Montana

GUTHRIE RESEARCH BY LOCATION

Montana Territory was organized on May 26, 1864, from the Idaho Territory (with portions from Dakota and Nebraska Territories) amid the gold rushes of the 1860s. It achieved statehood as the 41st state on November 8, 1889. Early settlement was driven by mining, ranching, homesteading under the Homestead Act, railroads, and agriculture in the eastern plains and western mountains. Guthrie families arrived primarily in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, often as ranchers, miners, farmers, or professionals. Records are scattered across county courthouses, the Montana Historical Society (official state archives), and digitized collections on FamilySearch, Ancestry, and the Montana Memory Portal.

MONTANA ONLINE GENEALOGY RECORDS

MONTANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY LIBRARY & ARCHIVES
(official state archives; includes government records, manuscripts, photographs, oral histories, and microfilm of probate, land, and vital records)

LIST of MONTANA COUNTIES, FORMATION DATES, and MAPS

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP CONNECTIONS in MONTANA

  • GFG7 – Branch B: Descendants of Daniel Guthrie & Jane Flinn (origins tied to Ayrshire, Scotland per DNA). Notable connection: Alfred Bertram “A.B.” Guthrie Jr. (1901 IN–1991 MT), Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist (The Way West, 1950), screenwriter, and historian. Born in Bedford, Indiana, he moved with his family to Choteau, Teton County, Montana, as a child. His father, Alfred Bertram Guthrie Sr. (1872–1954), lived in Choteau; the family appears in Teton County censuses, death records, and local histories. A.B. Guthrie Jr. attended the University of Montana and maintained deep ties to the state.
  • Additional unlinked or emerging Guthrie lines appear in records from Stillwater County (ranching families), Lewis and Clark County (Helena area), Silver Bow County (Butte mining), and Lake/Flathead Counties. Some may connect to other GFGs via future Y-DNA or autosomal testing.

SOURCE: Montana Memory Portal (mtmemory.org) – Digitized Photos, Documents, and Oral Histories

The Montana History Portal hosts thousands of digitized items from libraries, museums, and historical societies across the state. Search “Guthrie” for:

  • Early settler certificates and ranch photos (e.g., William Guthrie Sr. family in Stillwater County, with Sarah Jane Lawrence; includes ranching and homesteading images).
  • Oral histories and reminiscences mentioning Guthrie pioneers.
  • WWI and WWII service documents, school records, and community photos.

Explore the full portal here: Montana Memory Portal. Many items link directly to Guthrie individuals in specific counties.

SOURCE: Montana Historical Society Library & Archives – Manuscripts and Special Collections

The MHS serves as Montana’s official state archives (since 1969) and holds:

  • Idora Z. Smith Guthrie diaries (1871–1937): Personal accounts of life in Helena and Marysville; details marriage to Herbert J. Guthrie (native of Wisconsin), mining work, 1920 census efforts, placer mine leasing, family separations, and daily Montana life. Includes clippings on marriages in Helena and New York.
  • Oral histories, such as Sophie Guthrie’s reminiscences.
  • Microfilm of county probate, land, and court records; state prison records (1869–1974, including mug shots and descriptions); and government documents.
  • Finding aids searchable via Archives West.

Catalog search: MHS Catalog. Many collections are non-circulating but viewable on-site or via digital surrogates.

SOURCE: Montana Probate Records (FamilySearch & Ancestry)

Montana probate records (wills, estates, guardianships, inventories) are held at county clerks and the MHS. Digitized collections include:

  • Montana Wills and Probate Records, 1831–1952 (Ancestry – index & images).
  • County-specific on FamilySearch (index & images):
    • Cascade County Records, 1880–2009 (includes A.B. Guthrie Sr. death, 1954, Choteau; Harriet Larson Guthrie death, 1968).
    • Flathead, Granite, and other county files (1871–2009 range).

Example mentions (from indexed collections):

  • Alfred Bertram Guthrie (Sr.) – probate/estate references in Teton/Cascade area.
  • William Smith Guthrie (1879–1972) – associated records in Silver Bow County (Butte).

Search FamilySearch collections directly for full images. Early territorial probates (pre-1889) often overlap with Idaho or Dakota Territory records.

SOURCE: Montana Marriage Records

Vital records began at the county level; many are indexed on FamilySearch and Ancestry. Examples from public indexes:

  • William Smith Guthrie married Mabel Geenen on 12 October 1925 in Butte, Silver Bow County.
  • Various 20th-century Guthrie marriages in Teton, Stillwater, Lewis and Clark, and Lake Counties (searchable in Montana, U.S., Marriage Records collections).

County clerks hold originals; some pre-1943 records are at MHS.

SOURCE: Land, Homestead, and Census Records

  • Homestead and land patents: Search Bureau of Land Management (GLIN) or MHS for Guthrie grantees in ranching-heavy counties (Stillwater, Teton, etc.).
  • Federal censuses (1870 onward, fully digitized on FamilySearch): Strong Guthrie presence in 1900–1940 in Choteau (Teton), Stillwater, Helena, and Butte.
  • Montana State Prison Records (MHS, 1869–1974): Includes descriptive sheets with birthplaces, marriages, and photos—useful for transient or mining Guthries.

Research Tips for Montana Guthrie Lines

  • Start with counties: Use the formation chart (link above) or the detailed FamilySearch county creation page to trace parent counties for pre-1900 records. Many early Guthries appear in Beaverhead, Gallatin, Lewis and Clark, or Missoula (original 1865 counties).
  • Vital records access: Births/deaths after 1907 via Montana Department of Public Health; earlier via county clerks or MHS microfilm.
  • Edge cases: Gold rush transients (1860s–1870s) may appear in mining district ledgers or newspapers (digitized on Chronicling America or Montana Memory). Railroad and homesteading booms (1880s–1910s) generated land and naturalization records.
  • DNA & compiled resources: Connect unplaced lines via Guthrie DNA Project (Y-DNA at FamilyTreeDNA) or the blog’s GFG pages. Montana State Genealogical Society offers conferences and volunteer help.
  • Needed data: More transcriptions of early territorial court/mining records and full probate image sets for Teton/Stillwater Counties would help link additional Guthries.

County Formation Dates (Selected Early Counties for Context)

Montana began with nine original counties in 1865 (Beaverhead, Chouteau, Custer, Deer Lodge, Gallatin, Jefferson, Edgerton/Lewis and Clark, Madison, Missoula). Later splits created the current 56 counties. Full chronology available on the Wikipedia and FamilySearch links above.

Last Will & Testament transcriptions and deeper probate extractions will be added as discovered. Share any Montana Guthrie documents or stories in the comments!

Sources (inline where applicable): FamilySearch Wiki, Montana Historical Society finding aids, mtmemory.org digitized items, Ancestry/FamilySearch indexed collections, GFG7 lineage details from guthriegenealogy.blog, and Wikipedia county histories. All links current as of March 2026.

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