James C Guthrie 1795GA-1862IA & Nancy Corn
of Georgia and Jasper County, Iowa, USA

CONTENTS:
Origin Theories
The Family of James C Guthrie & Nancy Corn
Historical Highlights
The Guthrie DNA Project

ORIGIN THEORIES for GFG5 BRANCH D

According to the US Census records, James C Guthrie was born in Georgia about 1795. That is the only data I can find for him suggesting any kind of origin.

YDNA reveals that the descendants of James and Nancy belong to GFG5, so the answer as to the identity of his parents may show up in other lineages connected to that group.

James & Nancy Guthrie brought their family west and were “among the first pioneers to settle in the area when Des Moines consisted of a fort and a trading post, and Tool’s Point was the only stopping place between Des Moines and Oskaloosa.”
(Source: Obituary of daughter, Lexa Guthrie Williams, Monroe Mirror, 1918)

THE FAMILY of JAMES C GUTHRIE & NANCY CORN

JAMES C GUTHRIE
Born: 1795
Location: Georgia, USA
Marriage: Nancy Corn on 17 Dec 1817 in Jackson County, Ohio
Occupation: Farmer
Died: 20 Jan 1862
Location: Des Moines, Jasper, Iowa, USA
Buried: Unknown, presumably Jasper County, Iowa, USA

NANCY CORN
Born: 8 April 1798
Location: Virginia, USA
Sons: Faulkner Guthrie, Leroy Guthrie, Harvey Guthrie, James D Guthrie
Daughters: Eveline Guthrie, Annie Guthrie, Alexia Guthrie, Permelia Guthrie, Clarissa Guthrie, Melissa E Guthrie
Died: 25 Oct 1857
Location: Monroe, Jasper, Iowa, USA
Buried: Griffis Cemetery, Prairie City, Jasper, Iowa, USA

CHILDREN:

ANNIE GUTHRIE
1818OH-1887IA

Born on 26 September 1818 in Ohio, Anna Inez Guthrie married John Harvey in Allen County, Indiana on 8 December 1835. There were 6 children to this marriage. Harvey died in 1845. Anna remarried bet. 1845-1849 to Solomon Frey. They lived in Jasper and Marion Counties, Iowa and had 3 children. Anna died on 26 Jun 1887 in Red Rock, Marion, Iowa and is buried at Monroe Cemetery with her daughter Clara’s family.

Children: 9
Harvey Sons: McConnell Harvey, James Henderson Harvey, John Wesley Harvey, William Nicholas Harvey, Jerome Leroy Harvey
Harvey Daughters: Clarissa Harvey
Fry Sons: Enoch H Fry, Taylor Zachery Fry
Fry Daughters: Mary Candis Fry

Family Finder Participants: No

FAULKNER GUTHRIE
c1821OH-c1850NE

There are discrepancies with the estimate for Faulkner Guthrie’s birth year. If he was the oldest son he would have been born 1817-1820. If not the first, he could have been born 1821-1825 or 1825-1830. There is no data on his marriage, and he does not appear in the 1850 census. Faulkner apparently drowned in the Platte River (probably in Nebraska) on his way to California. The California Gold Rush hit in 1849, so that is a likely cause for his journey.

Children: None Known

ALEXA ‘LEXA’ GUTHRIE
1822OH-1918IA

Lexa Guthrie was born in Ohio on 1 Jan 1822. She married James Madison Williams. They moved to Des Moines, Jasper, Iowa and lived long lives. James was a Civil War soldier. He died in 1902 at 87 years of age. Lexa was 96 at her death on 17 January 1918 in Jasper County, Iowa. She is buried at Monroe Cemetery. Her obituary was published in the Monroe Mirror.

Children: 2
Williams Sons: James Guthrie Williams, LeRoy Madison Williams
Williams Daughters: None

Family Finder Participants: None

LEROY GUTHRIE
1823OH-1862TN

Leroy Guthrie was born on 7 October 1823 in Ohio. He married Harriet Pruden on 9 February 1854 in Calhoun County, Illinois. He was a Civil War soldier enlisted with in Adair County MO for a 3yr term serving Company A 18th Regiment Missouri Volunteers. Leroy was killed at Pittsburg Landing at the Battle of Shiloh and is buried at Shiloh National Military Cemetery in Hardin County, Tennessee.

Children: 5
Sons: Asher James Guthrie, John Wesley Guthrie, John Guthrie, Levi Leroy Guthrie, Charles Anderson Guthrie
Daughters: None

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

EVELINE GUTHRIE
c1825-c1850

Various trees list Eveline Guthrie’s birth as about 1818 or 1825. Her husband Francis H Guthrie was born about 1826, so it is likely she was closer to his age. This couple married 8 Aug 1847 in Jasper County, IA, but I do not find them in the 1850 census. They are credited with three children born between 1848 and 1850. Eveline appears to be dead by 1856 when Francis remarried to Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Tyrell on 27 Nov 1856 in Marion County, Iowa. They are listed with Francis & Eveline’s son Henry Clay Hughes in the 1860 census of Avon, Coffey, Kansas Territory.

Children: 3
Hughes Sons: George Hughes, Henry Clay Hughes
Hughes Daughters: Alexa Ann Hughes

Family Finder Participants: No

PERMELIA J GUTHRIE
1827OH-1891CA

Permelia J Guthrie was born on 13 April 1827 in Ohio. She moved with her parents and siblings to Iowa where she married George Gilbert on 15 July 1849. They lived in Jasper County, Iowa. George Gilbert died there in 1910 and afterward Permelia moved to San Joaquin County, CA, presumably to live with relatives. She died there on 12 Dec 1891 and is buried at Manteca at East Union Cemetery.

Children: 8
Gilbert Sons: James Daniel Gilbert, Thomas J Gilbert, John Edward Gilbert
Gilbert Daughters: Nancy Ann Gilbert, Elizabeth J Gilbert, Mary Ellen Gilbert, Emma Gilbert, Leana Eckert Gilbert

Family Finder Participants: No

CLARISSA GUTHRIE
1832OH-1872IA

Clarissa Guthrie was born about 1832 in Ohio. She was married to William Preston Cowman who was a teacher and later an owner and editor of the Casey Vindicator newspaper. He was a Civil War Soldier. They lived in Perry, Marion County, Iowa. Clarissa died in 1872 and is buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery. William remarried to Martha Jane ‘Mattie’ Rodgers. He died in 1905.

Children: 7
Cowman Sons: James W Cowman, Arthur W Cowman, Ernest Cowman
Cowman Daughters: Mary Evalina Cowman, Alice M Cowman, Ada Cowman, Rosemary Cowman

Family Finder Participants: No

MELISSA EDWINA GUTHRIE
1834OH-1915CA

Melissa Edwina Guthrie was born on 10 February 1834 in Ohio. Trees list Mercer County. She married 3 Nov 1857 in Marion County, Iowa to William M Blankenship. They moved to Tulare County, California where they raised their children. Melissa died in Woodville on 3 Feb 1915. Her husband lived another 5 years. He died 30 Oct 1920. They are buried at the Visalia Public Cemetery.

Children: 7
Blankenship Sons: William F Blankenship, John Richard Blankenship, Burt Blankenship, Leander Guthrie Blankenship
Blankenship Daughters: Ludenia L Blankenship, Mary F Blankenship, Della C Blankenship

Family Finder Participants: No

HARVEY WASHINGTON GUTHRIE
1837IN-1906CA

Harvey Guthrie was born in 1837 in Indiana, USA. Trees list Wells County, IN. Very little is known about Harvey. He was listed with the family in Jasper County, Iowa in 1850, and was still there in 1856. He may have left with his sister and brother-in-law Melissa and William M Blankenship when they moved to Tulare, California, for he is found on a California voter registration list for Tulare in 1866. His death is indicated to be 1906, but I did not find him in US Census records for 1880 or 1900. The death location was reportedly “in the west”, presumed to be California.

Children: None Known

JAMES D GUTHRIE
1840IN-1916IA

A biography of Rev. James D Guthrie was published in ‘Past and Present of Mahaska County, Iowa‘ by Manoah Hedge, The S.J. Publishing Co., 1906).

James Guthrie was born in Wells County, Indiana on 19 Sep 1840. He moved to Iowa with his parents when he was about 3 and a half years old. He attended school for about 3 months when he was 12 and again for 3 months at about 18 years of age. He remained upon the farm until 1869 when he moved to Oskaloosa and in 1870 entered Oskaloosa College at 30 years of age remaining there until 1876 when he achieved two degrees, a Bachelor of Arts and a diploma from the classical bible department. In addition to his ministry, James became a coal operator and manufacturer of brick. He entered Penn College in 1896 where he pursued post-graduate courses in chemistry, anatomy, and histology, eventually entering Rush Medical College in Chicago. He was once nominated for the position of State Senator.

James’ wife was Catherine Davis, whom he married 30 Oct 1859 in Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa. They had 2 children. She also attended Oskaloosa College, achieving a degree in 1875 graduating from the bible department one year before her husband. Catherine died in Oskaloosa on 4 May 1911 at the age of 70. James followed her in death 5 years later on 22 January 1916. They are buried in Forest Cemetery in Oskaloosa.

Children: 2
Sons: Leonard Caldwell Guthrie
Daughters: Alice Maybell Guthrie

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

HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS

1795: BIRTH of JAMES C GUTHRIE

James Guthrie was born about 1795 in Georgia based on US Census records. I do not know the origin of the middle initial C. The marriage and census data does not include a middle name.

1798: BIRTH of NANCY CORN

Nancy Corn was born on 8 April 1798. Online trees list her parents as George Corn & Dolly Luttrell. This couple lived in Albemarle County, Virginia. George was a Revolutionary War soldier. He was father of 20 children, half of whom moved with him to Hamilton and later Jackson County, Ohio.

1795-1817: MOVED to JACKSON COUNTY, OHIO

James Guthrie was only 22 at the time of his 1817 marriage to Nancy Corn. Did he arrive in Ohio as an adult, or did he come with his parents? In 1820, James Guthry is the only one of the surname in Jackson County. Guthries in the surrounding counties all belong to GFG2A families.

1817: MARRIAGE of JAMES GUTHRIE & NANCY CORN
Jackson County, Ohio on 7 December 1817

1820: US CENSUS of OHIO
Bloomfield, Jackson, Ohio, USA

James Guthry Household:
1M / 1F 16 – 25 (1795-1804)
1M / 1F under 10 (1811-1820)
1 Person Engaged in Agriculture

1830: US CENSUS of OHIO
Franklin, Jackson, Ohio

James Guthrie Household:
1M / 1F 30-39 (1791-1800)
1M / 1F 10-14 (1814-1820)
2M / 1F 5-9 (1821-1825)
1M / 2F Under 5 (1826-1830)

Abt. 1837: RESIDENCE in INDIANA
Wells County, Indiana, USA

The two youngest sons of the family were born in Wells County, Indiana about 1837 and 1840.

1840: US CENSUS
Location Unknown, presumably in Indiana

I cannot find this family listed in the 1840 census.

Abt. 1844: REMOVED to IOWA

According to the biography of son Rev James D Guthrie, the family removed to Iowa about 1844 and settling in Jackson County when DesMoines was just a fort and trading post.

1849: MARRIAGE of DAUGHTER – PERMELIA J GUTHRIE
Jefferson County, Iowa, USA on 15 July 1849

Permelia married George Gilbert. They lived in Fairfield and Buchanan, Jefferson, Iowa. Nine children. After George’s death in 1910, Permelia moved to San Joaquin, California.

1850: US CENSUS of IOWA
District 16, Jasper County, Iowa, USA

Guthrie Household:
James Guthrie 54 Famer Real Estate: 960 GA
Nancy Guthrie 32 VA
Lexy Guthrie 28 OH
Clarissa Guthrie 18 OH
Malissa Guthrie 16 OH
Harvey Guthrie 13 IN
James Guthrie 9 IN
Permelia J Guthrie 23 OH
George Guthrie 1/12 Iowa

Note: Daughter Permelia Guthrie had married George Gilbert in 1849. She is listed out of order of James & Nancy’s children to demonstrate that the child named George belongs to her. The surname for both should be Gilbert. The child probably died before 1860.

1856: IOWA STATE CENSUS COLLECTION
Des Moines, Jasper, Iowa, USA

Guthrie Household:
James Guthrie, 61, M, Married, Years Resident in Iowa 11, Georgia, Voter
Nancy Guthrie, 58, F, Married, Virginia
Lexa Guthrie, 32, F, Ohio
Melissa Guthrie 21 F, Ohio
Harvey Guthrie, 19 M, Indiana, Militia 0
James D Guthrie, 16, M, Indiana
Lisa A Hughes, 8, F, Iowa

Abt. 1856: MARRIAGE of DAUGHTER – LEXA GUTHRIE
Jasper County, Iowa, USA

Lexa married James Madison Williams when she was about 34 years old. They had 2 sons: James Guthrie Williams and LeRoy Madison Williams.

1857: DEATH of NANCY CORN GUTHRIE
Monroe, Jasper, Iowa, USA on 25 Oct 1857

Nancy (Corn) Guthrie was buried at Prairie City at Griffis Cemetery.

1860: US CENSUS of IOWA, USA
Des Moines, Jasper, Iowa, USA

The Williams Household:
James Williams 45, Farmer, RE:1900, PE:920, North Carolina
Lexa Williams 38, Domestic, Ohio
James G Williams 2, Iowa
Lexa A Kings 12, Iowa
James Guthrie 64, Retired Farmer RE:6000, PE:1000, Georgia

1862: DEATH of JAMES C GUTHRIE
Des Moines, Jasper, Iowa, USA on 20 January 1862

THE GUTHRIE DNA PROJECT

Guthrie Family Group: GFG5
Group Designation: Branch D – (The Guthries of Jasper County, Iowa)

Haplogroup: R-M269
Confirmed Haplogroup: R-M269

YDNA Matches:  1
Kit 47155
James C Guthrie/Nancy Corn > Leroy Guthrie/Harriet Pruden > John Wesley Guthrie/Mary Elizabeth Smith (GGP) +more

Family Finder / Autosomal DNA Kits:

None

Findings:

Our YDNA Participant has a Y37 marker test with one genetic variation compared to the Group Mode DNA. It is unique to his own results. Not enough data to determine additional Patterns of Inheritance.

We need some Autosomal DNA results for comparison to other GFG5 kits in order to determine if there are any hints about which GFG5 is a closer relation.