The Dutton genealogy from 1923 to Yellowstone runs through a few key generations: John Dutton Sr. and Emma Dutton in 1923 are the parents of Jack Dutton, and Spencer Dutton is the other major branch from that era. In Yellowstone , the modern ranch is led by John Dutton III, who is generally presented as the descendant of Spencer’s line, though the exact bridge is only partly shown on screen.

Family line

Here’s the clearest version of the lineage:

[9] [9] [3][9] [3][9] [9]
Era Person Relation
1883 James Dutton + Margaret Dutton Foundation generation of the Montana Duttons
1923 John Dutton Sr. + Emma Dutton Son of James and Margaret; father of Jack Dutton
1923 Spencer Dutton + Alexandra Younger son of James and Margaret; his line is tied to John Dutton II and then John Dutton III
Yellowstone John Dutton III Modern-day patriarch of the ranch
Yellowstone Lee, Beth, Kayce, Jamie John Dutton III’s children; Lee dies, Beth and Kayce remain central, Jamie is raised as a son but later learns he was adopted

How the branch connects

The show most strongly implies that Spencer Dutton is the ancestor of John Dutton III , with John Dutton II as the missing middle generation. That means the broad line is usually understood as James and Margaret - > Spencer -> John Dutton II -> John Dutton III. John Dutton Sr. and Jack belong to the other 1923 branch, which is important to the family tree but not the direct line to the present-day Yellowstone ranch leadership.

In plain terms

If you want the simplest version, it’s this: 1923 shows the split between John Sr.’s branch and Spencer’s branch, and Yellowstone follows Spencer’s eventual descendants. So the modern Duttons are not just one straight line from the earlier show; they come from the larger family tree rooted in James and Margaret.

TL;DR: the main genealogy is James and Margaret Dutton - > Spencer Dutton -> John Dutton II -> John Dutton III, while John Dutton Sr. - > Jack Dutton is the other big branch from 1923.