Minnesota

GUTHRIE RESEARCH BY LOCATION

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Minnesota – Guthrie Genealogy

Minnesota Minnesota was organized as a U.S. territory in 1849 and admitted as the 32nd state on May 11, 1858. Located at the headwaters of the Mississippi River, it attracted waves of settlers from New England, the Midwest, Canada, and Northern Europe during the mid-to-late 19th century. Railroads, lumber, farming, and milling drove rapid growth, bringing Guthrie families into counties across the state. While fewer colonial-era records exist than in the original 13 colonies, Minnesota offers rich post-1850 resources: territorial and state censuses, homestead and land patents, vital records (many digitized), and probate/estate files. Guthrie presence includes railroad contractors, farmers, and urban residents, with notable place-name ties and cultural landmarks.

MINNESOTA ONLINE GENEALOGY RECORDS FamilySearch Minnesota Online Genealogy Records – Comprehensive index to births, marriages, deaths, censuses, probates, military, and more.

MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY – FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) Genealogy Resources – Includes searchable indexes for birth/death certificates (1900+), state/territorial censuses (1849–1905), veteran graves, probate, land records, and the Gale Family Library collections. Highly recommended starting point for original images and context.

LIST of MINNESOTA COUNTIES, FORMATION DATES, and MAPS Wikipedia: List of counties in Minnesota – Details all 87 current counties, formation dates (many created 1850s–1870s from parent counties like Ramsey, Benton, or Itasca), boundary changes, and historical maps. FamilySearch: Minnesota County Creation Dates and Parent Counties – Interactive table and historical boundary maps for precise record location.

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP CONNECTIONS in MINNESOTA Documented Guthrie lineages in Minnesota are fewer than in Eastern or Southern states, but several branches appear through migration. Known or potential ties include:

  • Descendants of Guthrie Family Group 2A (various branches) who moved westward; for example, some 19th-century lines from Kentucky/Indiana families settled in Dakota County (Vermillion area) by the 1870s.
  • Scottish-Canadian lines (unlinked to current Y-DNA project participants) represented by railroad entrepreneur Archibald Guthrie (see place-name section below).
  • Scattered 20th-century Guthries in urban centers like Minneapolis/St. Paul (Ramsey and Hennepin counties), often tied to theater, business, or military service.
  • No major colonial-era Guthrie clusters; most arrivals post-1850 via railroads or homesteading. Submissions of additional family group connections, Y-DNA matches, or descendant trees are welcome to expand this section.

KNOWN GUTHRIE PLACES AND NOTABLE ASSOCIATIONS Guthrie Township, Hubbard County This township (and its village) was named for Archibald Guthrie, a railroad contractor who built the Minnesota & International Railway line through the area in the late 19th/early 20th century. Archibald (b. 25 Dec 1844 in Canada; d. 17 May 1913 in Chicago, buried Oakland Cemetery, St. Paul, Ramsey County) was the son of James and Margaret (Reid) Guthrie. His father emigrated from Paisley, Scotland, to Glasgow, then Canada (Lanark area) around 1820. The township had a 2000 population of 436 and remains a small rural community. No current participant from this line is in the Guthrie Y-DNA Project—opportunities exist for descendants to test and connect.⁠Guthriegenealogy +1

Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis Founded in 1963 by Sir Tyrone Guthrie (1900–1971), the renowned English theatrical director. While not an American Guthrie lineage, the theater has become a Minnesota cultural landmark and is housed in the Mississippi Riverfront area. Its archives are held at the University of Minnesota and include production records, photos, and ephemera—indirectly relevant for researchers studying Guthrie cultural impact in the state.⁠Guthriegenealogy

SOURCES: Minnesota Vital Records, Marriages, and Probates Minnesota vital records begin reliably in the 1860s–1870s (earlier in some counties). Key collections:

  • Minnesota Marriages, 1849–1950 (FamilySearch) – Name index with images; search for Guthrie/Guthery/Guthry variations yields matches in counties like Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, and Hubbard.
  • Minnesota Probate Estate and Guardianship Files, 1796–1940 (FamilySearch, via county courts) – Includes digitized estate packets; examples exist for Guthries in Allegany-like border areas or later counties (cross-reference with MD/CT patterns for name variants).
  • Minnesota County Birth, Death, and Marriage Records (various collections on FamilySearch and MNHS) – Covers 1860s onward.

SOURCES: Census and State Records Minnesota’s state censuses (1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905) are a goldmine—fully searchable and imaged at MNHS. They capture mid-19th-century Guthries in farming, lumber, and railroad communities. Federal censuses (1850 territorial onward) show concentrations in southeastern counties initially, spreading northward/westward. Land/homestead records (Bureau of Land Management and county deeds) often list Guthries as early patentees.

SOURCES: Land, Military, and Archival Records

  • Territorial and state land records via MNHS and county courthouses (many post-1850s).
  • Military: Civil War, Spanish-American, WWI/II draft cards, and veteran indexes frequently include Guthries (search MNHS or FamilySearch).
  • Minnesota State Archives (housed at MNHS) hold court, tax, and naturalization files.

NEEDED DATA Many Minnesota Guthrie lines remain unlinked to established Family Groups. Volunteers or researchers with access to unindexed probate, land deeds, or church records (especially in Hubbard, Ramsey, Hennepin, Dakota, or Otter Tail counties) are encouraged to contribute extractions or transcriptions. Y-DNA testing from male lines would help connect Archibald Guthrie’s descendants and others. Contact the blog for submission details.

Submissions welcome – If you have Minnesota Guthrie research, photos, documents, or corrections, please leave a reply or reach out. This page will be updated as new sources and connections emerge.

Last updated: March 2026 (based on current online availability; always verify originals).