As Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 closes on its November 2024 premiere, all eyes turn to the Dutton Family Ranch in Yellowstone National Park. At last glance, Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) tries to impeach John Dutton III (Kevin Costner) as the Governor of Montana and remove him from power, prompting Beth to suggest a murderous ploy of Shakespearean proportions. As John grapples with the idea, Jamie has several tricks up his sleeve, setting up a dramatic cliffhanger that’s bound to end with murder and mayhem.

Yet, given all the characters featured in Yellowstone and its four spin-offs — 1883, 1923, 1944, and 6666 — it’s easy to lose track of the expansive Dutton family tree. After all, John Dutton III is a sixth-generation cattle rancher who hails from a long lineage of settlers and farmers who made their way to Montana and Wyoming during the westward expansion of the American frontier. To help clarify how the main characters relate to each other in the overarching Yellowstone universe, it’s worth breaking down the Dutton Family tree before Season 5 returns.

The Dutton Family Tree

Who Is John Dutton III a Descendant of?
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The main Yellowstone series revolves around John Dutton III (one of Kevin Costner’s best performances), a sixth-generation rancher who rises to power as the series progresses. The modern-day patriarch of the Dutton family and owner of the Dutton Family Ranch in Yellowstone National Park, John increased his influence in the region by becoming the Livestock Commissioner of Montana and eventually the state governor. Throughout the main series, John Dutton’s past continues to inform his future.

As revealed in the main series and the spin-offs 1883 and 1923, John Dutton III is the son of John Dutton II (Dabney Coleman) and grandson of John Dutton Sr. (James Badge Dale). While very little is known about his mother, John Dutton III also descends from Evelyn Dutton (Gretchen Mol), his grandmother and the family matriarch who was married to John Dutton Sr. until she died in 1997 following a horseback accident.

John Dutton Sr.’s father was James Dillard Dutton (Tim McGraw), the patriarch and founder of the Dutton Family Ranch in the 19th century. He is married to Margaret Dutton (Faith Hill). James Dutton was born in Tennessee before moving to Fort Worth, Texas, and eventually settling along the Montana/Wyoming border. Therefore, James Dutton is John Dutton III’s great-great-grandfather and Margaret Dutton is his great-great-grandmother.

Who Were the Children of James and Margaret Dutton in 1883?
Paramount

As the title suggests, 1883 takes place before the events depicted in Yellowstone. The story explores the Dutton family’s time settling in the West during the late 19th century. The drama focuses on James and Margaret Dutton, played by real-life couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. It is revealed in the show that James and Margaret Dutton have a large family, including children Elsa, John Jr., Spencer, and in-law Emma.

In 1883, Elsa Dutton (Isabel May) is a 17-year-old girl who narrates actions through her inner monologue. Naive and innocent at first, Elsa becomes a hardened frontierswoman with expert survival skills by the series’ end. John Jr. (Audie Rick) is a five-year-old boy in 1883, while Spencer Dutton has yet to be born. While 1883 primarily focuses on Elsa Dutton, most of John Jr. and Spencer Dutton’s storylines take place in the spin-off 1923, four decades after events depicted in 1883.

Y: 1883 Release Date December 19, 2021 Seasons 1

Paramount+

In the spin-off 1923, the Dutton family of ranchers deal with new challenges relating to industrialization and the great depression. While Uncle Jacob (Harrison Ford) and Aunt Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren) never had children of their own, they raised John Dutton Jr. and Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) as their nephews. In the show 1923, Spencer uses his experience in World War I to become an expert hunter tracking large African game.

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In Yellowstone, young Spencer Dutton is portrayed by child actor Charlie Stover in two flashbacks. Over time, it is revealed that Spencer Dutton is one of John Dutton III’s grandfathers. As mentioned, Spencer is the son of James and Margaret, who, in turn, is John Dutton III’s great-great-grandfather of John Dutton III. Therefore, Spencer and John Dutton III are blood relatives separated by a generation or two.

1923 Release Date December 18, 2022 Seasons 1

Paramount

Separated by 40 years, the Dutton family tree extends from 1883 to the 1923 spin-off. In 1883, the ranch was run by James and Margaret Dutton. In the 1923 spin-off, the ranch belongs to James’ brother, Jacob Dutton, and his wife, Cara Dutton. In addition to their nieces and nephews, Elsa, John Jr., and Spencer, Jacob and Cara’s family members include niece Mary Abel and great-nephew Jack Dutton. Jacob also has a sister named Claire Dutton.

While all this may sound confusing, the relationship between the Dutton family in 1883 and 1923 is fairly straightforward in the acclaimed TV westerns. Forty years after James and Margaret pioneered their family ranch following their sojourn to Montana after the Civil War, they maintained the land long enough to pass it down to the next generation. In 1923, James’ brother Jacob Dutton continued to uphold the tradition and push the family legacy forward.

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As Jacob and Cara continued to look after James and Margaret’s children, the family continued to expand until John Dutton III eventually took over the family ranch during modern times in Yellowstone. The real question becomes, how will the Dutton family tree be cut down or extended in the next two spin-offs, 1944 and 6666?