Family Researchers Beware!
Your predecessors have been very creative with your ancestors.

A Guide to Discovering, Avoiding & Correcting Errors
with Examples of the Most Common Mistaken Identities.

Bad Merges & Online Tree Errors

JOHN GUTHRIE
is not
CAPT. JOHN MONTROSE GUTHRIE
No such person exists by that name.
When 300+ people copy an error again & again it starts to look legit.

Mistaken Identity: John Guthrie is not Capt. John Montrose Guthrie
Common Online Errors: Merged identities, Parents added without documentation.
Correct Identity: John Guthrie (Planter) of Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia
Why the Error Happened: Multiple men of the same name. Lack of documented birth dates. Assumption of parentage without proof of birth year or location.
Evidence that Separates Them: No middle name in CCP records or associated with Capt. Guthrie; Different occupation (planter v. captain); Documents identifying the captain in other locations.
Recommended Correction: Use John Guthrie only; leave parents unknown unless evidence is found.
The Details:
John Guthrie (variants: Gutteridge, Guttrey, Guthrey, & others) who married Elizabeth Baskett, lived in Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia, and died there in 1706, has no documented middle name or title. The identities of his parents and location of his birth in Scotland are not found in the CCP Register or Vestry Books. In other words, “Captain John Montrose Guthrie” is a made up name, or at the least an incorrectly assigned one.

Online trees frequently attach John Guthrie of Middlesex, VA to parents James Guthrie & Elizabeth Auchterlonie or Auchtersorny. James is also frequently listed as James Montrose Guthrie. There is a birth/baptismal record in the OPR for Jhon Guthrie, son of James Guthrie and Elizabeth Ouchterlony on 9 Aug 1661 in Arbroath. However, there are a number of infants named John Guthrie born in Scotland within a reasonable estimated birthdate range who could be John Guthrie of Middlesex. Neither his DOB nor age is found in the Christ Church Parish records in Middlesex County, Virginia. There are about 10 infants named John born in Angus and quite a few more elsewhere in Scotland within a 20-year span. Too many to narrow it down to one couple without other evidence. There are no clues within the CCP Register or Vestry Books to suggest the identity of his parents.

What is the source of the middle name ‘Montrose’? It is not in any original documentation associated with John Guthrie of Middlesex, VA. There were Guthrie families living in Montrose, Angus, Scotland, but none known to be associated with this man. It is not even the location of the marriage of James Guthrie & Bessie Ochterlony, nor the location of the birth of their son, John, both of which occurred in Arbroath. The baptismal record does not list a middle name.

There is also no known evidence supporting a title of captain. This is a case of merging two men with the same given name. John Guthrie’s documented occupation per the CCP records is a planter. He is not the Captain Guthrie/Guttrey found in multiple colonial Virginia entries, who was the master of the Ewe and Lamb, a merchant vessel that also transported convicts to the colonies. See Blog entries on Tidewater Virginia Families and Colonial Prisoners and Convicts.

LUCY (GUTHRIE) VINSON
is not
ELIZABETH, ELIZABETH LUCILE or ELIZABETH BETSY
Wrong Name. Wrong Parents. Wrong Locations.

Mistaken Identity: Lucy not Lucile, Elizabeth, Elizabeth Lucile or Elizabeth Betsy
Common Online Error: Merging two or more individuals into one person.
Corrected Identity: Lucy Guthrie
Why the Error Happened: Failure to look at local records (Vinson family has Guthrie neighbor), Merging Lucy’s identity with not just one but two different women named Elizabeth, one also with ties to Illinois.
Evidence that Separates Them: Documented family history with different marriages.
Recommended Correction: The name is simply Lucy (Guthrie) Vinson. Examine family of Levy/Levi Guthrie in Wake County, NC
The Details: Lucy Guthrie, born in North Carolina about 1765, has been popping up in various trees as part of my GFG2A Guthrie family, when in fact there is no evidence of James & Elizabeth (MNU) Guthrie having a daughter by that name. Trees bypass this well-documented fact by merging Lucy with their daughter Elizabeth and conveniently identifying their ancestor as Elizabeth Lucile Guthrie. This is an obvious error easily proven by multiple records identifying the siblings.

Elizabeth Guthrie, daughter of James & Elizabeth (MNU) Guthrie of Orange County, North Carolina married Robert Patton on 28 July 1803 in that location. They initially moved to Robertson County, Tennessee where her two brothers had settled on the Robertson-Sumner border, and between 1814-1818 moved to Gallatin County, Illinois where they remained. Elizabeth was the mother of ten children with her husband Robert Patton. She died between 1830-1840 and is buried in the Patton Cemetery in Illinois.

Lucy (Guthrie) Vinson is doubtfully the same woman as Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Guthrie, the daughter of James Guthrie and Elizabeth Dunlap, whose parents died at sea on the way to America in 1774. The children of this couple settled in Virginia, not North Carolina. Betsy severely injured her leg during the voyage. She is documented by other family members as being called Betsey, not Lucy. “I well remember Aunt Betsey, a very small feeble old lady, who was very lame and spent much of her time in studying the Holy Scriptures.” (American Guthrie & Allied Families, Appendix, p.721).

There is also no notation in found records of her name being formalized as Lucile or Lucille. She is only listed as Lucy.

Lucy Guthrie is shown to have married William Vinson on 22 Jan 1787 in Wake County, North Carolina. The 1790 census of North Carolina shows the household of a Levy Guthrie listed on the same page as households of Reuben Vinson, Saml Vinson, and Wm Vinson. It seems to make far more sense that Lucy Guthrie is a daughter or relative of Levy Guthrie from the same area as the Vinson family she married into.

William & Lucy (Guthrie) Vinson and family lived in North Carolina, Kentucky, and Illinois. William is documented as a pioneer settler of DeWitt County, Illinois in 1829. The wife of William Vinson, presumably Lucy, was enumerated with him as a 60-69 year old during the 1830 census of Mackinaw, Tazewell, Illinois.

REV. ROBERT GUTHRIE
is not
ROBERT HODGE GUTHRIE
No Middle Name Exists in Documentation.
Seems Like More of a Hodge-Podge.

Mistaken Identity: Rev. Robert Guthrie is not Rev Robert Hodge Guthrie
Common Online Error: Assigning a Middle Name to an ancestor without evidence.
Corrected Identity: Rev. Robert Guthrie (no listed middle name)
Why the Error Happened: A distantly related collateral family branch included the Hodge surname. Likely the result of an inappropriate merge that resulted in copy/paste expansion.
Evidence that Separates Them: All documentation on Rev. Robert Guthrie
Recommended Correction: Remove the middle name Hodge from the profile.
The Details: GFG2A-Branch A’s Robert Guthrie was born 12 Nov 1770 near Baltimore, Maryland and died in September of 1843 in Keytesville, Chariton, Missouri. He was a Cumberland Presbyterian. There is no known record that lists a middle name for this man. There is also no use of the name Hodge in this family line.

There is a collaterally related Guthrie branch within GFG2A that has a Guthrie-Hodge marriage, however that line is a distant one. GFG2A-Branch B’s William Forguison Guthrie married Mary Hodge Slaughter in 1811. Mary’s mother’s maiden name was Sarah Hodge. This is a case where someone has inappropriately merged names together creating a false name.

EDWIN GUTHRIE
is not
EDWIN B GUTHRIE
nor
THOMAS EDWIN GUTHRIE
A Case of Mixed Up and Merged Edwins

Mistaken Identity: Edwin Guthrie is not Edwin B Guthrie nor Thomas Edwin Guthrie
Common Online Error: Mixing records belonging to someone of the same or similar name leading to misplaced family members. Merging the names of competing identities into one profile.
Corrected Identity: Edwin Guthrie and Edwin B Guthrie are two legitimate individuals.
Why the Error Happened:
Evidence that Separates Them: Locations and different families.
Recommended Correction: Carefully review your Edwin’s profile for documents that are appropriate for the right location. Assess the children documented there or the ones you have assigned. Remove the ones not connected to your Edwin.
The Details: There are definitely two legitimate individuals here, and a third whose identity is a conglomeration of multiple people.

Edwin Guthrie was born on 27 June 1808 in Buncombe County, NC per his Alabama Voter’s registration card. The Alabama census records contrarily list his birthplace as SC. This man married Mary Elizabeth Cagle, probably in Hall County, Georgia about 1834. Children: Robert Lepezant Guthrie, E Milly Guthrie, Sarah J Guthrie, William Edmond Guthrie, Charles B Guthrie, Idella Elizabeth Guthrie, John D C Guthrie. Edwin’s exact DOD is unknown. He was alive during the 1870 census of Winston, AL, but his wife Elizabeth is listed as a widow by 1880. Edwin and Elizabeth’s descendants belong to Guthrie Family Group 13.

Edwin Guthrie is sometimes mistaken for Edwin B Guthrie who was born on 11 Dec 1806 in New York to parents Samuel Guthrie, the physician and inventor, and his wife Sybil Sexton. This man married Adeline Jewett in 1827. They had 2 sons: Southwick Guthrie and John W Guthrie. According to an entry in American Guthrie and Allied Families, he was commissioned Captain of Company K, Fifteenth US Infantry, and went to the front during the Mexican-American War. He was wounded in the knee by a guerrilla on 20 June 1847 and suffered two amputations that were unsuccessful in saving his life. He died that day after dictating a couple of letters. Signing them was the last act of his life. Some trees are confusing his death date with that of the Edwin Guthrie of Winston, Alabama, above. This family belongs to the Guthrie Family Group 2A-Branch F family descending from John Guthrie and Abigail Coe.

Then we have Thomas Edwin Guthrie and/or Thomas Edwin Edward Guthrie who is listed in various trees as the son of William Palmore Guthrie (GFG4) and Elizabeth Turner Coleman (not even his wife) or as the son of John Barnett Guthrie and Mary ‘Polly’ Rylee (GFG2E). They all list 27 June 1808 South Carolina as his birthplace and about 1900 as his date of death. William Palmore Guthrie (1800VA-1861VA) was married to Sarah Ann Coleman on 24 Nov 1819. They did not have a son named Thomas or Edwin. Elizabeth Turner Coleman was married to William ‘Buck’ Guthrie (1781VA-1848VA). They had a son Edward Travis, but no Thomas Edwin. Both William ‘Buck’ Guthrie and William Palmore Guthrie are descendants of William Guthrey and Rebecca Noel of Guthrie Family Group 4 from Virginia. As for the couple John Guthrie and Mary ‘Polly’ Rylee of GFG2E, they did have a son named Thomas Guthrie born 1800-1810 in Georgia. He married Elizabeth Cape in Hall County, Georgia on 19 Aug 1827. Note this is the same location that the first Edwin Guthrie married Mary Elizabeth Cagle in 1834, so this may be part of the confusion. They are 2 separate couples. Thomas and Elizabeth (Cape) Guthrie lived in Walker & Hancock Counties, Alabama. There is no known association of the name Edwin with this family.

JOHN GUTHRIE of Scotland/Ireland
(who married JANE STUART)
is not the same man as
JOHN GUTHRIE SR (who immigrated to Connecticut)
or his son,
JOHN GUTHRIE JR (who married ABIGAIL COE)

Mistaken Identity: Three separate men named John Guthrie. One remains in the Old World. One is Scottish immigrant to Connecticut, but not the son of the first. The third is the son of the second.
Common Online Error: Assumption of paternity due to same name. Attributing details to the wrong man of the same name.
Corrected Identity: John Guthrie Sr of Scotland/Ireland (father of a different John Guthrie from GFG2A-Branch H); John Guthrie Sr (Immigrant to Connecticut – GFG2A-Branch F) and his son John Guthrie Jr (of Connecticut – m. Abigail Coe – GFG2A – Branch F)
Why the Error Happened: Same name. Confusion between placement within a group that does share direct paternal ancestry. That shared ancestor remains unidentified.
Evidence that Separates Them: The only documentation on John Guthrie/Jane Stuart is family info from his son’s like, John Guthrie (GFG2A-Branch H) of Oxford Twp., PA. He is well documented in PA. John Guthrie Sr the immigrant to CT is also poorly documented, but his son John Guthrie’s family is well connected in CT. Details in Y-DNA results show they share direct paternal ancestry, but a few more generations distant.
Recommended Correction: Re-examine the origin stories for GFG2A – Branches H and F and their associated documentation.
The Details: These three men are frequently conflated in family trees across the internet. Y-DNA testing proves that they do share common paternal line ancestry matching the Guthrie Family Group 2A genetic profile, but their origin stories are very different. John Guthrie of Scotland/Ireland was born about 1660 – 1680 in Scotland. A staunch Covenanter, he fled to Northern Ireland due to religious persecution prior to 1700, and married Jane Stuart. They lived in or near County Derry. At least 3 sons/grandsons: Robert Guthrie (m. Bridget Dougherty), John Guthrie (m. Ann Hill), and James Guthrie (m. Elizabeth MNU) settled in Pennsylvania and Maryland. John Guthrie and wife Jane remained in Northern Ireland. John Guthrie Sr, one of the brothers of the 3 Brothers Theory, was born in Scotland, and worked in the iron manufacturing business in or near Edinburgh. He chose to leave the business, separating from his brothers, Robert Guthrie (reportedly m. a Miss Darlington) and James Guthrie (reportedly m. a Miss Bissell/Bussell). This John Guthrie may or may not have stopped in Ireland prior to arriving in (possibly) Boston before settling in Connecticut. His wife remains unidentified. They are credited with 4 sons, but only the youngest, John Guthrie Jr is known. He married Abigail Coe. They had a large family of descendants in CT, PA, MA, and NY.

PATRICK GUTHRIE of ST. ANDREWS
was never a
LAIRD of GUTHRIE

Mistaken Identity: Patrick Guthrie of St Andrews is not Patrick Guthrie 9th of Guthrie
Common Online Error: Assumption of inherited Scottish titles in a direct father-son line.
Corrected Identity: Patrick Guthrie (Burgess of St Andrews)
Why the Error Happened: Patrick’s son, Rt Rev John Guthrie, Bishop of Moray, purchased the Barony of Guthrie from a cousin, becoming its 11th laird. His own father never held its lands or title. Scottish baronies may be legally sold or disponed, which has happened on more than one occasion with the Barony of Guthrie.
Evidence that Separates Them: Documentation on the purchase of the barony Guthrie. Documentation on the identity of the bishop’s father and their association with St. Andrews in Fife.
Recommended Correction: Remove all titles or stylings unless verified by research. Or clarify in an “AKA” name tag such as Patrick Guthrie (Burgess of St. Andrews).
The Details: Erroneously titled “Laird of Guthrie” in some trees, implying he held the barony of Guthrie in Angus, Scotland. In reality, Patrick was a burgess and merchant in St Andrews, Fife, not a laird; the title passed through a different branch. His son, Rt. Rev. John Guthrie (Bishop of Moray, d. 1649), acquired the lands and became the 11th Baron Guthrie in 1636 by purchasing from cousin Peter Guthrie (10th Baron, son of Patrick Guthrie, 9th Baron). Context: This error stems from name similarities and the Guthrie clan’s fragmented records post-Reformation. Nuances: Patrick’s line was ecclesiastical/academic, not landed gentry, highlighting class distinctions in Scottish society. Implications: Overclaiming titles can invalidate inheritance claims or clan memberships. Found in WikiTree discussions and Scottish genealogy forums.

Confused Locations

WHAT’S THE NAME OF JOHN GUTHRIE’S WIFE?
The one from…
HALIFAX, VA vs. HALIFAX, NC
Similar Names and Similar Sounding Locations Lead to a Case of Mixed Up Spouses

Mistaken Identity: Betty Ann Allen is not the same person as Anna Smith.Two wives keep getting attributed to the wrong John Guthrie/Guthrey.
Common Online Error: Confusion of Guthrie locations in Halifax VA vs Halifax NC. Mixed identities of wives for men of the same name.
Corrected Identity: Betty Ann Allen -> Halifax VA; Anna Smith -> Halifax NC
Why the Error Happened: Similar names and Cities of the same name in different states.
Evidence that Separates Them: Location and relationships.
Recommended Correction: Carefully review the location of any documents: VA vs NC. Descendants of GFG4 in Halifax VA -> Betty Ann Allen. Descendants of GFG5 in Halifax NC -> Anna Smith
The Details:

FAMILY 1: John Guthrey c1759 Cumberland, VA – 1833 Halifax, VA
(GFG4) – son of Thomas Guthrey/Sarah Oakes
This man married Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Ann Allen on 25 May 1785 in Cumberland County, VA. Marriage bond surety was provided by William Guthrie.

vs.

FAMILY 2: John Guthrie c1757 Hanover, VA – died 1821 Buncombe, NC
(GFG5) – son of William Guthrie/Eleanor Harris Abbott
This man lived in Halifax, NC, and it is most likely where he married his wife, Anna Smith. She was one of the daughters of Peter Smith. He died in Halifax, NC leaving a will naming his daughter as ‘Anna Guthrey’.

Find-A-Grave and numerous online trees currently list the spouse of John Guthrie of Family 2 as Betty Ann Allen rather than Anna Smith. It’s easy to see how this might happen. Both men are named John. Both men lived in places called Halifax. Both women have a variation of the name Ann/Anna as part of their documented name. There are even 2 Williams involved. The William Guthrie listed in the marriage bond for John and Betty is actually John’s brother, not his father, who is a Thomas Guthrey. These are 2 genetically distinct unrelated families that have become unintentionally tangled.

Correcting the Guthrie Timeline

We have all seen trees listing a birth or death year for ancestors when there is no sign of a primary source to prove it. Even when someone has taken the time to list qualifiers like “about”, “before”, or “after” the quick view of online tree profiles simply show us the year. Instead of documenting a birth year of “before 1500”, it suddenly becomes a fixed year of 1500, and that date gets copy/pasted/merged into dozens or hundreds of trees that follow turning an estimate into a what appears to be a factual (if unsourced) date.

This is problematic for ancestors from any location where Primary Sources are few and far between. The lack of correct birth and death years can lead to false assumptions about which generation your ancestor belongs.

Look for “Anchor Dates” in your ancestor’s timeline. If there are no proven dates of birth or death, what about the marriage date, or a birth date for a child, or other records that would indicate the individual would have to be of legal age.

Create date ranges rather than a single fixed date.

False Parentage Claims

Be honest. It’s kind of cool to find a connection to a famous (or even infamous) ancestor when building your family tree. Our excitement at finding a tree that adds several new generations to our own can sometimes overrule the need to slow down and look for evidence before merging tree data.

Every tree that includes previously unknown generations should be treated like a red flag, especially if it does not come with notes or citations. There is probably a reason no one else has connected those ancestors. Or it may also be a case of finding several people listing the same unexpected connections because they have cut and pasted it from one tree to another without the necessary research to prove or disprove it.

Example 1: “Rev James Guthrie, Martyr of Stirling was my 10th great-grandfather.” Their tree shows a bridge between the John Guthrie /Abigail Coe line in CT back to a John William Guthrie to a Rev William Fenwick Guthrie to Rev James Guthrie.
Red Flags:
1) Little is known about John Guthrie’s father except that he was supposed to be named John Guthrie, came from a family of iron mongers near Edinburgh, and that he died in CT.
2) The name was John Guthrie, not John William Guthrie. Definitely no middle name documented in any primary or secondary family records. A sure sign of a merged tree issue.
3) Rev William Guthrie, Minister of Fenwick was a cousin of Rev James Guthrie, Minister of Stirling, a complex relationship in that their shared Guthrie ancestry comes from William’s maternal grandmother rather than his direct paternal line branch. They were not father-son. Secondary sources describe James’ mentorship of his younger cousin at university. Rev William Guthrie, Minister of Fenwick, had no surviving sons, and his lands and title to Pitforthie went to his younger brother.
4) Rev James Guthrie’s family is noted in early historical publications, and to some extent in primary sources. He had 2 children: a son William, who died at 17-18 years of age at university, unmarried and no issue; and a daughter Sophie, who was banished with her mother sometime after James’ execution. No document found indicating if she survived to adulthood, married, or produced issue.
Lesson: Use as a clue, but verify with some basic research. Family Trees are not “sources”.

Example 2: “The parents of my ancestor, Capt. John Montrose Guthrie of Middlesex, Virginia were James Guthrie and Elizabeth Ochtersorny.”
Red Flags:
1) The documented name of the man from Middlesex, Virginia is “John Guthrie” (usually with one of several variant spellings common to colonial records). There is no such person as Capt. John Montrose Guthrie. This is a compilation of names, places, and two (or three) different people.
2) None of the available published or original documents associated with John Guthrie of Middlesex, VA describe him as a captain. He was a planter. There was a captain by the same name, but it was not this man. Conflated ID.
3) There is also the Middle Name red flag. Again, no actual documentation. The connection appears to have developed in trees during copy/paste sessions. Attempts to link this John Guthrie with Montrose, Scotland may be the cause. Again, no actual documentation even hinting at that connection.
4) If you examine the Old Parish Records of Scotland, there are at least 10 couples who would be eligible to be John Guthrie’s parents. There is no fixed DOB or age at death documented for this man, so his birth date is unknown. There is also no evidence of his birthplace other than Scotland, so it is impossible to know which county he came from. The determination that James Guthrie (originally from Montrose) and Betsy Ochtersorny, who married and lived in Arbroath, were the specific parents of this John Guthrie is completely random. There is no documented connection between them and the John Guthrie in Middlesex, Virginia.
Lesson: Look for the missing evidence, or try to discover why the extra name details or parental choice was made.

How to Spot Errors

Could this one person realistically be in this place, with this title, married to this spouse, fathering these children, and appearing in these records on these dates?

If the answer is no, split the profile into two or more possible individuals until the records make chronological and geographical sense.

Common Mistaken Identity Red Flags:

Middle Name Red Flag:

If a middle name appears only in online trees and never in contemporary records, treat it as unsourced. It may be a copied error, a modern embellishment, or evidence that two people have been merged.

Random middle names in online family trees should be treated with caution. In many medieval and early modern records, individuals were usually identified by given name, surname, territorial style, occupation, spouse, parentage, or residence — not by modern-style middle names. When a middle name appears in a tree but is not found in baptisms, wills, charters, sasi  e, marriage records, legal records, or contemporary correspondence, it may be a later invention,   a copied tree error, or a mistaken attempt to merge two different people.

Why it matters:
An invented middle name can make a mistaken identity look more precise than it really is. Once copied across multiple trees, it may appear authoritative even though all versions trace back to the same unsourced assumption. Always ask:  What record gives this middle name?  If no record does, leave it out or mark it as unsupported.

Build a Chronological Timeline:

Separate People by Location:

Track Names, Titles and Legal Styles Exactly:

Use Family Clusters / Neighbors & Associates Not Isolated Names:

Test Parent-Child Spacing:

Misidentified Spouses

ONE or TWO
GUTHRIE-NORWOOD MARRIAGES
in ABBEVILLE, SC?
Is the Norwood marriage for GFG9 a real thing?

Mistaken Identity: Jane Norwood is not Martha Jane Norwood. Was there another one?
Common Online Error: Copying another researcher’s findings without verification. Mixing and matching women of similar name.
Corrected Identity: The wife of GFG13’s Robert Guthrie 1773NC-1856TN is “Jane Norwood”.
Why the Error Happened: A family researcher mistakenly transcribed “Jane Norwood” as “Martha Jane Norwood” and that information was copy/pasted into numerous trees. She later discovered the error, but the ancestor remains misnamed in many trees. The wife of John Guthrie of GFG9 is also theorized to be a Norwood, but lacks evidence. She is often misidentified as the same Jane Norwood.
Evidence that Separates Them: Correction of error statement. Original will information naming Jane.
Recommended Correction: Convert any “Martha Jane Norwood” entries to “Jane Norwood”.
The Details:

GFG9:
Thomas Guthrie 1732SCT-1797SC & Jean Duncan’s family came from Orkney, Scotland in Sep 1774 to Savannah, Georgia as indentured servants. They eventually settled in South Carolina. Their 8 children include 3 sons: Adam (1761-bef. 1797), Thomas (1762- bef. 1797), and John (c1764-aft.1830). The latter is believed to have married a Jean Norwood. Was she actually a Norwood? They had a large family many of which remain unidentified.

GFG13:
Robert Guthrie 1773NC-1856TN married Jane Norwood (Note that she had erroneously been identified by a family researcher as Martha Jane Norwood, who has since identified and corrected the mistake.) Robert is frequently added as a son of Thomas Guthrie & Jean Duncan, above, but Robert’s family line belongs to a genetically unrelated Guthrie Family Group.

Are there really two Norwoods named Jean & Jane? Census and court records name Robert’s wife as Jane. The Norwood father’s will names his Guthrie daughter as Jean. The Norwood Bible Record lists an “X”.

MARIAH (MNU)
is not
MARY HENDRICKSON
and certainly not the fictional / combined
MARY MARIAH HENDRICKSON
Wives of 2 Different Men Named Charles Guthrie

Mistaken Identity: Mariah (MNU) is a different person than Mary Hendrickson
Common Online Errors: Quickly accepting hints for people of the same or similar name. Merging trees for people of same or similar name without verification of their identity.
Corrected Identity: Mariah (MNU) belongs to the NC/VA/KY line. Mary Hendrickson is a different generation in NC. Mary Mariah Hendrickson is a merged version of both.
Why the Error Happened: Husbands of the same name with wives of similar name. Failure to review details of documents, like dates, or family lines before merging.
Evidence that Separates Them: Dates. The marriage of Mary Hendrickson took place 15 years after Mariah (MNU).
Recommended Correction: Verify which wife belongs to your Charles Guthrie. Carefully verify the children assigned to them belong to that couple. Correct Mariah vs. Mary’s name.
The Details:
Descendants of Charles Guthrie c1760VA-1840KY beware! Your ancestor married his wife Mariah (MNU) likely on 7 Jun 1786 in Virginia, and therefore she is the mother of his children born bet. 1790-1805. Your ancestors lived in Caswell, NC, Halifax, VA, and Todd, KY. Do not be taken in by the marriage record for a Charles Guthrie and Mary Hendrickson dated 23 Mar 1801 in Carteret County, NC, Bondsman: John Marshall and Wit: Saml. Leffers. These have now popped up in trees linked to Charles Guthrie, as well as attached to Find-a-Grave. There is an unrelated Guthrie line descending from Daniel Guthrie and Mary Little living in Carteret County that includes several generations of men named Charles Guthrie. They are not associated with this family. Mary Hendrickson may have been the 2nd wife of Charles Guthrie Jr (1748-1809) depending on the DOD of his wife, Mary Morse, or the 2nd wife of their son, Charles Guthrie III (c1764-bef.1820) depending on the DOD of his wife Nancy.

Record Clues that Separate Individuals

JAMES GUTHRIE JR
(son of James Guthrie Sr & Abigail Betts)
is not the
JAMES GUTHRIE who married MEHITABLE HICKOX
This error has been around since it was published in 1898.

Mistaken Identity: James Guthrie is not James Guthrie
Common Online Error: Assuming that our standard Guthrie sources had everything right.
Corrected Identity: (See The Details)
Why the Error Happened: Documented in Dunn & Dunn’s ‘Records of the Guthrie Family’. Family genealogists have faithfully copied the relationships listed in those pages. Only they made an error by assigning the wrong James Guthrie to parents James Guthrie Sr and Abigail Betts.
Evidence that Separates Them: A trail of documentation
Recommended Correction: Remove the Guthrie-Hickox family from the Guthrie-Betts tree and replace it with the other James and family. Male Guthries of the Guthrie-Hickox line need to be Y-DNA tested to verify their Guthrie Family Group. Further research needed.
The Details: A simple misidentification error in Dunn & Dunn’s ‘Records of the Guthrie Family’ led to the wrong James Guthrie being attached as a son of James Guthrie Sr & Abigail Betts. It identified their son as the man who married Mehitable Hickox. There is a very good chance that the Guthrie-Hickox line is still part of the same Guthrie Family Group (GFG2A) descending from John Guthrie and Abigail Coe of Connecticut, but that will now require a Y-DNA test from a direct male line descendant. The proof is in the details found in a trail of records and provided to you in our May 2023 post Mistaken Identities: CT/MA – Guthrie-Hickox. The real son of James Guthrie Sr & Abigail Betts was born 19 Nov 1757 CT and died about 1813 in Avery, Huron, Ohio. His wife’s name was Elizabeth aka ‘Betsey’ who was mother to their 9 children: Anslem, David, Erastus, Elisa, Abigail, and Beulah, along with 2 sons and 1 daughter who remain unidentified. Their removal from Massachusetts to New York to Ohio, and a series of deaths likely led to confusion about this family line.

Recycled Dates

MARY (GUTTERY) HAGGARD
is not
MARY GUTTERY
Wrong Mary.

Mistaken Identity: The wife of Granville Grey Haggard is not a Guthrie-Wilbourn Daughter
Common Online Error: Copy/Paste error. Wrong spouse selected. Dates of one individual assigned to another.
Corrected Identity: Granville Grey Haggard’s wife remains somewhat of a mystery. Her given name may be Mary, but no evidence of her surname.
Why the Error Happened:
Evidence that Separates Them: Haggard’s wife is documented only as “Mary” in original documents. The Mary Guttery who was a daughter of William Guttery and Frances Wilbourn died in early infancy, which is clearly documented in the Christ Church Parish Register. The DOB of 26 Mar 1730 and baptism of 3 April 1730 for their daughter are often attributed to Haggard’s wife. However, those trees overlook the 5 May 1730 death date of William & Frances’ daughter.
Recommended Correction: Remove the Guthrie/Guttery surname and birth/baptismal dates from Haggard family trees. List his wife as “Mary” or “Mary MNU,” Possible wife of Gray/Granville Haggard; possibly named in a 1771 Albemarle County deed; maiden surname unproved.
The Details:

There are a few trees out there that don’t bother to list an identity for Granville Grey Haggard’s wife. If there is any original documentation out there to suggest her name please share it. In the meantime, there are hundreds of trees listing his wife as the daughter of William Guthrie / Guttery & Frances Wilbourn of Christ Church Parish, who was born there in 1730. Just one problem. . . their daughter Mary died at a little over one month of age.

According to the Christ Church Parish Register…
p.129
Mary daughter of William & Frances Guttery born March ye 26. baptized April ye 3 1730.
p.187
Mary daughter of William Guthrie dyed May ye 5. 1730.

William Guthrie / Guttery was twice married. First to Lettice Burk, in 1716 Christ Church Parish, Middlesex, Virginia, with whom he had 3 daughters. Lettice died in 1727, and William remarried to Frances Wilbourn in 1728, again in Christ Church Parish. They lived in the same location and their children are documented in the Christ Church Parish Register. Only one indication of a child named Mary for this couple, and her birth and death in 1730 are documented.

The wife of Granville Gray Haggard is usually listed in trees as ‘Mary Guttery’ and with the 1730 DOB of the Mary Guttery above from Christ Church Parish. An alternate birth location for Granville’s wife is listed as Stafford County, Virginia, which is the location he was born in 1728. The couple reportedly married in 1742 in Albemarle County, Virginia. Note this would indicate that Mary was only 12 at the time of the marriage, which is very young even by colonial standards. Mary is also referred to as his ‘Lady Wife’, which may be sourced from a record or family history that I have not seen yet. They had a large family and the wife died about 1762 in Albemarle, Virginia.

The one record I would still chase is Albemarle County, Virginia Deed Book 5, page 265. If the deed image confirms “Gray Haggard and Mary his wife,” then you have her given name and a 1771 alive date, but not her parentage.

Same Name, Different Person

THE JAMES GUTHRIE / ELIZABETH DUNLAP ERROR
ELIZABETH DUNLAP
is not
ELIZABETH (MAIDEN NAME UNKNOWN)
Two different James Guthries. Two different Elizabeths.
Please select the correct ancestors for your tree.

Mistaken Identity: Elizabeth Dunlap and Elizabeth (MNU) were two different women married to two different men named James Guthrie.
Common Online Error: Same Name, Different Person
Corrected Identity: Elizabeth Dunlap is the documented wife of James Guthrie, born in Scotland, sent to Ireland where he grew up in Cork, and headed to Virginia in 1774. Both James and Elizabeth (Dunlap) Guthrie died at sea on the way to America. They are often mistaken for James Guthrie and wife Elizabeth, whose maiden name remains unknown, who came from Ireland to Baltimore, Maryland before moving to North Carolina sometime before 1771.
Why the Error Happened: Same names.
Evidence that Separates Them: Different published origin stories, different locations, different documented children and lives. One couple made it to America. The other did not.
Recommended Correction: If you’re documenting the James Guthrie family of MD/NC, his wife Elizabeth’s maiden name remains undiscovered. List her as “Elizabeth” or “Elizabeth MNU”. Carefully examine the children assigned these two families, which are very clear in the documented sources, to remove or add the correct family members.
The Details: These are two separate couples from well-documented lineages.

SCT/IRE/VA:
James Guthrie (bef.1715-1774) was born in Scotland. His father was also a James Guthrie, who sent him to Ireland to live with his uncle, John Guthrie, a lawyer living in County Cork. There he married Elizabeth Dunlap, and they had several daughters, Margaret (FNU Walker), Betsey (never married), Jennie (FNU Jennings), Mary (Jacob Bilderback), and 1 unidentified (FNU Walker), and only one son, Adam Guthrie (Hannah Polke). James, Elizabeth, and their daughters set sail for Virginia in 1774. Both parents died on the journey, and daughter Betsey’s leg was injured. Adam had remained in Ireland with his great-uncle to become his heir, but was soon sent to Virginia join his sisters. He eventually settled in Kentucky.

IRE/MD/NC:
James Guthrie (abt.1720-1801) was born in Ireland, probably to John Guthrie and Jane Stuart who reportedly lived in or near Londonderry. (They might also be grandparents instead.) His wife was also named Elizabeth, but her maiden name has never been discovered in family documentation. They came from Ireland in the 1760s first settling in Baltimore, Maryland and later in Orange County, North Carolina. This couple’s children were: James (Jane Smith), Mary (Alexander McMenamy), Ann (John Shannon), Robert (Mary Smith), Margaret (John Forrest), Martha (1.Hugh Barnett,2.Joseph Snodgrass), Jean (John Madden), and Elizabeth (Robert Patton). James’ widow Elizabeth died sometime after 1810.

Note that trees also edit in other incorrect surnames for Elizabeth (MNU) associated with other men named James Guthrie.

JAMES ‘JIM’ GUTHRIE b.1827 TN
is not
JAMES IRVIN GUTHRIE b.1827 TN
Two Separate Men.
Please Choose the Correct Ancestor & Spouse.
Do Not Mix & Match.

Mistaken Identity: James ‘Jim’ Guthrie is not James Irvin Guthrie
Common Online Error: Two men of similar name with the same birth year and location are mismatched in some online trees. Photo of one man now attributed to the other.
Corrected Identity: James ‘Jim’ Guthrie married Elvira Arbuckle or Randolph and secondly a Nancy (MNU) they lived in TN and AR. The other couple, James Irvin Guthrie and his wife Nancy Elizabeth Guthrie (cousins) lived only in Sumner, TN.
Why the Error Happened: Two men of similar name and birth state were mismatched or merged in trees that were then copy/pasted into others. Visual identity was also an issue as the photo of James Irvin Guthrie (admin’s ancestor/my family photo) was mistaken as belonging to James ‘Jim’ Guthrie and now shows up on some of his profiled trees.
Evidence that Separates Them: Examination of documentation showing them as two separate individuals with separate wives.
Recommended Correction: Correct the names of each James listing the TN/AR line as James ‘Jim’ Guthrie with wives Elvira Arbuckle (or Randolph), and Nancy (MNU). The Sumner County, TN line is James Irvin Guthrie with wife Nancy Elizabeth Guthrie. Carefully identify and separate or add the correct children for the family.
The Details: James Guthrie aka Jim was born about 1827 in Tennessee, most likely in Warren County as that is where his parents were living during the 1830 census. Those parents were Carter Guthrie and Barbara Beal. Jim was their youngest son. His marriage to Elvira Randolph (or Arbuckle) occurred about 1845-1848, probably in TN or AR. The family had moved to Madison County, Arkansas before 1850. Jim and Elvira were parents to Cherry Matilda ‘Tilda’ Guthrie, John Alexander Guthrie, Emley Tennessee Guthrie, Louisa Jane Guthrie, Nancy Guthrie, and James Guthrie. The wife, Elvira, died about 1858 in Madison County, AR. Jim presumably remarried prior to 1860 to a young woman named Nancy who appears on the 1860 census. According to family lore, Jim was killed by bushwhackers sometime between 1864-1865 in Madison County, AR.

My direct ancestor, James Irvin Guthrie, was born on 26 Nov 1827 in Sumner County, TN, the son of Robert Guthrie, a farmer, and his wife Aseneth C Motheral. He lived and died in Sumner, TN. He volunteered for the Mexican War at age 19. He married his cousin, Nancy Elizabeth Guthrie, the daughter of Robert Wesley Guthrie, a farmer, and his wife Nancy Foster, on 11 Nov 1852. James and Nancy were the great-grandchildren of Scot-Irish immigrants James Guthrie 1720IRE-1801NC & wife Elizabeth (MNU). They were parents to Zerelda Caledonia ‘Callie’ Guthrie, William H Guthrie, Louanna Jane Guthrie, Edward Motheral Guthrie, Mary Ella Guthrie, Robert Wesley Guthrie, and Nancy Acenith ‘Nannie’ Guthrie.

I have come across several trees listing my ancestors James and Nancy as the parents of one or all of the children belonging to Jim and Elvira, especially as Jim’s second wife is also a Nancy.

JOHN GUTHRIE
is also not
JOHN HOWARD PAUL GUTHRIE
Was he reincarnated?
If not, this guy born 200 years later is a different man.

Mistaken Identity: John Guthrie Jr appears as John Howard Paul Guthrie
Common Online Error: Misattributed record leads someone to add extra names / merge identities, and then the copy/paste phenomenon takes over.
Corrected Identity: John Guthrie Jr of Christ Church Parish, Middlesex, Virginia, a son of John Guthrie Sr and Elizabeth Basket.
Why the Error Happened: An Ancestry Hint pops up with the full name John Howard Paul Guthrie as a son of John Guthrie and Elizabeth Guthrie. The reader believes this is proof of their John Guthrie, son of John Guthrie and Elizabeth Guthrie, having middle names and changes that profile. It gets copied multiple times into many trees and across multiple genealogical sites.
Evidence that Separates Them: The record in question is a birth/baptismal record for John Howard Paul Guthrie from Gloucester, England dated in 1880/81.
Recommended Correction: Replace the name John Howard Paul Guthrie with “John Guthrie” or “John Guthrie Jr”
The Details:

John Howard Paul Guthrie keeps popping up as an alternate to John Guthrie of Middlesex, VA (1689VA-1733VA) son of John Guthrie and Elizabeth Baskett. This apparently occurred because the the incorrect attachment of a baptismal record belonging to the wrong infant. The transcription lists parents John and Elizabeth Guthrie, with a child named John Howard Paul Guthrie. With a click of acceptance you’ve now changed the name of your ancestor by giving him the name of someone who was born in 1880 England. John Howard Paul Guthrie is not John Guthrie who lived in Christchurch Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia and died there in 1733. John Howard Paul Guthrie was the son of a plumber and a designer who was born a continent away across the ocean nearly 150 years later. The CCP Register and the Records of Middlesex County, Virginia do not list any middle name for John Guthrie.

ADAM GUTHRIE
is not
ADAM GUTHRIE nor ADAM GUTHRIE
Genealogy is not Multiple Choice….
Please select the appropriate ancestor for your tree.

Mistaken Identity: Three men by the name Adam Guthrie are often mixed & matched.
Common Online Error: Same Name, Different Person
Corrected Identity: Each of these men is a legitimate documented person
Why the Error Happened: They have the same name, but wrong parents were selected.
Evidence that Separates Them: Y-DNA exists for the Guthrie-Anderson line matching GFG7. The Guthrie-Duncan line is GFG9, so can’t be the parents of the first Adam. The parents of the third Adam are documented as Guthrie-Dunlap.
Recommended Correction: Review these profiles and check for documents that rule out your Adam Guthrie if they apply to one of the others.
The Details:

IRE/VA/KY
Adam Guthrie b1740-45 in IRE – died 1827 in KY was married to Mary Anderson. This couple had 5 children: James (1777), George W (1780), Elizabeth Mary (1784), Nancy (1786), and Thomas (1789). This family belongs to GFG7.

This Adam Guthrie is frequently mistaken for:

SCT/GA/SC
Adam Guthrie c1761SCT-bef.1797, son of Thomas Guthrie & Jean Duncan of GFG9. He is not mentioned in Thomas’ 1797 will and is believed to have died prior to that date. No known descendants.

IRE/VA/KY
Adam Guthrie 1762IRE-1826KY & Hannah Polke, son of James Guthrie & Elizabeth Dunlap. Adam was their only son. His children include James Guthrie (1792-1868), US Secretary of the Treasury / Kentucky State Senator. Others were: Elizabeth (1789), Edmund (1791), John Berry (1794), Mary (1796), Sarah (1798), Nancy (1800), Hannah (1801).

GEORGE GUTHRIE
is not
GEORGE NELSON GUTHRIE
Two different genetically unrelated men.

Mistaken Identity: George Guthrie, a son of Robert Guthrie and Bridget Dougherty (GFG2A) is not the same man known as George Nelson Guthrie (GFG14).
Common Online Error: Same name, different person
Corrected Identity: George Guthrie linked to the Guthrie-Dougherty line; George Nelson Guthrie’s parents remain unknown. The genetic lineages are known.
Why the Error Happened: Descendants of George Nelson Guthrie made a placement error when searching for the parents of their ancestor. They found a couple of the appropriate era with a son named George.
Evidence that Separates Them: Y-DNA testing has proven the lines to be unrelated. Documentation on George Nelson Guthrie is sparse, but point to NJ/NY origins rather than in PA like the Guthrie-Dougherty family.
Recommended Correction: Keep the line of George Nelson Guthrie as a separate lineage. It is better to list him without parents until more clues can be unearthed, whether that is some kind of documentation, or further Y-DNA evidence.
The Details:

GFG2A – Branch E:
George Guthrie (1751PA-1813PA) was the son of Robert Guthrie & Bridget Dougherty. He grew up in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania and married Margaret Campbell. After his marriage he moved to Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Known Children: Sarah (1775), William Campbell (1780), Jane (c1790), (FNU Daughter), James (d.1803). George died in Hollidaysburg, Blair, Pennsylvania between October and November of 1813. Descendants include Rev. Laurence R. Guthrie, author of ‘American Guthrie and Allied Families’.

GFG14:
George Nelson Guthrie is estimated to have been born between 1830-1850 in Ireland. According to the ‘Guthrie Family History’ written by Henry Guthrie, George was one of 4 brothers. They lived in the NJ/NY area. His wife remains unidentified. George left with his family about the time of the Revolutionary War, but the remaining brothers stayed behind to fight and two of them became ‘high ranking’. The brothers’ identities are also unknown. George’s children settled in the Columbiana/Richland County areas of Ohio: William (1771), John Earnest (1774), Richard (1777), Samuel (1792), Hannah (1794). It is unknown whether George made it to Ohio.

TWO WIVES of GULIELMUS COLEMAN JR:
NANCY and NANCY, but not NANCY.
New evidence is shaking up the Coleman-Guthrey/Guthrie Family Tree.

Mistaken Identity: Gulielmus Coleman Jr married two women named Nancy Guthrie, but he is often erroneously attributed with a third.
Common Online Error: Same Name, Different Person; Misidentified Spouses.
Corrected Identity: 1st wife – Nancy Ann (Guthrie) White d/o GFG4’s William Guthrey & Rebecca Noel; 2nd wife – Nancy Guthrey d/o Henry Guthrey & Patience ‘Patsy’ MNU. Not the husband of the 3rd option – Nancy Turner Guthrie d/o William ‘Buck’ Guthrie & Elizabeth Coleman.
Why the Error Happened: Accidental mismatch of related women with the same name in the same regional area.
Evidence that Separates Them: See the details.
Recommended Correction: Carefully review these details, and those provided in the links of the Guthrie Research Tree. Follow the trail of documents to verify the relationships.
The Details:

All parties agree that Gulielmus Coleman Jr was married twice. The first occurred 1 July 1812. The wife is recorded as ‘Sarah White’, which is believed to be a transcription error. The ‘Widow White’ was Nancy Ann (Guthrie) White the widow of James White whom she had married 8 Dec 1803. James and Nancy were parents to a daughter named Sarah, which could be the point of confusion. Gulielmus and Nancy were parents to several children born between 1813-1822. Nancy died sometime between 1822-1826.

American Guthrie and Allied Families, in his section on The Colemans, pp.524-526, reveals “Gulielmus Coleman Jr married (2) May 20, 1826, Nancy Guthrie, who was born about 1800 and was a sister of Henry Guthrie. She was a second or third cousin of the first wife.”

Currently, online family trees list the second wife as Nancy Turner Guthrey, daughter of William ‘Buck’ Guthrie and Elizabeth Turner Coleman. This would make her Gulielmus Coleman Jr’s niece by blood and by marriage. That should have raised a few red flags. She also does not have a brother named Henry as was the clue found in AGAF. The correct marriage for Nancy Turner Guthrie may be to John Wiley Coleman. She died 6 Feb 1878 in Petersburg City, Virginia.

The second wife of Gulielmus Coleman Jr was actually the first cousin of the first. Nancy Guthrey, daughter of Henry Guthrey and his wife Patience ‘Patsy’ (MNU). Henry is one of the sons of Thomas Guthrey and Sarah Oakes. His family has largely been ignored online for some reason until Patrick Hoggard’s research shed some light on this family. This Nancy Guthrey does indeed have a brother named Henry. Probate and chancery court documents naming Gulielmus Coleman Jr identify him as the spouse of Henry’s daughter Nancy by way of the relationships defined in those documents.

JOHN GUTHRIE & JANE SIXSMITH
versus
JOHN GUTHRIE & JANE (JEAN) LAIDLAW
Records for “John Guthrie and wife Jane”
are frequently Assigned to Wrong Couple

Mistaken Identity: Jane Sixsmith and Jane (Jean) Laidlaw
Common Online Error: Same/Similar Name, Different Person
Corrected Identity: Jane Sixsmith married the police constable. Jane (Jean) Laidlaw married the tailor.
Why the Error Happened: Both husbands are named John. Both women named Jane. Both lived in England at some point.
Evidence that Separates Them: Husbands have different occupations. Scotland’s Old Parish Registers and English Birth/Baptismal Records.
Recommended Correction: Make sure that your John & Jane are the correct couple. Examine the children attached to the family to verify they are assigned to the right parents.
The Details:

People with the same given names frequently end up with the wrong children assigned to their family. These two couples were born about the same time, and resided in England, but their records place them within two distinct locations.

John Guthrie, a police constable, was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England according to the census records. This suggests that he may be the John Guthrie born 13 Jan 1794 to James Guttery (Carpenter) and Ellen Eccleston. He married Jane Sixsmith on 24 June 1822 in Saint Anne Parish, Soho, London, England, and afterward is found living n New Windsor / Windsor, Berkshire, England. Children born to this couple are documented with birth records and census records in Berkshire. James (1824), John (1826), Anna (1828), Alfred (1831), Joseph William (1833), Thomas (1826), Henry (1836), and Jane (1839). John Guthrie died bet. 1852 and 1859 in Windsor, Berkshire, England. His widow Jane (Sixsmith) Guthrie is believed to have died bet. 1861-1871.

The second couple tends to get overlooked and their children erroneously assigned to the above couple. John Guthrie, a tailor, was born in Scotland about 1790. There are 11 births in Scotland between 1789-1791 for infants named John Guthrie, so without further evidence there is no way to narrow that number down. He married in St Cuthbert’s Parish, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. “John Guthrie taylor No. 13 South Saint David’s Street, and Jean Liddle, daughter of the late David Liddle residing in Dumiehouse.” Note that Jane is the Anglicized version of Jean, which was used once this family moved to England. The wife’s surname Liddle is also a phonetic match for Laidlaw, and the latter is documented in the OPR birth records for the two eldest daughters born in Scotland. “John Guthrie merchant taylor St Andrew’s Street and Jean Laidlaw his spouse had a daughter born 7th March last Jane.” and “John Guthrie merchant tailor & Jean Laidlaw HS St Andrew’s Parish A D B 17 May last Nd Catherine.” This couple moved to London, England before their son John was born in 1824. Subsequent records for this family are documented in Shoreditch, London, Middlesex, England. Children: Jane (1821), Catherine (1822), John (1824), Harriett (1830), George (1833), James (1835), and Emma (1837).

JOHN GUTHRIE (mason) & RACHEL LAW
versus
JOHN GUTHRIE (carter) & RACHEL WICK
Trees and Find-a-Grave Identify the Wrong Couple

Mistaken Identity: Two men named John Guthrie married to two women named Rachel.
Common Online Error: Same Name, Different Person
Corrected Identity: Rachel Law’s husband was the mason. Rachel Wick’s husband was the carter.
Why the Error Happened: Mixing up couples with the same or similar names. Grabbing the wrong documents, which can lead to incorrect assignment of children and descendants.
Evidence that Separates Them: Spouses have different occupations. Lived in different locations in Scotland.
Recommended Correction: Verify which couple belongs to your tree. Carefully examine any documents in your tree and remove those that do not apply. Delete unrelated children, add the right ones.
The Details:

John Guthrie, a mason, was born somewhere in Scotland about 1829. He married Rachel Law at St Cuthbert’s parish on 3 June 1850. (OPR Marriage Record: JOHN GUTHRIE, mason, No.5 Castle Barns, & RACHEL LAW, also residing same place, both in this parish, 4th daughter of late WILLIAM LAW, farmer at Bellfield in Parish of Lanark, married at St Cuthberts.) This couple immigrated to the USA within 3 years of their marriage. They arrived on a British ship, the ‘Ann Harley’ on 17 Aug 1853 from Glasgow. (Manifest: John Guthrie, 24, male, mason, born Scotland, destination New York; Rachael Guthrie 22, female, born Scotland, destination New York, Eliza Guthrie, 10 months, female, born Scotland, destination New York). Other children born in America were Rachel (1855-1859), Anna (1857-1861), William James (1859-1938), and Rachel L (1862-1942). The family moved from New York to Michigan where John enlisted in Company E of the Michigan Infantry during the Civil War. He died on 3 Oct 1864. Rachel (Law) Guthrie survived him. She moved to Santa Barbara, California with family members. She died 23 Jan 1901 and is buried at Santa Barbara Cemetery.

The above couple is misidentified in family trees as John Guthrie, a carter, and Rachel Wick from Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland. This couple lived and died in Kirkwall. They married on 28 Dec 1848 in Kirkwall. The family are consistently listed in the Scotland Census for 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881. John died in 1881. Rachel and unmarried family and some grandchildren are listed together in 1891. John Guthrie’s death record lists his death in Kirkwall on 17 April 1881. (OPR: JOHN GUTHRIE, carter, married to RACHEL WICK, died 630AM at Strynd, Kirkwall, 53, Parents: THOMAS GUTHRIE, sexton, ELIZABETH SWANEY, both decd, COD: Oedema Glottidis, Info: JOHN GUTHRIE, son.) His wife, Rachel (Wick) Guthrie, died on 22 Jan 1892. (OPR: Rachel Guthrie, widower of John Guthrie, carter, died 22 Jan 1892 9pm, The Strand, Kirkwall, F, 72 years, Parents: Peter Wick, flesher, deceased, Margaret Wick, m.s. Harsue, deceased, COD: apoplexy. Info: John Guthrie, son.) The couple were parents to Peter Wick (1849-1935), Margaret (1851), Jemima Wick (1853-1907), Jamima (1856-????), Elizabeth Jean (1858-????), and John (1861-1936).

Traditional Pedigrees v. Records

The father of
JOHN GUTHRIE, (d. aft. 1546), 1st of Hiltoun
WAS NOT
SIR ALEXANDER GUTHRIE, 2nd Baron Guthrie, 3rd Kincaldrum
NOR
SIR DAVID GUTHRIE, 1st Baron Guthrie, 2nd Kincaldrum

BUT IS ACTUALLY….

David Guthrie of Esse (Eassie)

Mistaken Identity: John Guthrie, 1st of Hiltoun does not descend from Guthries of that Ilk.
Common Online Error: Automatically accepting Traditional Pedigrees without examining the Primary Sources.
Corrected Identity: John Guthrie of Eassie & Hiltoun was heir to David Guthrie of Eassie.
Why the Error Happened: The earliest published pedigrees and historical texts list John Guthrie of Hiltoun as a younger son of Alexander Guthrie (or David Guthrie).
Evidence that Separates Them: New evidence using primary documents that shows John Guthrie was styled of Esse (Eassie) prior to his acquisition of Hiltoun, which did not happen until 1545/46. It shows that he was the heir of David Guthrie of Esse.
Recommended Correction: More research. Acquiring digital copies of original documents to verify indexed summaries. Change John Guthrie’s styling to “of Eassie and Hiltoun” or “Of Eassie, 1st of Hiltoun”.
The Details:

Guthrie records from the 15th and 16th centuries are somewhat scattered or less readily available than digital images of modern records. Collectively, we have depended on many secondary historical publications rather than delving into primary sources. Works like Warden’s Angus or Forfarshire, Jervise’s Epitaphs & Inscriptions, The Scots Peerage, and Burke’s Landed Gentry have served to provide us with the earliest pedigrees available. Another problem is that there are few if any “anchor dates” from which to estimate individual birth dates. As a consequence, family trees listing these early generations often have fixed dates that are not actually based in fact. They also churn out the traditional relationships found in those old published pedigrees because we all accept them as factual–until you find a Primary Source / Record that proves it wrong.

Most pedigrees list the parents of John Guthrie, 1st of Hiltoun, as Sir Alexander Guthrie, 2nd of Guthrie, 3rd of Kincaldrum, and his wife Margaret Lyon, a daughter of Lord Glamis. Most of the early publications list his wife as a daughter of Lord Glamis without specifying her given name. Sir Alexander Guthrie, along with his eldest son David Guthrie, died at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. Sir Alexander had already provided documents for his younger son Alexander Guthrie to acquire Kincaldrum. We were told that the youngest of the sons, namely John Guthrie, acquired Hiltoun, presumably before or soon after 1513.

John Guthrie did not acquire Hiltoun until 1545/46, and in those documents he is styled as John Guthrie of Esse (Eassie), the heir of David Guthrie of Esse (Eassie). The Eassie lineage is traceable back several generations with Primary Documents, does not directly go through the Guthrie of Guthrie line, but may connect to the earlier Kincaldrum line. See Guthrie Genealogy blog article of May 2026: Guthrie of Eassie & Hiltoun.

John Guthrie, 1st of Hiltoun is frequently misidentified in family trees as the 4th son of Sir David Guthrie (1st Baron Guthrie of Guthrie, d. 1500). The correct choice of father on traditional pedigrees would actually be David’s heir, Sir Alexander Guthrie (2nd of Guthrie, 3rd of Kincaldrum). This error originates from a likely typesetting or transcription mistake in just one of the many versions of Burke’s Landed Gentry of Great Britain (Edition 19, Vol. 1, p. 573), which incorrectly lists John’s father as Sir David.

These same secondary sources also list Margaret Lyon as the mother of Sir Alexander Guthrie’s children, but the documentation on Lord Glamis’ family shows that his daughter Margaret Lyon married James Rynd, younger of Broxmouth (and Cass/Carse) in 1495. Verified by their marriage contract archived at Glamis Castle. This means Margaret Lyon’s marriage to Sir Alexander Guthrie (if it happened as there is no marriage contract to verify it) occurred after 1495 and before 1513. A 1500/01 civil court case listing Margaret Lyon as the widow of James Rynd of Cass suggests that Rynd had died and that Margaret Lyon had not yet remarried to Guthrie by that date, which further compresses the time period where any Guthrie-Lyon children would be born. The question of whether or not Margaret Lyon was married to Sir Alexander Guthrie or was the mother of his children David and Alexander is moot to the discussion on John Guthrie, 1st of Hiltoun.

The newest findings from Primary Sources indicate that the John Guthrie who acquired Hiltoun was styled as John Guthrie of Esse (Eassie) and that he was the heir of David Guthrie of Esse in an apparent line of Guthrie men from that location. The acquisition of Hiltoun lands came in 1545/46 from Alexander Guthrie, 4th of Guthrie, who held the superiority of the lands. Since Scottish documents do not style lairds by number as we do to help track who’s who, the document simply names Alexander Guthrie of Guthrie, which may have led people to think the document was intended as inheritance from father to son.

DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ANY
REPETITIVE ERRORS / MAJOR OOPSIES
IN NEED OF CORRECTION?
DO YOU HAVE ALTERNATE INFO OR RESOURCES TO SHARE?