An Earlier Archibald Guthery: A Possible Family Connection

Could the French and Indian War soldier have been the father of John Guthery and Archibald Guthery? This is a substantial research question for both halves of Branch D. Laurence R. Guthrie proposed the possibility in American Guthrie and Allied Families. The recurrence of the name Archibald, related surname spellings, military associations, and the Pennsylvania setting make the proposed connection worth pursuing.

The Soldier at Fort Bedford

A garrison list dated 24 January 1760 names Archibald Guttrie under Captain Armstrong’s company in the Pennsylvania Regiment detachment commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Shippen. The entry appears in Pennsylvania Archives, Fifth Series, volume I, p.305. This is the earlier man associated with French and Indian War service.

He must be distinguished from Rebecca’s husband, whose reported birth in 1753 would make him a child in 1760. The proposal is that the older soldier belonged to the preceding generation and was father to John, born 1744, and Archibald, born 1753. A record explicitly establishing those parent-child relationships has not yet been found. His estimated birth period, immigration, and the identity of his wife likewise remain open.

The 1769 Land Claim & John Irwin

A second promising lead is New Purchase application 3664, dated 25 July 1769, in the name of Archibald Guthry. The surviving 1788 survey describes a tract on Brush Creek in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, containing 300 acres 119 perches, with the customary six-percent allowance. It was surveyed for John Irwin, Esquire, “in right of” Archibald Guthry.

The survey dates to 14 March 1788; the warrant to accept to 27 March; and the return to 31 March. These records establish a land-right connection between the names. They do not identify the transaction by which Irwin acquired the right or establish which Archibald was the original applicant. Finding that assignment could help connect the earlier soldier, the land, and the later families—or distinguish them.

Irwin’s involvement is especially worth investigating. John Irwin of Brush Hill later described himself as a former Deputy Commissary General of Issues in the Western Department, constantly stationed at Fort Pitt. He is a promising candidate for comparison with the land recipient. His military supply work raises the possibility of an association through service or the local community, alongside the possibility of a family connection.

The Guthrie–Erwin/Irwin dealings discussed in GFG2A—Branch B add another avenue for comparison. Chester County records involving Adam Guthrie and Irwin families should be studied beside the Westmoreland records, with attention to spouses, residences, witnesses, and conveyances. The shared surnames alone do not establish that the same Irwin family was involved.

A Bedford–Fort Pitt Association

George Morgan’s journal provides a further lead. An account entered in 1767 describes Elizabeth Guthry coming from Bedford to Fort Pitt in late 1766 at John Irwin’s invitation. It also mentions her unnamed brother and calls her “Elizabeth Guthry Alias Mrs. Turner.” This places another Guthry family connection within the Bedford–Fort Pitt setting. Her relationship to the earlier Archibald, John, or Rebecca’s husband is unknown; the reference supplies names and associates for further investigation.

Traditions of Northern Irish origins, sometimes specifying County Derry, remain part of the family’s reported history. They do not yet establish a birthplace, immigration date, or documented membership in a group of immigrant brothers.

The Guthrie DNA Project

Three recorded Y-DNA participants represent the paternal line of Archibald Guthery and Rebecca Phillips. All descend through their son Archibald Guthrie (1779–1845), with lines through his sons Jacob and Josephus “Cephas” Franklin. Their results place the family in GFG2A.

Y-DNA follows an unbroken father-to-son line; daughters do not transmit their father’s Y chromosome. “Not recorded” refers to the project material reviewed in October 2026, rather than all testing that may exist.

What the Comparison Can Tell Us

The three sampled Archibald-line kits share DYS458=17, while the sampled John Guthery lines have 18. Because all three Archibald-line participants descend through the son born 1779, this difference cannot yet be assigned to the Revolutionary soldier or the proposed earlier ancestor.

The two Archibald-line Y-DNA111 kits also share DYS710=35. That value occurs in John Guthery’s Aaron line as well, in kit 292715, so it does not distinguish the two families on its own. These marker patterns neither establish nor disprove the proposed brotherhood.

Additional Big-Y testing across separately documented male lines could refine the paternal branching. Documentary research would still be needed to identify a particular shared ancestor.

Autosomal Connections

Recorded Family Finder participation includes B52893 through Elizabeth’s Fordyce line; B97789, 193924, and B200733 through Cephas’s line; and B596930 through Jacob’s line. B4501 reports descent from Archibald and Rebecca without a detailed child-line pedigree in the notes. An AncestryDNA connection through Samuel Guthrie’s line is also noted in the family research.

These participants offer opportunities to compare documented lineages and shared matches. An autosomal match at this distance does not by itself establish the proposed earlier family connection.

Learn about joining the Guthrie DNA Project →