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1883

It makes sense to start with 1883, as the Dutton family origin story began when James Dutton, played by Tim McGraw, set out with his family to find a better life in the West following the Civil War. He became the first Dutton to settle in Montana, a decision that came after he lost his daughter, Elsa.

James is married to Margaret, portrayed by Faith Hill, who is a strong-willed woman and former Civil War nurse. The two of them traveled out west with their three children, Elsa, John, and Spencer.

Elsa was the couple's eldest daughter and also served as the narrator in 1883. Prior to her death, her first love was a cowboy named Ennis, but he was killed in a gunfight. Then, not long afterward, she fell in love again with a Comanche warrior named Sam, but while they dreamed of building a life together, Elsa ultimately died. Again, it was her death that determined the family's decision to settle in Montana.

Meanwhile, John Dutton Sr., the eldest son of James and Margaret, was only a young boy in 1883. Fans later get to meet him as a grown man in 1923. The couple's youngest son, Spencer, also doesn't appear in 1883 but goes on to play a key role in the next generation's story.

Traveling west alongside the Duttons is James' widowed sister, Claire nee Dutton, who is weighed down by unimaginable grief. She lost six of her children, as well as her husband, Henry, before the journey even began.

So, Claire brought her final child with her, Mary Abel, but tragedy struck her yet again when Mary was killed during their journey out west. The loss hits Claire so hard that she decides to take her own life at her daughter's grave.

1923

By the time 1923 begins, James and Margaret have both passed and their sons, John Sr. and Spencer, are raised by James' brother, Jacob Dutton, who takes over the Dutton Ranch and assumes the role of family patriarch. He's also married to Cara Dutton, who's originally from Ireland.

At the same time, John Dutton Sr. has grown into a capable rancher and is married to Emma Dutton.

Together, they have a son named Jack, who represents the next generation of Duttons and is engaged to Elizabeth Strafford.

The storyline of Spencer Dutton, who fans didn't get to meet in 1883, starts in 1923. Again, he was the youngest child of James and Margaret, and as an adult, he served in World War I, worked in Africa, and eventually fell in love with his wife, Alexandra.

Now, it's presumed that John Dutton II was the son of Spencer and Alexandra, but this hasn't been confirmed. What we do know is that he eventually fathers John Dutton III, the present-day patriarch of the Yellowstone Ranch.

Yellowstone

In Yellowstone, John Dutton III is the strong force behind the modern Dutton empire. As both a rancher and Montana's governor, he stands at a crossroads between tradition and change.

John was married to Evelyn Dutton, but she ultimately died following a horseback riding incident. This left John to raise their four children, Lee, Beth, Kayce, and Jamie, on his own.

Their eldest son, Lee, was poised to inherit the ranch but was killed in the show's first season.

Beth, their only daughter, is a complex and fiercely loyal woman who's married to Rip Wheeler, John's right-hand man.

Rip was actually taken in by John as a teen. Together, he and Beth then took in Carter, a troubled foster teen whom they're raising on the ranch.

As for Jamie Dutton, he eventually learns he was adopted despite being raised as John's son. He also has his own son, Jamie Jr., with his ex, Christina.

Finally, Kayce, the third Dutton son, doesn't have the closest bond with his father. He's married to Monica Long Dutton, a Native American woman from the Brocken Rock Reservation, and they have a son named Tate.

The pair had a second son, John Dutton IV, too. Sadly, he died shortly after he was born following a car accident on the way to the hospital.