1883

James Dutton

One of the leads of 1883, James Dutton (Tim McGraw) was the original patriarch of the Dutton family, and the first to claim the family’s home in Montana. Originally a farmer from Tennessee, he traveled west with his wife and children after fighting as a Confederate soldier in the Civil War. He intended to journey further beyond Montana, but settled there after the death of his daughter, Elsa.

Margaret Dutton

A nurse for the Confederate Army, Margaret (Faith Hill) farmed beside her husband, James, in Tennessee before the family headed northwest for new territory. She and James had three children in total: Elsa, John, and Spencer.

Jacob Dutton

Brother to James, Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford) took over caring for the Yellowstone homestead in the early 1900s. He is one of the leading men in 1923.

Cara Dutton

Played by Helen Mirren in 1923, Cara Dutton is the wife of Jacob and matriarch of the Dutton family following Margaret’s death.

Claire Dutton

Sister to James and Jacob, 1883’s Claire Dutton (Dawn Olivieri) was a recent widow who traveled in search of a new home with her brother’s family and her daughter, Mary Abel. But after Mary Abel was killed by a gang outside of Fort Worth, Texas, Claire—who had lost her husband and all seven of her children—died by suicide at Mary Abel’s grave.

Mary Abel

Daughter of Claire Dutton and niece to James, Jacob, Margaret, and Cara, 1883’s Mary Abel (Emma Malouff) died on the road west when a gang attacked the family’s camp in Texas.

Elsa Dutton

The eldest child of James and Margaret Dutton, Elsa (Isabel May) served as the narrator of 1883 before her death in the season finale. Traveling west at the age of 17 with her parents and younger brother, John, Elsa fell in love twice on the road—first with cowboy Ennis, who was killed by bandits, and then with Comanche warrior Sam, to whom she promised she’d return after her family found their homestead out west. But she was never able to make it back to her love, as she was shot and killed before they could be reunited. In her honor, James and Margaret founded the Dutton family homestead at the site of her grave.

1923

John Dutton I

The oldest son of James and Margaret Dutton, John Dutton I appears in 1883 as a child and in 1923 as an adult, played by James Badge Dale. He worked the Yellowstone land alongside his uncle, Jacob, and had his own family with wife Emma and son Jack. He dies midway through 1923 thanks to an ongoing feud between cattle ranchers and sheep herders.

Spencer Dutton

Although we don’t meet him in 1883, we learn in 1923 that James and Margaret had a third child, Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar), who was born after the family settled in Montana. A veteran of World War I, he’s a main character in 1923 and the most likely father of John Dutton II, given Elizabeth Dutton’s miscarriage in the 1923 season finale.

Alex Dutton

A feisty spitfire whom Spencer falls in love with while living in Africa, Alex eventually marries into the Dutton family and travels with Spencer back to the Yellowstone. In the 1923 season finale, she seems queasy aboard their transport ship home. Although it’s possible she’s suffering from seasickness, it seems equally likely she’s carrying John Dutton II.

Emma Dutton

Emma Dutton (Marley Shelton) is the wife of John Dutton I and mother to Jack Dutton in 1923. She dies of suicide after her husband is shot and killed early in the season.

Jack Dutton

The son of John Dutton I and Emma Dutton, Jack Dutton (Darren Mann) works with his father and great-uncle to tend to the Yellowstone land during 1923. He falls in love with Elizabeth Strafford and marries her in an unofficial (though very sweet) ceremony. It was originally thought that Jack would become the father to John Dutton II—episode 5 of 1923 revealed Elizabeth was pregnant—but, given his wife’s miscarriage in the season finale, it seems more likely Spencer and Alex will be Johnny Jr.’s true parents.

Elizabeth Dutton

Set up as Jack’s love interest in 1923, Elizabeth (Michelle Randolph) becomes the life partner and wife of the young Dutton. In episode 5 of season 1, she reveals she is pregnant, but she miscarries in the season finale.

John Dutton II

Presumably the son of Spencer and Alex—or, perhaps, Jack and Elizabeth, if they conceive again—John Dutton II is not guaranteed to appear in 1923, though he shows up as an old man in flashback episodes of Yellowstone. He was once the Dutton family patriarch, and is the father of Costner’s John Dutton III.

Jacob Dutton

The brother of James Dutton, Jacob (Harrison Ford) became the family patriarch in his brother’s stead in the early 1900s. Married to Cara, he worked the Dutton homestead alongside his nephew, John Sr. and great-nephew Jack.

Cara Dutton

The wife of Jacob Dutton, Cara (Helen Mirren) was the matriarch of the Dutton family in 1923. An immigrant herself, Cara faced off with fellow ranchers and shepherds while standing in her wounded husband’s stead on the livestock commission, and acted as the head of the family during troubled times.

John Dutton III

The now-deceased owner of the massive Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, Costner’s John Dutton III was an uncompromising traditionalist, a rugged cowboy, a survivor of multiple near-death experiences, and the governor of Montana. He yearned for nothing more than the continuation of his family’s land in the exact state it was bequeathed to him. But after some off-screen drama between Costner and Sheridan, Costner left Yellowstone behind, which ultimately resulted in Sheridan killing off John Dutton III in the season 5 premiere.

Peter Dutton

In Yellowstone season 5, John Dutton III reveals to his daughter-in-law, Monica, that he had a brother named Peter, who died only 18 hours after being born.

Evelyn Dutton

Once the wife and true love of John Dutton III, Evelyn Dutton (Gretchen Mol) died when her four children—Lee, Beth, Kayce, and Jamie—were still young. A horseback riding incident resulted in her being crushed, an accident for which Beth still blames herself.

Lee Dutton

The eldest child of John Dutton III and Evelyn Dutton, Lee (Dave Annable) was always meant to carry on the Dutton ranch’s legacy, but he died in the first season of Yellowstone after a battle over stolen cattle.

Beth Dutton

John Dutton III and Evelyn’s only daughter, Beth (Kelly Reilly) is the signature spitfire of the family, a pure force of nature with the cutting stares and ragged bangs to prove it. The only people for whom she’ll acquiesce—if only barely—are her father and her husband, the cowboy Rip Wheeler.

Rip Wheeler

A cowboy through and through, Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) first arrived on the Yellowstone Ranch as a traumatized teenager, where he met and slowly fell in love with his boss’s daughter. He was John Dutton III’s most trusted man, and he’s now poised to live out John’s land-first ideology with a new ranch in Montana.

Kayce Dutton

Forever untethered within the Dutton family and at one point estranged from his father, Kayce (Luke Grimes) is the youngest of the Dutton brood but the first to have his own family. He married Monica Long of the Broken Rock Reservation, and together they had Tate Dutton, whom John Dutton III eventually grows close with as Kayce’s wariness subsides.

Jamie Dutton

Desperate to please and easily manipulated, Jamie (Wes Bentley) is an attorney and the adopted son of John Dutton III and Evelyn Dutton, whom John later disinherits when things get a little—ahem—dicey between them. Jamie’s biological father was Garrett Randall, who killed Jamie’s mother when Jamie was just a baby. Jamie himself kills Garrett when things get dicey between them. Then, in season 5, Jamie is accused of killing John Dutton III himself. Finally, Beth kills Jamie. Gotta love family!

Christina

Once an employee of Jamie’s during his campaign for state attorney general, Christina (Katherine Cunningham) became briefly romantically linked with Jamie and fathered his child.

Unknown Dutton

Jamie and Christina had a baby boy together, and though we know he’s named after his father, it’s unclear if his name is Jamie or James.

Monica Long

Raised on the nearby Broken Rock Reservation, the loyal and intelligent Monica Long Dutton (Kelsey Asbille) is naturally suspicious of the Dutton family’s intentions, though she has grown fonder of them as her son grew up and her husband, Kayce, fell back within his father’s grasp. She has worked as a teacher both on and off the reservation.

Tate Dutton

The only surviving child of Kayce and Monica, Tate Dutton (Brecken Merrill) is an adventurous boy who—like his father and grandfather—has been through hell more than once. As one of the few Dutton descendants who seems to appreciate the land as much as his forebears, it’s fitting that he—the son of a white man and a Native American woman—should re-inherit a piece of the land once taken from his ancestors.