Dutton family tree: a guide to the complex family structure in Yellowstone, 1883 and 1923
The Yellowstone series is all about the Duttons. The epic drama has many complex relationships. New members keep joining the series, making it challenging for some viewers to determine their connections. This article explains the entire Dutton family tree to help you follow the storyline more easily and enjoy this TV series even more.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- The Dutton family tree: Yellowstone, 1883, and 1923 characters
- Is the Dutton family real?
- Who was James Dillard on Yellowstone?
- How many Dutton siblings are there?
- What are the ages of the Dutton family members in Yellowstone?
- How old are Rip and Beth supposed to be?
- Who is Elsa Dutton to John Dutton?
- Was Elsa Dutton buried in the family cemetery in Yellowstone?
The Yellowstone TV series and its spinoffs, 1883 and 1923, tell the story of the Dutton family. Yellowstone centers on their lives in the 21st century, 1923 is about the challenges the Duttons faced in the early 20th century, and 1883 is about how they lived in the 19th century.
The Dutton family tree: Yellowstone, 1883, and 1923 characters
John, the patriarch of the Dutton family, is a powerful rancher in Montana. While he is under constant attack from people surrounding his ranch, the complicated relationships within his family make it even more challenging for him to protect the family land from his enemies. Below is the Dutton family tree diagram:
Source: UGC
Dutton family members: Yellowstone characters
Yellowstone premiered on June 20, 2018, on Paramount Network. The TV series follows the conflicts along the shared borders of the Dutton family's Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, the Broken Rock Indian reservation, Yellowstone National Park, and the land developers. Below are Yellowstone characters from the Dutton family:
1. James Dillard Dutton
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Tim McGraw
- Character's siblings: Jacob Dutton and Claire Dutton
- Character's spouse: Margaret Dutton
- Character's children: John Dutton I, Spencer Dutton, and Elsa Dutton
James and Margaret never appear in Yellowstone Seasons 1-3. Instead, they appear in the 19th-century flashbacks in the 1st and 8th episodes of the Season 4.
In the 1883 series, James Dillard is shown as the first Dutton family member to settle in Montana and co-found the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch with his wife, Margaret.
The couple has three children – John Dutton I (eldest son), Spencer (youngest son), and Elsa (daughter), James reappears in Yellowstone’s spinoff, 1883.
2. John Dutton I
Source: UGC
- Character played by: James Badge Dale
- Character's parents: James Dillard Dutton and Margaret
- Character's child: Jack Dutton
Character John Dutton I is James Dillard Dutton and Margaret's son and the father of Jack Dutton. He appears in the 19th-century flashback in the 1st and 8th episodes of Yellowstone Season 4. His son, Jack Dutton, appears in 1923 and is the father of John Dutton II.
3. John Dutton II
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Dabney Coleman
- Character's father: Jack Dutton
- Character's child: John Dutton III
John Dutton II is the former owner of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. He first appears Yellowstone in the 10th and final episodes of Season 2. John Dutton II dies in the 2nd season and leaves the land to his son, John Dutton III.
4. John Dutton III
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Kevin Costner
- Character's father: John Dutton II
- Character's spouse: Evelyn Dutton
- Character's children: Lee, Jamie (adopted), Beth, and Kayce
John Dutton III is the patriarch of the Dutton family and the lead character in the entire Yellowstone TV series. According to the Dutton family tree lineage, he is the third head of the family, hence the name John Dutton III.
John Dutton III is the show’s primary protagonist. The Montana-based rancher owns the biggest castle in the USA. He had a wife named Evelyn, but Yellowstone does not share much about her.
5. Evelyn Dutton
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Gretchen Mol
- Character's father-in-law: John Dutton II
- Character's spouse: John Dutton III
- Character's children: Lee, Jamie (adopted), Beth, and Kayce
Evelyn and John's children are Lee, Jamie (adopted), Beth, and Kayce. The 3rd episode of Yellowstone Season 1 explains how John Dutton's wife died. In 1997, she was killed in a horseback riding accident while on a ride with Beth and Kayce.
Years later, her husband and kids struggle to continue on without her, as she was considered “the spine of the family.” Evelyn Dutton is mentioned for a second time in the 7th episode of Season 1.
6. Lee Dutton
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Dave Annable
- Character's parents: John Dutton III and Evelyn
John Dutton’s eldest son plays a significant role in the ranch's success. Lee was born years before his father inherited the Montana ranch. At that time, his grandfather, John Jr., was still the patriarch of the Dutton family.
After his grandfathers' demise, his dad inherits the land and Lee Dutton becomes his father’s right-hand man and helps him build the ranch.
7. Jamie Dutton
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Wes Bentley
- Character's parents: John Dutton III and Evelyn
- Character's partner: Christina
Jamie is John Dutton’s adopted son. Before he became Jamie, his name was Michael Randall. The couple adopted him because his father was in prison after killing his mother. Jamie Dutton has a complex relationship with his adopted father, and everyone in the Dutton family looks down on him.
8. Bethany Dutton
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Kelly Reilly
- Character's parents: John Dutton III and Evelyn
- Character's spouse: Rip Wheeler
Beth is the eldest daughter of John and Evelyn. She is a banker in Salt Lake City and wishes to reconcile the family, especially after their mother’s death. So, Bethany moves back to the Dutton Ranch to help solidify her family’s legacy.
When Jamie wants to become the next Montana governor, she supports their father instead, which fuels their sibling rivalry. At the end of season 4, Beth Dutton marries her longtime love, Rip Wheeler, an employee at Yellowstone.
9. Kayce Dutton
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Luke Grimes
- Character's parents: John Dutton III and Evelyn
- Character's spouse: Monica-Long Dutton
- Character's child: Tate Dutton
Kayce is Evelyn and John Dutton’s youngest son. His has an estranged relationship with his father because he marries Monica-Long. Her family are the biggest rivals of the Duttons. The strained relationship between Kayce Dutton and John makes him move away from the ranch.
10. Monica-Long Dutton
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Kelsey Asbille
- Character's parents-in-law: John Dutton III and Evelyn
- Character's spouse: Kayce Dutton
- Character's child: Tate Dutton
Kayce and his wife named their son Tate. The couple lose their second child, John, following a car accident. Monica-Long is a native American and a lifelong member of the Broken Rock Indian Reservation. The Broken Rock Indian Reservation head wants to take the Yellowstone Ranch from her father-in-law, John.
11. Tate Dutton
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Brecken Merrill
- Character's parents: Kayce Dutton and Monica-Long
- Character's grandparents: John Dutton III and Evelyn
- Character's great-grandfather: John Dutton II
- Character's great-great-grandparents: James Dillard Dutton and Margaret
Kayce and Monica's son, Tate Dutton, is the only biological grandchild of John Dutton III and Evelyn Dutton. Tate is closer to his grandfather and might one day take over the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch.
12. Christina
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Katherine Cunningham
- Character's parents-in-law: John Dutton III and Evelyn
- Character's partner: Jamie Dutton
- Character's child: Jamie Dutton Jr.
She was Jamie Dutton's campaign manager during his run for Montana attorney general in season 2. Christina and Jamie were previously in a relationship, and they had a son named Jamie Dutton Jr.
13. Rip Wheeler
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Cole Hauser
- Character's parents-in-law: John Dutton III and Evelyn
- Character's spouse: Kelly Reilly
He works his way up to be John's confidant and foreman at the Dutton ranch. Rip Wheeler's relationship with Beth started in their teenage years when he arrived at the ranch. They reconnect in adulthood and marry.
Dutton family members: 1883 characters
The American TV series premiered on December 19, 2021, on Paramount+. The story details how the Duttons came to own the land that later became the Yellowstone Ranch. Below are the 1883 characters from the Dutton family:
1. James Dillard Dutton
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Tim McGraw
- Character's siblings: Jacob Dutton and Claire Dutton
- Character's spouse: Margaret Dutton
- Character's children: John Dutton I, Spencer Dutton, and Elsa Dutton
- Character's grandchild: John Dutton II
- Character's great-grandchild: John Dutton III
- Character's great-great-grandchildren: Lee, Jamie, Beth, and Kayce
- Character's great-great-great-grandchildren: Tate and Jamie Dutton Jr.
In the 1883 series, James Dillard Dutton and his wife Margaret have three children: Elsa, John, and Spencer. The Dutton family patriarch is originally a farmer from Tennessee and a Confederate veteran of the Civil War.
He relocates with his family, including his sister Claire and her daughter Mary Abel, in a wagon train. James survives the harsh winter at the end of the series and settles on the future Yellowstone Dutton Ranch.
2. Margaret Dutton
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Faith Hill
- Character's spouse: James Dillard Dutton
- Character's children: John Dutton I, Spencer Dutton, and Elsa Dutton
- Character's grandchild: John Dutton II
- Character's great-grandchild: John Dutton III
- Character's great-great-grandchildren: Lee, Jamie, Beth, and Kayce
- Character's great-great-great-grandchildren: Tate and Jamie Dutton Jr.
Margaret was a nurse in the Civil War. She gave birth to her third child, Spencer, after the family arrived in Montana. James Dutton's wife is the strong-willed matriarch whose determination helps establish the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch.
3. Elsa Dutton
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Isabel May
- Character's parents: James Dillard Dutton and Margaret
- Character's spouse: Sam
While relocating with her family, Elsa Dutton, James Dillard Dutton and Margaret Dutton's eldest daughter meets a cowboy named Ennis along the way. They plan to marry, but bandits kill Ennis.
4. Sam
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Martin Sensmeier
- Character's parents-in-law: James Dillard Dutton and Margaret
- Character's spouse: Elsa Dutton
Sam is loyal to his community and land. After the Comanche warrior saves her life, Elsa enters a complicated relationship with him in Colorado. They have an unofficial wedding ceremony, after which she vows to return to him when her family settles.
Dutton's daughter dies from an arrow shot during an attack on the family's wagon train and never reunites with Sam. She is buried in Paradise Valley, eventually becoming the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch.
5. Claire Dutton
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Helen Mirren
- Character's siblings: James Dillard Dutton and Jacob Dutton
- Character's spouse: Henry
- Character's child: Mary Abel
She is Henry’s widow and the sister of Jacob and James Dutton. Claire Dutton had seven children, but only one, Mary Abel, survived past childhood. The mother and daughter join James Dutton's family as they travel westward.
Mary Abel is killed, after which Claire kills herself. Her husband died before 1883, having outlived six of his children. Henry has never appeared in Yellowstone, 1883, or 1923.
6. Mary Abel
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Emma Malouff
- Character's parents: Claire Dutton and Henry
She was the only surviving child of her parents, Henry and Claire Dutton. A gang near Fort Worth, Texas, kills Mary Abel.
Dutton family members: 1923 characters
The TV series premiered on December 18, 2022, on Paramount+. It is a prequel to Yellowstone and a sequel to 1883, with Isabel May reprising her role from the latter as narrator Elsa Dutton. In February 2023, the series was renewed for a second and final season of eight episodes. Below are the 1923 characters from the Dutton family:
1. Jacob Dutton
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Darren Mann
- Character's siblings: James Dillard Dutton and Claire Dutton
- Character's spouse: Cara
Jacob is also the commissioner of the livestock association. He outlives his brother, James Dillard Dutton, and sister, Claire Dutton. Jacob Dutton takes responsibility for the family ranch, working with his nephew, John I, and his great-nephew, Jack.
2. Cara
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Helen Mirren
- Character's spouse: Jacob Dutton
She immigrated from Ireland and is married to Jacob Dutton. After James' and Margaret's deaths, Cara and Jacob took over the ranch. While Jacob, John I, and Jack oversee the land's maintenance, Cara helps keep the home in order alongside Emma and Elizabeth.
3. John Dutton I
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Dabney Coleman
- Character's parents: James Dillard Dutton and Margaret
- Character's spouse: Emma
- Character's child: Jack Dutton
John Dutton I remains close to his uncle Jacob and Aunt Cara after his parent's deaths. He marries Emma, and they have a son named Jack.
John helps his uncle, Jacob, work the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch until he is killed by the family's enemy, Banner Creighton.
His son, John Dutton II, is the father of Yellowstone's current owner, John III, and the grandfather to Lee, Jamie, Beth, and Kayce.
4. Emma Dutton
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Marley Shelton
- Character's spouse: John Dutton I
- Character's child: Jack Dutton
She is Jack Dutton's mother and John Dutton I's wife. The heartbroken Emma Dutton takes her life after her husband is murdered.
5. Jack Dutton
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Darren Mann
- Character's parents: John Dutton I and Emma
Jack works on the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch with his father, John Dutton I, and his great-uncle, Jacob Dutton. Jack Dutton marries Elizabeth Strafford in Season 1.
6. Elizabeth Dutton
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Michelle Randolph
- Character's parents-in-law: John Dutton I and Emma
- Character spouse: Jack Dutton
Jack Dutton's wife finds ranch life challenging. When she is away from her husband, Elizabeth leans on Cara for support, and the two grow close. Elizabeth and Jack's relationship strengthens after she loses a pregnancy.
7. Spencer Dutton
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Brandon Sklenar
- Character's parents: James Dillard Dutton and Margaret
- Character spouse: Alexandra
James Dillard Dutton and Margaret Dutton's second son was born in Montana sometime after the family settled. When Spencer returns home from serving in World War I, he deals with post-traumatic stress disorder.
So, instead of working on the ranch, the veteran becomes a big game hunter in Africa, earning a reputation. Nonetheless, Spencer Dutton later returns to Montana with his wife Alexandra after his uncle Jacob is wounded and his brother John Sr. is killed.
8. Alexandra Dutton
Source: UGC
- Character played by: Julia Schlaepfer
- Character's parents-in-law: James Dillard Dutton and Margaret
- Character spouse: Spencer Dutton
Alexandra meets Spencer Dutton while visiting Kenya with her then-fiancé Arthur. She cancels her wedding and runs away with Spencer.
The two get married on a boat after experiencing a near-death situation while lost at sea. The 1923 Season 1 finale teases Alexandra's arrival at the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch after she and Spencer are separated.
Is the Dutton family real?
The Dutton family is an America fictional family that owns the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch in Montana. The family's lineage and legacy is narrated in three series 1883, 1923, and Yellowstone.
Who was James Dillard on Yellowstone?
James Dillard Dutton, played by Tim McGraw, is the first American-born patriarch of the Dutton Family.
How many Dutton siblings are there?
If you follow the Yellowstone, 1883, and 1923 series, you will realize that James Dillard Dutton has a brother named Jacob and a sister called Claire. James Dillard also has three children: Elsa, John Dutton 1, and Spencer. As the family grows, James' great-grandson, John Dutton III, bears three children, Lee, Beth, and Kayce, and adopts one, Jamie.
What are the ages of the Dutton family members in Yellowstone?
Lee is the oldest, having been born in 1980 (from his gravestone), Jamie is said to be 36; Beth is 34; and Kayce is 28 in season 1, having been born in 1990. Therefore, Lee is two years older than Jamie, Jamie is two years older than Beth, and Beth is about six years older than Kayce.
How old are Rip and Beth supposed to be?
Beth reveals she is 34 in the 2nd season of Yellowstone. Since their relationship started in their teens, Rip should be around the same age.
Who is Elsa Dutton to John Dutton?
Elsa is John Dutton III's great-grandaunt. Her parents, James Dutton and Margaret, are John's great-grandparents.
Was Elsa Dutton buried in the family cemetery in Yellowstone?
Elsa was the first Dutton family member to be buried on the land that later became the family's Yellowstone ranch. The cemetery has headstones with more names like Patience, Chance, and Ned Dutton that viewers have not met.
James Dutton, his siblings, and his wife are at the top of the Dutton family tree. James, the founder of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, is the primary protagonist of 1883, while his great-grandson, John III, is the family patriarch in the Yellowstone series. The fifth season is its last and will be followed by a sequel series titled The Madison.
Yen.com.gh shared an interesting article about the cast of Euphoria, an American teen drama television series created by Sam Levinson.
The show premiered on HBO on June 16, 2019. It centers on a group of dysfunctional high school students at East Highland High School.
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