The Dutton family tree is pretty complicated, but it doesn't have to be. Yellowstone, 1883 and 1923 fans will appreciate this easy explanation of how James, Jacob and John Dutton are related.

Skip ahead to the 6:00 mark of the above video for the 30-second version, uninterrupted. There's also a complete graphic with the same information below. The rest of the video (and what follows here) is the more detailed explanation.

One has to make certain assumptions at this point. For example, most viewers believe John Dutton's (Kevin Costner) father is the son of Jack Dutton (Darren Mann on 1923), but that's not been confirmed.

Likewise, fans have seen tombstones for Chance and Ned Dutton. There's only one plausible explanation for how they fit in to the Dutton family tree, and it's a sad one. We'll get there. This will all be explained in depth during a future episode of the Dutton Rules podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you podcast.

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Yellowstone: How Is James Dutton Related to Jacob Dutton?

The first part of this graphic explains how Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford) from 1923 and James Dutton (Tim McGraw) from 1883 are related. Jacob is James' older brother, something Ford confirmed to Taste of Country.

Notice that the boys had another sibling named Claire Dutton (Dawn Olivieri) as well. During 1883, Claire meets her fate. Up until then she's only described as Margaret Dutton's (Faith Hill) sister-in-law, but since her last name is Dutton, she must be kin to James and Jacob.

The other explanation is that Clare married a third Dutton boy, but that wouldn't explain why her daughter — the late Mary Abel — has a different last name. What's more important is this "blue" generation's kids, as seen here.

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Early episodes of Yellowstone show tombstones for Ned and Chance Dutton, who both lived in the mid to late 19th century. By watching 1883, we know neither made the trip to Montana with James and Margaret. The opening episode of 1923 reveals that Jacob rushed to save the family upon James' death. This is circa 1895.

The only reasonable explanation for Ned and Chance is that they were Jacob and Cara's (Helen Mirren) children, and they died before 1923. We've marked that as speculation since it's not been confirmed. Along with all of James and Margaret's kids, they make up the "white" generation.

Yellowstone: How Is James Dutton Related to John Dutton Sr.?

It gets confusing here, because there are two unique characters called John Dutton Sr. The first is James Dutton's son, played by Audie Rick in 1883 and James Badge Dale in 1923. The second is John Dutton's (Costner) father, played by Dabney Coleman in Yellowstone.

The third episode of 1923 (and simple math) makes it clear these men are not the same man. We won't say more, as we don't want to spoil it for those who've not yet watched. Just trust us.

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Here's why it's likely that Coleman's character is Jack Dutton's (Mann) son. During Ep. 1 of Season 5 of Yellowstone, Jamie Dutton introduces Governor John Dutton as a fifth-generation rancher. That math only works if this John Sr. (Coleman) is great-grandson to James (McGraw).

The other possibility at this point is that Spencer has a son and then that boy has a son, but that's too much speculation to lean on. If the second John Sr. (Coleman) were Spencer's boy, that would wipe out a full generation and only make Costner's John a fourth-generation rancher. That's no good.

We'll add a note here that in a previous Dutton Family tree video and article, we were adamant that McGraw's James was Costner's John's great-great-great grandson. Taylor Sheridan said that, but further exploration reveals that he either misspoke, changed his mind or has one heck of a surprise planned for us. We can't justify another generation at this point.

Who Are Peter Dutton and Patience Dutton?

Graphic No. 3 brings us to the modern-day Yellowstone. It also reveals Peter Dutton as John Dutton's (Costner) brother, a boy who died as a baby (revealed during Season 5 of Yellowstone).

During Season 5 we also see a headstone for Patience Dutton, who lived in the early 20th century. Our best guest is she's a second child to Jack and Elizabeth, although Spencer and Alex could have also given birth to a daughter. Both couples have certainly shown the kind of passion that leads to baby-making.

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Meet Tate Dutton, the Seventh Generation Dutton:

Finally, we get to the teal generation, which is Tate Dutton, his late baby brother John and — by way of adoption — Jamie Dutton's son, whose name isn't 100 percent clear.

Those who watched 1883 remember a Crow elder telling McGraw's James Dutton that he could have the land he was sent to to bury his daughter, but in seven generations, the tribe would take it back. Tate Dutton is the seventh generation, and unless Kayce and Monica have more kids, he's it.

That's because Beth Dutton can't have children, Lee Dutton is dead and Jamie is the family black sheep. A real twist would be John Dutton getting someone like Summer Higgins pregnant. If that happens, we'll adjust, and maybe make a new video.

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As part of Taste of Country's comprehensive coverage of all things Yellowstone, check out our Dutton Rules podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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