Recommended Reading
Guthrie Genealogy · Research & Resources
Recommended Reading
Books for tracing Guthrie families, understanding their world, and following the evidence further.
Explore family histories, biographies, research guides, historical studies, memoirs, and other useful Guthrie reading. The collection is arranged to help you find the books most relevant to the question you are researching.
Start With These
Begin with a short shelf of works that are especially useful for Guthrie family research.
These books are not ranked. Each earns a place here because it offers important Guthrie material, useful context, or family traditions that researchers are likely to encounter elsewhere.
Browse the Bookshelf
Books are grouped by research purpose so different kinds of resources remain easy to find.
Open a category to explore its recommended titles. Related works stay together, with reliable digital copies linked whenever available.
Bookshelf or Documentary Research?
Recommended Reading helps you choose books worth consulting. For original records and published source collections, continue into Guthrie Genealogy’s dedicated research resources.
Guthrie Genealogy Special Collections
Explore Guthrie references found in archival and published record series, including charters, Crown registers, church records, court material, testaments, and burgh sources.
Explore Special Collections →Scotland Research Roadmap
Researching a Scottish Guthrie family? Use the roadmap to identify the records, repositories, and source types most likely to move the investigation forward.
Open the Scotland Research Roadmap →Essential Guthrie Reading
These works are especially useful starting points because they preserve major Guthrie pedigrees, early family traditions, or material frequently encountered in later research.
Scottish Family History
The Guthrie Family
- Best For
- Understanding the traditional published pedigree of the older Scottish Guthrie families.
- Coverage
- The house of Guthrie and associated branches long connected with Angus or Forfarshire.
- Research Note
- An important historical compilation, but not every pedigree statement survives comparison with original charters, sasines, parish records, and other evidence.
Early Scottish Family Material
Gideon Guthrie: A Monograph Written 1712 to 1730
- Best For
- Early eighteenth-century Guthrie family context and material close to the generations described.
- Coverage
- Gideon Guthrie, the Guthries of Halkerton, related family material, notes, and genealogical tables.
- Research Note
- Distinguish Gideon Guthrie’s contemporary material from the genealogical notes and editorial additions included in the later published volume.
American Family History
American Guthrie and Allied Families
- Best For
- Surveying major colonial American Guthrie pedigrees and tracing family traditions repeated in later trees.
- Coverage
- Guthrie families associated with Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and the Carolinas, with allied families.
- Research Note
- One of the most influential Guthrie compilations. It preserves valuable correspondence and source clues, but its genealogical conclusions require verification.
Early American Genealogy
A Brief History of a Branch of the Guthrie Family
- Best For
- Tracing an early published version of the John, Robert, and James Guthrie family tradition later repeated in American genealogies.
- Coverage
- John Guthrie’s reported Scottish background and the American descendants of his great-grandsons, Truman and Stephen Guthrie.
- Research Note
- Especially useful for studying the history of the pedigree itself. Its account of Scottish origins should not be treated as proof without contemporary evidence.
American Family History
Records of the Guthrie Family of Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Virginia
- Best For
- Comparing early American Guthrie traditions across several families and following their later expansion.
- Coverage
- Guthrie families associated with Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Virginia, together with families connected by marriage.
- Research Note
- A major early compilation that sometimes repeats inherited family traditions. Use its names and narratives as leads to contemporary records.
North American Family History
Northern Guthrie Families
- Best For
- Researching the Samuel and James Guthrie families associated with Washington County, New York.
- Coverage
- Descendants and migrations through the Midwest, California, and Canada, with some collateral lines.
- Research Note
- Particularly useful because the compilation also notes apparently unrelated Guthries found in the same settlements rather than automatically merging them.
These books are featured because of their research usefulness and influence, not because every pedigree they contain is accepted. Later sections include additional branch histories, biographies, historical context, research guides, and Guthrie-related literature.
Guthrie Family Histories & Genealogies
These books preserve published Guthrie pedigrees, family traditions, correspondence, and branch histories. Some are foundational works; all should be checked against surviving contemporary records.
The Guthrie Family
A traditional account of the principal Scottish house and associated Guthrie branches in Angus and Forfarshire.
Gideon Guthrie: A Monograph Written 1712 to 1730
Combines Gideon Guthrie’s early manuscript with later notes, pedigrees, and material relating to Guthrie of Halkerton.
American Guthrie and Allied Families
An influential compilation covering numerous colonial American Guthrie families and their allied lines.
A Brief History of a Branch of the Guthrie Family
Traces the published tradition of John Guthrie and the descendants of his great-grandsons Truman and Stephen.
Family Biographies of the Families of Alexander, Wilkinson, Sparr and Guthrie
An allied-family genealogy containing Alexander, Wilkinson, Sparr, and Guthrie material, together with sketches and memorials of John Alexander. Aubrey H. Baldwin later prepared an index to the volume.
Guthrie Family: Genealogy of the Guthrie Family
A rare or possibly unique homemade compilation of Guthrie research. Rather than a polished published genealogy, the surviving volume appears to preserve an evolving research project, complete with edited notes, gathered family sketches, correspondence, documents, photographs, and material contributed by several Guthrie researchers.
Records of the Guthrie Family of Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Virginia
A major early American compilation covering several Guthrie families and families connected by marriage.
Northern Guthrie Families
Follows Samuel and James Guthrie families of Washington County, New York, and their later migrations.
Early Virginia Guthries and Their Kentucky Descendants
Focuses on Virginia and Kentucky Guthries and preserves a substantial body of branch-specific genealogical material.
Genealogy of the Descendants of Rev. Thomas Guthrie, D.D.
Covers Rev. Thomas Guthrie, Anne Burns, their descendants, and connected Chalmers and Traill family lines.
The History of Lieutenant-Colonel John Guthery of Greene County, Pennsylvania
A family history centered on John Guthery of Greene County, Pennsylvania, with descendants and allied families.
More specialized Scottish, American, and Canadian branch histories appear in the geographic reading categories that follow.
Scottish Guthries & Early Family History
These works are especially useful for exploring early Scottish Guthrie families, ministers, and the seventeenth-century world in which many documented Guthries lived. Some preserve pedigree traditions; others provide historical voices and context.
Gideon Guthrie: A Monograph Written 1712 to 1730
Preserves Gideon Guthrie’s early eighteenth-century account together with later notes on the Guthries of Halkerton, pedigree material, and genealogical tables.
The Guthrie Family
The best-known traditional overview of the old Scottish house of Guthrie and several branches associated with Angus and Forfarshire.
A Cry from the Dead
Prints James Guthrie’s last sermon at Stirling, his scaffold speech, and his considerations on the condition of religion in Scotland before his execution in 1661.
The Christian’s Great Interest
William Guthrie’s theological work is especially useful here because this edition also includes an account of his life and material drawn from Robert Wodrow.
The Memoirs of Henry Guthry
An early account of Scottish civil and ecclesiastical affairs from 1637 through the death of Charles I, written by a Guthrie who lived through the period.
Works focused primarily on a person’s life rather than early Scottish family research also appear in the Biographies, Memoirs & Personal Accounts category.
American & Canadian Guthrie Families
These works focus on Guthrie families in the United States and Canada. Some follow a single branch, while others place Guthries within larger allied-family histories.
American Guthrie and Allied Families
Surveys numerous colonial American Guthrie families and preserves pedigrees, correspondence, traditions, and research clues used by later genealogists.
A Sketch of Stephen Guthrie, Senior, and His Children
A family account of Stephen Guthrie and his descendants, pioneers associated with the Ohio Company settlement, Putnam, and early Muskingum County.
Early Virginia Guthries and Their Kentucky Descendants
A branch-focused genealogy tracing Guthrie families from Virginia into Kentucky and preserving material frequently repeated in later family trees.
Northern Guthrie Families
Follows Samuel and James Guthrie families of Washington County, New York, with later movement into the Midwest, California, and Canada.
Philemon Guthrie and Descendants
A branch-specific Guthrie genealogy preserved in the FamilySearch Digital Library. Use its family relationships as research leads and compare them with surviving contemporary records.
The Martin Guthrie Family
A compilation centered on Martin Guthrie and his descendants in Tensas Parish, Louisiana. The family material includes genealogical information preserved in family Bible records.
The Story of James Guthrie, Scottish Immigrant of 1820 to Canada, and His Family
Traces James Guthrie and Mary Wylie from Scotland to Perth, Ontario, with descendants in Ontario, Manitoba, Minnesota, and elsewhere.
The Fulton Family of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Follows Abraham Fulton and Margaret Guthry from Articlave, County Londonderry, to Pennsylvania, with notes on their descendants and allied families.
Descent of Comfort Sands and of His Children
Includes genealogical notes on Robert Guthrie and Anna Alcock of Block Island, Rhode Island, within the larger Sands and allied-family genealogy.
Maxwell History and Genealogy
A large allied-family genealogy containing Guthrie material, including information associated with William Guthrie of Lancaster County, South Carolina.
The Beatty Book
Traces descendants of Samuel Beatty of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, including substantial Guthrie, Sedwick, and Sutton family material.
Waltons of Old Virginia and Sketches of Families in Central Virginia
Includes a Guthrey or Guthrie family sketch for Cumberland and Buckingham Counties, Virginia, alongside other central Virginia families.
Regional family books can preserve valuable clues, but geographic proximity does not prove that nearby Guthrie households belong to the same paternal line. Compare published genealogies with records and DNA evidence whenever available.
Biographies, Memoirs & Personal Accounts
These books focus on individual Guthries and their lives. Autobiographies and memoirs can preserve family detail, personal recollection, and historical context that may not appear in conventional genealogies.
Autobiography of Thomas Guthrie, D.D., and Memoir by His Sons
Rev. Thomas Guthrie recounts his early life, ministry, education, travels, and public work, followed by a memoir completed by his sons after his death.
Memoirs of Dr. Samuel Guthrie and the History of the Discovery of Chloroform
A short family memoir of physician and chemist Dr. Samuel Guthrie, combined with an argument for his place in the early history of chloroform.
The Memoirs of Henry Guthry
A first-person historical account of Scottish civil and ecclesiastical affairs during the reign of Charles I, written by a Guthrie who lived through the events described.
A Life in the Theatre
Guthrie’s account of his theatrical career, including directing, production, and his work in Britain and North America, including the Stratford Festival.
Janet Guthrie: A Life at Full Throttle
Janet Guthrie tells the story of her engineering, aviation, and racing career, including her experience breaking into top-level American motorsports.
Ramblin’ Man: The Life and Times of Woody Guthrie
A substantial biography of Woody Guthrie based in part on access to the Woody Guthrie Archive, placing his life, family, music, and public career in historical context.
A memoir may preserve valuable firsthand information, but memory and later family recollection still need to be distinguished from contemporary documentary evidence.
Scottish & Scotch-Irish History
Genealogy makes more sense when the family is placed back into its historical setting. These books help explain the religious, political, social, and migration patterns that shaped Scottish and Ulster-Scots families over time.
Scotland: A New History
A one-volume history spanning medieval through modern Scotland, with strong attention to religion, society, towns, nobility, government, and changing Scottish identity.
The Scottish Nation 1700–2000
A broad social, economic, political, and cultural history of modern Scotland, including migration, religion, industrialization, identity, and the Scottish diaspora.
A History of Ulster
A wide-ranging history of Ulster from early settlement through plantation, Presbyterian development, migration, political change, and modern Northern Ireland.
The Plantation of Ulster: The British Colonisation of the North of Ireland in the Seventeenth Century
Examines the seventeenth-century plantation process, migration from Britain, settlement patterns, religious change, and the long-term consequences for Ulster society.
The Scotch-Irish: A Social History
Follows Lowland Scottish cultural roots through the Plantation of Ulster and onward migration into the American backcountry.
Ulster Emigration to Colonial America, 1718–1775
A focused study of eighteenth-century emigration from northern Ireland to North America, including the social, economic, and political forces behind migration.
Published record abstracts, charter collections, parish sources, court records, and other documentary series belong in Special Collections or the Scotland Research Roadmap rather than being duplicated here.
Genealogy Methods, DNA & Research Guides
Good genealogy depends on more than finding a record or a DNA match. These books and reference tools focus on research planning, evidence analysis, documentation, genetic genealogy, and responsible conclusions.
The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy
A broad introduction to genetic genealogy covering test types, testing companies, match interpretation, ethnicity estimates, and practical research strategies.
Genetic Genealogy in Practice
A practical workbook that teaches the fundamentals of using DNA evidence in genealogical research, with exercises, ethical considerations, and written conclusions.
Advanced Genetic Genealogy: Techniques and Case Studies
Uses case studies to demonstrate advanced DNA analysis, correlation with documentary evidence, writing, ethics, triangulation, and modern genetic-genealogy standards.
Research Like a Pro with DNA
Presents a step-by-step process for combining DNA evidence with documentary research, including objectives, source analysis, research plans, logs, correlation, and written reports.
Genealogy Standards
Defines standards for planning research, evaluating evidence, resolving conflicts, documenting conclusions, using DNA, and producing sound genealogical work.
Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace
A detailed guide to identifying, evaluating, and citing historical sources, with particular value when working across archives, digital images, databases, and derivative publications.
ISOGG Wiki
A free genetic-genealogy reference covering Y-DNA, mitochondrial DNA, autosomal DNA, testing methods, haplogroups, DNA projects, terminology, and related topics.
DNA Painter
Includes the Shared cM tool, chromosome mapping, ancestral-tree visualizations, WATO tools, and other resources for evaluating possible DNA relationships.
Online genetic-genealogy tools continue to change. Use their current documentation and treat relationship estimates as possibilities to investigate rather than conclusions on their own.
Beyond the Research Shelf
Not every worthwhile Guthrie book is a genealogy. This shelf includes literature written by Guthries, books built around real Guthrie lives, and other works with a meaningful Guthrie connection.
The Way West
A historical novel following an emigrant wagon train traveling the Oregon Trail in 1846. The novel received the 1950 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Woman on Fire: Based on True Events
A fictionalized account based on the life of Elizabeth Guthrie Brownlee Guthrie, who survived the 1782 attack on Hanna’s Town, Pennsylvania, and was taken captive with her daughter.
Scarlett Doesn’t Live Here Anymore: Southern Women in the Civil War Era
A study of southern women before, during, and after the Civil War. Among the women discussed is Sarah Guttery of Walker County, Alabama, whose life provides one example of poor white women navigating family and community expectations.
A New Geographical, Historical, and Commercial Grammar
A widely circulated eighteenth-century geographical reference describing nations, commerce, astronomy, chronology, and the contemporary understanding of the world.
A fictional or literary work can illuminate a person, place, or historical event, but it should not be used as documentary proof of genealogical facts.
Finding the Books
Many older family histories are now available online. Availability varies by title, edition, copyright status, and the library or archive providing access.
Know a Book That Belongs Here?
Recommended Reading will continue to grow as useful works come to light. Suggestions for Guthrie family histories, biographies, research guides, historical studies, and books with a meaningful Guthrie connection are welcome. Bibliographic details and research claims will be checked before a title is added to the collection.
Read widely, but follow the evidence. A book may preserve the clue that opens a new line of research; the surviving records determine how much of the story can ultimately be supported.