Guthrie Family Group 6 – Branch B
ROBERT GUTHRIE 1779 ENG – 1785 ENG
of Northumberland, England

ROBERT GUTHRIE

Parents: Adam Guthrie (c.1740 ENG – aft.1785 ENG) & Elizabeth Nesbit (c.1740/1741 ENG – unk.)
Birth / Baptism: 28 April 1779 (baptized same day or shortly thereafter)
Birth / Baptism Location: Spittal, Northumberland, England (chapelry in Tweedmouth Parish)
Death: 1785 ENG (per family trees; exact date unconfirmed in primary records located)
Death Location: Likely Spittal, Northumberland, England (one secondary reference notes June 1786 at age ~6–7, but without source)
Burial: Unknown (no confirmed parish burial record identified in available digitized collections)
Spouse: N/A
Children: N/A
Y-DNA Project Participants: N/A – Died during childhood
Autosomal DNA Participants: N/A – Died during childhood

NOTES: Robert Guthrie was the sixth or seventh known child of Adam Guthrie and Elizabeth Nesbit of Northumberland, England. The family resided primarily in the border region around Harbottle, Berwick-upon-Tweed, and Spittal (a small industrial/coal-mining hamlet in Tweedmouth Parish), an area characterized by 18th-century economic pressures from agriculture, early coal extraction, and cross-border trade with Scotland. High child mortality was the norm in this era and locale—infant and childhood death rates often exceeded 20–30% due to infectious diseases (smallpox, measles, whooping cough, dysentery), poor sanitation, nutritional deficiencies, and limited medical care. Robert’s short life exemplifies these realities; he appears to have died before age 7, leaving no descendants or further records.

This branch (GFG6-B) is one of the England-origin lines that remained in Northumberland/Durham rather than migrating to North America or elsewhere. Robert’s siblings include several who also faced early challenges (e.g., some died in infancy or childhood, while others reached adulthood and appear in later records). No occupation, marriage, or land records exist for Robert, as expected for a child who did not survive to adulthood.

Primary Sources

• Baptism Record (1779, Spittal/Tweedmouth, Northumberland): Robert Guthrie, son of Adam Guthrie and Elizabeth, baptized 28 April 1779 in Spittal (chapelry of Tweedmouth Parish), Northumberland, England. This is the sole confirmed primary record. Citation: England, Northumberland Parish Registers (Tweedmouth and Spittal entries), 1538–1950 collection; viewed via Ancestry.com or FamilySearch (microfilm/digital images from Northumberland Archives). The record clusters with siblings’ baptisms in the same parish/chapelry, confirming parentage. Value: Establishes exact birth location and ties to the family’s Northumberland base. Nuances: Spittal registers sometimes appear under Tweedmouth or Berwick-upon-Tweed headings; Anglican entries predominate, though the family occasionally used Presbyterian notations for other children. Access: Digitized on major genealogy platforms; original at Northumberland Archives, Ashington. Implications: Solid anchor for the lineage; absence of later records supports early death.
• Parental Marriage Record (1761): Adam Guthrie and Elizabeth Nesbit married 23 November 1761 at Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland. This anchors the family timeline and confirms parentage for all children, including Robert. (Cross-referenced in multiple sibling baptisms.) Citation: England, Northumberland, Berwick-upon-Tweed Parish Registers.

No confirmed burial, death, or probate records for Robert were located in digitized collections despite targeted searches of Northumberland parish registers, bishop’s transcripts, and related indexes. This is common for young children in the period.