Guthrie Family Group 6 – Branch A
GEORGE GUTHRIE 1784 SCT – 1871 SCT & HELEN “ELLEN” DODDS
of Berwickshire, Scotland

GEORGE GUTHRIE (Jr.)
Parents: George Guthrie (1751 Eyemouth, Berwickshire – 28 June 1821 Foulden, Berwickshire) and Janet (or Jennet) Mennion (1753–1 May 1820 Foulden, Berwickshire)
Birth: about 1784 (baptized 20 September 1784)
Birth Location: Hutton, Berwickshire, Scotland
Occupation: Millwright and Farmer
Military Service: None Known
Marriage: about 1810 to Helen “Ellen” / Eleanor Dodds / Dods
Marriage Location: presumably Berwickshire, Scotland (likely Foulden or nearby parish)
Residences: Children born in Foulden, Berwickshire; later moved to Fogo (Charterhall), Berwickshire, Scotland
Death: 10 November 1871 at 7:45 PM (age 88 years)
Death Location: Charterhall, Parish of Fogo, Berwickshire, Scotland (cause: old age)
Burial Location: Foulden Churchyard, Berwickshire, Scotland.

HELEN DODDS / DODS (also Eleanor, Ellen)
Parents: Unknown (research ongoing; likely Berwickshire family)
Birth: Estimated late 1780s (exact date and location unknown)
Birth Location: Berwickshire, Scotland (presumed)
Marriage: about 1810 to George Guthrie
Residences: Foulden, Berwickshire (with husband and children); likely Fogo area later
Death: 7 May 1831
Death Location: Likely Foulden or Fogo area, Berwickshire, Scotland
Burial Location: Foulden Churchyard, Berwickshire, Scotland (joint gravestone with husband noting 3 children died in infancy)
Notes: Spelling variations common in period records (Dodds, Dods, Dodd); gravestone confirms her as Helen Dods. Husband outlived her by 40 years as a widower.

GUTHRIE CHILDREN: (5 known surviving + 3 who died in infancy per family gravestone in Foulden Churchyard) Y-DNA Project Participants: NONE
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

CHILD 1: MARGARET GUTHRIE – 1811 Foulden, Berwickshire – after 1871
Spouse: [Likely] Mr. Lillie (daughter Helen Lillie served as informant on father’s 1871 death record)
Children: At least one daughter (Helen Lillie)
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Female Guthrie line
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

CHILD 2: GEORGE GUTHRIE 1813 Foulden, Berwickshire – about 1869 Fogo, Berwickshire
Spouse: Janet Watson (married; further details in parish records)
Children: Known issue including sons George and Michael (per later censuses and family trees)
Y-DNA Project Participants: NONE – Male Guthrie (potential tester for confirmation of GFG6 haplogroup) Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

CHILD 3: ADAM GUTHRIE 1818 Foulden, Berwickshire – [death unknown; research ongoing]
Spouse: Unknown
Children: Unknown
Y-DNA Project Participants: NONE – Male Guthrie (potential tester)
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

CHILD 4: JANET GUTHRIE 1821 Foulden, Berwickshire – [death unknown; research ongoing]
Spouse: Unknown
Children: Unknown
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Female Guthrie line
Autosomal DNA Participants: None noted

CHILD 5: JOHN GUTHRIE 1822 Foulden, Berwickshire – 1822 (infant death)
Spouse: N/A
Children: None
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A
Autosomal DNA Participants: None

FAMILY NOTES/HISTORY George Guthrie (Jr.) was the eldest known son of tenant farmer and miller George Guthrie (Sr.) and Jennet Mennion of Foulden/Nunlands, Berwickshire. The family operated in the agricultural and milling economy of the Scottish Borders during the late Agricultural Revolution and early Industrial era—flax and grain milling were key local industries, with Berwickshire’s proximity to the Tweed River facilitating trade (and occasional smuggling) with England. George Jr.’s move from Foulden (where all known children were born) to Fogo (Charterhall) reflects typical rural mobility within the Borders parishes, driven by tenancy opportunities or mill work.

The couple’s joint gravestone in the picturesque Foulden Churchyard explicitly notes three infant deaths in addition to the five surviving children listed in parish records—a common 19th-century reality due to high infant mortality. Helen’s early death in 1831 left George a widower for four decades; he died at age 88 of “old age,” a testament to relative longevity for the era in a rural farming/milling community. No emigration is recorded for this immediate nuclear family (unlike some Guthrie branches); they remained rooted in Berwickshire through the 1841–1871 censuses.

Primary Sources and Citations

• Old Parish Registers (OPR) Baptisms & Marriages: ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk. George Guthrie baptism, 20 Sep 1784, Hutton, Berwickshire (ref. 753/10 23). Children’s baptisms in Foulden OPR (1811–1822). Marriage estimate cross-referenced with family gravestone and death record.
• Statutory Death Records: ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk. George Guthrie death, 10 Nov 1871, Fogo (ref. 740/00 0024): “George Guthrie, formerly a Miller, widower of Helen Dodds… parents George Guthrie, farmer, & Janet Mennan.”
• Monumental Inscriptions: Scottish Monumental Inscriptions (scottish-monumental-inscriptions.com). Foulden Churchyard transcriptions (PDF download): Joint stone for George Guthrie & Helen Dods (d. 7 May 1831) noting “3 children died in infancy.” Also covers parents’ stones.
• Census Records: 1841–1871 Scotland Censuses (ScotlandsPeople/Ancestry). Fogo/Foulden enumerations confirm residences and occupations for George (widower) and surviving children.
• Guthrie Genealogy Blog (primary compiled source): “A: George Guthrie & Jennet Mennion” (27 Dec 2019, updated). Full context for GFG6 Branch A, including this couple’s details and gravestone photos/references.

Secondary Reading & Contextual Resources

• Lewis, Samuel. Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (1846/1851 editions) – descriptions of Foulden, Hutton, and Fogo parishes (agriculture, mills, population).
• National Library of Scotland. Berwickshire Gazetteer maps and historical tax rolls (1645–1831) for tenant farmers/millers.
• Old Scottish Genealogy (oldscottish.com/foulden.html) – Foulden parish history and monumental inscriptions index.
• Guthrie DNA Surname Project (FamilyTreeDNA) – Y-DNA matches for GFG6 confirm paternal line; autosomal kits from Margaret Guthrie descendants available for triangulation.

Recommended Next Steps for Researchers

• Search ScotlandsPeople for Helen Dodds birth (c.1785–1795, Berwickshire parishes) and any unlisted infant burials.
• Contact Foulden Churchyard caretakers or purchase full monumental inscription PDF for photos.
• DNA testing: Y-DNA for living male Guthrie descendants via George Jr.’s sons; autosomal for all lines to connect with blog commenters.
• Local archives: Berwickshire Sheriff Court or kirk session records for tenancy/milling contracts.