Still, how John and his father connect to the earlier members of their family tree remains one of Yellowstone’s mysteries about the Dutton family. That said, it’s pretty clear from John Dutton II’s ripe age in the Yellowstone flashback that John Dutton II was born around the 1920s, meaning his father is one of 1923′s characters.

Both Spencer (Brandon Sklenar) and Jack Dutton’s (Darren Mann) wives were pregnant leading up to 1923 season 2, episode 6, but the chapter ruled one of them out as the man who would go on to be Costner’s character’s grandfather.

1923’s Jack Dutton Death Means He Isn’t John Dutton III’s Grandfather

John Dutton III’s Grandfather Loses His Leg

Leading up to the onset of the Dutton family’s war with Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton) and Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn), Jack Dutton dies in 1923 season 2, episode 6, “The Mountain Teeth of Monsters.”

When his uncle Jacob (Harrison Ford) positions him at the Dutton lodge as the family awaits Spencer’s arrival, the impulsive Jack is initially aggravated that he is tasked with guard duty rather than heading to the train station. Jacob had convinced Jack that guarding Cara (Helen Mirren) and Elizabeth Strafford (Michelle Randolph) was the most important thing, but Jack broke from the protocol, and it cost him his life.

In Yellowstone season 4, John Dutton revealed an ominous fact about his grandfather from 1923. In “Phantom Pain,” John Dutton III relays to Jimmy Hurdstrom (Jefferson White) that his grandfather lost his leg, and the worst pain he ever felt was in his toes after his limb was gone. Since Jack’s death officially adds to the list of shocking Dutton family deaths, and his character won’t live past 1923, then we can say with some certainty that Spencer will be John Dutton’s grandfather, since there’s no one else in the family tree with the right age or circumstances.

John Dutton II Appears In Yellowstone Season 2

John Dutton II is elderly in the Yellowstone season 4 flashback. While we don’t know what year it was exactly, Kevin Costner plays John Dutton in the memory, so we can safely say the flashback takes place after the late 1990s since Josh Lucas plays John his earlier years. That has caused the prediction that John Dutton II was born between 1924 and 1930 and died between 1999 and 2003 (via yellowstone.fandom.com). So, John Dutton II was about 80 years old in the flashback to his death, meaning Jack or Spencer fathering him in the 1920s is the most feasible.

If Spencer is John Dutton III’s grandfather, and that seems evident at this point, the generational gap is an error. Still, perhaps there’s another explanation.

Little else is known about John Dutton II, other than he was presumably a fourth-generation Dutton, since John Dutton III is a fifth-generation rancher and Coleman’s character is his father. That said, Spencer is a second-generation Dutton, so while it makes sense now that the war hero is the grandfather Kevin Costner mentions, since it can’t be Jack, it also doesn’t make sense that Spencer is John Dutton II’s father since their connection skips a generation. If Spencer is John Dutton III’s grandfather, and that seems evident at this point, the generational gap is an error. Still, perhaps there’s another explanation.

Why Spencer Is John Dutton III’s Grandfather In Yellowstone

No Other Dutton Remains To Grandfather John Dutton III

Alexandra Dutton says their child will bear Spencer’s name in 1923 season 2, episode 2, “The Rapist Is Winter,” leading many to believe Alex’s baby will not be John Dutton II.

The adoptive family explanation would make John Dutton II a fourth-generation Dutton, since Jack, as John Dutton’s (James Badge Dale) son and James Dutton’s (Tim McGraw) grandson, is the only third-generation family member so far. We also know from 1923 season 2’s trailer that Elizabeth stays and defends the ranch, proving her loyalty, making it possible that Spencer and Alex (Julia Schlaepfer) could partially raise John Dutton II.

After James and Margaret’s (Faith Hill) deaths, adoptive families become a key element of 1923. The alternative explanation for John Dutton’s connection to his ancestors builds on that core theme.