Guthrie Family Group 6 – Branch A
Margaret Guthrie (c1783 SCT – 1866 SCT) & William Johnston
of Berwickshire, Scotland

MARGARET GUTHRIE
Parents: George Guthrie (1751–1821, Miller) and Janet (or Jennet) Mennion (c1753–1820; spelling variations include Mennen, Menion, or Mennion in records)
Birth: about 1783 (or circa 1782 per some compiled trees)
Birth Location: Berwickshire, Scotland (one source specifies Hutton parish; others give general Berwickshire) Baptism/Location: Not located in available Old Parish Records (OPR); estimated from age at death
Marriage: Estimated c1807, Berwickshire, Scotland (presumed prior to first child’s birth; no civil or OPR marriage record located despite searches)
Johnston Children: 10 (listed below under Johnston Children) Death: 24 November 1866 (11:30 p.m.)
Death Location: Easter Street, Dunse (Duns), Berwickshire, Scotland
Burial Location: Unknown, likely Berwickshire, Scotland (no monumental inscription identified)
Notes: Margaret’s death registration explicitly names her parents as “George Guthrie, Miller & Janet Mennen, both decd.” and cause of death as “Old Age, Natural Decay.” She was widowed at the time. The family resided primarily in eastern Berwickshire parishes (Duns/Dunse, Edrom, Chirnside, Ayton, Bunkle & Preston, Coldingham, Foulden). Census enumerations show her living with adult children into her later years, reflecting typical Borders farming/shepherding household patterns. Spelling of her mother’s surname varies across records, a common issue in pre-1855 Scottish parish documents due to phonetic transcription by clerks.

WILLIAM JOHNSTON
Parents: Peter Johnston and Barbara Waters (per compiled family data)
Birth: about 1781
Birth Location:  Swinton, Berwickshire, Scotland
Baptism/Location: 19 August 1781, Swinton and Simprim, Berwickshire, Scotland
Marriage: Estimated c1807 to Margaret Guthrie (see above)
Death: 1858
Death Location: Edrom, Berwickshire, Scotland
Burial Location: Unknown
Notes: William worked as a shepherd throughout his adult life, a common occupation in the agricultural Borders region during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He appears in the 1841 Census (Chirnside) and 1851 Census (Edrom) with his wife and several children. The family’s movements between nearby parishes (Swinton, Duns, Edrom, Ayton, etc.) reflect seasonal or farm-based employment typical of shepherding families. No will or probate has been located. His christening record provides the firmest anchor for parentage.

FAMILY NOTES: The Johnston-Guthrie family exemplifies typical Berwickshire agrarian life in the early-to-mid 19th century: shepherding and agricultural labour tied to the fertile but rugged Border landscape. Economic pressures post-Napoleonic Wars and the Agricultural Revolution likely influenced their parish-to-parish moves. No evidence of emigration appears; the line remained local. Gaps remain in exact baptismal dates and later descendants, typical for pre-statutory Scottish records. Further OPR searches on ScotlandsPeople or DNA triangulation could clarify unlisted spouses/children.

JOHNSTON CHILDREN: 10
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

CHILD 1: PETER JOHNSTON – 1808 SCT – ? SCT
Birth Location: Duns (Dunse), Berwickshire (baptism noted in some indexes 27 Feb/6 Mar 1808)
Spouse: Unknown
Children: Unknown
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE
NOTES/HISTORY: Eldest son; appears in early family groupings.

CHILD 2: BARBARA JOHNSTON – c1812 SCT – ? SCT
Birth Location: Bunkle & Preston, Berwickshire
Spouse: Robert Tait (died 1891, Duns)
Duns Children: Unknown
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE
NOTES/HISTORY: One of several daughters born in the early 1810s as the family moved across Berwickshire parishes.

CHILD 3: MARGARET JOHNSTON – c1816 SCT – ? SCT
Birth Location: Duns, Berwickshire
Spouse: Unknown
Children: Unknown
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

CHILD 4: SARAH JOHNSTON – c1818 SCT – ? SCT
Birth Location: Coldingham, Berwickshire
Spouse: Unknown
Children: Unknown
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

CHILD 5: JOHN JOHNSTON – c1814 SCT – ? SCT
Birth Location: Edrom, Berwickshire
Spouse: Unknown
Children: Unknown
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

CHILD 6: WILLIAM JOHNSTON – c1820 SCT – ? SCT
Birth Location: Foulden, Berwickshire
Spouse: Unknown
Children: Unknown
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE
NOTES/HISTORY: Appears in 1841 Census as an agricultural labourer living with parents.

CHILD 7: CHARLES JOHNSTON – c1822 SCT – ? SCT
(note: one source lists 1722, likely a transcription error for 1822; possibly Newbattle, Midlothian)
Birth Location: Possibly Newbattle or Berwickshire area
Spouse: Unknown
Children: Unknown
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

CHILD 8: HANNAH JOHNSTON – c1823 SCT – ? SCT
Birth Location: Ayton, Berwickshire
Spouse: Unknown
Children: Unknown
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

CHILD 9: THOMAS JOHNSTON – c1826 SCT – ? SCT
Birth Location: Ayton, Berwickshire
Spouse: Unknown
Children: Unknown
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE

CHILD 10: AGNES JOHNSTON – c1829 SCT – ? SCT
Birth Location: Ayton, Berwickshire
Spouse: Unknown
Children: Unknown
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Descendant of a Female Guthrie
Autosomal DNA Participants: NONE
NOTES/HISTORY: Youngest child; later censuses (1851/1861) show several adult Johnston siblings still residing with or near their widowed mother in Duns/Edrom, illustrating extended family support networks in rural Scotland.

Primary Sources & Citations

• Statutory Death Register (Scotland’s People): Margaret Johnston (née Guthrie), 24 Nov 1866, Dunse (Duns), Berwickshire. Reference: Parents George Guthrie (Miller) & Janet Mennen; husband William Johnston (shepherd); residence Easter Street; age 83; cause “Old Age, Natural Decay.” This is the cornerstone record confirming parentage and details.
• Census of Scotland: 1841 (Chirnside parish – William & Margaret with children); 1851 (Edrom parish – shepherd household); 1861 (Duns parish – Margaret widowed with adult children). These confirm occupations, residences, and family composition over decades.
• Old Parish Registers (OPR) / Scotland’s People Church Records: William Johnston christening, 19 Aug 1781, Swinton & Simprim (parents Peter Johnston & Barbara Waters). Approximate child birth years derived from censuses and secondary indexes (e.g., Peter c1808 Duns; others via parish groupings). No marriage record for William & Margaret located.
• Compiled Family Trees & Indexes: Slatters.org.uk Cordingley family history page (detailed births, censuses, William’s death 1858 Edrom); WikiTree profile Guthrie-7024 (death transcription and parent links).

Secondary / Contextual Reading

• Berwickshire parish histories and agricultural context (e.g., shepherding in the Merse region) via National Records of Scotland or local heritage sites for broader socio-economic nuance.
• DNA Projects: Guthrie Y-DNA and autosomal databases (no current Johnston-Guthrie participants noted for this branch; opportunities exist for descendants).

Additional Considerations & Edge Cases

• Name & Date Variations: “Dunse/Duns,” “Mennion/Mennen/Menion,” and approximate birth years reflect pre-1855 record inconsistencies; cross-verification with multiple censuses mitigates this.
• Unlocated Records: Marriage and some baptisms absent—common due to non-conformist practices or lost registers. Charles’s 1722 date is almost certainly a typo (context suggests 1822).
• Implications for Further Research: Focus on Ayton, Edrom, and Duns OPR images on ScotlandsPeople; contact Berwickshire archives for potential kirk session or farm rental records; autosomal DNA testing of living descendants could link to other Guthrie lines.
• No Evidence of Criminal, Military, or Emigration Activity: The family appears stably agrarian, with no outliers in indexes.