GFG6
Guthrie Genealogy
Guthrie Family Group 6
Scotland · England · Ireland · Canada · United States
Twelve branches, several migration stories, and family connections still waiting to be found. Follow GFG6 from the Scottish Borders and Ireland to communities across North America, where records and DNA are helping us discover how these families fit together.
Open the GFG6 Research Tree →Origin Theories
GFG6 has no single documented ancestor linking every branch. Family traditions, named candidates, and DNA comparisons give us several paths to explore. Each proposed connection is a question that new research may help answer.
The Scottish Borders · Branches A, B & E
Families on Both Sides of the Border
George Guthrie and Jennet Mennion of Berwickshire lived near the Northumberland families of Adam Guthrie and Elizabeth Nesbit and William Guthrie and Ann Hudson. Could these branches share a closer ancestor?
Their neighboring communities and recurring family names give us a place to start. William may descend from Adam’s family, or both may connect through an earlier generation.
Help investigate: compare parish entries, occupations, witnesses, and land records around Foulden, Berwick-upon-Tweed, and Eglingham.
Explore Branch A · Branch B · Branch E
George’s proposed parents & the missing links
The Branch A research considers John Guthrie as George’s father, with Agnes Burnett or Mary Forsyth as possible mothers. The two 1748 marriage records require further work to identify the correct household.
Even the earlier placement of the tested line under George and Jennet was reconstructed by comparing parish entries, ages, and occupations. Those steps deserve checking alongside any new evidence.
Nearby homes and shared names support an investigation, but do not establish how Branches A, B, and E connect. Additional Y-DNA comparisons could help test the proposed relationships.
Family tradition · Branch H
The Widow Guthrie & Her Five Sons
The family story begins with an unnamed Widow Guthrie of County Tyrone, who set out for America with sons James, Truman, Robert, Stephen, and John. Tradition says that she and Truman died during the journey.
James Guthrie, husband of Mary Shelps, is the starting point for Branch H. Finding his parents and tracing the other reported brothers could reconnect the family on both sides of the Atlantic.
Help investigate: look for the earliest account of the journey, Irish family records, and documents naming the brothers or their mother.
Follow James & Mary’s family →
Following the family after arrival
The reported route leads through Maryland and Pennsylvania to Monongalia and Preston Counties in what is now West Virginia. The locations and timing need to be checked against records for each man.
Other Guthrie families in this region belong to GFG2A. Similar names and neighboring settlements should be compared without assuming that every local Guthrie belongs to the widow’s family.
A proposed migration · Branch J
The Cahans Exodus Connection
Were George, Samuel, and John Guthrie brothers who came from Ireland with the 1764 Cahans congregation led by Rev. Thomas Clark? Descendants also propose John and Phebe Guthrie as the parents of James Guthrie, husband of Editha Munson.
A 1787 deed from Thomas Clark to George Guthrie in Hebron, New York gives this migration theory a specific lead to investigate.
Help investigate: compare the congregation’s history, Clark’s land transactions, probate files, and records identifying James’s siblings.
Explore the New York family investigation →
What the Clark deed can—and cannot—tell us
The deed connects George with Clark’s land dealings. It does not by itself prove that George sailed with the congregation or establish his relationship to Samuel, John, or James.
John’s reported death during the American Revolution and his proposed marriage to Phebe also need supporting records. Phebe Guthry appears as a household head in Argyle, New York, in 1800.
James’s Connecticut connection should be researched separately from the Litchfield Guthries of GFG2A. Y-DNA also rules out the published placement of his son William under John Guthrie and Olive Wilson of GFG2A.
Delaware families · Branches F & K
The Mill Creek Hundred Connection
William Guthrie bought land in Mill Creek Hundred, Delaware, in 1753. A later GFG6 ancestor, Benjamin Guthrie, husband of Sarah (Robinson) Saterfield, lived there in 1850 and 1860. Could Benjamin descend from William’s family?
James Guthrie and Mary Hamilton are another local family worth investigating. Their connection remains unresolved.
Help investigate: follow William’s children through deeds, wills, church records, and neighboring households to see whether any trail reaches Benjamin or James.
Explore William’s family · Benjamin’s family
Irish origins & the seven-brothers tradition
William’s reported birth in 1710 in County Antrim comes through a historical account cited by Laurence R. Guthrie. The underlying record and a more precise place of origin would be valuable finds.
The seven-brothers tradition discussed in American Guthrie and Allied Families helped inspire proposed connections among the Delaware Guthries. DNA has separated some families later assembled under that story: GFG6 at Mill Creek Hundred and GFG2A at St. George’s Hundred.
The tradition can still guide research into its original family. James and Mary Hamilton should remain unassigned until evidence supports a placement.
Pennsylvania records · Branches C & G
The Lycoming Family & an Adopted Son
Could Thomas Guthrie of Muncy Creek, listed in 1800, be the father of James P. Guthrie, husband of Martha Fansey? An 1811 runaway notice for a bound boy named James Guttery is another possible clue.
Later records identify the adopted Justice Oliver Guthrie as Jesse Oliver Guthrie, whose death record names parents James G. Guthrie and Susan Wolf. That discovery leads the Branch G investigation toward Branch C.
Help investigate: look for Thomas’s estate, James’s apprenticeship records, and documents establishing each generation between the two branches.
Follow Branch C · Justice Oliver’s story
Separate the recorded relationships from the proposed ones
The 1800 census does not name Thomas’s children, and the runaway notice does not name the boy’s parents. James’s estimated birth year also varies in the records. His identity and proposed parentage need to be tested together.
Justice’s adoptive parents were Henry and Martha Thomas. His baptism, census entries, and later records help connect the names Justice, Jess, and Jesse.
Additional testing from other descendants of James G. Guthrie and Susan Wolf could help investigate the proposed Branch C–G connection. The Branch G research notes substantial variation in its lower-marker Y-DNA result, making a deeper comparison especially useful.
Irish home places · Branches D, I & L
Finding the Families Behind the Immigrants
George Guthrie and Margaret Keys of Branch I are associated with Enniskillen, County Fermanagh. John Guthrie and Ellen Demster of Branch L also have Fermanagh roots, followed by a family story in Saint John, New Brunswick.
John Guthrie and Isabella Stinson of Branch D settled in Ontario. His Irish county is still unknown, while Big-Y gives his line a closer connection to Branch K than to Branch J.
Help investigate: seek parish, townland, marriage, and immigration details that identify each family before departure. These could turn a county-level clue into a named household.
Explore Branch D · Branch I · Branch L
Keep the Irish clues attached to the right families
Branch I’s proposed parents James and Mary, and grandparents William and Margaret, appear in online trees without the evidence needed to carry them forward as established ancestry. The branch begins here with George Guthrie and Margaret Keys.
Branch L’s earlier Y-DNA comparison suggested a possible connection with Branch K. That remains a lead for deeper testing and records, rather than a proved recent relationship.
Sharing a county does not establish that Branches I and L were close relatives. Branch D’s Irish home should also remain open rather than being assigned to Fermanagh or Antrim from the DNA alone.
Most Wanted Documents
- The Border families: records identifying the parents of George, Adam, and William, or connecting their Scottish and Northumberland households.
- The Widow Guthrie: the earliest surviving family account and records naming her husband, sons, or home in Tyrone.
- The Cahans question: congregation, land, and family records connecting George, Samuel, John, Phebe, and James.
- Mill Creek Hundred: records naming Benjamin’s parents and clarifying the family of James Guthrie and Mary Hamilton.
- The Lycoming connection: Thomas Guthrie’s estate, the 1811 apprenticeship record, and sources connecting James P. and James G. Guthrie.
- The Irish immigrants: parish or townland details for the Ontario, Fermanagh, and New Brunswick families.
A full record image and its source reference help us compare the evidence. Share a record or research lead with Ann →
Explore the Branches
Choose a family below, or jump to its branch letter. Open the children’s pages to continue into the next generation. The family pages explain any proposed placements.
Branch A
George Guthrie & Jennet Mennion
Foulden & the Scottish Borders
A family of millwrights and farmers traced through Berwickshire parish records. The proposed earlier generations remain a focus of research, along with possible connections across the English border.
Explore this family →Open children’s pages
The earlier connection to George and Jennet is reconstructed from parish records, ages, and occupations. See the family page for the evidence.
Branch B
Adam Guthrie & Elizabeth Nesbit
Berwick-upon-Tweed & Northumberland, England
Adam and Elizabeth married in 1761. Their Northumberland family provides a starting point for testing possible links with Branches A and E; Adam’s own parents remain unidentified.
Explore this family →Open children’s pages
Some children’s details and placements still need supporting records.
Branch C
James P. Guthrie & Martha Fansey
Muncy Creek & Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
Follow a Pennsylvania family whose earlier history may involve Thomas Guthrie of Muncy Creek and an indentured boy. The records also offer a possible route to Justice Oliver Guthrie’s Branch G.
Explore this family →Open children’s pages
The family page distinguishes documented children from relationships that remain under study.
Branch D
John Guthrie & Isabella Stinson
Ireland · York & Whitby, Ontario
John married Isabella at York in 1822. Their family is well represented in Ontario records, while his Irish birthplace and immigration route remain open questions.
Explore this family →Branch E
William Guthrie & Ann Hudson
Eglingham, Howick & Northumberland, England
William and Ann married in 1823. His Northumberland origins invite comparison with Adam Guthrie’s Branch B, but the generations connecting them have not been established.
Explore this family →Open children’s pages
Branch F
Benjamin Guthrie & Sarah (Robinson) Saterfield
Maryland / Delaware · Mill Creek Hundred
Benjamin’s records give conflicting Maryland and Delaware birthplaces. His home in Mill Creek Hundred makes Branch K a useful family to investigate. He died during the Civil War at Petersburg in 1864.
Explore this family →Open children’s pages
Branch G
Justice Oliver Guthrie & Nellie Bordreau
Centre & Clearfield Counties, Pennsylvania
Adopted by Henry and Martha Thomas, Justice later appears as Jess or Jesse Oliver Guthrie. Records identifying his birth parents help reopen the proposed connection to Branch C.
Explore this family →Open children’s pages
These pages follow the children of Justice Oliver Guthrie and Nellie Bordreau.
Branch H
James Guthrie & Mary Shelps
County Tyrone · Pennsylvania · Preston County, Virginia / West Virginia
This family preserves the story of the Widow Guthrie and her five sons. Follow James and Mary’s descendants while helping trace the relatives named in that tradition.
Explore this family →Branch I
George Guthrie & Margaret Keys
Enniskillen, Fermanagh · Washington County, Pennsylvania · Vermilion County, Illinois
George and Margaret married in Pennsylvania in 1815. Their family’s Irish origins are a valuable lead, while additional generations attached in online trees remain unverified.
Explore this family →Branch J
James Guthrie & Editha Munson
Connecticut · Hebron & Livingston County, New York
James’s proposed parents, John and Phebe, and a possible Cahans migration link make this an active research question. His son William’s descendants continue the family into Wisconsin.
Explore this family →Open children’s pages
Branch K
William Guthrie & Unidentified Spouse
Reportedly County Antrim · Mill Creek Hundred, Delaware
William purchased his Delaware farm in 1753. His children’s histories continue through Pennsylvania and Kentucky, while his Irish origins and connections to other Delaware Guthries invite further research.
Explore this family →Open children’s pages
The family page explains the evidence for William’s children and the unanswered questions about their later lives.
Branch L
John Guthrie & Ellen Demster
County Fermanagh · Saint John, New Brunswick · Boston, Massachusetts
John became proprietor of Saint John’s Waverley House hotel. His children later moved to Boston. Newspapers and property records help trace this family through migration, prosperity, and loss.
Explore this family →Open children’s pages
What the DNA Tells Us
Connections at Different Depths
The GFG6 research brings together paternal-line matches whose shared ancestors may be many generations back. Differences in their Y-DNA help us investigate which branches connect more closely.
A shared DNA group does not mean that every branch descends from the same recent immigrant. Each family’s records are needed to identify the people between the tested lines.
Where More Testing Could Help
Documented father-to-son descendants from the less-tested branches would help broaden the comparison. For men with existing Y-DNA results, a Big-Y upgrade can add detail about where their branch joins the others.
Particularly useful comparisons include the Border families, the proposed Mill Creek connections, and additional descendants from the Pennsylvania lines.
Choosing a DNA test →Open the Big-Y comparison · December 2025
The December 2025 review included three branches: D through John Guthrie and Isabella Stinson, J through James Guthrie and Editha Munson, and K through William Guthrie of Mill Creek Hundred.
- Branches D and K — R-FT330040: their shared paternal ancestor was estimated to have lived around 1495.
- Branches D, J, and K — R-FTD84152: the shared ancestor connecting all three was estimated around 1248.
- Broader haplogroup family — R1a-Z283: this places the tested lines on the wider paternal DNA tree. It does not identify a particular Guthrie ancestor or birthplace.
These are dated research estimates and may change as new results are added. The comparison points to D and K connecting more recently with each other than with J. It does not establish that their shared ancestor lived in Delaware, or identify his Irish or Scottish home.
Follow the Research
The branch pages contain timelines, source references, and more detailed discussions. These are a few places to continue exploring.
Finding Justice Oliver’s Family
Follow the baptism, census, and death records that connect Justice, Jess, and Jesse—and point toward his birth parents.
Explore the identity investigation →The Guthries of Waverley House
Newspapers, directories, and deeds trace John Guthrie’s hotel in Saint John and his family’s later journey to Boston.
Follow the New Brunswick story →Reading the Big-Y Connections
Explore the project’s December 2025 comparison of the family groups and the shared ancestors suggested by deeper testing.
Read the haplogroup review →Research & Resources
Find record collections, research guides, and investigations that may help you follow a Guthrie family beyond its current starting point.
Explore the research resources →
What members does FTDNA say are related?? I have alot of records from hired reseachers in Scotland. Traces way back.
Each Guthrie Family Group is genetically unique, so no group is biologically related to any other group. If you’re asking specifically about these GFG6 families, they are all technically related to one another on their direct paternal lines. We simply don’t know exactly where they fit on their shared tree. It is likely to be a very old Guthrie line. Some of these branches will be more closely related than others. If you want to share records we can always post them in the Research section for Scotland.