1A-F: Rachel Guthrie
Guthrie Family Group 1A · Branch F · The Next Generation
Rachel Guthrie
Born 1724 · Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia
Rachel Guthrie was a daughter of William Guthrie and his first wife, Lettice Burk. Her birth and baptism appear together in the Christ Church Parish register. That entry establishes her place in the family, while her later life remains an open research question.
Family at a Glance
Rachel Guthrie
- Parents
- William Guthrie & Lettice Burk
- Birth
- 29 November 1724 · Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia. The year follows the sequence of the printed register.
- Baptism
- 3 January 1724/25 · Christ Church Parish
- Last Identified Record
- Her baptism entry; no later record has been securely connected to her.
- Marriage & Children
- No spouse or children have been identified.
- Death & Burial
- Date and place unknown.
Rachel was the third recorded child of William and Lettice, following Betty and Ann. The register names both parents and preserves her November birth and January baptism. It does not tell us whether she died young, married, remained in Middlesex County, or moved elsewhere.
Family Evidence NotesThe calendar correction and the limits of the surviving evidence.
Reading the dates together. On printed page 116, Rachel’s entry gives a birth on 29 November and baptism on 3 January 1724, without separately repeating a year after the birth date. It follows December 1724 baptisms. The sequence continues through January, February, and March 1724 before changing to April 1725 on the next page.
Why this page uses 1724 and 1724/25. Under the old year beginning on 25 March, that January belonged to 1724; in modern year numbering it falls in 1725. The sequence therefore supports 29 November 1724 for the birth and 3 January 1724/25 for the baptism. This corrects the previously used 1723 birth year. November does not require a double year. The interpretation rests on the printed register’s context; comparison with the manuscript could provide a further check.
Later life remains unknown. No later marriage, death, or burial record has been securely identified for Rachel. That gap does not establish a childhood death, migration, or absence of descendants. The surname appears as Guttery in her parish entry.
Explore the Records
| Record | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Birth29 November 1724 · Printed p. 116 | Rachel, daughter of William and Lettice Guttery, was born on 29 November. The year 1724 is inferred from the surrounding register sequence. |
| Baptism3 January 1724/25 · Printed p. 116 | The entry records her baptism as 3 January 1724. The double year shows how that date corresponds to January 1725 in modern year numbering. |
Source: The Parish Register of Christ Church, Middlesex County, Va., from 1653 to 1812, published by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Virginia (Richmond: Wm. Ellis Jones, 1897), p. 116; p. 117 supplies the following calendar sequence. This is a printed transcription of the parish register. In the linked scan, these are PDF pages 124–125.
The Guthrie DNA Project
Rachel’s place in this family is established by the parish entry naming her parents. No project participant with documented descent through Rachel has been identified in the research reviewed. A daughter could not transmit her father’s Y chromosome, but a securely documented descendant line could contribute to relevant autosomal comparisons.
The broader Branch F research includes a tested North Carolina Guthrie line matching GFG1A, while the Middlesex family shares Christ Church Parish with Branch B. See the Family Hub for those connections and the continuing research into them.
Most Wanted DocumentsA record that carries Rachel’s story beyond her baptism.
- A later record connecting Rachel to her family. A marriage, deed, will, court record, or family letter naming her parents or siblings could establish her identity under a married surname or in another location.
- A death, burial, or family Bible entry. A securely connected record could establish when and where she died. Searches should leave open the possibility that she survived into adulthood.
Help Follow Rachel’s Story
Rachel’s parish entry preserves her name and the names of both parents. The next part of her story may lie in a family paper, a married surname, or a record that has yet to be connected to this household.
If you have a possible record for Rachel, please share its source and the details linking her to William, Lettice, or their children.
Researched and curated by Ann Guthrie · Guthrie Genealogy