3B-6: James Guthrie
Guthrie Family Group 3 · Branch B
James Guthrie
Harperland · Struthers · Loans · Ayrshire
James was the youngest known child of William Guthrie and Ann Hunter. Later records describe him as an annuitant, first sharing a household with his brother William and then boarding at Loans. He died unmarried in 1863; his half-brother Robert of Crossburn reported the death.
The Family at a Glance
James Guthrie · baptized 1797–1863
- Parents
- William Guthrie and Ann Hunter.
- Baptism
- 19 October 1797, Dundonald, 590/10/214.
- Occupation / support
- Annuitant in later censuses.
- Marriage
- Recorded as single at death.
- Death
- 22 April 1863, Loans, aged 65.
His later households
- 1841
- Loans, with William Guthrie’s household; James recorded as 35.
- 1851
- Struthers, with brother William; James recorded as 53, annuitant.
- 1861
- Boarder in the Loans household of William Black, joiner, and Ann Rodger.
The records do not identify the source of his annuity.
No spouse or children are known. James’s relationship to the larger family is supported by his baptism, the shared household with William and the death information supplied by Robert Guthrie of Crossburn.
“Annuitant” describes income, but it does not identify a military pension or prove dependence on a particular relative. No such source of support is assigned without a supporting record.
Guthrie DNA Project Participation
| Family line | Y-DNA | Big Y | Autosomal |
|---|---|---|---|
| James’s own line | N/A | N/A | N/A |
✓ = participation documented for this line and test; — = none documented in the reviewed project material; N/A = no applicable direct paternal line or no known descendants. A dash does not mean that no descendant has ever tested.
Historical Highlights
James remained in Ayrshire while some relatives moved into estate management or overseas households. His census trail shifts from his father’s family to his brother’s household at Struthers and finally to boarding at Loans. These changes provide a modest but continuous outline of his adult life.
Family Timeline
-
1797
Baptized 19 October, Dundonald.
-
1841
Listed at Loans in the household headed by William Guthrie.
-
1851
Annuitant at Struthers with brother William.
-
1856
Brother William died at Drummieholm.
-
1861
Boarding with the Black household at Loans.
-
1863
Died 22 April; Robert Guthrie of Crossburn was the informant.
Explore the Research
DNA & the Family Line
No descendants are known. The James Guthrie whose descendants have participated in DNA testing through the William–Susan Good line was born in 1814 and was this James’s nephew; their records must remain separate.
Participation summary based on the reviewed branch material, 6 November 2026. Current kit levels and SNP placements require the project’s current results; no new test is inferred from a haplogroup label.
Census ages and the death entry
The directly reviewed 1841 page records James as 35, substantially younger than the age implied by his 1797 baptism. The 1851 age of 53 and the death age of 65 fit that earlier record much more closely. The 1841 value is preserved as a reported age, not used to create a later birth year.
His death entry describes eight weeks of gastritis and identifies Robert Guthrie, brother, at Crossburn as informant. It links the last record of James to the wider family without establishing the financial arrangements behind his annuity.
Reading & Sources
The records below distinguish original entries, attributed transcriptions and later accounts. Linked repositories may require an account or subscription. A link is a locator, not a claim that every underlying image has been independently examined.
- Dundonald OPR 590/10/214: baptism of James, 19 October 1797.
- 1841 census, Troon heading, Loans, 590/3/7; original reviewed.
- 1851 census, Struthers: brothers William and James Guthrie, annuitants; 1861 census, Loans: James boarding with William Black and Ann Rodger.
- Statutory death, Dundonald 590/25: James Guthrie, 22 April 1863, Loans; legacy transcription.
Research links
Most Wanted Documents
| Record to verify | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Annuity or estate evidence | A will, trust, settlement or estate account could explain James’s income and its relationship to the Harperland family. |
| Earlier adult life | A securely identified pre-1841 record could fill the gap between his baptism and later census appearances. |
The Branch B hub explains the project’s provisionally accepted earlier generations and the wider DNA comparison.
Continue the Family’s Story
James’s records preserve an unmarried member of the Ayrshire family whose life is easily obscured by better-documented relatives. Keeping him distinct from his nephew James protects both family histories.
Researched & Curated by Ann Guthrie