The Dutton family tree: from 1883 to Yellowstone

TV viewers have really gotten to know the Duttons over the last few years. Whether that's been the modern day Duttons defending their ranch from all challengers on Yellowstone, the original Dutton family that chose to make that land theirs in 1883 and those thought fought for the land in the early 20th century in 1923.

However, keeping track of just how all of the Duttons are related can be a bit of a challenge (there are a lot of Johns in the family). So to help out, we've put together this Dutton family tree that covers the Duttons (and those closely associated with them) throughout 1883, 1923 and Yellowstone.

Take a look at the complete Dutton family tree right here:

Let's dive into where we meet each member of the Dutton family. Warning some SPOILERS ahead.

1883

In 1883, we meet the Duttons who end up settling on the land that becomes the Yellowstone ranch. At the head of the family of four is James Dutton (Tim McGraw), a Civil War veteran who is looking for a life that his family can truly make their own, and Margaret Dutton (Faith Hill), a tough and proud woman who is more than capable of handling the challenges that await them on the trail and in creating their new home.

The Dutton children in 1883 include the 5-year-old John Dutton (Audie Rick) and, more prominently, his older sister Elsa (Isabel May). Elsa is strong-willed and itching for adventure, more comfortable on the back of her horse than in a dress and bonnet. Tragically, Elsa is shot through with an arrow on the trail, which ultimately kills her. Where she dies is where the Duttons decide to make their home.

Other members of the Dutton family featured in 1883 are James' widowed sister Claire Dutton (Dawn Olivieri) and her daughter Mary Abel (Emma Malouff). They also don't survive the journey. Mary Abel dies early on and rather than go on without her, Claire takes her own life (with the assistance of James).

1923

Forty years later, there are three generations of Duttons at the center of 1923. The new patriarch of the family, taking the reins after James, is James' brother Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford). Taking Margaret's place on the ranch is James' wife, Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren), who looks to be among the proud tradition of Dutton women ready to do anything to protect their family.

The show also introduced us to a grown up John Dutton Sr. (James Badge Dale). While Jacob has taken over as the head of the ranch, John begins the series as his trusted right-hand man; unfortunately, he dies early in the series run. John's wife Emma (Marley Shelton), also only last a few episodes before she dies.

John and Emma have a son, Jack Dutton (Darren Mann), who is a proud and dedicated rancher and deeply loyal to his family. He marries Elizabeth Strafford (Michelle Randolph), a feisty but capable young woman.

Rounding out the Dutton family in 1923 is Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar). The younger brother of John, born after the events of 1883, he begins the series abroad following his service in World War One. He soon meets Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer), a British aristocrat, who he marries.

One of the big questions from 1923 is who are the grandparents of the John Dutton that we know from Yellowstone — is it Spencer & Alex or Jack & Elizabeth. The 1923 season 2 ending seemingly revealed that the answer was Spencer & Alex, as she gives birth to a son that they name John before Alex tragically passes away. However, as revealed in talking with Sklenar & Schlaepfer, that is not necessarily the end of the story, as both said they had not been given confirmation that their characters were indeed the grandparents of John Dutton.

Elizabeth was also revealed to be pregnant during season 2, and though she left the ranch after Jack's death, her baby could still have a role to play in the Dutton family saga.

Another possibility is that it is revealed in narration that Spencer, while never remarrying after Alex's death, does father a child, another son, with an unknown woman.

It looks like we'll need more clarification from 1944, the next expected Yellowstone prequel, to straighten out more of this family tree. But in the meantime we will tentatively say that Spencer & Alex are the most likely grandparents to John Dutton, which is why their connection is marked with a dotted line in our graphic above.

Yellowstone

These are the Duttons that we have gotten to know best through Yellowstone's five seasons. The head of the family is, of course, John Dutton III (Kevin Costner), whose main goal in everything he does is to protect the land that his family has been on for 100 years. His wife and mother to his children was Evelyn Dutton (Gretchen Mol), who died when the kids were teenagers.

Speaking of the Dutton kids, John's eldest was Lee Dutton (Dave Annable), though he died in Yellowstone season 1 episode 1. John's only daughter is Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly), who may not have embraced the cowboy way of life like the rest of her family, but she is viciously loyal and will do anything to protect them; she is married to Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser), the trusted ranch foreman; they eventually adopt a young orphan named Carter (Finn Little).

Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) is John's other son, who often struggles to balance his relationship to his father and his own family — wife Monica (Kelsey Asbille) and son Tate (Brecken Merrill). Monica is Native American, which brings a different perspective to the Dutton family. Tragically, Kayce and Monica loose their second son shortly after his birth in Yellowstone season 5 following a car accident.

The black sheep of Duttons is Jamie (Wes Bentley), who is actually John's adopted son. Jamie's real father is Garrett Randall (Will Patton), a former convict. This dynamic has driven a wedge between Jamie and the rest of the Duttons, as they aren't able to trust each other. Jamie also has his own son with his former campaign manager, Christina (Katherine Cunningham).

You can watch 1883 and 1923 exclusively on Paramount Plus. All episodes of Yellowstone are streaming on Peacock in the US and Paramount Plus in the UK.