G: Wilson Guttry & Sarah Starritt
Guthrie Family Group 2A · Branch G · Family Hub
Wilson Guttry &
Sarah M. Starritt
Alabama origins · A family established in southern Arkansas
Census households, military records, pension ledgers, and cemetery inscriptions follow Wilson Guttry and Sarah M. Starritt through nineteenth-century Arkansas. Their six working child lines connect the Guttry family with the Sanders, Gosdin, Drake, Strange, Silvey, and Crouch families.
Related Branch G lineage — connection unresolved. Y-DNA associates Wilson’s paternal line with Branch G. His relationship to James Guthrie and Jeanette Wilson, John Guthrie and Jane Reed, or an earlier close relative has not been established.
A separate question concerns Wilson’s proposed parents, William Guthrie and Martha Rogers. Their family is a promising research lead, but the parent–son connection remains unproved.
Family at a Glance
Wilson Guttry
26 December 1828–4 December 1911
- Birth
- Alabama, according to census records; exact date from his gravestone.
- Parents
- Unverified. William Guthrie and Martha Rogers are proposed parents.
- Marriages
- Sarah M. Starritt; date and place unverified. A cemetery compilation also reports an earlier wife, Mary Murphy.
- Home & Work
- Laborer in the 1850 index; farmer in later census records. Associated with Ouachita, Columbia, and Nevada Counties, Arkansas.
- Death & Burial
- 4 December 1911, according to his stone; buried at Tick Hill Cemetery. His last reviewed census places him with son Christopher in Ouachita County.
Sarah M. Starritt
22 September 1828–26 July 1905
- Birth
- Tennessee is reported in family records. The exact date comes from the cemetery transcription.
- Parents
- Not established in the reviewed evidence.
- Marriage
- Wife of Wilson Guttry. The 1900 index reports fifty years married, but a marriage record is still needed.
- Family
- The six child lines below form the working reconstruction of Wilson and Sarah’s household.
- Death & Burial
- The Tick Hill cemetery transcription gives 26 July 1905 and identifies her as Wilson’s wife.
The Next Generation
Dates retain the limits of their sources. The display order does not establish birth order.
| Child | Spouse or Spouses | Family & Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| John Wilson Guttry Birth year disputed–1923 |
Murtilla Jane Sanders | Married 6 November 1879, Columbia County. The 1900 index gives March 1853; the memorial index gives 4 March 1858. His line includes the reported ancestry of kit 916989. |
| Mary Frances Guttry Reported 4 July 1856–7 August 1915 |
Alfred Benjamin Gosdin | Indexed as Fannie Guthrie at their 4 September 1879 marriage. Son John L. Gosdin’s death certificate names Alfred Benjamin Gosdin and Mary Frances Gutrie as his parents. |
| Christopher Columbus Guttry 1856/1858–28 May 1939 |
Joe Eller Drake; later Ida Strange | Married Jo Ella Drake on 25 March 1883. A later marriage to Ida in 1905 is reported in the memorial biographies. His stone gives 18 October 1856; several record ages suggest about 1857/58. |
| William Timothy Guttry 19 October 1859–20 February 1938 |
Barbara Drake; later Carrie Levenia Silvey | The 1859 birth date follows his death certificate and is preferred to the conflicting 1856 memorial date. The certificate names Wilson as his father and Carrie as his wife. |
| James Guttry About 1858–death unknown |
Not established | Age two in the 1860 household attributed to Wilson. He is not found in the supplied 1870 household; a death before 1870 remains an inference. |
| Demaris Isaphine Guttry January 1861–4 February 1949 |
Francis Beauregard Crouch | Also recorded as Isaphine Demaris. Reported marriage 22 October 1887, Columbia County. Their later household appears in Louisiana; the 1900 and 1910 indexes each report three children born and living. |
Family Dates and Relationships Still Being Resolved
Conflicting birth dates: John Wilson’s birth year is unsettled. Mary Frances’s reported July 1856 birth and Christopher’s October 1856 stone date cannot both be accepted without explaining the conflict. Demaris’s birth day appears as either 8 or 9 January.
Children’s mothers: Allen C. Guttry’s reported 1 March 1900 birth conflicts with his assignment to Joe Eller Drake, whose stone gives death on 7 January 1899. Oda’s maternity also needs verification; her 1896 birth precedes William Timothy’s reported 1912 marriage to Carrie.
Mary Murphy: the cemetery compiler’s statement that she was Wilson’s wife is retained as a lead. Wilson’s residence with a Murphy family in 1850 does not itself establish a marriage.
Historical Highlights
A Family Taking Root in Arkansas
The earliest reviewed record places Wilson among the Murphys. In the 1850 census index, Wilson Gutery is a young Alabama-born laborer in the William H. Murphy household in Harrison Township, Ouachita County. The household gives a starting point for tracing his Arkansas associations, although it does not explain how he knew the family.
By the following decade, a family household had formed. The 1860 entry attributed to Wilson includes Sarah and five children, but the head is indexed as William Guthrie. Later censuses follow Wilson and Sarah with their growing children through Columbia and Nevada Counties. Those changing county labels should be read alongside local boundaries and the actual census pages before every difference is treated as a move.
Military records preserve a changing service history. Wilson enrolled in Company G of the Confederate 33rd Arkansas Infantry on 19 June 1862 and was mustered in at Camp Hindman on 8 July. His compiled service record notes an absence while sick in 1862 and desertion on 12 July 1863. The January–February 1864 roll again lists him present. The entries establish that later presence but do not explain his reasons for leaving or the circumstances of his return.
Family ties extended beyond the original household. John Wilson married Murtilla Jane Sanders, Mary Frances married Alfred Benjamin Gosdin, and Demaris married Francis Beauregard Crouch. Christopher and William Timothy both married into the Drake family and later remarried. Descendant records lead from Arkansas into Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas.
The pension ledgers add detail to Wilson’s final years. The Ouachita County records show payments of $67 in 1908, $62 in 1909, $70 in 1910, and $68 in 1911, each against a $100 allowance. In 1910 he was a widower living with Christopher’s family. His gravestone records his death on 4 December 1911.
The unanswered question lies before the Arkansas household. William and Martha Guthrie appear near the household attributed to Wilson in the 1860 index. That proximity supports further investigation, but no reviewed record expressly identifies them as his parents. The genetic connection to Branch G supplies another clue while leaving the intervening generations to be found.
The artwork evokes a regional setting; it is not a portrait of an identified family property. The shared Hub banner does not establish an Irish birthplace or migration route for Wilson.
Family Timeline
The sequence distinguishes record entries from reported dates and unresolved identities.
| Date | Event & Evidence |
|---|---|
| 1828 |
Birth dates preserved later
Wilson’s stone gives 26 December 1828. The cemetery transcription gives Sarah’s birth as 22 September 1828. Source: Wilson gravestone; Tick Hill cemetery transcription, p. 46. |
| 1850 |
Wilson in the Murphy household
Wilson Gutery, age 21, Alabama-born laborer, appears in Harrison Township, Ouachita County. The index does not specify a relationship to the Murphys. Source: 1850 census index, dwelling/family 43. |
| 1860 |
Sarah and five children
The Harrison, Columbia County household attributed to Wilson is indexed under William Guthrie. William and Martha’s household is nearby in enumeration order. Source: 1860 census indexes, dwellings 101 and 105; original-page comparison needed. |
| 1862–1864 |
Military service and recorded absences
Enrolled 19 June 1862; mustered in 8 July. Absent sick without leave on the September–October 1862 roll; present March–April 1863; recorded deserted 12 July 1863; present January–February 1864. Source: Compiled service records, 33rd Arkansas Infantry, Co. G; NARA M317, roll 212. |
| 1870–1880 |
The children’s household years
The 1870 indexes list John, Mary F., Columbus, William, and Josephine. In 1880, Christopher, William T., and Isophene remain in Wilson and Sarah’s indexed household. Source: 1870 Harrison, Columbia County, and 1880 Lake, Nevada County, census indexes. |
| 1879–1887 |
The next generation marries
Mary Frances/Fannie married Alfred B. Gosdin on 4 September 1879; John married Trelle/Murtilla Sanders on 6 November 1879; Christopher married Jo Ella Drake on 25 March 1883. Demaris’s profile reports marriage to Francis Crouch on 22 October 1887. Source: Columbia and Ouachita marriage indexes; Demaris research profile. |
| 1900–1905 |
Wilson and Sarah’s later household
The 1900 index lists Wilson, Sarah, and a young Roy, whose relationship is not displayed. The cemetery transcription records Sarah’s death on 26 July 1905. Source: 1900 Leake, Nevada County, census index; cemetery transcription, p. 46. |
| 1908–1911 |
Pension payments and family care
Payments are recorded in each of these four years. The 1910 census index expressly identifies widowed Wilson as the father of household head Christopher C. Guttry. Source: Ouachita pension ledgers, pp. 232 and 92; 1910 Smackover census index. |
| 1911–1912 |
Death and a later ledger notation
Wilson’s stone gives 4 December 1911. The pension ledger marks him “Dead—1912,” a later administrative notation that does not supply an exact death date. Source: Wilson gravestone; Ouachita pension ledger, p. 92. |
Explore the Records
Military cards, pension ledgers, death certificates, and photographed inscriptions provide the strongest direct record evidence reviewed here. Census and marriage indexes help locate events; research profiles and memorial biographies preserve useful leads that still need comparison with their underlying sources.
The Guthrie DNA Project
Kit 916989 represents the reported John Wilson Guttry line. The project review dated 15 October 2026 records Big Y-700 and R-FTJ23678. This is a dated research snapshot, not a new audit of live results.
| Child Line | Y-DNA | Big Y | Autosomal |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Wilson / Murtilla Jane Sanders | 916989 | Big Y-700; R-FTJ23678 | Not identified in the reviewed notes |
| Mary Frances / Alfred Benjamin Gosdin | Not a paternal Y-DNA route | Not applicable through Mary | Not identified in the reviewed notes |
| Christopher Columbus | No kit identified | Not identified | Not identified in the reviewed notes |
| William Timothy | No kit identified | Not identified | Not identified in the reviewed notes |
| James | No kit or descendants established | Not identified | Not identified in the reviewed notes |
| Demaris Isaphine / Francis Beauregard Crouch | Not a paternal Y-DNA route | Not applicable through Demaris | Not identified in the reviewed notes |
A daughter does not transmit her father’s Y chromosome. “Not identified” describes the reviewed project notes, not a finding that no descendant has tested. Autosomal participation and completed match analysis are separate questions.
What Connects This Line to Branch G?
The reviewed Branch G pattern is DYS442 = 11 and DYS712 = 20, compared with the GFG2A reference values 12 and 19. Kit 916989 carries the paired pattern in the dated project review.
This supports a close paternal association with Branch G, but it does not identify Wilson’s father or establish descent from either James or John. The reported SNP R-FTJ23678 also appears for Branch K kit 1035005; it is not exclusive to Branch G.
The reported route through Wilson → John Wilson → John Graydon (1899–1984) → John Graydon (1928–2015) → kit 916989 is retained from the supplied lineage. Living participants are identified publicly by kit number only.
Two separate gaps remain: Wilson’s proposed parentage under William Guthrie and Martha Rogers, and the tested line’s connection to James, John, or an earlier Branch G relative. A genetic association does not complete either documentary link.
Family Evidence & Open Questions
William Guthrie and Martha Rogers: Proposed Parents
The 1850 Pontotoc County, Mississippi index lists William and Martha with Hester, Robert, Martha, Pleasant, and Henry. Wilson is separately recorded in Arkansas. In 1860, William and Martha appear at dwelling 105, family 106, while the household attributed to Wilson is dwelling 101, family 102, in Harrison Township, Columbia County.
That proximity is useful indirect evidence. It does not establish kinship or adjoining property. The 1830 Jackson County, Alabama household is compatible in age structure, but its children are unnamed. The 1840 Itawamba County entry indexed as William Gallery remains a candidate requiring identification.
Two Tuscaloosa marriage indexes name William Guttery and Martha Rogers but give 15 and 21 December 1823. A license and ceremony distinction is possible, not established. William’s census birthplaces also differ between Tennessee and Georgia.
William and Martha Guttry’s Mount Liberty Cemetery memorials in Madison County, Arkansas, and the Madison County land patents dated 1854, 1857, and 1878 remain separate identity leads. They have not been securely connected to this Columbia County family.
Military Service and Pension Evidence
The service jacket is filed under Gutree, Wilson; cross-reference envelopes for Guttery, W. and Guttry, Wilson direct the researcher to that same file. These spellings do not identify additional soldiers.
The record must be read as a sequence: enrollment in June 1862, an absence while sick later that year, presence in spring 1863, the July 1863 desertion notation, and renewed presence on the January–February 1864 roll. No reviewed document explains his motive or supplies a final discharge.
| Year | Allowed | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 1908 | $100 | $67 |
| 1909 | $100 | $62 |
| 1910 | $100 | $70 |
| 1911 | $100 | $68 |
Warrants are 5301, 5489, 5679, and 5756 respectively. Ledger page 232 holds the first two years; page 92 holds the latter two and the 1912 death notation. The separate board-minutes extract records a $100 allowance but does not display an exact meeting date.
Conflicting Dates and Household Identifications
William Timothy: Arkansas death certificate 630 gives birth on 19 October 1859 and death on 20 February 1938, aged 78 years, four months, and one day. C. C. Guttry was the informant. The 1859 date is preferred here to the conflicting 1856 memorial date, while recognizing that the certificate reports a birth many decades earlier.
John Wilson and Christopher: their birth years differ across census indexes and memorial records. Christopher’s stone visibly gives 1856; several indexed ages point to about 1857/58. These discrepancies remain open rather than being converted into a certain birth order.
Demaris: the profile uses Demaris Isaphine and the memorial index Isaphine Demaris. The reported birth day differs between 8 and 9 January 1861.
1860 and 1870: the 1860 head is indexed as William, and the children’s ages differ from later accounts. Two 1870 index views also differ in dwelling number and included household members. Full census images are needed before these differences become conclusions about identity, kinship, or movement.
Descendant Links and Unresolved Maternity
Texas death certificates supply two useful links: Carlos Byron Guttry names parents John Guttry and Metilda Sanders; John L. Gosdin names Alfred Benjamin Gosdin and Mary Frances Gutrie.
Allen C. Guttry: the working dates are 1 March 1900–10 February 1901, but the tree and cemetery transcription assign him to Christopher and Joe Eller. Her photographed stone gives death on 7 January 1899. A date or relationship must be corrected. The infant Allen C. in John Wilson’s 1900 household is a lead, not an established solution.
Oda: the profile gives 23 December 1896–16 July 1926 and attaches her to William Timothy and Carrie. Their reported marriage in 1912 makes the maternity question worth checking, but timing alone cannot identify her mother.
Children appearing with Christopher and Ida in 1910 should not all be assigned to Ida without evidence. Likewise, infants and other relatives in John Wilson’s household must be distinguished from his own children.
Sources & Research Notes
Open the Source List
- United States census indexes, 1850–1910: Wilson’s households in Ouachita, Columbia, and Nevada Counties, Arkansas; supporting descendant census indexes through 1940. Reviewed as supplied index screenshots, not complete original census pages.
- Confederate compiled military service records: Gutree, Wilson, Private, Company G, 33rd Arkansas Infantry; National Archives, Record Group 109, microfilm publication M317, roll 212. Jacket, five service cards, and two cross-reference envelopes reviewed.
- Arkansas ex-Confederate pension records, Ouachita County: ledger pages 232 and 92; pension-board minutes extract, manuscript pages 118–119. Actual record images reviewed. The two uploads of ledger page 232 are views of the same evidence.
- Arkansas death certificate 630: William Timothy Guttry, died 20 February 1938, Stephens, Ouachita County. Actual certificate reviewed; it names Wilson as father and Sarah as mother, with the handwritten maiden surname requiring cautious reading.
- Texas death certificates: Carlos Byron Guttry, died 23 June 1971, Rusk County, certificate 44006; John L. Gosdin, died 20 November 1981, Grayson County. Actual certificate images reviewed for parentage.
- Arkansas marriage indexes: John Guttry/Trelle Sanders and Fannie Guthrie/Alfred B. Gasdin, Columbia County, 1879, FHL film 988809; C. C. Guttry/Jo Ella Drake, Ouachita County, 1883, film 987776. Indexes distinguish license and marriage dates.
- Cemetery evidence: Wilson’s photographed stone; Tick Hill cemetery transcription, p. 46, publication title not yet identified; photographed stones and memorials for Christopher (162822728), Joe Eller (37894332), and Ida (162855782). Other supplied memorial indexes remain derivative evidence.
- Proposed-parent research: 1830–1860 census indexes; competing 1823 Tuscaloosa marriage indexes; Madison County land-patent indexes, documents 7243, 7353, and 2106; Mount Liberty memorials for William (101138270) and Martha (101138376). Identity and parentage remain unresolved.
- Research history: “New Y-DNA Match,” 20 October 2019, preserves the development of the William/Martha hypothesis. Its kit number, test level, and marker labels are superseded here by the 15 October 2026 project review.
- Guthrie Research Tree and Guthrie DNA Project: supplied family profiles, record images, and the dated project comparison. Profile-only dates and relationships are identified as reported or provisional throughout this account.
Most Wanted Documents
Records That Could Settle the Remaining Questions
- Wilson’s parents: a will, estate distribution, deed, guardianship, Bible entry, or correspondence expressly connecting him to William and Martha or another couple.
- Full census pages: the 1860 Harrison households numbered 101/102 and 105/106, and the differing 1870 entries, including page headings and neighboring households.
- Marriage evidence: Wilson and Sarah’s marriage, evidence of the reported Mary Murphy marriage, and the underlying December 1823 Tuscaloosa entry for William and Martha.
- Descendant corrections: original records resolving Allen C.’s dates and mother, Oda’s mother, John Wilson’s birth year, and Demaris’s name and birth day.
- The earlier Branch G connection: records tracing Wilson’s paternal line to the Pennsylvania families or identifying the shared ancestor.
Please include the repository, collection, volume, page, and a complete image where possible. The military cards, pension ledgers, and death certificates discussed above are already part of the reviewed evidence.
Help Build the Family Story
The history of Wilson Guttry and Sarah M. Starritt survives in household lists, service records, pension payments, cemetery inscriptions, and the records of their children. Together, these sources trace a family established in Arkansas whose descendants carried its story into other states.
A letter naming a brother, a Bible recording a marriage, or an estate paper identifying a son could help answer the question that remains before Wilson’s own household: who were his parents, and how does his paternal line connect to Branch G?
Contributions concerning the Guttry, Guthrie, Starritt, Murphy, Sanders, Gosdin, Drake, Strange, Silvey, Crouch, and related families are welcome. Please explain the family connection and include the source of the information.
Family research is welcome with or without DNA results. Descendants can also learn about joining the Guthrie DNA Project. Public DNA discussions identify living participants by kit number only.
