From the Brechin parish register: Anno 1783. David Guthrie and Clementina Cay had a son born the 25th of last June and baptized the 2d of July Curt before witnesses William Cay and John Guthrie named William.
His father died in 1824, and in his will he bequeathed the residue to be divided equally among William, John, David, Alexander, Helen, Jane, Clementina, Charles, Thomas and Patrick, his children. Advances already made to his sons - William £800, John £300, David £300, Alexander £300, Charles £559, Thomas £320 and Patrick £140 - were to be regarded as part of their shares. However William had gone abroad and not been heard of for some time, so that there was some doubt as to whether he was still alive, and if he had not been heard of within nine months after his father's death, the residue was to be divided among his siblings, who were in turn bound to repay him the balance of his share if he later turned up alive.
He is not mentioned in the will of his brother David, who died childless in 1854.
In his brother Thomas' memoirs, William is said to have gone to sea and been long dead.
Has anyone come across a possible reference to this William Guthrie?
