1848: BIRTH of SARAH ELIZABETH WILLIS

Sarah was born in October of 1848 to William & Mary Willis somewhere in Ohio, USA. 

1849: BIRTH of WILLIAM FRANKLIN GUTHRIE

Franklin aka Frank was born in 1849 in Scioto County, Ohio, USA. He was the eldest son of Alfred & Julia Ann (Houchins) Guthery. Most of his parents' documents seem to preserve the Guthery spelling while Franklin's mainly use Guthrie. 

1850: CENSUS of WASHINGTON, SCIOTO, OHIO, USA

GUTHRIE HOUSEHOLD: A. Guthrie 25 M Farmer Ohio; Julia Guthrie 25 F Ohio; W.F. Guthrie 1 M Ohio.

1851-1859: DEATH of FATHER, ALFRED C GUTHERY

Alfred died sometime between 1851-1859 when Franklin was still a child. He had 3 younger siblings: Aaron Walter Guthrie, Louisa Ella Guthrie, and Elizabeth L Guthrie.

1860: CENSUS of JEFFERSON, SCIOTO, OHIO, USA

GUTHRIE HOUSEHOLD: Julia Guthrie 32 VA; Franklin 11 OH, attended school; Aaron 9 OH, attended school; Louisa 7 OH, attended school; Elizabeth 5 OH; Hershel Brown 18 OH farmer; James OBrien 21 NY laborer; Alex Seymore 20 France laborer.

1865-1868: MARRIAGE of WILLIAM FRANKLIN GUTHRIE and SARAH ELIZABETH WILLIS

Marriage year unknown, probably in Scioto County, Ohio or Logan County, Illinois.

1868: BIRTH of SON, CHARLES ALBERT GUTHRIE 

Charley was born in Illinois in 1868. He was living with his parents during the 1870 census. His parents were enumerated in different states in 1880. He was living with his mother and brother James in the home of their maternal grandparents, William & Mary Willis. On 24 Dec 1891, he married Lucy E Young, who died in 1893. They had no children. In 1900, Charley was living with his widowed mother Sarah in Kechi, Sedgwick, Kansas. The next year on 17 February 1901 he married Ethel Murrell Pratt with whom he had a son, Lewin Homer Guthrie, and a daughter, Alice Merrill Guthrie. Charley is the direct ancestor of DNA Project participant Neil Lewin Guthrie. Charley and Ethel continued to live in Sedgwick County, Kansas. Ethel died in 1940. He died on 2 December 1952. They are both buried in Maple Grove Cemetery.

1870: CENSUS of ORVIL, LOGAN, ILLINOIS, USA

GUTHRIE HOUSEHOLD: W.F. Guthrie 21 farmer 600 OH; Sarah E Guthrie 22 F housekeeper OH; Charles A Guthrie 10/12 @ home IL Sept. Next door to household of William Willis & family.

Early after the start of their marriage, Frank & Sarah appear to be a small family with her parents living next door. By 1880, however, the family dynamic has changed. Sarah is living in Kansas with her children in the home of her parents, William & Mary Willis. She is listed as a widow, but Frank is still very much alive at the time. He is living back in Logan County, Illinois with his widowed mother, Julia A Guthrie. 

1873: BIRTH of SON, JAMES GUTHRIE 

The only information I have on James Guthrie is from the 1880 census of Grant, Sedgwick, Kansas listing him living in the household of his Willis grandparents along with mother Sarah and brother Charles. Interestingly, James Guthrie's birth location is given as Nebraska. 

1880: CENSUS of GRANT, SEDGWICK, KANSAS, USA

WILLIS HOUSEHOLD: William Willis 59 farmer OH VA NJ; Mary 55 wife Keeping House OH SC OH; John C 20 son IL; Albert P 19 son IL; William F 17 son I; Sarah Guther 33 daughter widow OH; James Guther 7 grandson NE OH OH; Charles Guther 11 grandson IL OH OH. 

1880: CENSUS of PRAIRIE CREEK, LOGAN, ILLINOIS, USA

GUTHRIE HOUSEHOLD on 19 Jun 1880: Julia A Guthrie 53 widow Keeping House VAx3; Franklin Guthrie 30 son married Farm Laborer OH OH VA; Elizabeth 24 daughter single OH OH VA. 

1881: PROBATE JOURNAL of LOGAN COUNTY, ILLINOIS, USA

The separation of Frank & Sarah may have something to do with the cause of the petition filed in the Logan County Court on Thursday, 20 January 1881, by Frank's brother-in-law John H. Smalley, who requested the court to declare Franklin Guthrie insane. The court ordered a hearing to be set in two day's time on  22 Jan 1881. Whatever John Smalley's reasons for requesting the hearing he quickly recanted his decision and the hearing into Frank's alleged insanity was cancelled. Smalley was required to pick up the court costs.

Was Frank truly mentally ill at the time, making poor decisions regarding his personal life, or behaving in a manner that led his family to take such drastic actions? The answers are not detailed in the Probate Journal.

1881-1899: DEATH of WILLIAM FRANKLIN GUTHRIE ?

According to the 1900 census of Frank's mother, Julia A Guthrie, one of her four children had died before 1800. By process of elimination that child would be Frank, who seems to disappear completely from the records of Ohio, Kansas and Illinois. Descendants claim that he was alive as late as 1930 and that this is a photo of Frank with his wife, Sarah Elizabeth Guthrie. If Frank had died in the 1880s-1890s he would have been in his 30s-40s. Either this old man is not Frank Guthrie or he was not as dead as his mother claimed. Something of a mystery going on here.

1900: CENSUS of KECHI, SEDGWICK, KANSAS, USA

GUTHRIE HOUSEHOLD: Sarah E Guthrie head WF Oct 1849 50 widow 4 children 2 living OHx3; Charley A Guthrie son WM Jun 1868 30 widower marriedx1yr IL IL OH farmer. 

Note that Sarah reports that she has given birth to 4 children, two of whom are living in 1900. One son is obviously Charley A Guthrie listed here in the 1900 census. Could the other be James from the 1880 census or is there another child born 1881-1900 we can't see from the census records? 

1915: KANSAS STATE CENSUS of WICHITA, SEGWICK, KANSAS, USA

GUTHRIE HOUSEHOLD: Sarah Guthrie 67 F. Listed next to the Lovett Household.

1920: CENSUS of KECHI, SEDGWICK, KANSAS, USA

LOVETT HOUSEHOLD: Lee Lovett 32 head TX US NC Farmer; Effie 31 wife KS IL IL; Richard 8 son KS; Rachel dau KS; Lester Keiser 24 Helper KS GER USA laborer; Sarah Guthrie 73 Aunt widowed IL OH OH. Listed same page as Charley A Guthery Household.

1924: CITY DIRECTORY of WICHITA, KANSAS

GUTHRIE, Sarah E (wid Wm F), b 1935 Jeanette av 

1926: CITY DIRECTORY of WICHITA, KANSAS

GUTHRIE, Sarah E (wid Frank), h 1955 Jeanette av 

1930: CENSUS of KECHI, SEDGWICK, KANSAS, USA

GUTHRIE HOUSEHOLD: Charles A Guthrie head MW 61 married@31 IL OH OH farmer; Ethel M Guthrie wife FW 52 married @28 ILx3; Sarah E Guthrie mother FW 81 widowed OHx3

1940: DEATH of SARAH ELIZABETH WILLIS GUTHRIE

Sarah died on 4 July 1940 in Wichita, Sedgwick, Kansas, USA at the age of 91. She is buried at Maple Grove Cemetery, Section EC, Lot C, Grave 203.