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JOHN FINLEY OF MONTGOMERY/WYTHE COUNTY, VIRGINIA:
ADDITIONAL CHILDREN IDENTIFIED

By Carmen J. Finley, C.G., Ph.D.
Santa Rosa, California

John and Mary Finley of Montgomery (later Wythe) Co., Va., were the subjects of an extended family history published in serial form in The Virginia Genealogist in 1990 and 1991.¹ At that time, there were only three proven sons and a strong suspicion that John and Mary had come from Beverley Manor in Augusta Co., Va., before their migration to Montgomery County, with a brief stop in Prince Edward County. Since then, further work has demonstrated that the preponderance of the evidence identifies this John Finley as the Tinkling Spring Commissioner and Elder, who lived on South River in Beverley Manor from about 1737 or 1738 to 1765. In addition, it identifies the William Finley and George Finley, who accompanied him to Prince Edward and later to Montgomery County as John’s sons, by his first wife, a daughter of the Rev. John Thomson. It also identifies another older son, John, who lived and died in Beverley Manor in 1807 and a daughter, Elizabeth, who married James Gillespy and also lived in Beverley Manor.²

The purpose of the present paper is to expand the information now available about this John Finley and to present what is known about the children of his first marriage, John, Elizabeth, William and George.

1. Carmen J. Finley, “John and Mary Finley of Montgomery (Wythe) County, Virginia,” The Virginia Genealogist, v. 34, pp. 243-55; v. 35, pp. 18-33, 122-35, 173-85, 251-62.
2. Carmen J. Finley, “The John Finleys of Augusta County, Virginia: Some Hypotheses,” The Genealogist, in press.

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GENERATION ONE³

John Finley first appeared in Augusta County records 23 July 1740.⁴ However, there are clues that he was most likely living in Beverley Manor a few years earlier than that. His wife at that time was an unnamed daughter of the Rev. John Thomson, a Presbyterian minister then serving the Chestnut Level congregation in Drumore Township, Lancaster Co., Pa. This leads us to believe that the young couple probably migrated to Augusta County from Pennsylvania. John was active in the affairs of Tinkling Spring Meeting House, being one of several Commissioners charged with the construction and support of the church from its beginning in 1741. He was made an Elder in 1748 and served in that capacity until about 1764. In 1746 he bought 892 acres on South River from George Robinson, which he divided into three equal parts four years later, selling two portions to William Finley and to Robert Finley.⁵ Eight Finley children were baptized at Tinkling Spring in the 1740s, belonging to two different John Finley families. The evidence strongly indicates that Elizabeth, William and George (baptized 4 Jan. 1748) and at least one James (possibly both), were the children of this John and his first wife (Miss Thomson). In addition, they had an older son John, most likely born in the late 1730s. Shortly after the birth of George (or perhaps at birth), John’s wife died. With four young children, he lost little time in finding another wife—Mary Caldwell, who signed off her dower rights when John divided his property in 1750.

While Mary’s paternity has not been established definitely, Caldwell family researchers do agree that John Caldwell, who settled Cub Creek in Lunenburg (now Charlotte) County, was Mary’s grandfather. John Caldwell had been a follower and member of the Rev. John Thomson’s congregation at Chestnut Level until his departure for Cub Creek in the late 1730s. This leads us to believe that the Thomsons, the Caldwells and the Finleys were all probably well acquainted in Pennsylvania. It also leads us to believe that John’s second wife, Mary Caldwell, may have been a number of years his junior, not an uncommon practice for a second marriage.

3. The narrative that follows is based on the paper, “The John Finleys of Augusta County, Virginia: Some Hypotheses,” cited above, and is a digest of that much lengthier treatment.
4. Lyman Chalkley, Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia, Extracted from the Original Court Record of Augusta County (reprint; Baltimore, Md., 1974), v. 2, p. 4.
5. While it has not been proved, this writer strongly suspects that William and Robert were brothers of John.

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JOHN FINLEY OF MONTGOMERY/WYTHE COUNTY

After the French and Indian War, Tinkling Spring encountered severe financial problems. Many of the original leaders had died or moved away. John Finley, still an Elder, appeared in 1764 at the fall meeting of the presbytery in Cumberland County pleading for support. He was turned down. As a result, their pastor, Rev. John Craig, preached his farewell sermon in November of that year. John Finley, disillusioned after his years of dedication, sold his remaining interest in the property he had bought in 1746 and moved on to Prince Edward County. Prince Edward County and its neighbor, Charlotte, were home to many familiar Thomson and Caldwell relatives. These Scotch-Irish settlements with strong Presbyterian leanings were developed under the tutelage of both John Caldwell and later, the Rev. John Thomson (1744-51). However, John and Mary’s stay in Prince Edward County was fairly brief (1765-1772/3).

By Nov. 1773 John had purchased 327 acres on Salley Run, waters of Reed Creek, in Montgomery County, where two adult James Finleys were already living.⁶ There were also descendants of the Rev. John Thomson in the immediate vicinity. On 3 March 1779 John drew up Articles of Agreement giving his current property to sons David and Samuel. John died before 19 Aug. 1782. Mary was still living at that time, for she had to at least sign the document signed by John in 1779 was his act. Nothing further is known about how long Mary lived. However, the homestead on Salley Run was sold by David and Samuel in 1792.

Children of John and ___ (Thomson) Finley include:

+2.  i.    John² Finley, born about 1738/9, most likely in Augusta Co., Va.
+3.  ii.    Elizabeth Finley, baptized by the Rev. John Craig 18 Jan. 1740/1, Tinkling Spring, Augusta Co., Va.
+4.  iii.    William Finley, baptized by the Rev. John Craig 8 March 1747, Tinkling Spring, Augusta Co., Va.
5.  iv.    James Finley, baptized by the Rev. John Craig 8 March 1747, Tinkling Spring, Augusta Co., Va.⁷

6. While proof has not yet been established, the writer suspects the senior James Finley was the brother of John the Elder of Tinkling Spring. The will of James Finley, Sr., written 23 July 1799, names only son James and grandson William Finley (Wythe Co., Va., Will Bk 1, p. 220). The will of Capt. James Finley, written 15 Oct. 1800, names son William and “rest of my children” (ibid., p. 176). This would seem to indicate Capt. James Finley was the son of James Finley, Sr.
7. Howard McKnight Wilson, The Tinkling Spring, Headwater of Freedom, A Study of the Church and Her People, 1732-1952 (Fisherville, Va., 1954), p. 474. According to Wilson, two James Finleys were known to the Rev. John Finley who also baptized Elizabeth, William and George (4 Jan. 1748). If so, this James must have died in infancy.

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+6.  v.    George Finley, baptized by the Rev. John Thomson 4 Jan. 1748, Tinkling Spring, Augusta Co., Va.

The second James Finley said to have been born to this John Finley cannot be identified definitely as the son of ____ Thomson or of Mary Caldwell (and assumes Wilson was correct in his grouping of the children into separate John Finley families):

7.  vi.    James Finley, baptized by the Rev. John Craig 26 March 1749, Tinkling Spring, Augusta Co., Va.

GENERATION TWO

2. John² Finley (John¹) was probably born about 1738/39, most likely in Augusta Co., Va.⁸ He died between 6 July 1807, the date he wrote his will, and 18 Dec. 1807, the date his will was proved.⁹ He married Sarah Steele, daughter of Samuel and Martha (Fulton) Steele, probably about 1767/68.¹⁰ Sarah outlived John by about ten years. She wrote her will 11 May 1816 and it was proved in court Jan. 1818.¹¹

John, Jr., the eldest son, was only around 10 years old when his mother died. His father had remarried at least by 1750. He spent his formative years living in the South River area of Beverley Manor while his father was actively engaged in the formation of the Tinkling Spring Meeting House. By the time the family moved on to Prince Edward County in 1765, John, Jr., was a young adult. Presumably he remained with the family until they moved on to Montgomery County about 1772/73, although there is no proof of this. When the court records for Prince Edward County were examined, one interesting entry involved a John Finley. It stated:

September 1767, The King against John Finley for Misbehaving. Ordered that

8. The identification of this John Finley as the son of John, Sr., the Elder of Tinkling Spring, is based on a number of factors given in detail in the paper, “The John Finleys of Augusta County, Virginia: Some Hypotheses,” cited above. Most notably, however, is the fact that he, as eldest son, had claim on the real property of his father when he died in 1782 in Montgomery County. John, Sr., had, however, given his remaining real property to younger sons David and Samuel in 1773 through Articles of Agreement (Montgomery Co., Va., Deed Bk A, p. 283). In order to make this earlier agreement a valid transaction, John, Jr., of Augusta County had to deed this same property back to David and Samuel on 12 June 1792 (Wythe Co., Va., Deed Bk 1, p. 34).
9. Augusta Co., Va., Will Bk. 10, p. 172.
10. Named in will of father, 16 Aug. 1789, Chalkley, op. cit., v. 3, p. 202.
11. Augusta Co., Va., Will Bk. 12, p. 299.

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JOHN FINLEY OF MONTGOMERY/WYTHE COUNTY

the said Finley do give bond in the sum of £12.5.0 with one good surety in the Penalty of £6.5.0 to be bound of their respective goods chattels lands and tenements to our said lord the King, bonded but upon this condition that if he the said Finly shall keep himself of good behavior toward all his Majesty Judge Roan(?) for twelve months and one day next ensuing that this recognizance to be void and not be committed to the goal of this said county until he find such security and pay costs.”¹²

Since there is a strong possibility that both John, Sr., and John, Jr., were living in Prince Edward County at that time, it cannot be said with certainty whether it was father or son who went afoul of the law. Nothing further was found to explain the circumstances or eventual outcome.

John, Jr.’s first purchase of land was dated 18 Aug. 1773 when he bought 100 acres from his sister and brother-in-law, the James Gillespys.¹³ Actually, the Gillespys sold him a portion of what James had inherited from his father, near the old homestead where John, Jr., had grown up. (See Figure 1 and note the proximity between the George Robinson property purchased by John, Jr.’s father and that owned by James Gillespie.)

John, Jr., was a wheelwright, so identified by the tax lists of the 1780s.¹⁴ He and Sarah took in at least two children as apprentice and this helped further identify him separately from other John Finleys still living in Augusta County. On 24 Jan. 1775 Matthew Gleaves, son of Matthew Gleaves, deceased, bound himself to John, Jr., as an apprentice to learn the trade of wheelwright.¹⁵ The Gleaves had been living on South River prior to 1771 when Matthew Gleaves, Sr., died and his brother William was appointed guardian for Esther and Mathew, Jr. Uncle William soon moved off to Montgomery (later Wythe) County where his own daughter, Esther, eventually married Asa Finley, John, Jr.’s nephew through his brother William.¹⁶ Matthew Gleaves, Jr., eventually brought suit against John, Jr., for not living up to his part of the agreement. While the complaint is not dated, an attached paper dated 14 June 1793, states John, Jr.’s intent to obtain a deposition from James Gillespy, then living on Little River, waters of the Holston.¹⁷ How the matter was resolved was not found in

12. Prince Edward Co., Va., Order Bk. 4, p. 57.
13. Augusta Co., Va., Deed Bk. 19, p. 414.
14. Augusta Co., Va., Personal property tax records, L.D.S. film #0029288.
15. Augusta Co., Va., Drawer 449, Gleaves vs. Finley, March 1794.
16. Mary B. Kegley, comp., Glimpses of Wythe County (n.p., 1986), pp. 35-37; John Vogt and T. William Kethley, Wythe County Marriages, 1790-1850 (Athens, Ga., 1985), p. 45.
17. Gleaves vs. Finley, loc. cit.

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court records.

A second apprentice was Margaret Mooney, who at the age of 4 was bound to John, Jr., to learn “the business of spinning knittin sewing and other housework as is Customary,” until she was 18 years old. She came to the Finley

Figure 1: Section of Hildebrand’s map (J. R. Hildebrand, The Beverley Patent: 1736 [1954], folded insert inside back cover of Wilson, Tinkling Spring), showing property owned by James Gillespy). Note proximity to George Robinson property where John Finley, Tinkling Spring Elder, lived from 1746 to 1765.

JOHN FINLEY OF MONTGOMERY/WYTHE COUNTY

household on 2 June 1795 from the Overseers of the Poor when her former custodian, Jacob Berner, died.¹⁸ She had not yet reached 18 when John, Jr., died in 1807 and he provided for her in his will, saying “I allow that something may be done for Peggy Mooney.”¹⁹ Some interesting clues surface in the will of John, Jr.’s son William in 1836 as to Peggy Mooney’s fate. William, obviously unmarried, provides for his sister Sarah, brother John (now residing in Kentucky), sister Jane Frazier (now residing in Ohio), Margaret Mooney (who is residing with me), and Francis Marion Finley, son to Margaret Mooney.²⁰

When John, Jr.’s father died in 1782 the laws of primogeniture were still in force and thus the eldest son was entitled to his father’s real property. However, John, Sr., had made arrangements through articles of agreement for the property, 327 acres on Salley Run, waters of Reed Creek, to go to David and Samuel, sons by his second wife, in exchange for life care.²¹ In order to honor the intent of John, Sr., it was necessary for John, Jr., to deed this property back to David and Samuel. This transaction was actually carried out in June and Aug. 1792 by William Findley of Wythe County to whom John, Jr., had given power of attorney.²²

John, Jr., identified in his will his wife, Sarah, three sons and three daughters, listed below in the order named in his will. Sarah, who died some ten years later, named the three daughters, but only one son, William. Birth place of the children is not known, but is most likely Prince Edward and/or Augusta County.

+8.  i.    Samuel Steele³, born about 1769, probably in Prince Edward or Augusta County.
+9.  ii.    John (S. or T.) Finley, born probably in Prince Edward or Augusta County.
10.  iii.    Sarah (Sally) Finley, born about 1773, most likely in Prince Edward or Augusta County; died 17 April 1851, Augusta County; buried Tinkling Spring.²³
11.  iv.    William Finley, born about 1780, most likely in Augusta County; died 28 Nov. 1836, Augusta County; buried Tinkling Spring.²⁴

18. Augusta Co., Va., Loose papers (not recorded in any Deed, Court or other book).
19. Augusta Co., Va., Will Bk. 10, p. 172.
20. Augusta Co., Va., Will Bk. 21, p. 291, written 21[?] Feb. 1836, proved 10[?] Dec. 1836.
21. Montgomery Co., Va., Deed Bk. A, pp. 258, 283.
22. Wythe Co., Va., Deed Bk. 1, pp. 82, 84.
23. Wilson, op. cit., p. 462.
24. Ibid.

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William received an interest in the family homestead with directions to provide for his sister Sally.²⁵

12.  v.    Margaret Finley, born most likely in Augusta County; married John Hutcheson, son of Robert Hutchison, 2 June 1793 in Augusta County.²⁶ Prior to her father’s death, about 1796, Margaret, her husband, her sister Jean and her husband moved to Bourbon County, near Paris, Ky., where they remained until about 1806. Then they moved to Greene Co., Ohio, because they opposed slavery.²⁷ Margaret and her sister Sally inherited land on the Dicks River in Kentucky.²⁸

13.  vi.    Jane/Jean (Jinney) Finley, born most likely in Augusta County; married William Frazier, 1 April 1794, in Augusta County.²⁹ She inherited a lot in Waynesboro, near the family homestead, but apparently made a trade with one or more of her other siblings (see sister Margaret, above).

3. Elizabeth² Finley (John¹) was baptized at Tinkling Spring on 18 Jan. 1740/1.³⁰ She married James Gillespy in Prince Edward County in Jan. 1764.³¹ James was born about 1730 and came to America from Ulster, Northern Ireland, the son of James Gillespy, Sr., and Jennet, his wife.³² James’ and Elizabeth’s

25. Augusta Co., Va., Will Bk. 10, p. 172.
26. Col. McDonald, comp., Some Virginia Marriages, 1700-1799 (n.p., 1972), v. 17, p. 13. See also Col. Thomas Hughart Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, Record of Marriages Solemnized in the County of Augusta, from the 15th Day of March 1785 (n.p., 1970), p. 21.
27. Milton E. Barnes and Andrew Wallace Barnes, Part II. John and Margaret (Finley) Hutchison and their Descendants (Iowa City, 1965), p. 49.
28. Augusta Co., Va., Will Bk. 10, p. 172.
29. Chalkley, op. cit., v. 2, p. 310; McDonald, op. cit., v. 2, p. 6; Col. Thomas Hughart Chapter, op. cit., p. 22.
30. Wilson, op. cit., p. 474, which gives the year as 1741. L. B. Harke, List of Baptisms by Rev. John Craig, Augusta County, Virginia, 1740-1749 (Staunton, Va., n.d.), p. 2 gives the year as 1740/1. Since this predates the change from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, 1740/1 is probably the more precise date.
31. Prince Edward Co., Va., Marriage Records, loose papers, 1754-1850, gives date bond was issued as 3 Jan. 1764.
32. Wilson, op. cit., p. 426; Dorothy Day Gillespie, “A Brief History of the Family of William Gillespie, Sr. (1734-1826),” The Heritage, 20th Anniversary, v. 15 (Hot Springs, Ark., 1988), p. 36. Ms. Gillespie cites an importation order dated 24 July 1740 for the Gillespies stating they had come from Ireland (Orange Co., Va., Deed Bk. 4, pp. 122-24). Another descendant, Dan Welch,

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side of the Holston River a few miles below where Little River joined the Holston, now in Blount County, at the Holston College Cemetery--Louisville. James and John settled a few miles to the north.³⁹

The names of the children of James and Elizabeth (Finley) Gillespy were provided by three Gillespie descendants.⁴⁰

14.  i.    ____ (male³) Gillespy, died 12 Sept. 1792, Blount Co., Tenn.⁴¹
15.  ii.    Jane Gillespy.⁴²
16.  iii.    Mary Gillespy, born 26 April 1770, Augusta Co., Va.; married Major James Houston, son of Samuel and Elizabeth (McCoskey) Houston, 16 April 1791.⁴³ Children included Esther Jane, Esther (Hettie), Lucinda C., Mary Finley, Phoebe M., Elizabeth Gillespie, Samuel Finley, Martha, Melinda Gillespie, Sidney N.
17.  iv.    James (Smoking Jimmy) Gillespy, born 2 Sept. 1772, Augusta Co., Va.; married Eleanor Cowan, daughter of William and Jane (Walker) Cowan. Children included John Finley, William Cowan, James, Ellen Jane, Campbell.
18.  v.    Elizabeth Gillespy.
19.  vi.    Sarah Gillespy.
20.  vii.    Ann Gillespy.

4. William² Finley (John¹)⁴⁴ was christened 30 Jan. 1743 at Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church, Augusta Co., Va.⁴⁵ He died in Wythe Co., Va., between 15 Dec. 1801, the date he wrote his will, and 9 Feb. 1802, the date his will was proved.⁴⁶ He married (1) Mary Pettus, daughter of Dabney and Elizabeth

39. Gillespie, op. cit., pp. 41-45. The location of the James Gillespys on Little River is confirmed by Michael Gleaves vs. John Finley, loc. cit.
40. Lillian Gillespie, 1821 Institute Dr., Longview, Texas 75602, Dorothy Day Gillespie and Dan Welch, cited above.
41. Descendants are not in agreement on this child as a part of the family.
42. Ibid.
43. Edith Little, Blount County, Tennessee Marriages 1795 to 1910 (Evansville, Ind., 1982), p. 103.
44. The reader will note similarities to William Joseph Finley (4-02-16) in Herald F. Stout, The Clan Finley (2d ed., 2 v. in 1; Dover, Ohio, 1985), p. 62. However, Stout incorrectly identifies him as the son of John and Thankful (Doak) Finley who lived on Middle River. See Finley, “The John Finleys of Augusta County.”
45. Wilson, op. cit., p. 474.
46. Wythe Co., Va., Will Bk. 1, p. 202.

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(Rodes) Pettus,⁴⁷ before 1775.⁴⁸ She disappeared sometime between 10 July 1787⁴⁹ and 15 Jan. 1800.⁵⁰ He married (2) Judith ____. Judith was remarried to Thomas Holsey before 14 Jan. 1806.⁵¹

William’s family moved from their home on South River in Augusta County to Prince Edward County about 1765, when William was in his early 20’s. He bought 430 acres on Vaughn’s Creek, 19 Aug. 1765,⁵² from John Caldwell (his father had purchased 400 acres on Vaughn’s Creek, 15 June 1765⁵³). Since William’s step-mother was a Caldwell, one would assume the Finleys settled in Prince Edward County near their relatives.

William most likely married sometime after his arrival in Prince Edward County. At least we know from census records his son William, Jr., was born before 1775 and he was the eldest of the male children.⁵⁴ Mary (Pettus) Finley, William, Jr.’s mother, had a brother, Stephen, living nearby, who purchased land from John Finley on 20 July 1772.⁵⁵ Few records exist for William in Prince Edward County, but they are sufficient to show that he remained in that location after the departure of his father and brother George about 1772/73. In Sept. and Oct. 1773 William acted as assignee for John Finley in a suit against Thomas and Stephen Wood.⁵⁶ George, however, appeared on his own behalf when he sold his property 20 Dec. 1773.⁵⁷ In May 1774 William acted as power-of-attorney for George in a suit against Stephen and Edward Wood, John Fielder and Josiah Cole.⁵⁸ William signed a petition on 24 Sept. 1776 in support of

47. Mary Finley was named as daughter in the will of Dabney Pettus, 1 Sept. 1788, as was son Stephen of Prince Edward County (Charlotte Co., Va., Will Bk. 1, p. 407a).
48. Their son William was over 45 in 1820 (Christian Co., Ky., 1820 census, p. 43).
49. The date William and Mary, his wife, sold property in Prince Edward County to Joseph Fore (Prince Edward Co., Va., Deed Bk. 7, p. 297).
50. On this date his son Dabney brought suit against his father to recover slaves owned by Dabney’s mother (William’s former wife) at the time of their marriage (Wythe Co., Va., Deed Bk. 2, pp. 476–78).
51. In Earl Powers, comp., Kentucky Pioneers and Their Descendants (reprint; Baltimore, 1978), p. 32.
52. Prince Edward Co., Va., Deed Bk. 3, p. 21.
53. Ibid., p. 1.
54. Christian Co., Ky., 1820 census, pp. 41, 43, 45; Saline Co., Mo., 1850 census, p. 73 or 37, family 462-464.
55. Prince Edward Co., Va., Deed Bk. 5, p. 63.
56. Prince Edward Co., Va., Order Bk. 5, pp. 301, 326.
57. Prince Edward Co., Va., Deed Bk. 5, p. 184; Order Bk. 5, p. 335.
58. Prince Edward Co., Va., Order Bk. 5, p. 440.

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American Independence.⁵⁹ He also appeared in land transactions in Prince Edward County 16 Aug. 1781 and 8 May 1784.⁶⁰ Shortly after that, on 24 Aug. 1784, he bought 165 acres in Montgomery County (later Wythe) from Samuel Montgomery.⁶¹ He had property surveyed, 162 acres on the Cove, adjacent to his own patent land, 11 Feb. 1785. This was survey #20 and was “by virtue of an entry on a treasury warrant of 500 acres No. 13145 3rd August 1783 assigned to him James Clerks Atty.”⁶²

William first appeared in Montgomery County court records in 1785 when he served on a jury of inquest.⁶³ He also appeared a number of other times in court records, but always as a juror or to testify for others (except as noted below).⁶⁴ He and his wife Mary sold their last piece of property in Prince Edward County, 50 acres, to Joseph Fore, 10 July 1787 when they were referred to as “Of Montgomery County.”⁶⁵

William Finley was given power-of-attorney 27 Aug. 1784 by David and Samuel Finley in Lincoln County (Kentucky) in order to sell the property on Salley Run they had inherited from their father.⁶⁶ On 24 Jan. 1792 he was given power-of-attorney by John Findley of Augusta County. William Finley, Jr., witnessed this document.⁶⁷ William, Sr., acted as attorney for them 12 June 1792 when John Finley of Augusta County deeded the 327 acres on Salley Run to David and Samuel.⁶⁸ He also took care of the transaction when David and Samuel sold this property to William Finley, Jr., 14 Aug. 1792.⁶⁹

On 9 Sept. 1794 William Finley deeded two slaves, “Negro woman Nan” and “Negro Boy Martin,” to his living daughter Elizabeth Montgomery of Wythe.⁷⁰ While William did not name an Elizabeth in his will, it seems most likely that she was his oldest daughter. Other Williams living in the area (his

59. Herbert Clarence Bradshaw, History of Prince Edward County, Virginia (Richmond, 1955), p. 670.
60. Prince Edward Co., Va., Deed Bk. 6, pp. 439, 448.
61. Lewis Preston Summers, Annals of Southwest Virginia, 1769-1800 (reprint; Baltimore, 1970), p. 915.
62. Montgomery Co., Va., Survey Bk. D, p. 220.
63. Montgomery Co., Va., Order Bk. 1, p. 256.
64. Ibid., pp. 272, 288; Order Bk. 4, p. 17.
65. Prince Edward Co., Va., Deed Bk. 7, p. 297.
66. Lincoln Co., Ky., Deed Bk. A, p. 338.
67. Wythe Co., Va., Deed Bk. 1, p. 82.
68. Ibid., p. 84.
69. Ibid., p. 95.
70. Ibid., p. 220.

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own son and the son of Capt. James Finley) would not have been old enough to have had a married daughter. In addition, a handwritten manuscript handed down in subsequent generations, through son John Pettis Finley, states that William and four sons and five daughters.⁷¹

As noted earlier, William’s wife, Mary, disappeared prior to 15 Jan. 1800. On that date their son Dabney, then living in Lee County, brought suit against his father to claim slaves owned by his mother at the time of their marriage. William had sold six slaves (Caty, Abby, Rachel, Sarah, Joseph and Charles) “from the stock whereof,” and he still possessed five slaves (Sal, Mourn, Hanna, Amy and Spencer) who were issue of Mary Pettus’ slaves. Those five slaves were transferred to his children named in the claim—Dabney, Rhoda, Margaret, John Pettis and Asa.⁷² The wording in this document, “the right to said slaves ... passes to the children of the said Mary formerly Mary Pettus,” seems to indicate that Mary was not living as of this date. This did not exactly leave William destitute for he named five additional slaves in his will—Hagar, Ned, Sampson, Reubin and Harry.

William wrote he will 15 Dec. 1801 and it was proved 9 Feb. 1802.⁷³ The only evidence of his second marriage to Judith is found in this will. He provided that his lands be divided into four parts, as equally as possible. One part was to go to his wife Judith. On her decease or remarriage that property was to go to their daughter Mary Ann and the child (Sally Milton) “with which my wife is now pregnant.” A second parcel of his land was left to his son Esau (Asa), while the remaining parcels went to Mary Ann and Sally Milton. Other children named in the will were William, Rhoda, Margaret and John Pettis. The daughters received mares; William received his father’s blacksmith tools; John Pettis received cash after the settlement of debts. Of the three slaves which he still possessed at the time of his death (Hagar, Ned and Sampson), one went to his wife, one to Esau and the other was to be hired out to provide for his wife and her young children. Interestingly, Dabney, the son who claimed five slaves the year before, was not named in the will, nor was Elizabeth who had received two slaves in 1794.

William’s executors were his wife Judith and “my friends William Finley,

71. Newton G. Finley, “Our Fore-Fathers,” copied on 13 March 1870 from a letter written by “Uncle John P. Finley of Kentucky Dated January 25th 1854 to Uncle Asa W. Finley, Esq.” copy in possession of author. Extracts from this manuscript are shown in Figures 2 and 3 following.
72. Wythe Co., Va., Deed Bk. 2, pp. 476-78.
73. Wythe Co., Va., Will Bk. 1, p. 202.

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Samuel Crockett and Robert Adams.”

Children of William and Mary (Pettus) Finley include:⁷⁴

+21.  i.    William Finley, born before 1775, Prince Edward Co., Va.
22.  ii.    Elizabeth Finley, born probably 1775/76, Prince Edward Co., Va., married ____ Montgomery.
+23.  iii.    Dabney Finley, born 22 Nov. 1777, Prince Edward Co., Va.⁷⁵
24.  iv.    Rhoda Finley, married 1 Sept. 1803, Joseph Burton in Wythe Co., Va.⁷⁶
25.  v.    Margaret (Peggy) Finley, married 16 Sept. 1802, William Gleaves in Wythe Co., Va.⁷⁷
+26.  vi.    John Pettus Finley, born 1780/85, probably in Montgomery Co., Va.
+27.  vii.    Asa Finley, born about 1788, Montgomery Co., Va.

Known children of William and Judith Finley include:

28.  i.    Mary Ann Finley, married 4 April 1821, George W. Nye in Wythe Co., Va.⁷⁸
29.  ii.    Sally Milton Finley, born 1802, Wythe Co., Va.

6. George² Finley (John¹) was baptized 4 Jan. 1748 at Tinkling Spring by his grandfather, the Rev. John Thomson.⁷⁹ He died before 19 Dec. 1817 when his son Obediah took his inventory in Wilson Co., Tenn.⁸⁰ He married (1) Jane Fulton, daughter of Thomas Fulton, before 28 April 1769 in Prince Edward Co., Va.⁸¹ He married (2) Mary Gaines, daughter of Lincoln Co., Va. (later Mercer

74. Birth dates, where given are estimated from census records cited earlier, except as noted.
75. U.S. Archives record submitted by Richard Keith Finley, 9008 W. 75th St., Merriam, Kans. (1955). Submitter cites family Bible record in possession of Mrs. Harry Smith, Nelson, Mo., as a source.
76. Vogt and Kethley, op. cit., p. 20.
77. Ibid., p. 150.
78. Ibid.
79. Wilson, op. cit., p. 474. This George is differentiated from the George Finley who was baptized 30 Jan. 1743, son of John and Thankful (Doak) Finley, in Camden J. Finley, “The George Finleys of Augusta County, Va.,” The American Genealogist, v. 64, pp. 216-25.
80. Harrison D. Embry, Genealogical Reference Libraries Tennessee State Library & Archives, to Mrs. Paul Hepple, 222 Douglas Ave., Salinas, Calif., 21 Feb. 1963, copy in possession of author. See also Wilson Co., Tenn., Probate records, 1814-32, L.D.S. film #430841, p. 298.
81. Prince Edward Co., Va., Deed Bk. 3, p. 487.

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JOHN FINLEY OF MONTGOMERY/WYTHE COUNTY

Co., Ky.), 29 June 1786.⁸²

George was most likely the last son of John Finley by his wife, a daughter of the Rev. John Thomson, for his father had remarried by 1750. He was about 17 years old when the family moved to Prince Edward County. His marriage a few years later is documented by the deed for 200 acres sold to him by his father-in-law, Thomas Fulton.⁸³ His property was on Vaughn’s Creek, where his father and brother William had bought four years earlier.⁸⁴ When George sold his 200 acres on 20 Dec. 1773, his wife Jane relinquished her dower rights.⁸⁵ Nothing else is currently known of Jane or of their children.

Apparently, George was the first of the three Finleys who held property in Prince Edward County to move on to Montgomery County (later Wythe).⁸⁶ He appeared on the tax lists there in 1772 and 1773 (Captain Doack’s list), where two adult James Finleys were already living.⁸⁷ This was within a few miles of where his father, John, settled and was found on the tax lists first in 1773, along with his half-brothers, David and Thomas.⁸⁸ It seems that George did not remain for long in Montgomery County. At least he did not appear on the tax list of 1782, which is the next year available.⁸⁹ Nor were any land records found for George. However, George Finley acted as a witness to a deed from David and Mary Doack to Robert Doack, a transaction of 150 acres on Evans Creek, a branch of Reed Creek.⁹⁰ In addition, a George Finley was found listed among participants in Dunmore’s War of 1774, from Fincastle County, and Fincastle was the county from which Montgomery was officially created in 1776.⁹¹ In

82. Shirley Dunn and Dorothy A. Griffith, comps., Lincoln County Kentucky Marriages, 1780-1850, & Tombstone Inscriptions (St. Louis, 1977), p. 12.
83. Prince Edward Co., Va., Deed Bk. 3, p. 487.
84. Ibid., pp. 1, 21.
85. Prince Edward Co., Va., Order Bk. 5, p. 335. The deed itself (Deed Bk. 5, p. 184) refers only to his wife.
86. Montgomery County was officially created from Fincastle in 1776, but records were kept in the name of Montgomery County prior to this date.
87. Mary B. Kegley, comp., New River Tithables, 1770-1773 (Wytheville, Va., 1941), pp. 14, 29.
88. Ibid., p. 27.
89. Mary B. Kegley, comp., Tax List of Montgomery County, Virginia, 1782 (Wytheville, Va., 1974), p. 12. George’s half brothers, David and Samuel, did appear on this list, but David had no tithes, slaves, horses or cattle, one of several indications he had moved on by that date.
90. Michael L. Cook and Bettie A. Cummings Cook, Fincastle & Kentucky County, Va.-Ky.: Records & History, v. 1 (Evansville, Ind., n.d.), p. 272.
91. Reuben Gold Thwaites and Louise Phelps Kellogg, eds., Documentary History of Dunmore’s War, 1774 (Madison, Wis., 1905), p. 423.

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THE VIRGINIA GENEALOGIST

addition, both John and George Finley signed a petition from the “Western part” of Fincastle, 1774-76, to divide the county so that the petitioners could more easily attend court.⁹²

The next ten years or so are a void for George. He does not appear in Montgomery/Wythe County records after 1774. However, a George Finley does then appear in the Dix River area of Kentucky, where David and Samuel, his half-brothers, moved from Southwest Virginia. Some caution must be exercised in assuming the George Finley who lived from about 1786 to about 1805 or so near David Finley is the same we have traced above. There were several George Finleys living in Kentucky during this period of time and they have not been satisfactorily sorted one from another. However, another George Finley who lived in nearby Madison County has been shown to be the son of a John Finley who lived on Coddle Creek and Rocky River in Cabarrus Co., N.C.⁹³ Most of their records can be separated from one another. Another George Finley who left a will in Logan Co., Ky., in 1810 has been shown to be the son of John and Thankful (Doak) of Middle River, Augusta County.⁹⁴ There is also a George Finley associated with the Finleys in Jefferson Co., Ky.⁹⁵ The spelling of their surname evolved to Fentey. This leaves unaccounted for various George Finleys who appeared in Bourbon, Fayette, Harrison, Nelson and Woodford cos., Ky. One or more of the Georges may have moved about and may account for these other records. However, if we confine our analysis to the George Finley living nearest David Finley, the following records emerge (note that records appear in Lincoln, Mercer and Garrard counties as county lines were being established; David Finley records are also found in all these locations, even though he did not physically move).

29 June 1786 - George Finley marries Polly (Mary) Gaines of Lincoln Co., Va. (later Ky.).⁹⁶
3 Oct. 1797 - George Finley buys 100 acres on Dicks River in Lincoln County from Jesse Helton.⁹⁷
1802 - George Finley appears on Garrard County tax records with 100 acres on

92. Richard B. Harwell, ed., The Committees of Westmoreland and Fincastle: Proceedings of the County Committees, 1774-1776 (Virginia State Library, Publications, no. 1; Richmond, 1956), pp. 103-04.
93. Madison Co., Ky., Deed Bk. D, pp. 63-64.
94. Finley, “The George Finleys of Augusta County,” loc. cit.
95. This line has been researched by James M. Johnston, P.O. Box 4394, Carlsbad, Calif. 92008.
96. Dunn and Griffith, op. cit., p. 12.
97. Lincoln Co., Ky., Deed Bk. C, pp. 331-33.

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JOHN FINLEY OF MONTGOMERY/WYTHE COUNTY

Dicks River in Garrard County, David Finley nearby.⁹⁸
18 Dec. 1805 - George and Polly Finley sell 100 acres on Dicks River in Garrard County.⁹⁹
1809 - Mary Finley sues George Finley for divorce in Mercer County.¹⁰⁰
4 March 1809 - George Finley of Wayne Co., Ky., places personal property with Wm. Gaines in Mercer County, in trust for George’s wife Mary.¹⁰¹
19 Dec. 1817 - Obadiah Finley, son of George and M. Gaines Finley, takes inventory of estate of George Finley, deceased, in Wilson Co., Tenn.¹⁰²
10 Feb. 1818 - Obadiah Finley accounts for sale of personal property of George Finley, deceased, in Wilson Co., Tenn.¹⁰³

Three marriage records in Mercer County identify daughters of Mary Finley--Mary, Lucinda W. and Sally Finley.¹⁰⁴ This now supports some of the information given by Stout on a George Finley born in Augusta Co., Va. It also necessitates an analysis of Stout and a comparison with the data at hand:

Stout presents basically four pieces of data which must be considered:
1. His George (J-02-112) was baptized 30 Jan. 1743 at Tinkling Spring Church in Augusta Co., Va., and died 1809 in Wayne Co., Ky.
2. His George married (1) Ann Newland, daughter of Isaac Newland, 18 Dec. 1761; (2) Mary (Polly) Gaines, daughter of William and Sarah (Strother) Gaines, 29 June 1786.
3. His George had the following children by his first wife: Isaac, John, George, Ann.
4. His George had the following children by his second wife: Obediah, Sarah, Ann, Kitty Bruce, Mary, Lucinda.

We have already seen signs of Stout having fused together two Davids, each the son of a John Finley, each of whom lived for a portion of their lives in Augusta County.¹⁰⁵ The above information indicates he has done the same thing with two Georges, each the son of a John Finley, each of whom was baptized in Augusta County.

98. Garrard Co., Ky., Tax list, L.D.S. film #007988.
99. Garrard Co., Ky., Deed Bk. A, p. 718.
100. Mercer Co., Ky., Circuit Court Book F-9.
101. Mercer Co., Ky., Deed Bk. 7, p. 229.
102. Harrison D. Embry to Mrs. Paul Hepple, 21 Feb. 1963; Wilson Co., Tenn., Probate records 1814-32, L.D.S. film #430841, p. 298.
103. Wilson Co., Tenn., Probate records, loc. cit., p. 314.
104. Mercer Co., Ky., Marriage records, 30 May 1814, 22 Sept. 1818, 4 Oct. 1819.
105. Carmen J. Finley, “David Finley (1754-1848): Correcting the Record,” National Genealogical Society Quarterly, v. 76, pp. 112-20; Finley, “The George Finleys of Augusta County,” loc. cit.; Finley, “The John Finleys of Augusta County,” loc. cit.

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THE VIRGINIA GENEALOGIST

First, it has already been shown that the preponderance of the evidence indicates the George Finley baptized in 1743 was the son of John and Thankful (Doak) Finley of Middle River, that he lived for a number of years in Washington Co., Va., that he moved to Logan Co., Ky., where he died sometime after 22 Aug. 1810.¹⁰⁶ It is quite possible this George Finley could have been married first to Ann Newland. The first mention of his wife, Jane/Ann, occurred in 1795. Records for an Isaac Newland, who Stout gives as the father of Ann, were found in Washington County.¹⁰⁷ The other George, baptized in 1748, may well have been the one for whom we found records in Wayne Co., Ky. While his date of death cannot be fixed precisely, we do know it must be between 1805 and 1817.

Second, there is some evidence that the George Finley, baptized 1748, son of John Finley of South River and half-brother of David who settled on Dix River, did marry Mary Gaines.¹⁰⁸ There is also hard evidence that they had four children, who agree with the names provided by Stout: Obediah, Lucinda, Mary and Sarah (Sally). So once again, some elements presented by Stout can be supported by the evidence and others cannot.

The divorce proceedings between Mary (Gaines) and George state they had been married about 22 years, had nine children, and that he had abandoned her, having been gone for more than four years (1809). Her father had been helping support her along with “her own exertions.”¹⁰⁹ As a result of this action, George subsequently placed his personal property in trust with Mary’s father, William.

It is interesting, however, to note that the last mentioned document above shows that Obediah sold George’s belongings consisting of three horses, a saddle and bridle along with a pair of saddle bags, a bell and two books for a total of $119.12½. The accounting was approved in court 2 March 1818.¹¹⁰

Assuming that Stout may have correctly identified six of the children of George and Mary, plus work done by researchers of this family, the following seems the most probable identification of seven of their nine children:¹¹¹

106. Finley, “The George Finleys of Augusta County,” loc. cit.
107. Washington Co., Va., Deed Bk. 1, p. 356.
108. Assuming the George Finley living nearest David Finley in Garrard Co., Ky., is, in fact, his half-brother.
109. Mercer Co., Ky., Circuit Court Box P-9.
110. Wilson Co., Tenn., Probate records, L.D.S. film #430841, p. 314.
111. This information from Stout and from descendant of Lucinda, Dorothy Chapman Van Slyke, S. 524 Scott St., Spokane, Wash. 99202, except as otherwise noted. Mrs. Van Slyke has published extensive material on the Pennebaker family.

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JOHN FINLEY OF MONTGOMERY/WYTHE COUNTY

+30.  i.    Obediah Gaines³ Finley, born 24 May 1787,¹¹² probably in Lincoln Co., Ky.
+31.  ii.    George Finley, born 15 Feb. 1789, Lincoln Co., Ky.,¹¹³
32.  iii.    Lucinda W. Finley, born 23 Dec. 1794, Kentucky; died 16 Nov. 1874, Farmersville, Tulare Co., Calif.; married William Harrison Pennebaker, 24 Sept. 1818, Mercer Co., Ky.¹¹⁴ He was born 19 Nov. 1788 in Kentucky; died 7 April 1874, Farmersville, Tulare Co., Calif.¹¹⁵ Their children included Mary Ann, George Finley, John Hearn, Catherine B., Emeline, Lucinda, Lucinda Peechess, William Gaines, Sarah Ellen, Samuel.
33.  iv.    Mary Finley, born about 1796, Kentucky; died 21 April 1882, Putnam Co., Ind.;¹¹⁶ married Joseph Denny, 30 May 1814, Mercer Co., Ky.;¹¹⁷ He died in 1873, Putnam Co., Ind.¹¹⁸
34.  v.    Sarah (Sally) Finley, born 12 Jan. 1799, probably in Garrard Co., Ky.; died 7 Feb. 1877; married (1) Samuel W. Pennebaker, 4 Oct. 1819, Mercer Co., Ky.;¹¹⁹ Sarah married (2) Rev. John Wiseman.¹²⁰
35.  vi.    Ann Finley, born 24 May 1801, probably in Garrard Co., Ky.; died 13 Aug. 1857; married Robert H. Greene.
36.  vii.    Catharine Kitty Bruce Finley, born 24 May 1803, probably in Garrard Co., Ky.; died 14 Jan. 1882, White Co., Tenn.; married (1) William P. Brewster, 19 July 1821; married (2) Robert H. Greene after death of sister Ann.

(To be continued)

112. Foster G. Finley Bible record, Aug. 1847, copy in possession of author.
113. Information provided by Blanche Jerrigan, Box 486, Peewee Valley, Ky. 40056.
114. Mercer Co., Ky., Marriage records (mother Mary Findley; bondsman, David Findley; witness, Ezekiel F. Gaines), give marriage bond date as 22 Sept. 1818. Also L.D.S. film #0915847.
115. Yallades for Lucinda and William from Wm. Gaines Pennebaker Bible record in possession of Dorothy Chapman Van Slyke, Van Slyke to author, 7 June 1993.
116. Putnam County, Indiana, Church records, L.D.S. film #1455343, Item 12, Deer Creek Baptist Church, p. 18.
117. Mercer Co., Ky., Marriage records (mother, Mary Finley; bondsman, Ezekiel F. Gaines; witness, John Denny).
118. Putnam County, Indiana, Church records, loc. cit.
119. Mercer Co., Ky., Marriage records (bondsman, William Pennebaker).
120. Van Slyke to author, 7 June 1993.

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