William Guthrie 1795SCT-1855IN & Margaret Japp
of Perthshire, Scotland and Cass County, Indiana, USA

CONTENTS:
Origin Theories
The Family of William Guthrie & Margaret Japp
Historical Highlights
The Guthrie DNA Project

ORIGIN THEORIES for GFG12 – BRANCH B

A biographical sketch of William & Margaret (Japp) Guthrie’s son John Guthrie reads, “His father, William Guthrie, was born in Perth, Scotland, and educated at Glasgow, and at the University of Edinburgh.”

There are 4 William Guthrie birth/baptismal records found for Perthshire between 1790-1810 listed in the Old Parish Records of Scotland:
1) William Guthrie, son of John Guthrie, 31 Oct 1790 in Abernethy
2) William Guthrie, son of James Guthrie, 20 Mar 1791 in Arngask
3) William Guthrie, son of James Guthrie & Elizabeth Scott, 2 Jun 1794 in Longforgan
4) William Guthrie, son of James Guthrie, 7 June 1795 in Forgandenny

The latter two are closest to the 1795 estimate.

Arngask, 20 Mar 1794: “James Guthrie and his spouse Elizabeth Scott being members of the Secession Church had their family records in a Book kept by that Church, but now seeing the necessity of having them recorded in this Public Register, the said James Guthrie, tenants in the Snabs, came to the Session Clerk on the 2d day of May 1825 with an extract of his Children’s names requesting it to be inserted in this book which was done in his presence, as follows: – viz.
1779, Sept 18th David was born
1787, April 25th James was born
1794, June 2d William was born
1796, September 24th John was born
The aforesaid James Guthrie and Elizabeth Scott resided in Longforgan at the birth of David, but reside in the Snabs at the birth of James, William, and John.”

Elizabeth (Scott) Guthrie died on 30 Aug 1824 in Longforgan. “Wife of James Guthrie, Farmer in Snabbs, aged 70, was buried.” Her husband James Guthrie died on 29 Dec 1828. “Late farmer in Snabs, died in Dundee and was buried here (Longforgan), aged 80 years — a widower.”

Forgandenny, June 7th 1795: “James Guthrie, taylor in Pipertown, had a son baptized & he was born the 24th ult. and named William.” The most likely marriage for the parents of this William Guthrie is James Guthrie & Girsel Guthrie (maiden name also Guthrie) on 12 July 1791 in Forgandenny. There are several other entries for this couple: Laurence (1797), Thomas (1803), Elizabeth (1803), Jean (1806), Catherine (1808), James (1812), all in Forgandenny.

The bio of son John Guthrie also mentions this important clue: “After the death of his father, the laws of primogeniture left William’s older brother in charge and William without an inheritance. Stung by a sense of injustice, he left Scotland for America about 1825, and settled in Switzerland County, Indiana.”

From this statement, we learn that William’s father probably died about about 1825, and that William was not the oldest son of the family. The family of James Guthrie & Elizabeth Scott appears to be the better option as both parents died 1824-1828, which is around the 1825 estimate that William left for America because he would inherit nothing from his father.

The William Guthrie of the other family, James Guthrie & Grizel Guthrie, appears to be their eldest son, which does not fit the profile for this man who left Scotland for America because the laws of primogeniture left him without an inheritance.

In order to conclusively prove that William Guthrie is indeed the son of James Guthrie and Elizabeth Scott, we would need a direct male Guthrie descendant from one of their other sons David, James, or John. It would have to match the genetic profile of GFG12, which most commonly matches the Benbow surname.

Since Robert Guthrie of GFG12 Branch A was born about 1774 in Ireland, and William Guthrie of GFG12 Branch B was born in Scotland about 1795, their Most Recent Common Ancestor was most likely born in Scotland in the early to mid 1700s.

THE FAMILY of WILLIAM GUTHRIE & MARGARET JAPP

WILLIAM GUTHRIE
Born: About 1795
Location: Perth, Scotland
Marriage: Margaret Japp about 1828 in Switzerland County, Indiana
Occupation: Farmer
Died: 9 September 1855
Location: Logansport, Cass, Indiana, USA
Buried: Rock Creek Cemetery, Deer Creek, Carroll County, Indiana, USA

MARGARET JAPP
Born: 9 August 1812
Location: Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland
Sons: John Guthrie (1829), Thomas Guthrie (1834), Alexander Guthrie (1837), James Guthrie (1840), Joseph Guthrie (1841), Robert Guthrie (1850)
Daughters: Agnes Guthrie (1832), Jane Guthrie (1836), Anna Guthrie (1839), Elizabeth Guthrie (1848)
Marriage #2: Richard Downham on 24 August 1857 in Cass, Indiana, USA
Died: 2 July 1880
Location: Cass, Indiana, USA
Buried: Mount Hope Cemetery in Logansport, Cass, Indiana, USA

CHILDREN:

JOHN GUTHRIE
1829IN-1906KS

John Guthrie was born on 2 July 1829 in Switzerland County, Indiana. He was an attorney, member of the Kansas State House of Representatives, and later named the postmaster of Topeka. He married Mary Catherine Hester Updegraff, a native of Ohio, in Logansport, Indiana, on 2 November 1854. They had 1 daughter, Josephine. John served as a private and the captain of Company D, 45th Indiana Infantry until 1862. He arrived in Kansas in May of 1865. He was a Republican member of the House between 1868-1870 from district 41 in Topeka. He served as an Elector for Grant during the Presidential Election. Between 1873-1882 he worked as a lawyer in the firm Guthrie & Brown and from 1882-1884 in Guthrie & Bergen. Between 1885-1893 he served as judge of the Third Judicial District, and then maintained his own practice until 1798. In 1896, Guthrie was appointed postmaster of Topeka, resigning that office a few months before his death on 1 July 1906. He is buried in Topeka Cemetery in Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas.(Kansas Historical Society – John Guthrie Collection)

Children: 1
Sons: None
Daughters: Josephine Guthrie (1861)

Family Finder Participants: No

AGNES GUTHRIE
1832IN-1884MO

Agnes Guthrie was born about 1832 in Indiana, presumably Switzerland County. She married David Reed, a Pennsylvania native and a farmer. They lived in Washington, Cass, Indiana for a time before moving to Benton County, Missouri. No Children found for this couple. Agnes died 11 May 1884. David died on 14 January 1886.

THOMAS GUTHRIE
1834IN-1901IN

Thomas Guthrie was born in Indiana on Dec 1834, presumably in Switzerland County. He married widow Matilda A Eturie (nee Shields) on 21 October 1864 in Cass County, Indiana. Thomas worked as a printer and later as a note collector. Both Thomas and Matilda died in 1901 in Logansport.

Children: 10
Sons: Charles Guthrie (1870), Alvin Earl Guthrie (1883), Harvey W Guthrie (1886)
Daughters: Annie Eturie Guthrie* (1862), Margaret Guthrie (1865), Minnie W Guthrie (1868), Eva Bell Guthrie (1872), Annette Guthrie (1875), Bertha Guthrie (1875), Eula Guthrie (1880)

*Based on her DOB and middle name, Annie may actually be the daughter of Matilda’s first husband.

Y-DNA Project Participants: No
Family Finder Participants: No

JANE GUTHRIE
1836IN-1916IN

Jane Guthrie was born on 8 October 1835 in Indiana. About 1851, she married Benjamin Moon, and they settled in Deer Creek, Cass, Indiana. Benjamin was a farmer. They had 4 sons and 3 daughters. Benjamin died 23 August 1902, and Jane on 25 August 1916.

Children: 7
Moon Sons: William Moon (1853), Thomas B Moon (1863), Williard Benjamin Moon (1866), Albert T Moon (1868)
Moon Daughters: Mary M Moon (1854), Nancy Moon (1855), Amanda J Moon (1862)

Family Finder Participants: No

ALEXANDER GUTHRIE
1837IN-1906IL

Alexander Guthrie was born in Switzerland County, Indiana about 1837. He became a school teacher, and eventually took up the study of law, following that profession for about thirteen years beginning in 1870. They had 5 sons and 1 daughter. They moved to Illinois sometime before Alexander’s death there in 1906. Mary Ann died in 1917.

Children: 6
Sons: Stephen A Guthrie (1864), Franklin V Guthrie (1864), Dillavan Guthrie (1868), Cyrus Guthrie (1870), Asa Guthrie (1873)
Daughters: Jeanette F Guthrie (1867)

Y-DNA Project Participants: No
Family Finder Participants: No

ANNA GUTHRIE
1839IN-1887IN

Anna Guthrie was born on 28 May 1839 in Indiana, USA. She married John Tipton Shields on 20 October 1859. They lived in Cass County, Indiana, and later moved to Allen County, Kansas. John and Anna were parents to 3 sons and 2 daughters. Anna died in Allen County, Kansas on 2 December 1887. John remarried on 12 Dec 1889 to Mary J Myers, a widow. He died in 1916.

Children: 5
Shields Sons: William Tecumseh Shields (1868), Arnet Edward Shields (1868), Charles Shields (1870)
Shields Daughters: Adelia Ann Shields (1860), Margaret Jane Shields (1864)

Family Finder Participants: No

JAMES GUTHRIE
1840IN-1888IN

James Guthrie was born on 6 November 1840 in Switzerland County, Indiana. He married Mary Elizabeth Shelman aka Libbie on 30 October 1873 in Logansport, Cass, Indiana. They had 2 sons prior to their divorce about 1878-79. The 1880 census shows James, a farmer, living on his own in Deer Creek, Cass, Indiana, while Libbie and her sons are living with her parents in Carlisle, Nicholas, Kentucky. Libbie remarried in 1883 to Thomas Warren Akin. She died 11 April 1886. James died 6 Nov 1888 in Delphi, Carroll, Indiana.

Children: 2
Sons: Henry ‘Hal’ Sherman Guthrie (1875), Thomas Harris Guthrie (1877)
Daughters: None

Y-DNA Project Participants: Yes
Family Finder Participants: No

JOSEPH GUTHRIE
1841IN-1922IN

Joseph Guthrie was born on 2 February 1841. He married Caroline M Upton in Indiana about 1872. They had no children. Joseph was a Civil War Soldier and a farmer. They lived in Cass County, Indiana. Joseph died in Logansport 6 December 1922, and Carolina in 1926.

ELIZABETH GUTHRIE
1848IN-1913IN

Elizabeth Guthrie was born on 2 January 1848 in Indiana, USA. She married Robert Shields, a farmer, about 1866 in Cass County, Indiana. They had three children. Elizabeth died 26 January 1913 and Robert 2 June 1926.

Children: 3
Shields Sons: Charles Shields (1866), Frank Shields (1873)
Shields Daughters: Louella Shields (1869)

Family Finder Participants: No

ROBERT GUTHRIE
1850IN-1913IN

Robert Guthrie was born in Cass County, Indiana, USA on 2 April 1850. He married Laura Alice Funston on 20 April 1883. They made their home in Cass County where they raised 1 son and 4 daughters. Robert died on 24 July 1913 in Cass County. Laura survived him by 44 years. She died in Logansport on 20 March 1957.

Children: 5
Sons: John Roy Guthrie (1888)
Daughters: May Anna Guthrie (1885), Alta Lola Guthrie (1891), Edna Elizabeth Guthrie (1896), Ione Nora Guthrie (1900)

Y-DNA Project Participants: No
Family Finder Participants: No

HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS

About 1793: BIRTH of WILLIAM GUTHRIE
Perthshire, Scotland

William’s son’s bio tells us that he was born in Perth, Scotland.
Find-a-Grave lists his year of death as 1855.
His headstone indicates he was 60 years old at his death on 9 Sep 1855.
The 1850 census lists his age as 50 (born in 1800).
The 1840 census lists him as 30-39 (born 1801-1810)
The 1830 census lists him as 20-29 (born 1801-1810)

1812: BIRTH of MARGARET JAPP
Ayrshire, Scotland on 9 August 1812

About 1825: AMERICAN IMMIGRATION

1828: MARRIAGE of WILLIAM GUTHRIE & MARGARET JAPP
Switzerland County, Indiana, USA on 3 September 1828

This marriage date is listed for William Guthrie and Margaret Jackson of Switzerland County, Indiana. Margaret had reportedly been orphaned in Scotland and come to America with her foster family. Could Jackson be their surname?

1829: BIRTH of SON – JOHN GUTHRIE
Switzerland County, Indiana, USA on 2 July 1829

1830: US CENSUS of INDIANA
Switzerland County, Indiana, USA

THE WILLIAM GUTHRIE HOUSEHOLD:
1 – Male 20-29
1 – Female 20-29
1 – Male under 5
2 – Foreigners Not Naturalized
3 – Total Free White Persons

1832: BIRTH of DAUGHTER – AGNES GUTHRIE
Switzerland County, Indiana, USA about 1832

1834: BIRTH of SON – THOMAS GUTHRIE
Switzerland County, Indiana, USA in December 1834

1835: BIRTH of DAUGHTER – JANE GUTHRIE
Switzerland County, Indiana, USA on 8 October 1835

1837: BIRTH of SON – ALEXANDER GUTHRIE
Switzerland County, Indiana, USA about 1837

1839: BIRTH of DAUGHTER – ANNA GUTHRIE
Switzerland County, Indiana, USA on 28 May 1839

1840: US CENSUS of INDIANA
Pleasant, Switzerland, Indiana, USA

THE WILLIAM GUTHRIE HOUSEHOLD:
1 – Male 30-39
1 – Female 20-29
1 – Male 10-14
1 – Female 10-14
2 – Males 5-9
1 – Female 5 – 9
1 – Male under 5
2 – Females under 5

1840: BIRTH of SON – JAMES GUTHRIE
Switzerland County, Indiana, USA on 6 November 1840

1841: BIRTH of SON – JOSEPH GUTHRIE
Switzerland or Cass County, Indiana, USA on 2 February 1841

1848: BIRTH of DAUGHTER – ELIZABETH GUTHRIE
Switzerland or Cass County, Indiana, USA on 2 January 1848

1850: BIRTH of SON – ROBERT GUTHRIE
Washington, Cass County, Indiana, USA on 2 April 1850

1850: US CENSUS of INDIANA
Washington, Cass County, Indiana, USA

THE WILLIAM GUTHRIE HOUSEHOLD
WIlliam Guthrie 50 farmer 2000 SCT
Margaret 40 SCT
Agnes 18 IND
Thomas 16 IND
Jane 14 IND
Alexander 13 IND
Ann 11 IND
Joseph 9 IND
James 5 IND
Elizabeth 3 IND
Robert 2/12 IND
John Guthrie 23 farmer IND.

1850-1860: MARRIAGE of DAUGHTER – AGNES GUTHRIE
Cass County, Indiana, USA, presumably

Agnes Guthrie married David Reade, probably in Cass County, Indiana. They do not appear to have had children of their own. Agnes died on 11 May 1844 and David died 14 Jan 1886. They are buried at Sunnyside Cemetery in Lincoln, Benton, Missouri, USA.

1851-1853: MARRIAGE of DAUGHTER – JANE GUTHRIE
Cass County, Indiana, USA, presumably

Jane Guthrie married Benjamin Moon, probably between 1851 and 1853. They were parents to William Moon (1853), Mary Moon (1854), Nancy Moon (1855), Amanda Moon (1862), Thomas Moon (1863), Willard Benjamin Moon (1866), and Albert Moon (1868). Benjamin died in 1902 and Jane in 1916 in Logansport.

1854: MARRIAGE of SON – JOHN GUTHRIE
Carroll County, Indiana, USA on 2 November 1854

John Guthrie and Mary Catherine Hester Updegraff were married in Carroll County, Indiana. They had 1 daughter, Josephine, born in 1861. John was a teacher, lawyer, member of the Kansas State legislature, and postmaster of Topeka. He died 1 July 1906 and his widow Mary in 1928.

1855: DEATH of WILLIAM GUTHRIE
Logansport, Cass, Indiana, USA on 9 September 1855

Alternate DOD: 1853

1857: MARRIAGE (2nd) of MARGARET (JAPP) GUTHRIE
Cass County, Indiana, USA on 24 August 1857

Margaret Japp Guthrie remarried to Richard Downham in 1857. They continued to reside on the farm until 1864 when she accompanied her husband to the west, but returned again in 1873, widowed for the second time in her life. She spent her declining years in Cass County.

Alternate DOM is listed as 1853, but William would still be alive at that date.

1859: MARRIAGE of DAUGHTER – ANNA GUTHRIE
Cass County, Indiana, USA on 20 October 1859

Anna Guthrie married John Tipton Shields. They settled in Cass County, but later moved to Allen County, Kansas. Children: Adelia Ann Shields (1860), Margaret Jane Shields (1864), William Tecumseh Shields (1868), Arnet Edward Shields (1868), and Charles Shields (1870). Anna died in Kansas on 2 December 1887. John died in 1916.

1860: US CENSUS of INDIANA
Washington, Cass County, Indiana, USA

THE DOWNHAM HOUSEHOLD:
Richard Downham 50 farmer 1000 DE
Margaret Downham 48 150 Kilmarnock SCT
Samuel Downham 12 Cass IND
Daniel Downham 7 Cass IND
Elizabeth Guthrie 12 Cass IND
Robert Guthrie 10 Cass IND.

1863: MARRIAGE of SON – ALEXANDER GUTHRIE
Cass County, Indiana, USA on 19 March 1863

Alexander Guthrie married Mary Ann Brosier. They lived in Cass County, Indiana, and later moved to Illinois. Children: Stephen A Guthrie (1864), Franklin V Guthrie (1864), Jeanette F Guthrie (1867), Dillavan Guthrie (1868), Cyrus Guthrie (1870), Asa Guthrie (1873). Alexander died in 1906 and Mary Ann in 1917.

1864: MARRIAGE of SON – THOMAS GUTHRIE
Cass County, Indiana, USA on 21 October 1864

Thomas Guthrie married Matilda A (Shields) Eturie. Daughter Annie Eturie Guthrie was born in 1862, so may actually have been a child of Matilda’s by her first husband. Thomas and Matilda also had: Margaret Guthrie (1865), Minnie W Guthrie (1868), Charles Guthrie (1870), Eva Bell Guthrie (1872), Annette Guthrie (1875), Bertha Guthrie (1875), Eula Guthrie (1880), Alvin Earl Guthrie (1883), and Harvey W Guthrie (1886). Both Thomas and his wife Matilda died in 1901 in Logansport.

About 1866: MARRIAGE of DAUGHTER – ELIZABETH GUTHRIE
Cass County, Indiana, USA, presumably

Elizabeth guthrie married Robert Shields with whom she had three children: Charles Shields (1866), Louella Shields (1869), and Frank Shields (1873). They lived in Noble, Cass, Indiana. Elizabeth died on 26 Jan 1916, and Robert in 1926.

1870: US CENSUS of MISSOURI
Lindsey, Benton County, Missouri, USA

THE READE HOUSEHOLD:
David Reade 46 farmer 1500 500 PA
Agnes Reade 38 keeping house IND
John Creekborn 13 @home IND
Mary E Creekborn 11 @home IND
Margaret Downham 57 @home SCT

About 1872: MARRIAGE of SON – JOSEPH GUTHRIE
Cass County, Indiana, USA, presumably

Joseph Guthrie married Caroline M Upton. They lived in Logansport. No children. Joseph died on 6 Dec 1922 and Caroline in 1926.

1873: MARRIAGE of SON – JAMES GUTHRIE
Logansport, Cass County, Indiana, USA on 30 October 1873

James Guthrie married Mary Elizabeth ‘Libbie’ Shelman. They had 2 sons: Henry ‘Hal’ Sherman Guthrie (1875) and Thomas Harris Guthrie (1877). Libbie died in 1886 and James on 6 Nov 1888 in Delphi, Carroll, Indiana.

1880: US CENSUS of INDIANA
Noble, Cass County, Indiana, USA

THE SHIELDS HOUSEHOLD:
Robert Shields 35 farmer INDx3
Elizabeth Shields 32 wife keeping house IND SCT SCT
Louella 11 daughter @home INDx3
Frank 7 son @home INDx3
Margaret Downham 67 widowed @ home SCTx3.

1880: DEATH OF MARGARET (JAPP) DOWNHAM – FORMERLY GUTHRIE
Cass County, Indiana, USA on 2 July 1880

1883: MARRIAGE of SON – ROBERT GUTHRIE
Cass County, Indiana, USA on 20 September 1883

Robert Guthrie married Laura Alice Funston. They lived in Eel and Noble, Cass County, Indiana where they raised their children. May Anna Guthrie (1885), John Roy Guthrie (1888), Alta Lola Guthrie (1891), Edna Elizabeth Guthrie (1896), Ione Nora Guthrie (1900). Robert died 24 July 1913. Laura lived until 1957.

THE GUTHRIE DNA PROJECT

Guthrie Family Group: GFG12
Group Designation: Branch A – (The Guthries of Peters, Washington, PA)

Haplogroup: I-P37
Confirmed Haplogroup: I-P37

YDNA Matches:  1
Kit 56631
William Guthrie/Margaret Japp > James Guthrie/Mary Elizabeth Shelman (GGP) +more

Family Finder / Autosomal DNA Kits: 2
Kit B741861
William Guthrie/Margaret Japp > Thomas C Guthrie/Matilda Shields (GGP) +more

Kit N79810 + Ancestry
William Guthrie/Margaret Japp > Jane Guthrie/Benjamin Moon > Nancy Moon/Wesley Albert Rickaby (GGP)

Findings:

Participant 56631’s kit is a Y67-marker test. The genetic profile matches that of GFG12’s Robert Guthrie 1774IRE-1854OH & Jean McGibney.

The most common surname match for these two kits is to men of the Benbow surname. This family name is of Anglo-Saxon origin.

Their Haplogroup, I-P37 is of Eastern European origin. Haplogroup I2 is the most common paternal lineage in former Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria and Sardinia, and a major lineage in most Slavic countries.