrom, Berwickshire – 1900 (buried Preston, Berwickshire)
Spouse: Allison Shiell (1824–4 November 1882)
Children: Not detailed
Notes: Continued family presence in Berwickshire.
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Paternal line is Johnston / Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

CHILD 7: John Johnston – c.1822 Edrom, Berwickshire
Spouse: Mary Straiton (c.1818)
Children: Not detailed
Notes: Married locally.
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Paternal line is Johnston / Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

CHILD 8: Ann Johnston – c.1823 Edrom, Berwickshire
Spouse: Unknown
Children: Unknown
Notes: Limited post-birth records in summaries.
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Female / Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

CHILD 9: Hannah Johnston – c.1825/1826 Edrom, Berwickshire
Spouse: Unknown
Children: Unknown
Notes: Youngest daughter; sparse details.
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Female / Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

CHILD 10: William Johnston – c.1828 Edrom, Berwickshire
Spouse: Unknown
Children: Unknown
Notes: Youngest son; potential for further tracing via later censuses.
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Paternal line is Johnston / Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

Primary Sources & Citations

• Old Parish Registers (OPR) – Baptisms, Marriages (ScotlandsPeople / National Records of Scotland): Agnes Guthrie baptism, Mordington parish, Berwickshire, 17 December 1786 (daughter of George Guthrie and Janet Mennion, Edrington Mill). Thomas Johnston baptism, Gordon parish, Berwickshire, 17 October 1784. Marriage of Agnes Guthrie and Thomas Johnston, Foulden parish, Berwickshire, 7 May 1809. Child baptisms (surviving) in Foulden, Chirnside, and Edrom parishes (e.g., Thomas Johnston Jr. 16 March 1820 Edrom).
• Statutory Registers – Deaths (Scotland’s People): Agnes Johnston (née Guthrie), died 19 August 1855, Chirnside Bridge, Edrom parish (age 68; parents George Guthrie farmer and Janet Mennon, both deceased; spouse Thomas Johnston engineer; 10 children of marriage; cause: dropsy of chest; ref. confirms details). Thomas Johnston, died 10 November 1857, Chirnside Bridge, Edrom.
• Census Returns of Scotland (National Records of Scotland / ScotlandsPeople / Ancestry): 1841 Census – Edrom parish, Broomhouse Paper Mill (Agnes, Thomas, and household with children). 1851 Census – Chirnside Bridge, Edrom parish (Agnes, Thomas, and several adult children).
• Monumental Inscriptions / Headstones: Edrom parish churchyard (Peter Johnston & Isabella Wilson; Thomas Johnston Jr. in Preston); Foulden/Edrom indexes for family plots.

Secondary / Contextual Reading

• Slatters.org.uk compiled family trees (Cordingley/Johnston-Guthrie pages) – detailed extraction of OPR, census, death certificates, IGI, headstones, and probate for the nuclear family, all 10 children, and some grandchildren; cross-references to parents Peter Johnston/Barbara Waters and George Guthrie/Jane Mennion.
• The New Statistical Account of Scotland (Berwickshire volume) and parish histories of Mordington, Foulden, Chirnside, Edrom, and Gordon – context on milling economy, paper mills at Broomhouse/Chirnside Bridge, and 19th-century rural life.
• National Library of Scotland (NLS) digital maps and Berwickshire trade directories – illustrate paper-milling operations and parish boundaries in the Borders.
• Guthrie Family Group 6 parental overview (guthriegenealogy.blog/guthrie-family-groups/gfg6/a-george-guthrie-janet-mennion/) – sibling cross-references and family migration patterns within Berwickshire.

Research Recommendations:

• Incomplete Child Records: Not all 10 children have full baptismal entries, marriages, or later-life details in every summary; prioritize ScotlandsPeople OPR images and 1841–1871 censuses for Edrom/Chirnside/Foulden to confirm births, marriages, or infant deaths. Some migration (e.g., George to Lancashire) requires FreeBMD/England & Wales records.
• Occupational Context: Strong milling/paper-mill thread (Guthrie father at Edrington; Thomas at Broomhouse); explore local mill ledgers or Berwickshire business records for employment details.
• View original OPR images on ScotlandsPeople for exact child baptisms and witnesses.
• Locate Thomas Johnston’s 1857 death image for informant/occupation details.
• Search Edrom monumental inscriptions for full burial plot info.
• Consult Berwickshire Poor Law or kirk session records for any economic notes.
• Expand to children’s descendants via compiled trees or censuses if migration occurred.