GUTHRIE RESEARCH BY LOCATION

# New Hampshire

One of the Original 13 Colonies

New Hampshire was established as a separate royal colony in 1679 (after being part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1641–1679). It played a key role in the lead-up to the American Revolution—its citizens were among the first to declare independence from Britain in 1776—and it became the ninth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution in 1788. Early settlement focused on coastal and river valleys, with land grants and town incorporations driving expansion inland. Guthrie families appear sparingly in colonial and early state records compared to neighboring Connecticut or Massachusetts, but documented mentions exist in land deeds, Revolutionary-era service rolls, church records, and later vital statistics. Research often requires town-level clerks’ offices, county registries, and the New Hampshire State Archives, as many pre-1800 records remain unindexed or microfilmed only.

NEW HAMPSHIRE ONLINE GENEALOGY RECORDS NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE ARCHIVES (New Hampshire Division of Records Management & Archives) LIST OF NEW HAMPSHIRE COUNTIES, FORMATION DATES, AND MAPS (includes interactive historical boundary maps and parent-county details)

Establishment and Counties The Province of New Hampshire was officially separated from Massachusetts in 1679. The first five counties were created in 1769:

• Rockingham (1769, parent: none; seat: Exeter/Portsmouth)
• Strafford (1769)
• Hillsborough (1769)
• Cheshire (1771)
• Grafton (1769)

Later counties include:

• Sullivan (1820, from Cheshire)
• Coos (1803, from Grafton)
• Merrimack (1823, from Hillsborough & Rockingham)
• Belknap (1840, from Strafford & Merrimack)
• Carroll (1840, from Strafford & Coos)

Pre-1772 deeds were recorded provincially in Portsmouth and are now at the State Archives. Post-1769 land records are at the respective county Registries of Deeds (searchable online via NHDeeds.org for many counties). Town clerks hold vital records, probate, and some church records. Edge case: Many early towns (e.g., in Grafton or Cheshire) changed county affiliation over time—always verify parent counties via the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

GUTHRIE FAMILY GROUP CONNECTIONS in NEW HAMPSHIRE Guthrie (and variant spellings: Guthery, Gutrey, Guthry, Guttery) presence in New Hampshire is lighter than in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, or Maryland branches tracked in the Guthrie DNA Project. No major GFG-designated lines (e.g., GFG1A, GFG2A) are yet confirmed as primarily New Hampshire-based, but transient or early connections appear in the blog’s research:

• Mentions in the John Guthrie & Margaret Brown line (primarily Pennsylvania) include travel and baptisms linked to New Hampshire in the 1750s–1790s (diary of a traveling minister records baptisms associated with a John Guthrie).
• The Joseph George Guthrie (1773 CT–1854 OH) family (GFG2A-related) has conflicting online trees listing some children’s births as “CT, NH, or OH” circa 1797–1802, possibly reflecting short-term residence or record errors during westward migration.
• Scattered 19th–20th-century Guthries appear in Grafton, Cheshire, and Rockingham counties (e.g., Douglas Ray Guthrie in Lebanon, Grafton Co., 1955 marriage; modern descendants in Portsmouth and Enfield).

DNA Project participants with New Hampshire roots are encouraged to contact the blog or join the Guthrie DNA Project for Y-DNA or autosomal matching. Research is ongoing—submissions of new connections or documents are welcome!

SOURCE: NEW HAMPSHIRE LAND RECORDS County Registries of Deeds (and pre-1772 provincial records at the State Archives) are the strongest starting point for Guthrie immigrants or early settlers. Land documents often reveal family associations, occupations, and migration patterns better than sparse vital records.

Example documented entry (Grafton County context): Samuel Guthrie sold land in Campton (Grafton Co.) in 1786—part of broader Revolutionary-era land transactions in the region.

Search tips: Use NHDeeds.org indexes (many counties digitized back to the 1600s). Pre-1772 deeds are microfilmed at the Family History Library. Nuances: Early “proprietor” grants and town divisions may list Guthries under variant spellings; check adjacent towns for boundary changes.

SOURCE: REVOLUTIONARY WAR AND OATHS OF ALLEGIANCE New Hampshire men served prominently (e.g., at Bunker Hill and Saratoga). Records are in the New Hampshire State Papers, Revolutionary War Rolls, and militia lists (available via FamilySearch and the State Archives).

No large indexed clusters of Guthries appear in published NH Revolutionary rolls, but individual service or associator records may exist. Related oath/ allegiance records (1776–1780s) are indexed at the Archives. Check for variants like “Guthery” in non-juror or enlistment lists. Implication: Absence in some lists does not rule out service—many militia rolls are incomplete or town-specific.

SOURCE: NEW HAMPSHIRE MARRIAGE AND VITAL RECORDS Pre-1905 marriages and births/deaths are primarily at the town level (clerk offices) or on microfilm. Statewide indexing is limited, but FamilySearch has collections:

• New Hampshire, Marriage Records, 1637–1947 (index cards)
• New Hampshire, Birth Records, Early to 1900
• Church records (1771–1905)

No prominent early Guthrie marriages surface in quick statewide indexes, but 19th–20th-century examples exist (e.g., in Grafton and Cheshire counties). For probate-linked marriages, cross-reference with estate files.

SOURCE: NEW HAMPSHIRE PROBATE RECORDS Probate files (1660–1973) are digitized on FamilySearch for most counties (New Hampshire, County Probate Estate Files, 1769–1936 and New Hampshire, County Probate Records). Early provincial probates (1636–1771) are at the State Archives in Portsmouth/Exeter.

Categories typically include wills, inventories, accounts, guardianships, and bonds. No major indexed Guthrie estates appear in the earliest provincial volumes, but later county files (especially Rockingham, Hillsborough, and Cheshire) should be browsed for 1780s–1850s. Example nuance: Guardianship papers often surface for minor children of Revolutionary veterans or migrants.

SOURCE: CENSUS AND TAX RECORDS Federal censuses begin 1790 (some 1800 losses in Grafton/Rockingham). Provincial enumerations exist for 1732, 1767, and 1776. Later 19th-century censuses capture scattered Guthries in industrial or farming towns.

Example context: 1790–1800 censuses in border counties may overlap with Vermont or Massachusetts migrations. Tax records (town-level) can fill gaps where federal enumerations are missing.

NEEDED DATA The following collections would benefit from targeted Guthrie extraction (many at the Family History Library or New Hampshire State Archives):

• Full browse of pre-1800 town vital records (especially Grafton, Cheshire, Rockingham).
• Provincial and county probate indexes (1636–1800) for any Guthrie/Guthery/Gutrey estates.
• Militia rolls and 1776 Association Test lists.
• Early land grant petitions (1623–1772 provincial records).

If you have New Hampshire Guthrie documents, photos, or DNA matches, please submit them via the blog’s contact form or comments. We can expand family group connections and add transcriptions!

LAST WILL & TESTAMENT (No prominent early New Hampshire Guthrie wills have been transcribed on the blog yet. If one surfaces in probate research, it will be added here with full text, context, and analysis.)

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