G: William Guthrie & Elizabeth Wingfield
Guthrie Family Group 1A · Branch G
William Guthrie & Elizabeth Wingfield
Amherst County, Virginia · Late 1700s–1800s
William Guthrie and Elizabeth Wingfield married in Amherst County, Virginia, on 26 January 1797. Marriage records, estate papers, guardianship bonds, and Wingfield family records preserve the names and relationships that connect their household with the lives of the next generation.
A later biography of their son, Rev. Oliver Guthrie, describes William as a farmer who owned freight boats carrying goods along the James River between Lynchburg and Richmond. From these Amherst roots, the family’s story extends into teaching, ministry, and new homes in Missouri—a history preserved in court records, newspapers, and family accounts.
The Family at a Glance
William Guthrie
Farmer & reported James River freight-boat owner
- Parents
- Father named William in Oliver Guthrie’s biography; mother unidentified
- Birth
- Before 1766 according to the 1810 census age category; other estimates conflict
- Birthplace
- Hanover County, Virginia, according to Oliver’s biography
- Residence
- Amherst County, Virginia
- Marriage
- Elizabeth Wingfield
26 January 1797, Amherst County - Death
- About 1824; an estate administration bond is dated 17 May 1824
Elizabeth Wingfield
Estate administratrix & guardian of her children
- Parents
- John Wingfield; mother’s identity not established
- Birth
- Estimated 1766–1784 from the 1810 census age category
- Birthplace
- Albemarle County, Virginia, according to Oliver’s biography
- Residence
- Amherst County, Virginia
- Marriage
- William Guthrie
26 January 1797, Amherst County - Death
- 1828; Oliver’s biography reports 26 September in Amherst County
William and Elizabeth established their family in Amherst County. Following William’s death, Elizabeth administered his estate and became legal guardian of their minor children. Campbell Franklin, husband of their daughter Catherine, and son Nicholas Guthrie later appear in the family’s estate and guardianship records.
Oliver Guthrie’s 1893 biography describes a family of fourteen children, thirteen of whom reached maturity. Eleven named children are followed below. Their overlapping birth estimates and the remaining unidentified children leave parts of the family’s full birth sequence unresolved.
The Next Generation
Select a child’s name to follow their story.
| Child & Family Page | Birth | Marriage & Later Life |
|---|---|---|
| Alfred Guthrie | Estimated 1801–1810 Virginia |
Named with the family in an 1846 chancery notice, which identifies him as a nonresident of Virginia. His marriage, later residence, and death remain unknown. |
| Catherine Guthrie | Estimated 1801–1810 Amherst County, Virginia |
Married Campbell Franklin in January 1819; the marriage entry is dated 5 January and the reported minister’s return gives 7 January. Her children and death date have not been established. |
| John William Guthrie | About 1800–1802 Virginia |
Married Elizabeth L. White on 13 December 1824 in Augusta County. Ten children are recorded. His line has the GFG1A modal Y-DNA and matching Augusta County locations. His death is reported as 1852, with the location unverified. |
| Nicholas Guthrie | Estimated 1804–1811 Virginia |
Became guardian of four younger siblings in 1832. A marriage to Esther M. Franklin in 1836 remains a possible match. An 1849 court notice places him outside Virginia; his later life is unresolved. |
| Nathan Guthrie | 5 August 1810 Reported in a Westport gravestone account |
No marriage known. Moved to Missouri with sisters Susan and Sarah. His will names both sisters; the Westport burial account records his death on 27 April 1858. |
| Susan L. Guthrie | About 1810 Virginia |
Married Preston Stockton on 9 May 1831 in Amherst County. Later shared a Missouri household with Sarah. Died in Miami, Saline County, in October 1886; the notices differ on her age and the precise day. |
| Sarah W. Guthrie “Sally” or “Sallie” |
3 August 1813, reported Virginia |
Remained unmarried. Lived with siblings and later nieces in Missouri. Her death is recorded as 16 September 1906 in Marshall; a newspaper notice identifies her as Oliver’s sister, aged ninety-three. |
| Lucy Guthrie | Estimated 1811–1817 Amherst County, Virginia |
Married Creed Taylor on 23 September 1833. Their daughter Mary Louise, also called Mary Louisa, married Whitmell W. Moore. Lucy’s death is reported as 1835. |
| Lawrence Perry Guthrie Also recorded as Laurence |
About 1817 Virginia |
California census and voter records trace a likely match through 1892. No spouse or children have been identified. The proposed 28 March 1897 death remains unconfirmed. |
| Oliver P. Guthrie | 28 September 1818 Amherst County, Virginia |
Married Frances J. F. Mead in September 1842. They had eight children. A teacher and Cumberland Presbyterian minister, Oliver died on 18 September 1896 in Marshall, Missouri. |
| Elizabeth Guthrie | Estimated 1819–1824 Amherst County, Virginia |
Married John Glenn Wingfield on 11 November 1843. The couple were described as nonresidents of Virginia in 1846. Their later household, children, and death dates remain unverified. |
Family Evidence NotesOpen for dates, the reported child count, and family connections still being traced
William’s Birth & Family Origins
The 1810 Amherst census places William in the age-forty-five-and-over category, suggesting birth before 1766. Oliver’s later biography instead gives his father’s age at death as fifty-two, implying about 1772 if he died in 1824. An identification with a William Guttry who purchased land in 1773 would require an earlier birth, but that identification is not established. The biography’s account of Hanover origins and a grandfather named William remains attributed family history.
Elizabeth’s Wingfield Connection
John Wingfield’s will, dated 25 February 1827 and proved in Franklin County on 8 January 1828, names Elizabeth Guthry and her heirs as beneficiaries. The probate index identifies her as his daughter, and a later estate division includes Elizabeth Guthrie’s heirs. John’s wife Susan is named in the will, but that alone does not establish Susan as Elizabeth’s mother. Oliver’s account that his maternal grandfather was a physician requires comparison with the records identifying this John Wingfield.
Marriage, Widowhood & Guardianship
The marriage indexes record William Guttry and Eliza. Wingfield on 26 January 1797 in Amherst County. After William’s death, the 1825 guardianship bonds name groups of his minor children under Elizabeth’s care. A further bond is dated 17 March 1828; by the November estate proceedings Elizabeth was deceased. Oliver’s biography supplies the reported 26 September death date. Conflicting January dates in estate abstracts require comparison with the original entries. In 1832 Nicholas became guardian of Sally, Laurence P., Oliver, and Elizabeth, with Nathan among the sureties.
Fourteen Reported Children & Eleven Named Profiles
The fourteen-child total comes from Oliver’s biographical account rather than a complete birth register. The names and birth estimates assembled here do not yet fully reconstruct that total or its birth order. Alfred’s place in the family draws heavily on an 1846 chancery notice naming him among the Guthries and their relatives. The notice is valuable evidence of association, although it does not expressly name his parents.
John William & the Positive GFG1A Finding
John William Guthrie and Elizabeth White’s descendant line has the GFG1A modal Y-DNA and matching Augusta County, Virginia locations. Together, the genetic and geographic findings provide important support for this line. The Y-DNA result corrects the family’s earlier placement in GFG2A. The records connecting John William with William Guthrie and Elizabeth Wingfield are considered alongside these findings in Explore the Records. His approximate 1800–1802 birth reflects differing census and memorial ages; the family memorial records his death in 1852 without establishing its location.
Dates Preserved with Their Sources
Nathan’s exact dates come from a published account of his Westport gravestone; his 1849 will was recorded in July 1858. Susan’s two death notices agree on Miami but differ in age and day, so October 1886 is used above. Sarah’s obituary confirms her identity and age of ninety-three, while the exact birth and death dates come from the assembled family and cemetery information. Oliver’s September 1896 newspaper notices support his death in Marshall.
Marriage Dates & Candidate Records
Catherine’s January 1819 record distinguishes the indexed date of the fifth from the reported minister’s return of the seventh. Oliver’s marriage is indexed as 17 September 1842, while the Mead or Meade Family gives the twentieth. Nicholas’s proposed Esther Franklin marriage and Missouri household, Lawrence’s proposed death under the initials T. P. Guthrie, and Elizabeth Wingfield’s possible 1850 Bedford household remain candidate identifications. Their individual pages retain the supporting details and unresolved questions.
Historical Highlights
Amherst Roots, River Trade & Family Connections
William Guthrie and Elizabeth Wingfield began their married life in Amherst County, Virginia, on 26 January 1797. A biography of their son Oliver, published in 1893, describes William as a farmer who also owned freight boats carrying goods along the James River between Lynchburg and Richmond. This later account gives the family a place in the river commerce of central Virginia, where farming, local markets, and transportation connected inland households with the state’s capital.
Oliver’s biography describes a family of fourteen children, thirteen of whom reached maturity. Eleven children have named profiles in this branch’s research. Marriage entries, court papers, newspapers, and later households help follow their lives, while the remaining children’s identities and the complete birth order are still being investigated. William’s early life also remains a research question: his reported age in Oliver’s biography differs from the age category in the 1810 census, and the much earlier Amherst land purchase in the name of William Guttry requires a separate identity check.
William’s death about 1824 brought the family repeatedly into the Amherst court records. Elizabeth administered his estate and appeared as guardian of younger children. Campbell Franklin, husband of their daughter Catherine, later took an active role in these affairs, and Nicholas became guardian of four younger siblings in 1832. A newspaper advertisement signed by Campbell in 1831 offered the plantation belonging to William Guthrie’s heirs for rent. It placed the property in Amherst County, about seven miles from Lynchburg, and identified Campbell as its occupant. This provides a useful connection between the family’s court records and a particular home and property.
The Wingfield records preserve another part of Elizabeth’s family story. John Wingfield’s will, dated 25 February 1827 and proved in Franklin County on 8 January 1828, includes a share for Elizabeth Guthry and her heirs; the accompanying probate index identifies her as his daughter. A later estate division includes Elizabeth Guthrie’s heirs. These records link the Amherst Guthries with the wider Wingfield family and provide a line of evidence to follow alongside the Guthrie estate and guardianship papers.
John William Guthrie’s line has the GFG1A modal Y-DNA and matching Augusta County, Virginia locations. The genetic and geographic findings are important supporting evidence for this line. His marriage to Elizabeth L. White in Augusta County on 13 December 1824, followed by the family’s later records there, gives this branch a substantial Augusta history. The Y-DNA result corrects the family’s earlier assignment to GFG2A, which arose amid confusion between Guthrie families living in the same county. The Amherst-to-Augusta connections and the records supporting John William’s placement in William and Elizabeth’s family are brought together in Explore the Records.
The records also document the family’s participation in slavery. The 1810 Amherst household included nine enslaved people, whose names are not supplied by that census entry. Decades later, Nathan Guthrie’s will named Abraham, Sarah, and Sarah’s four children among the enslaved people he bequeathed to his sisters. These entries preserve evidence of lives and family relationships constrained by enslavement. Their names and circumstances belong in the history alongside those of the Guthrie household.
Several siblings established new homes in Missouri while retaining close family ties. Nathan, Susan L. Guthrie Stockton, and Sarah W. Guthrie were enumerated together in Lafayette County in 1850. Nathan’s will named both sisters and appointed Susan executrix. After his death, Susan and Sarah continued to appear together in Westport households. Susan died at Miami in October 1886, and Sarah’s much later obituary places her at Marshall in 1906, aged ninety-three. Their records extend the family story well beyond the early Amherst guardianships.
Oliver P. Guthrie carried the family’s story into education and ministry. Born in Amherst in 1818, he married Frances J. F. Mead in 1842, and they were living in Missouri by 1850. His work as a teacher, Cumberland Presbyterian minister, and county school official appears in census records, biographical accounts, and newspapers. He died at Marshall on 18 September 1896. His published biography remains especially valuable for its recollections of his parents and siblings, read alongside the contemporary records.
Other children’s paths are less fully documented. Lucy’s family continues through her daughter Mary Louise Taylor, while Elizabeth’s marriage to John Glenn Wingfield renews the Wingfield connection. California census and voter-register entries offer a promising trail for Lawrence Perry Guthrie. For Alfred, an 1846 chancery notice remains an important starting point. Each child’s page follows the available evidence and identifies the records most likely to carry that part of the story further.
Follow the family timeline below →
Explore the records and DNA evidence →
The Family Timeline
Marriage, census, estate, and newspaper records follow William and Elizabeth’s Amherst household and their children’s lives in Virginia and beyond. Reported dates and candidate identifications are identified where the evidence remains incomplete.
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26 January
1797MarriageWilliam Guthrie & Elizabeth Wingfield
Amherst County, Virginia
Marriage indexes record the couple as William Guttry and Eliza. Wingfield. The collected marriage abstract names John Wingfield as surety.
Sources: Virginia marriage indexes; Amherst marriage abstract.
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1810Census
The Amherst Household
Amherst County, Virginia
The household recorded under William Guthery contained nineteen people: ten free household members and nine enslaved people. The male aged forty-five or older supports a birth before 1766 for William, differing from the age later given in Oliver’s biography.
Source: 1810 U.S. census, Amherst County; household extract.
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January
1819MarriageCatherine Marries Campbell Franklin
Amherst County, Virginia
Catherine Guthrie married Campbell Franklin. The indexed entry is dated 5 January, with a minister’s return reported as 7 January. Campbell later appears in the family’s estate and guardianship affairs.
Source: Amherst marriage abstract, Catherine Guthrie and Campbell Franklin.
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17 May
1824Estate bondWilliam’s Estate Enters Administration
Amherst County, Virginia
An administration bond names Elizabeth Guthrie with Henry Turner, Jesse Beck, James Davies, and William Day. William had died by this date. His estate inventory is dated 1 September 1824 and was recorded the following June.
Source leads: Amherst Will Book 6, pp. 454–455 and 602–603; estate abstracts.
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13 December
1824MarriageJohn William Marries Elizabeth L. White
Augusta County, Virginia
John William Guthrie and Elizabeth L. White married in Augusta County, where their family appears in later records. Ten children are associated with their household.
Sources: Augusta marriage record; Guthrie–White family records.
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1825–1826Guardianship & estate
Elizabeth Cares for the Minor Children
Amherst County, Virginia
Guardianship bonds dated 19 September 1825 identify groups of William’s minor children under Elizabeth’s care. Estate sale records followed in January 1826. The term “orphans” in these records refers to children whose father had died; their mother was still living.
Source leads: Amherst Will Book 6, pp. 619–621 and 644–646; cited court abstracts.
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1827–1828Wingfield will
Elizabeth Is Named in Her Father’s Estate
Franklin County, Virginia
John Wingfield’s will was dated 25 February 1827 and proved on 8 January 1828. It includes a share for Elizabeth Guthry and her heirs; the probate index identifies her as his daughter. The probate date records a court action rather than an exact date of death.
Sources: John Wingfield probate index and will, manuscript pp. 237–238.
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1828–1829Death & estate
Elizabeth’s Death and the Family’s Changing Guardianship
Amherst County, Virginia
Oliver’s later biography reports his mother’s death on 26 September 1828. Estate bonds cited for November name Campbell Franklin in the administration of the family’s affairs. Conflicting dates in the associated inventory and guardianship abstracts remain under review.
The unresolved probate dates
A guardianship bond in Elizabeth’s name is cited for 17 March 1828, while estate bonds are cited for 17 November. Other abstracts assign January 1828 dates to later inventory or guardianship entries; an appraisal is also cited for January 1829. These references require comparison with the original volume before their sequence is finalized.
The reported September death is retained with attribution to Oliver’s biography. An inventory, bond, or court-recording date should not be substituted for a death date.
Sources: Oliver Guthrie’s 1893 biography; Amherst Will Book 7 estate and guardianship citations.
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9 May
1831MarriageSusan Marries Preston Stockton
Amherst County, Virginia
Susan L. Guthrie married Preston Stockton with Campbell Franklin named as her guardian. Nicholas Guthrie and Nathan Guthrie provided surety, preserving a direct connection among these family members.
Source: Amherst marriage abstract, Susan L. Guthrie and Preston Stockton.
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1831Property advertisement
The Guthrie Heirs’ Plantation Is Offered for Rent
Amherst County · Near Lynchburg
An advertisement signed by Campbell Franklin offered the plantation belonging to William Guthrie’s heirs for rent on 10 September 1831. It located the property about seven miles from Lynchburg and identified Campbell as its occupant. The advertisement establishes the proposed rental, not its completion.
Source: 1831 newspaper rental advertisement.
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21 March
1832GuardianshipNicholas Becomes Guardian of Four Siblings
Amherst County, Virginia
The bond cited for this date names Nicholas Guthrie as guardian of Sally, Laurence P., Oliver, and Elizabeth. Nathan appears among the sureties. Susan is not one of the four wards in this bond.
Source lead: Amherst Will Book 8, p. 187; guardianship abstract.
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23 September
1833MarriageLucy Marries Creed Taylor
Amherst County, Virginia
Lucy Guthrie married Creed Taylor, with Campbell Franklin and N. Guthrie named in the marriage abstract. Their family continues through daughter Mary Louise, also recorded as Mary Louisa, who later married Whitmell W. Moore.
Sources: Amherst marriage abstract; Taylor–Moore family records.
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January
1840Estate divisionThe Wingfield Division Includes Elizabeth’s Heirs
Franklin County, Virginia
A division of John Wingfield’s estate includes the heirs of Elizabeth Guthrie. This later proceeding continues the documentary connection between the Wingfields and the Amherst Guthrie family.
Source lead: Franklin Will Book 5, p. 178; John Wingfield estate division.
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September
1842MarriageOliver Marries Frances J. F. Mead
Amherst County, Virginia
Oliver P. Guthrie married Frances J. F. Mead. The marriage index gives 17 September; the Mead family compilation gives 20 September. Their family of eight children is followed on Oliver’s page.
Sources: Virginia marriage index; Mead or Meade Family (1924).
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11 November
1843MarriageElizabeth Marries John Glenn Wingfield
Amherst County, Virginia
The younger Elizabeth Guthrie married John Glenn Wingfield. Oliver Guthrie and Nathan Guthrie appear as sureties in the marriage abstract.
Source: Amherst marriage abstract, Elizabeth Guthrie and John G. Wingfield.
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1846Chancery notice
Family Members Are Named Outside Virginia
Lynchburg newspaper · Virginia court proceeding
A chancery notice identifies Alfred Guthrie and John G. Wingfield and his wife Elizabeth among the nonresidents of Virginia. It supplies useful family associations without identifying where each person had settled.
Source: 1846 chancery notice published in the Lynchburg Virginian.
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1849–1850Will & census
Siblings Establish Missouri Households
Lafayette County, Missouri
Nathan wrote his will on 23 October 1849, naming sisters Susan Stockton and Sarah Guthrie and appointing Susan executrix. In 1850 the three siblings were enumerated together in Lafayette County. Oliver, Frances, and their children were also living in that county.
Sources: Nathan Guthrie’s will; 1850 U.S. census, Lafayette County.
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1852Reported death
John William’s Family Memorial Records His Death
Location unverified
The family memorial records John William Guthrie’s death in 1852 at age fifty. His wife and children continued to appear in Augusta County records, but his own place of death has not been established.
Source: Guthrie family memorial record; later Augusta family records.
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1858Death & probate
Nathan’s Death and the Recording of His Will
Westport · Missouri
A published account of Nathan’s Westport gravestone gives his death as 27 April 1858. His will, written in 1849, was recorded in July 1858. Its provisions for Susan and Sarah preserve their relationship and name enslaved people whose lives were affected by the estate.
Sources: Westport burial-ground account; Nathan Guthrie’s will and July 1858 recording.
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1860–1892Research trail
A Likely California Trail for Lawrence Perry
Sierra, Nevada & Yuba Counties, California
Census and voter-register entries provide likely matches for Lawrence Perry Guthrie, using forms including L. P., P. Lawrence, and Lawrence Perry. The sequence extends through 1892. The proposed 1897 death under the initials T. P. remains unconfirmed.
Sources: California census entries and voter registers; identity discussion on Lawrence’s page.
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October
1886DeathSusan Stockton Dies at Miami
Miami · Saline County, Missouri
Two newspaper notices place Susan’s death at Miami, one identifying Oliver Guthrie’s residence. Their ages and day references differ, so the month and year are retained without selecting a disputed day.
Sources: Two contemporary newspaper death notices for Susan L. Stockton.
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18 September
1896DeathOliver Guthrie Dies at Marshall
Marshall · Saline County, Missouri
Oliver died after a life of teaching, Cumberland Presbyterian ministry, and public-school service. Newspaper notices support the date and place; his earlier biography preserves his recollections of the Amherst family.
Sources: Oliver Guthrie’s September 1896 death notices; 1893 biographical sketch.
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1906Death
Sarah’s Long Life Ends in Marshall
Marshall · Saline County, Missouri
A newspaper notice identifies Sarah, known as Sally or Sallie, as Oliver Guthrie’s sister, aged ninety-three. Family and cemetery information gives her death as 16 September 1906. Her later records carry this generation’s history into the twentieth century.
Sources: Sarah Guthrie’s obituary; family and cemetery information.
John William Guthrie’s line has the GFG1A modal Y-DNA and matching Augusta County, Virginia locations. These findings accompany the documentary research in Explore the Records →.
Explore the Records
Marriage entries, estate papers, guardianship bonds, family accounts, and newspapers connect the Amherst Guthries with their relatives in Augusta County and beyond. The guide below distinguishes original records from indexes, abstracts, and later recollections, while bringing the documentary and DNA evidence together.
The Guthrie DNA Project
John William Guthrie’s line has the GFG1A modal Y-DNA and matching Augusta County, Virginia locations. These genetic and geographic findings provide important support for the line’s placement. The Y-DNA result corrects its earlier assignment to the unrelated GFG2A Guthries of Augusta County.
The represented paternal line continues through John William Guthrie and Elizabeth L. White’s son George Wyatt Guthrie, and George’s son John William Guthrie. The Amherst family records and the Augusta records are considered alongside this positive genetic finding.
Which Descendant Lines Are Represented?
| Child | Y-DNA | Big-Y | Autosomal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred | — | — | — |
| Catherine | N/A | N/A | — |
| John William | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Nicholas | — | — | — |
| Nathan | — | — | — |
| Susan L. | N/A | N/A | — |
| Sarah W. | N/A | N/A | — |
| Lucy | N/A | N/A | — |
| Lawrence Perry | — | — | — |
| Oliver P. | — | — | — |
| Elizabeth | N/A | N/A | — |
✓ = participation documented in the branch research. — = a result or participation status is not confirmed for this summary. N/A = this daughter’s descendants do not inherit the paternal Guthrie Y chromosome through her. A dash does not establish that a line has no descendants or that nobody has tested.
The Big-Y column is retained for each line; an unconfirmed upgrade is not inferred from a haplogroup label. Autosomal participation is recorded for John William’s descendants. Participant identities and individual results are not displayed here.
The Amherst & Augusta ConnectionsPositive DNA evidence and the records that connect the generations.
The GFG1A result is an affirmative finding. Several Guthrie families lived in Augusta County, and shared residence contributed to the earlier GFG2A placement. John William’s family should be followed through its own marriages, households, associates, and descendants.
His marriage to Elizabeth L. White on 13 December 1824 and their later Augusta household records establish the local family. The John Guthrie designated as a teacher in the 1820 Staunton census is an earlier candidate. The family memorial gives John William’s death as 1852, aged fifty, without a place of death.
Amherst estate references name Jno. Guthrie in William’s estate affairs, while the Wingfield name and the wider family network add context. The remaining documentary question is how best to demonstrate the exact Amherst-to-Augusta connection between these records. An estate distribution, deed, court paper, or family record expressly naming the relationship would strengthen the case already supported by the genetic and geographic findings.
Contributing a Descendant LineFamily documents and suitable DNA comparisons can work together.
A documented paternal line through another son would add a valuable Y-DNA comparison. Descendants through sons or daughters can contribute family papers, photographs, cemetery information, and documented lineages. Autosomal comparisons may also contribute when the shared ancestral path is supported by records.
Family-Specific Records & Sources
Open a source group for its principal findings and remaining questions. Volume and page references identified as leads come from collected citations and still require comparison with the full original record.
Marriage & Census Records — Establishing the HouseholdAmherst in 1797 and 1810; Augusta and Missouri in the next generation.
Marriage, 26 January 1797: the Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785–1940 index records William Guttry and Eliza. Wingfield in Amherst County, with reference 114. A compiled marriage index gives the same couple and date. These are index entries, not two independently examined marriage documents. The collected marriage abstract names John Wingfield as surety.
1810 Amherst census: William Guthery’s household includes one male aged forty-five or older, one female aged twenty-six to forty-four, six younger males, two girls under ten, and nine enslaved people. The unnamed age categories describe the household; they do not independently identify each child.
Later households: John William and Elizabeth White’s family is followed in Augusta County. Nathan, Susan Stockton, and Sarah Guthrie appear together in Lafayette County, Missouri, in 1850, while Oliver and Frances appear in another household in the same county. Susan and Sarah’s subsequent Westport records preserve their continuing association.
Oliver’s Biography — Origins, River Trade & Fourteen ChildrenA valuable family account published in 1893.
The Portrait and Biographical Record of Lafayette and Saline Counties, Missouri (1893), in its sketch of Oliver Guthrie, describes William’s farming and James River freight business, reports family origins, and gives the fourteen-child total. It also supplies the reported date of Elizabeth’s death, 26 September 1828.
Its recollections need comparison with contemporary records. William’s reported age of fifty-two at death implies a birth around 1772, whereas the 1810 census category points to a birth before 1766. Identifying him with a William Guttry who purchased Amherst land in 1773 would require an earlier birth still; that purchaser’s identity has not been established.
Eleven named children have research profiles. The biography’s fourteen children, thirteen reaching maturity, should remain an attributed total until the unnamed children can be identified. Hanover origins, a paternal grandfather named William, and the maternal grandfather’s reported medical occupation likewise remain parts of the biographical account to compare with other evidence.
Amherst Estate & Guardianship Records — 1824–1832William’s estate, Elizabeth’s administration, and the younger children.
The following volume-and-page leads organize the probate research:
- Will Book 6, pp. 454–455: William Guthrie’s administration bond, 17 May 1824, naming Elizabeth Guthrie with Henry Turner, Jesse Beck, James Davies, and William Day.
- Will Book 6, pp. 602–603: inventory dated 1 September 1824, with recording cited as 20 June 1825.
- Will Book 6, pp. 619–621: guardianship bonds of 19 September 1825, covering separate groups of William’s minor children.
- Will Book 6, pp. 644–646: estate sale material dated 2 January 1826.
- Will Book 7, pp. 145–146: a guardianship bond in Elizabeth’s name, cited for 17 March 1828.
- Will Book 7, pp. 187–190: November 1828 estate bonds, including William’s estate left unadministered by Elizabeth and proceedings concerning Elizabeth’s estate.
- Will Book 7, pp. 202–204: inventory and appraisal references whose January 1828/1829 dates need reconciliation.
- Will Book 8, pp. 7–8: an account concerning William’s estate, presented in 1830.
- Will Book 8, p. 187: Nicholas’s guardianship bond, cited for 21 March 1832, naming Sally, Laurence P., Oliver, and Elizabeth. Nathan appears among the sureties.
The 1828–1829 sequence remains open. January-dated abstracts conflict with the March bond in Elizabeth’s name and the November estate proceedings. Each document’s execution, inventory, and recording dates must be distinguished before using it to establish a death date or a change of guardian.
The Library of Virginia’s Amherst County guide lists Will Books 5–6 on its reel 19 and Will Books 7–9 on its reel 20. These are Library of Virginia reel numbers, distinct from FamilySearch identifiers.
Two inherited FamilySearch locators point to the March 1828 guardianship pages and the November 1828 estate-bond pages. These links have not been independently verified against the cited pages; the volume-and-page references remain the principal research locators.
John Wingfield’s Will & Estate DivisionElizabeth’s father and the inheritance connection.
Will dated 25 February 1827; proved 8 January 1828: the manuscript continuation on pages 237–238 includes a residual share for Elizabeth Guthry and her heirs. The probate index identifies Elizabeth Guttery as John Wingfield’s daughter. The images are cataloged within Franklin County’s combined Will Books 3–4.
John names his wife Susan and sons Christopher and William as executors. Susan’s identification as his wife does not by itself establish her as Elizabeth’s mother. The will’s opening page is still needed for a complete transcription and assessment of all relationships.
Later division: Franklin Will Book 5, p. 178, is cited for a January 1840 division including Elizabeth Guthrie’s heirs. The complete division may help connect named descendants with the Amherst family. The testator’s identity should also be compared with the physician described in Oliver’s biography.
Newspaper Notices — Property, Guardianship & ChanceryFamily associations and specific leads into court files.
1831 plantation advertisement: Campbell Franklin offered the property of William Guthrie’s heirs for rent, describing it as about seven miles from Lynchburg in Amherst County and occupied by himself. The advertisement is internally dated 25 August and schedules the rental for 10 September. It places Campbell alive in 1831 and identifies a property worth tracing in deeds and estate accounts. View the advertisement.
1832 lost-pocketbook notice: Nicholas listed bonds and cash, including a financial connection with Campbell Franklin as guardian. This is evidence of transactions and associates, not a basis for judging Nicholas’s care of his siblings. View the notice.
1846 chancery notice: the proceeding names Guthries, Susan Stockton, John G. and Elizabeth Wingfield, Creed Taylor, and minor Mary Louisa Taylor. Oliver, Alfred, and the Wingfield couple are identified as nonresidents of Virginia. The clipping does not state the parents or the complete basis of the suit. View the 7 December 1846 newspaper notice.
Nathan versus Nicholas and William Kent: an order dated 3 December 1849 directs publication after Nicholas was found to be outside Virginia. It does not specify his destination or explain the dispute. The case papers are needed before drawing conclusions about inheritance, guardianship, or the family’s moves. View the court notice.
Nathan’s Will & the Westport Burial AccountTwo named sisters; a will written in 1849 and recorded in 1858.
Record abstract: Nathan identifies himself as of Amherst County, Virginia, and dates his will 23 October 1849. He identifies Susan Stockton and Sarah Guthrie as “my two sisters” and names them as beneficiaries, provides for the survivor if either predeceases him, and appoints Susan executrix. The recording endorsement is dated July 1858. The collected locator is Amherst Will Book 14, p. 585.
The will names enslaved Abraham, Sarah, and Sarah’s four children among those bequeathed to the sisters. Sarah, the enslaved mother, is a different person from Nathan’s sister Sarah Guthrie. These people and their family relationships should be traced in the estate and related records with the children’s name spellings checked against a full-resolution copy.
Read the manuscript image of Nathan’s will.
A transcription of the Kansas City Star article of 11 May 1902 reports a Westport stone for Nathan C. Guthrie, born 5 August 1810 and died 27 April 1858. This is a historical report of a gravestone, not a death certificate or a newly examined stone. The account also distinguishes him from the later-living professor, preventing Oliver’s occupation from being transferred to Nathan.
Later-Life Records — Missouri, California & the Children’s FamiliesVerified corrections and candidate identifications.
Susan: one death notice and a second notice place her death at Miami. They differ in age and day references. October 1886 is retained without treating the Marshall dateline as her place of death.
Sarah: the 1906 notice identifies Sallie as Oliver’s sister, aged ninety-three, at Marshall. The exact dates of 3 August 1813 and 16 September 1906 require the accompanying family, cemetery, or fuller obituary evidence.
Oliver: one newspaper account and another death notice support 18 September 1896 at Marshall. The Mead compilation supplies valuable family details, but its dates need comparison with these contemporary records.
Continuing identity questions: Nicholas’s proposed Esther Franklin marriage and Missouri household, Lawrence Perry’s California trail and proposed 1897 death, Creed Taylor’s identity, and Elizabeth Wingfield’s possible 1850 Bedford household remain subjects for their individual pages. Candidate households should not supply spouses or children until their connection is established.
Reference Sources & Further Reading
Repositories, Published Accounts & Research CollectionsSources to consult alongside the original records.
- Library of Virginia: Amherst County microfilm guide — identifies surviving marriage, land, court, and probate volumes and the Library’s reel numbers.
- Portrait and Biographical Record of Lafayette and Saline Counties, Missouri (1893) — Oliver Guthrie’s biographical sketch and recollections of his parents and siblings.
- Bailey Fulton Davis, The Wills of Amherst County, Virginia, 1761–1865 — a published abstract collection to compare with the full probate entries.
- John Howard Mead and Mrs. H. Clay Rees, The Mead or Meade Family (Hampton, Virginia: Houston Printing and Publishing House, 1924), especially pp. 42–44 — the Oliver Guthrie–Frances Mead family. The online reformat is dated 2017; the earlier compilation dates are not the book’s publication date.
- “Westport’s Hidden Burial Ground” — a transcription of the 11 May 1902 Kansas City Star account, including Nathan’s reported gravestone inscription.
- Laurence R. Guthrie, American Guthrie and Allied Families (1933) — useful comparative material, with the Guthrie–White family’s earlier GFG2A placement superseded by the GFG1A Y-DNA finding.
The Guthrie Research Tree gathers family relationships and source leads. Tree conclusions, indexes, and compiled histories should be read alongside the documents on which they depend.
Most Wanted Documents
These records would address specific gaps in the family’s story.
Documents That Could Clarify the Family ConnectionsPriority questions for Branch G.
- Elizabeth’s complete 1828–1829 probate sequence. Full images of Amherst Will Book 7, pp. 145–146, 187–190, and 202–204, including surrounding court headings, to distinguish execution dates from recording dates and resolve the conflicting January references.
- The Amherst-to-Augusta connection for John William. A distribution, deed, chancery paper, marriage consent, or family document explicitly connecting him with William Guthrie and Elizabeth Wingfield, alongside the established modal Y-DNA and Augusta location evidence.
- William’s earlier identity and parents. The original 1773 Leonard Goff–William Guttry deed and a chain of associated land and tax records to determine whether the purchaser was this William, an older relative, or another man.
- The complete John Wingfield will and estate division. The opening page preceding manuscript p. 237 and the complete January 1840 division, with evidence identifying the testator and Elizabeth’s mother.
- The full 1846 and 1849 chancery files. Bills, answers, exhibits, and decrees behind the published notices, particularly documents identifying relationships, property, and the parties’ residences.
- A contemporary list of all fourteen children. A family Bible, estate distribution, guardianship account, or comparable record naming the remaining children and clarifying Alfred’s place and the complete birth sequence.
- Records identifying the less-documented children’s later families. Evidence for Catherine’s children; Nicholas’s proposed marriage and Missouri household; Lucy’s death and Creed Taylor’s identity; Lawrence’s California identity; and Elizabeth and John Glenn Wingfield’s later residence.
- The people named in the slavery records. Complete inventories, distributions, and related records that identify the nine people in the 1810 household and trace Abraham, Sarah, and her four children named in Nathan’s will, without assuming the two groups were the same people.
Documents and well-sourced family information are welcome whether or not a descendant has DNA results. Share a record or research lead.
Every family holds a piece of the story
Help Build the Family Story
The story of William Guthrie and Elizabeth Wingfield reaches from Amherst County, Virginia, into Augusta County and the lives of children who made new homes farther west. Court records, newspapers, and Oliver’s recollections preserve parts of that history. John William Guthrie’s line has the GFG1A modal Y-DNA and matching Augusta County locations, adding meaningful genetic and geographic support to the family’s research.
What might your family add? A Bible entry, letter, deed, estate paper, or labeled photograph could identify a child, clarify a relationship, or help trace a move between communities. Share the names, dates, places, and sources you have, including where a document came from. Questions, corrections, and family discoveries are welcome with or without DNA results. Descendants interested in contributing DNA evidence can also explore joining the Guthrie DNA Project.