Guthrie Family Group 5 – Branch F
JOHN ‘JACK’ GUTHRIE 1807KY-1870CA and FAIRVILLA RIDDELL
of Kentucky, and California, USA

CONTENTS:
Origin Theories
The Family of John ‘Jack’ Guthrie & Fairvilla Riddell
Historical Hightlights
The Guthrie DNA Project

ORIGIN THEORIES for GFG5 BRANCH F

One family tradition stated that Jack Guthrie was born in Maryland. All census data lists his birthplace as Kentucky. The Bluegrass State is a key location for Guthrie Family Group 5 as the progenitors of Branch A, William Guthrie and wife Eleanor Harris Abbott settled there about 1789. Jack could potentially be a son or grandson of this couple.

A great resource for descendants of this couple can be found online at The Internet Archive. ‘The Box Family History, Reuben Franklin Box and his California Family’ by Akins, Alice Box Ramsay, 1923, is a 516 page book full of family anecdotes, photos, newspaper articles and obits.

THE FAMILY of JOHN ‘JACK’ GUTHRIE & FAIRVILLA RIDDELL

JOHN ‘JACK’ GUTHRIE
Born: 1 January 1807
Location: Kentucky, USA
Marriage 1: Unidentified, presumably in Kentucky, USA
Marriage 2: Fairvilla Riddell in Kentucky, USA about 1828
Occupation: Blacksmith
Died: 19 May 1870
Location: Santa Rosa, Sonoma, California, USA
Buried: Unknown, presumably in Sonoma County, California, USA

UNIDENTIFIED FIRST WIFE
Born: Unknown
Location: Unknown
Sons: None
Daughters: Mary Elizabeth Guthrie
Died: About 1827
Location: Unknown, presumably in Kentucky, USA

FAIRVILLA RIDDELL
Born: 15 January 1808
Location: Maryland, USA
Sons: Washington Guthrie, John Henry Guthrie
Daughters: Louisa Jane Guthrie
Died: 29 September 1868
Location: Santa Rosa, Sonoma, California, USA
Buried: Unknown, presumably in Sonoma County, California, USA

CHILDREN:

MARY ELIZABETH GUTHRIE
1827KY – Unknown CA

Little is available online about Mary Elizabeth Guthrie. She was the only known child of Jack Guthrie’s first wife. Born on 25 Oct 1827 in Kentucky. Mary Elizabeth married a man by the surname of James. ‘The Box Family History’ included information about Jack’s other children, which refers to her as “Aunt Mary James”. No mention of her husband or children’s names is made, and I have not been able to conclusively identify them in records. Anyone have details? Mary and her family later moved to California after the others were already settled there.

WASHINGTON GUTHRIE
1831KY – 1872CA

Washington Guthrie was born on 8 January 1831. Trees list Lexington, Fayette, KY as his birthplace. He worked as a blacksmith alongside his father. In 1848 they traveled to California during the early days of the gold rush. Once settled, Jack Guthrie returned to Kentucky for the rest of the family.

Wash Guthrie married Sarah Jane ‘Jin’ Box on 15 Dec 1859 in Sonoma, California. She was the daughter of Reuben Franklin Box and Lucy Elizabeth Parker, born 14 April 1842 in Chickasaw County, Mississippi.

Sam Box shot and killed his brother-in-law, Washington Guthrie. He died on 13 Oct 1872. His widow Sarah Jane (Box) Guthrie left Sonoma County with her 5 young children and moved to Tulare near the White River area.

Wash Guthrie had for some time been separated from his wife and she was living with her mother and brother in Guillicos Valley on the Santa Rosa road. He had taken Sarah to court for a period of 3 terms in order to gain custody of their children, and was successful, but it was feared by family that he would abduct the children. When Guthrie showed up at the Box home, he made a move that suggested he was pulling out a pistol, and so Sam Box reacted instantly, as he had just returned from hunting and was holding a shotgun, shot him.

Children: 5
Sons: John Franklin Guthrie, William Henry Guthrie
Daughters: Fanny Fairvilla Guthrie, Clara Jane Guthrie, Laura Elizabeth Guthrie

Y-DNA Project Participants: Yes
Family Finder Participants: No

LOUISA JANE GUTHRIE
1833KY – 1919CA

Louisa Jane Guthrie was born in Kentucky on 15 Jun 1833. The family had moved to Missouri by 1850 when she married William Ward Wallace on the 7th of November that year. He was a farmer. Not long afterward, her father, Jack Guthrie, who had gone to California with her brother Wash during the gold rush to set up their blacksmith business, returned to bring the rest of the family back to California. Louisa and her husband initially settled in Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, later resided in Monterey County, and finally in Colusa County, California. William died there in 1902, and Louisa Jane in 1919.

Children: 8
Wallace Sons: John William Wallace, Benjamin Franklin Wallace, Fred D Wallace, Theodore Parker Wallace
Wallace Daughters: Mary Elizabeth Wallace, Margaret Anna Wallace, Eliza Jane Wallace, Lida Jane Wallace

Family Finder Participants: No

JOHN HENRY GUTHRIE
1845KY – BEFORE 1850

According to the family history, Jack and Fairvilla’s son, John Henry, died during childhood of unknown causes. He is not listed on the 1850 census with the family.

HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS

1807: BIRTH of JOHN ‘JACK’ GUTHRIE
Kentucky, USA on 1 January 1807

Census records list Kentucky as Jack Guthrie’s birthplace. This makes sense from an historical perspective as the primary lineage for Guthrie Family Group 5 settled there prior to his birth. He is a probable descendant of GFG5 Branch A’s William Guthrie & Eleanor Harris Abbott.

1808: BIRTH of FAIRVILLA RIDDELL
Maryland, USA on 15 January 1808

Abt. 1726 JACK GUTHRIE’S FIRST MARRIAGE
Kentucky, USA, presumably

The identity of Jack Guthrie’s first wife is unknown. The marriage is mentioned in the family history and in the California, Pioneer and Immigrant Files. The marriage produced 1 daughter, Mary Elizabeth Guthrie, born in 1727.

1727: BIRTH of DAUGHTER – MARY ELIZABETH GUTHRIE
Kentucky, USA on 25 October 1827

Mary Elizabeth Guthrie was the only child born to Jack Guthrie’s first wife, who presumably died not long afterward.

Abt. 1728: MARRIAGE of JACK GUTHRIE & FAIRVILLA RIDDELL
Kentucky, USA

No marriage record found. The family history states the marriage was about 1728, but their first child was not born until 1831, so it could have been a little later.

1831: BIRTH of SON – WASHINGTON GUTHRIE
Near Lexington, Fayette, Kentucky, USA on 8 January 1831

AKA ‘Wash’

1833: BIRTH of DAUGHTER – LOUISA JANE GUTHRIE
Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky, USA on 15 June 1833

1840: US CENSUS of KENTUCKY
Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky

Where is this family during the 1840 census? There is a J G Guthrie in Louisville, KY during 1840, but he is listed as 20-29 years of age:
2M & 1F 20-29, 1M & 1F Under 5, 2 female slaves 10-23 and under10, 2 employed in commerce.

1845: BIRTH of SON – JOHN HENRY GUTHRIE
Kentucky, USA on 23 August 1845

Before 1850: DEATH of SON – JOHN HENRY GUTHRIE
Kentucky or Missouri, USA, presumably

The family history states that John Henry Guthrie died during childhood. No specific date given, however he is not listed with his parents in the 1850 census.

1850: US CENSUS of MISSOURI
Blue, Jackson, Missouri, USA on 26 August 1850

The Guthrie Household:
John Guthrie 42 blacksmith KY
Favila Guthrie 40 MD
Washington Guthrie 19 blacksmith KY
Louisa J Guthrie 16 KY
Nancy J Brockman 30 KY

About this time, during the Gold Rush, Jack Guthrie and his son Washington headed to California traveling by covered wagon. They arrived in the Napa Valley and were enumerated again in the census there.

1850: US CENSUS OF CALIFORNIA
Nappa, Napa, California, USA on 9 October 1850

John Guthrie, 46, Blacksmith, born Kentucky
Washington Guthrie, 20, Blacksmith, born Kentucky

Jack and Wash set up their blacksmith business in California. Once that was up and running, Jack returned to Missouri to gather up the remainder of the family for the trip west.

1850: MARRIAGE of DAUGHTER – LOUISA JANE GUTHRIE
Independence, Macon, Missouri, USA

Louisa Jane Guthrie married William Ward Wallace. They also made the move to California when Jack and Fairvilla headed west about 1851.

1852: CALIFORNIA STATE CENSUS
Napa, California, USA on 9 Sep 1852

John Guthrie, 48, Blacksmith, Kentucky
Fairvelley Guthrie, 45, Maryland

1859: MARRIAGE of SON – WASHINGTON GUTHRIE
Sonoma County, California, USA on 15 December 1859

Washington Guthrie married Sarah Jane ‘Jin’ Box. She was the daughter of Reuben Franklin Box & Lucy Elizabeth Parker.

1860: US CENSUS of CALIFORNIA
Santa Rosa, Sonoma, California, USA

The Guthrie Household:
John Guthrie 57 Blacksmith RE:2500 PE:2000 Kentucky
Fairvelle Guthrie 52 Maryland
John Campbell 25 Blacksmith Tennessee

The Guthrie Household:
Washington Guthrie 29 M RE:1500 PE:300 Kentucky
Sarah J Guthrie 18 F Mississippi

1866: CALIFORNIA VOTER REGISTRATION
Sonoma, California, USA

John Guthrie, 62, Kentucky, Blacksmith, Santa Rosa Township
Washington Guthrie, 35, Kentucky, Farmer, Santa Rosa Township

1868: DEATH of FAIRVILLA RIDDELL GUTHRIE
Santa Rosa, Sonoma, California, USA on 29 Sep 1868

1870: DEATH of JOHN ‘JACK’ GUTHRIE
Santa Rosa, Sonoma, California, USA on 19 May 1870

1870 US FEDERAL MORTALITY SCHEDULE
Sonoma, California, USA

County Hospital
158 – Guthrie, John, 63, M, W, Kentucky, died in May, Blacksmith, COD: Consumption

1872: DEATH of SON – WASHINGTON GUTHRIE
Glen Ellen, Sonoma, California, USA on 13 October 1872

Wash and Jin’s marriage had produced 5 children, but the couple had separated sometime between 1868 and 1872. They went through a heated custody battle in the local courts, and the Box family were concerned that Wash would abduct the children. When he showed up at their home, Sam Box, Sarah Jane’s brother, happened to be holding a rifle, and Wash seemed to reach behind him to pull out a pistol. Sam reacted and the resulting shot hit Wash in the head instantly killing him. The incident can be read in detail in various newspaper articles copied in The Box Family History.

THE GUTHRIE DNA PROJECT

Guthrie Family Group: GFG5
Group Designation: Branch F – (The Guthries of Sonoma, California)

Haplogroup: R-M269
Confirmed Haplogroup: R-M269

YDNA Matches:  1
Kit 441345 (+FF)
John ‘Jack’ Guthrie/Fairvilla Riddell > Washington Guthrie/Sarah Jane Box > John Franklin Guthrie/Mary Ellen White > Guy Ernest Guthrie Sr/Marian Ethel Wiley (GGP) +more

Family Finder / Autosomal DNA Kits:
None

Findings:

The participant for kit 441345 matches the genetic profile for GFG5. He has a Y37 marker test matching Group Mode DNA 36/37. His single mutation is unique to his results.