Louisiana

GUTHRIE RESEARCH BY LOCATION

Louisiana – Guthrie Genealogy

Louisiana (Acquired via the Louisiana Purchase in 1803; admitted as the 18th state on April 30, 1812; unique use of “parishes” instead of counties due to French and Spanish colonial ecclesiastical roots.)

General Resources

Louisiana Parish Formation Highlights (for Record-Location Research) Louisiana’s civil divisions began as 12 counties in 1805 (based on prior Spanish ecclesiastical districts). On March 31, 1807, the territorial legislature created 19 original civil parishes. Additional parishes were carved out over time, especially during the 1810s–1870s (Florida Parishes, Reconstruction era). Key early formations include:

  • 1807: Orleans, St. Tammany, St. Bernard, Ascension, St. James, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, Iberville, Assumption, Lafourche Interior (later Lafourche), Natchitoches, St. Landry, Rapides, Avoyelles, Concordia, Ouachita, Pointe Coupée, and others.
  • 1808: Catahoula
  • 1810: Florida Parishes (East Baton Rouge, West Feliciana, East Feliciana, St. Helena)
  • 1811–1850s: Attakapas subdivisions (St. Martin, St. Mary), Washington, Jefferson, Claiborne, Caddo, Franklin, Winn, and many more.
  • Later splits (1868–1910): Tangipahoa, Cameron, Acadia, Evangeline, Allen, Beauregard, Jefferson Davis, etc.

Parish boundaries changed frequently—always check formation dates when searching deeds, probate, or vital records.

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP CONNECTIONS in LOUISIANA

  • GFG5-C – Branch C: Descendants of Ransom Johnson Guthrie (b. 7 Nov 1849 Lafayette Co., MS – d. 27 Oct 1930 Calvin, Winn Parish, LA) & Louissa D. Varner (c. 1848–1894) / Sarah Ellen (Martin) (1864–1949). Children included Lou Donnia, Mary Corinna, Walter James, and Ernest Groner Guthrie. Multiple family members resided or died in Winn Parish (Calvin), Jackson Parish, and Natchitoches area. Ransom was a teacher and farmer; buried Bethlehem Cemetery, Calvin, Winn Parish.
  • Martin Guthrie Family (Tensas Parish): Prominent 19th-century line documented in The Martin Guthrie Family(compiled 1998 by Dorothy Rice Guthrie). Martin Guthrie (1810–1878) and descendants settled in Tensas Parish; includes family Bible records with births, marriages, and deaths. Kentucky marriage ties noted in some branches.
  • South Louisiana Branches (Orleans/Jefferson/Lafourche/Franklin Parishes): Multiple 19th–20th century Guthries, including Sheldon Guthrie line (Lafourche Parish origins, later Jefferson Parish) and George Washington Guthrie (b. 1857 New Orleans).

Additional scattered Guthrie mentions appear in West Feliciana, Ouachita, and other parishes via compiled indexes.

Marriage Records Louisiana Compiled Marriage Index (1718–1925) and Parish Marriages (1837–1957) on FamilySearch/Ancestry contain numerous Guthrie entries. Examples from compiled sources:

  • Mary Ann Guthry m. [spouse] — West Feliciana Parish
  • Other early matches in Orleans, St. Landry, and Feliciana areas (full indexes available via LCRAA portal or Ancestry’s Louisiana Compiled Marriage Index).

For exhaustive searches, use the LCRAA land-and-marriage portal or FamilySearch’s Louisiana Parish Marriages collection (index + images).

Probate, Estate & Will Records

  • Louisiana Wills and Probate Records (1756–1984) on Ancestry include index/images.
  • Orleans Parish-specific: Estate Files (1804–1846) and Will Books (1805–1920) on FamilySearch.
  • Colonial/territorial notarial records (French/Spanish era) often hold early Guthrie mentions in New Orleans and rural parishes.

No major pre-1800 Guthrie probates noted in quick statewide scans, consistent with later migration patterns (mostly 19th-century arrivals from MS, AL, SC, and elsewhere).

Land Records

  • Federal Land Patents (pre-1908) via BLM GLO Records or Ancestry’s Louisiana Homestead/Cash Entry Patents.
  • Parish-level conveyances and mortgages accessible through LCRAA portal (many digitized).
  • Early territorial land grants and Spanish/French notarial acts are key for pre-statehood families.

Call for community input: If you have access to compiled early land books or parish-level abstracts, please share Guthrie excerpts!

Military & Pension Records

  • Civil War: Louisiana Confederate Service Records and Pensions (1898–1950) on FamilySearch; Union side also indexed.
  • WW I / Draft Cards: Multiple Louisiana collections.
  • No prominent Revolutionary War Guthries noted (Louisiana post-dates the Revolution), but War of 1812 and later conflicts appear in some lines.

Louisiana Confederate Pension Applications Index is freely searchable via the State Archives.

Census & Vital Records Highlights

  • Federal censuses (1820 onward) show Guthries concentrated in northern and southeastern parishes (Winn, Tensas, Orleans/Jefferson/Lafourche, Franklin).
  • Birth/Death: Louisiana Statewide Death Index (1819–1964); Orleans Parish vital records; State Archives holds older records (births >100 years, deaths >50 years).

Needed Data / Research Gaps

  • Early colonial/territorial notarial and French Catholic church records (pre-1803).
  • Full transcription of Martin Guthrie family Bible or Tensas Parish probate packets.
  • 19th-century land deeds in Winn, Tensas, and Lafourche parishes.
  • Connection details between MS/AL migrant lines and south Louisiana French-influenced Guthries.

If you have access to the Louisiana State Archives, microfilm collections, or unpublished parish books, please check for GUTHRIE entries and share!

Last Will & Testament or Signature Documents (Transcriptions of specific wills/probates would go here once located—none prominently digitized for early Guthries at this time.)

Sources Compiled from FamilySearch Wiki, Louisiana Secretary of State Archives databases, Ancestry collections, Wikipedia parish history, and existing Guthrie Genealogy blog family pages. Additional forum threads on Genealogy.com discuss multi-state Guthrie migrations into Louisiana.