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THE VIRGINIA GENEALOGIST

Volume 35, Number 4
October-December, 1991
Whole Number 140

CONTENTS

Editor’s Page 242

A New Clue - A New Connection, The Shipp and Tuller Families of (Old) Rappahannock, Richmond and Essex Counties, Virginia
By Norman R. Peters 243

John and Mary Finley of Montgomery (Wythe) County, Virginia (continued)
By Carmen J. Finley 251

Local Notices from The Virginia Gazette, Richmond, 1786 (continued) 263

Descendants of Thomas Love of Lynchburg and Amherst County, Virginia (continued)
By Phillip Wayne Rhodes 269

Mills Families of Virginia (continued)
by Joan Davis Hackett and Kathryn Dickerson Shannon 284

Loudoun County, Virginia, 1800 Tax List (continued) 297

Fredericksburg District Court Deed Book A, 1789-1793 (continued) 301

Book Reviews 307

Queries 315

The Virginia Genealogist (ISSN 0300-645X)
Editor: John Frederick Dorman
Published quarterly by John Frederick Dorman
Business address: Box 5860, Falmouth, Va. 22403-5860
Copyright 1991, by John Frederick Dorman

Subscription rate: $20.00 per year, single issue, $5.00
All subscriptions begin with first issue of year.
Postmaster: Send changes of address to
The Virginia Genealogist
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Second-class postage paid at Fredericksburg, Va.

JOHN AND MARY FINLEY
OF MONTGOMERY (WYTHE) COUNTY, VIRGINIA

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

(Continued from V. 35, p. 185)

38. William⁴ Finley (Jesse³, David², John¹) was born 6 March 1816²²² in Indiana, probably Orange County or nearby. He married Elizabeth about 1841 and they are found living next door to Jesse and Rachel in Hunt Co., Texas, in 1850.²²³ They were clearly resident of Hunt County by 1846 since William was found on the poll list for that year.²²⁴ William died before 9 April 1855 when Elizabeth remarried Elias Dorris.²²⁵

Known children of William and Elizabeth Finley include:
146   i. Eliza C.⁵ Finley, born about 1842 in Texas.
147   ii. Emma Finley, born about 1844 in Texas.
148   iii. David M. Finley, born about 1848 in Texas; married Phoebe Hodges in Hopkins Co., Texas, 23 Sept. 1875.²²⁶

39. Milton⁴ Finley (Jesse³, David², John¹) was born 6 Feb. 1818²²⁷ in Indiana, probably Orange County or nearby. He was first found on public records in Hunt Co., Texas, in 1846 when he appeared on the poll list that year.²²⁸ He married Orinda Davis in Hopkins County, 6 Dec. 1847.²²⁹ Milton was issued a certificate for 640 acres in the Mercer Colony on 6 May

²²² Bible records in possession of Jeanne Branon.
²²³ Hunt Co., Texas, 1850 census, p. 425, family 233-244.
²²⁴ Madison Day Mullins, Republic of Texas: Poll Lists for 1846 (Baltimore, 1974), p. 34.
²²⁵ Frances Terry Ingmire, Marriage Records of Hopkins County, Texas, 1846-1880 (St. Louis, 1977), p. 7.
²²⁶ Ibid.
²²⁷ Bible record in possession of Jeanne Branon.
²²⁸ Mullins, loc. cit.
²²⁹ Hopkins Co., Texas, Marriage Record 1, p. 8; Ingmire, op. cit., p. 1.

THE VIRGINIA GENEALOGIST

1850.²³⁰ They are listed in the 1850 census in Hunt County²³¹ and in Hopkins Co., Texas, in 1860.²³²

Milton and Orinda (Davis) Finley had the following children:
149   i. Jesse⁵ Finley, born about 1849 in Texas.
150   ii. Pulena Finley, born about 1852.
151   iii. Polly Finley, born about 1858.
152   iv. Aaron Finley, born about 1860.

40. David⁴ Finley (Jesse³, David², John¹) was born 1 Sept. 1819²³³ in Orange Co., Ind. He married Margaret McDaniel about 1841.²³⁴ She died about 1865 of smallpox.²³⁵ David remarried Julia Hite of Tennessee the next year.²³⁶ He died 17 Oct. 1884 in Dunklin County.²³⁷

According to one historian, David moved to Dunklin County about 1834.²³⁸ Since he would have been only about 15 years old, this implies that perhaps his parents, Jesse and Rachel, found in Stoddard County in 1840, lived in that part of the county that became Dunklin County in 1845. David and Margaret were found in Dunklin County in the 1850 and 1860 censuses.²³⁹ In 1860, David’s father, Jesse, age 69, was living with them. According to one historian, Margaret and three of their four children died of smallpox about the close of the Civil War, the other child having died prior to this time.²⁴⁰

David and Margaret (McDaniel) Finley had the following children:²⁴¹

²³⁰ Clifford White, Mercer Colonists (n.p., 1984), p. 20.
²³¹ Hunt Co., Texas, 1850 census, p. 429, family 260-274.
²³² Hopkins Co., Texas, 1860 census, p. 105 or 162, family 755-747.
²³³ Bible record in possession of Jeanne Branon.
²³⁴ Mary F. Smith-Davis, History of Dunklin County, Mo., 1845-1895 (1896; rpt. St. Louis, 1962), v. 2, pp. 191-93.
²³⁵ Ibid.
²³⁶ Ibid.
²³⁷ Ibid., p. 193.
²³⁸ Ibid., p. 191.
²³⁹ Mrs. Clyde Downing and Mrs. Jeff Wade, Jr., 1850 Dunklin County, Missouri, Census (Bragg City, Mo., 1973), p. 429; Mrs. Jeff Wade, Jr., 1860 Federal Census Dunklin County, Missouri (Bragg City, Mo., 1975), p. 47.
²⁴⁰ Smith-Davis, op. cit., p. 192.
²⁴¹ Birth dates estimated from 1850 census, loc. cit.; death dates estimated from Smith-Davis, op. cit., p. 192.

JOHN AND MARY FINLEY

153   i. Willing⁵ Finley, born about 1842 in Missouri, died about 1865.
154   ii. Moses Finley, born about 1844 in Missouri, died about 1865.
155   iii. Jesse Finley, born about 1846 in Missouri, died Feb. 1860.
156   iv. Eliza Finley, born about 1848 in Missouri, died about 1865.
     David and Julia (Hite) Finley had the following children:²⁴²
157   i. David Edwin⁶, born about 1858 in Missouri.
158   ii. Ellen Finley, born after June 1870, probably in Missouri.

42. Elizabeth Ellee⁵ Finley (Jesse⁴, David³, John²) was born 10 March 1823²⁴³ in Indiana, probably Orange County or nearby. She married Meritt Branon (Branum), born 18 Feb. 1820, New Madrid Co., Mo., on 1 Dec. 1842.²⁴⁴ He died 24 Jan. 1900, Cumby, Lamar Co., Texas. She was a founding member of the Harmony Presbyterian Church at Mt. Zion. Elizabeth Ellen died 4 March 1904 and is buried with her husband in Cumby Cemetery, Hopkins County.²⁴⁵

Elizabeth Ellen (Finley) and Meritt Branon had the following children, all born in Hopkins County:²⁴⁶

159   i. Mary (Polly) Ann⁶ Branon, born 17 Aug. 1843; married 18 Oct. 1861, William Wesley Young;²⁴⁷ died 15 July 1915, Hopkins Community, Hopkins County.²⁴⁸

160   ii. William J. Branon, born 7 Nov. 1844; married (1) Nancy A. Chaffin, 27 July 1865;²⁴⁹ (2) Sarah Frances Griffith; died 8 Oct. 1935 in Hopkins County.²⁵⁰

161   iii. Rachel Elizabeth Branon, born 29 Oct. 1846; married Dr. J. E. McFarlin on 12 Aug. 1875;²⁵¹ died 18 Oct. 1900, Cumby, Hopkins County.

162   iv. Albert Branon, born 30 Jan. 1848; married (1) Sarah M. E. Ward

²⁴² Smith-Davis, op. cit., pp. 191-93.
²⁴³ Bible record in possession of Jesse Branon.
²⁴⁴ Lamar Co., Texas, Marriage Records, v. 1, p. 20.
²⁴⁵ Hopkins Co., Texas, Death Certificates, v. 1, p. 7.
²⁴⁶ Bible record in possession of Jesse Branon.
²⁴⁷ Hopkins Co., Texas, Marriage Records, v. 2, p. 144.
²⁴⁸ Oakland Cemetery, Oakland Community, Hopkins Co., Texas.
²⁴⁹ Hopkins Co., Texas, Marriage Records, v. 2, p. 258.
²⁵⁰ Emblem Cemetery, Emblem Community, Hopkins Co., Texas.
²⁵¹ Hopkins Co., Texas, Marriage Records, v. 4, p. 140.

THE VIRGINIA GENEALOGIST

on 16 Dec. 1874;²⁵² (2) Belle Keener Weaver, died 2 May 1938, Cumby, Hopkins County.

163   v. Joseph Harvey Branon, born 17 June 1849; married Susan Therecia Butler on 27 Feb. 1879;²⁵³ died 19 June 1929, Branon Community, Hopkins County.²⁵⁴

164   vi. Julia Ann Branon, born 7 Nov. 1850; married Henry E. Smith on 15 May 1869;²⁵⁵ died in Anclers, Pushmataha Co., Okla., 31 Aug. 1940.²⁵⁶

165   vii. Eliza Jane Branon, born 18 March 1852; married James R. Ingram on 2 Oct. 1887;²⁵⁷ died 23 Oct. 1945, Austin, Travis Co., Texas.²⁵⁸

166   viii. Victorine Branon, born 2 Jan. 1854; married Norman A. Gillis on 3 Sept. 1874;²⁵⁹ died 30 Sept. 1910, Cumby, Hopkins County.

167   ix. Tecumseh C. Branon, born 13 Dec. 1856; married Mattie Welch in Paul’s Valley, Okla.; died 22 April 1935, Cumby, Hopkins County.²⁶⁰

168   x. Milton Branon, born 13 Dec. 1857; married Beulah Newell 27 April 1885;²⁶¹ died 16 Dec. 1937, Cumby, Hopkins County.²⁶²

169   xi. Malona Ellen Branon, born 5 Jan. 1860; died 13 Feb. 1905.

170   xii. David Meritt Branon, born 23 June 1862; married Mary Rue Moore on 27 Jan. 1898;²⁶³ died 11 Jan. 1930, Commerce, Hunt Co., Texas.²⁶⁴

171   xiii. Lucy Ardean Branon, born 29 June 1864; died 28 April 1946, Cumby, Hopkins County.

²⁵² Ibid., v. 4, p. 102.
²⁵³ Ibid., v. 4, p. 356.
²⁵⁴ Death certificate, Texas Bureau of Vital Statistics, #31207.
²⁵⁵ Hopkins Co., Texas, Marriage Records, v. 3, p. 226.
²⁵⁶ Funeral Home record, Anclers, Okla.
²⁵⁷ Hopkins Co., Texas, Marriage Records, v. 6, p. 171.
²⁵⁸ Confedrate Cemetery, Austin, Texas.
²⁵⁹ Hopkins Co., Texas, Marriage Records, v. 4, p. 76.
²⁶⁰ Hopkins Co., Texas, Death Records, v. 2-A, p. 21.
²⁶¹ Reeves Co., Texas, Marriage Records, v. 1, p. 1.
²⁶² Hopkins Co., Texas, Death Records, v. 2-A, p. 454.
²⁶³ Hopkins Co., Texas, Marriage Records, v. 9, p. 317.
²⁶⁴ Hunt Co., Texas, Death Records, v. 3, p. 82.

JOHN AND MARY FINLEY

43. George W.⁴ Finley (Jesse³, David², John¹) was born April 1825²⁶⁵ in Indiana, probably Orange County or nearby. He married Jane (Jincy) Odell, daughter of Simon Odell, on 12 March 1848 in Greenville, Hunt Co., Texas.²⁶⁶ He was issued a certificate for 640 acres in the Mercer Colony on 6 May 1850.²⁶⁷ In the 1850 census they were living next door to his brother Milton.²⁶⁸ George died intestate in Oct. 1853 in Hunt County at the age of about 28. The petition to administer his estate is dated 10 Oct. 1853; he left considerable property.²⁶⁹

George and Jane (Odell) Finley had one child:
172   i. Elizabeth⁵ Finley, born about 1848 in Texas.

44. Edmond⁴ Finley (Jesse³, David², John¹) was born 27 March 1827²⁷⁰ in Indiana or Missouri.²⁷¹ He received a certificate for 320 acres in Mercer’s Colony on 7 May 1850.²⁷² He served in the Texas 23rd Confederate Cavalry, Company I, from the latter part of 1861 to April 1865.²⁷³ Edmond married Mary (Polly) Ann Kerbo in Hunt County about 1864.²⁷⁴ In 1876 they obtained a land grant of 160 acres.²⁷⁵ Edmond and Polly had nine children and lived out their lives in Hopkins County. Edmond died 4 Nov. 1917²⁷⁶ in Ruff, Hopkins County, and is buried beside his wife (who died 6 Jan. 1921) in Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Hopkins County.

Children of Edmond and Mary (Polly) Ann (Kerbo) Finley include:²⁷⁷
173   i. Mary Ellen⁵ Finley, born 10 Oct. 1864; married J. B. McDonald.

²⁶⁵ Bible record in possession of Jesse Branon.
²⁶⁶ Hunt Co., Texas, Marriage Records in Deed Bk. A, p. 404.
²⁶⁷ White, op. cit., p. 19.
²⁶⁸ Hunt Co., Texas, 1850 census, p. 429, family 765-775.
²⁶⁹ Hunt Co., Texas, Probate Records A, p. 93.
²⁷⁰ Bible record in possession of Peggy Hardin, Klause, Texas.
²⁷¹ Hopkins Co., Texas, 1880 census, p. 177B, family 218-218; 1900 census, Enumeration Dist. 33, sheet 10B, family 184-189.
²⁷² White, op. cit., p. 21.
²⁷³ Confederate pension application #25189, Texas State Archives, Austin, Texas.
²⁷⁴ Ibid., #35761 (widow), approved statement, signed by M. A. Finley, dated 1 Dec. 1917 in Hopkins Co., Tex.
²⁷⁵ Abstracts of All Original Texas Land Titles Comprising Grants and Locations to August 31, 1941 (Austin, n.d.), p. 461.
²⁷⁶ Confederate pension application #25189.
²⁷⁷ Bible record in possession of Peggy Hardin.

THE VIRGINIA GENEALOGIST

174   ii. Joseph Jefferson Finley, born 14 April 1866 in Texas; married Easter Hill; died 21 Sept. 1917.

175   iii. Frances Elizabeth Finley, born 10 Feb. 1869;²⁸⁶ died 8 June 1941.

176   iv. Luran Ann Finley, born 7 Aug. 1870;²⁸⁷ died 11 Sept. 1943.

177   v. Emma Ardean Finley, born 22 May 1872; died in infancy.

178   vi. Lucy Lavenia Finley, born 24 Feb. 1874 in Texas; married Edward Sampson Sloan on 12 June 1892;²⁸⁸ died 9 April 1947 and is buried at Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Hopkins County.

179   vii. Nancy Ada Finley, born 10 Aug. 1878, Hopkins County; married Chester Clyde Ross on 15 July 1911;²⁸⁹ died 14 Nov. 1967 and is buried at Ridgeway Cemetery, Hopkins County.

180   viii. David Meritt Finley, born 30 March 1880, Ruff, Hopkins County; married Mary Lillie Stewart, daughter of Edward M. and Martha A. (Burns) Stewart, 13 Oct. 1907;²⁹⁰ died 8 June 1932 and is buried at Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Hopkins County.

181   ix. James Otis Finley, born 26 July 1882; married Kate Johnson on 23 June 1901 in Hopkins County;²⁹¹ died 1951.

45. Joseph Jefferson⁴ Finley (Jesse³, David², John¹) was born 5 Oct. 1829²⁹² in Missouri, probably Wayne County. He married Nancy Sutherland 3 Feb. 1857 in Hopkins Co., Texas.²⁹³ Joseph Jefferson died of throat cancer 14 June 1899 in Sonoma Co., Calif.²⁹⁴

Joseph Jefferson is first found in public records when he received a certificate for 320 acres in Mercer’s Colony near Greenville, Hunt County, 7 May 1850.²⁹⁵ He is also shown as a member of his parents’ household that year.²⁹⁶ A Jeff Finley is listed as a member of Company D, 13th Texas Cavalry, which was organized at Greenville, Hunt County, in Oct. 1861

²⁸⁶ Death certificate #543, Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, gives date of birth as 12 Feb. 1868.
²⁸⁷ Death certificate #177, Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, gives date of birth as 15 Aug. 1870.
²⁸⁸ Hopkins Co., Texas, Marriage Records, v. 8, p. 139.
²⁸⁹ Hopkins Co., Texas, Marriage Records, v. 10, p. 523.
²⁹⁰ Bible record in possession of Jesse Branon.
²⁹¹ Hopkins Co., Texas, Marriage Records, v. 3, p. 31.
²⁹² Sonoma Co., Calif., Death Register 42, p. 41.
²⁹³ White, op. cit., p. 21.
²⁹⁴ Hunt Co., Texas, 1850 census, p. 425, family 232-243.

JOHN AND MARY FINLEY

with J. G. Stevens, Captain, and was discharged in 1864.²⁷⁸ However, there is some question as to whether this is the same person, since he is found in the 1860 census living in Bodega Township, Sonoma Co., Calif.,²⁷⁹ near his cousins John and Samuel Finley, sons of Samuel. There is little doubt that the Joseph Jefferson Finley found in Sonoma County is the son of Jesse and Rachel (Colglazeur) Finley. A book in the possession of descendants of Joseph’s brother Edmond carries the following inscription:²⁸⁰

A. Present[?]
By Joseph J. Finley
Sonoma Co. California
To his name sake
Joseph Jefferson Finley
Hopkins Co
Texas
Oct the 19 1870
Jo Finley

On 23 April 1866 he also served as a witness at a Coroner’s inquest in Sonoma County.²⁸¹ A patent for 58.19 acres is recorded for him in Bodega Township, Sonoma County, on 20 May 1872.²⁸² He sold this property on 18 April 1877²⁸³ and bought property from T. J. Sutherland (an in-law?) in Guerneville the next year. Joseph Jefferson appeared as a registered voter in Sonoma County from 1857²⁸⁴ through 1898, having moved from Bodega to nearby Redwood Township (Guerneville) between 1875 and 1879. His physical description, obtained from the Great Register of 1898, describes him as “5’10”, fair complexion, blue eyes, gray hair, right eye gone.”²⁸⁵

²⁷⁸ Frances Terry Ingmire and Robert Lee Thompson, Johnny Rebs of Hunt County, Texas (n.p., 1977), p. 121.
²⁷⁹ Sonoma Co., Calif., 1860 census, Bodega Township, p. 536, family 428-428.
²⁸⁰ Original in possession of Peggy Hardin; copy in possession of author.
²⁸¹ Sonoma County Genealogical Society, Sonoma County Coroner’s Inquests During the 1800’s (Santa Rosa, Calif., 1989), p. 108.
²⁸² Sonoma Co., Calif., Patents, Bk. B, p. 60.
²⁸³ Sonoma Co., Calif., Deed Bk. 39, p. 329.
²⁸⁴ Sonoma Co., Calif., Deed Bk. 65, pp. 393-94.
²⁸⁵ Great Register, Sonoma Co., Calif., began in 1867 and lists all registered voters in the county; Sonoma Co., Calif., Great Register, 1898, p. 117.

JOHN AND MARY FINLEY

with J. G. Stevens, Captain, and was discharged in 1864.²⁷⁸ However, there is some question as to whether this is the same person, since he is found in the 1860 census living in Bodega Township, Sonoma Co., Calif.,²⁷⁹ near his cousins John and Samuel Finley, sons of Samuel. There is little doubt that the Joseph Jefferson Finley found in Sonoma County is the son of Jesse and Rachel (Colglazeur) Finley. A book in the possession of descendants of Joseph’s brother Edmond carries the following inscription:²⁸⁰

A. Present[?]
By Joseph J. Finley
Sonoma Co. California
To his name sake
Joseph Jefferson Finley
Hopkins Co
Texas
Oct the 19 1870
Jo Finley

On 23 April 1866 he also served as a witness at a Coroner’s inquest in Sonoma County.²⁸¹ A patent for 58.19 acres is recorded for him in Bodega Township, Sonoma County, on 20 May 1872.²⁸² He sold this property on 18 April 1877²⁸³ and bought property from T. J. Sutherland (an in-law?) in Guerneville the next year. Joseph Jefferson appeared as a registered voter in Sonoma County from 1857²⁸⁴ through 1898, having moved from Bodega to nearby Redwood Township (Guerneville) between 1875 and 1879. His physical description, obtained from the Great Register of 1898, describes him as “5’10”, fair complexion, blue eyes, gray hair, right eye gone.”²⁸⁵

²⁷⁸ Frances Terry Ingmire and Robert Lee Thompson, Johnny Rebs of Hunt County, Texas (n.p., 1977), p. 121.
²⁷⁹ Sonoma Co., Calif., 1860 census, Bodega Township, p. 536, family 428-428.
²⁸⁰ Original in possession of Peggy Hardin; copy in possession of author.
²⁸¹ Sonoma County Genealogical Society, Sonoma County Coroner’s Inquests During the 1800’s (Santa Rosa, Calif., 1989), p. 108.
²⁸² Sonoma Co., Calif., Patents, Bk. B, p. 60.
²⁸³ Sonoma Co., Calif., Deed Bk. 39, p. 329.
²⁸⁴ Sonoma Co., Calif., Deed Bk. 65, pp. 393-94.
²⁸⁵ Great Register, Sonoma Co., Calif., began in 1867 and lists all registered voters in the county; Sonoma Co., Calif., Great Register, 1898, p. 117.

THE VIRGINIA GENEALOGIST

Children of Joseph Jefferson and Nancy (Sutherland) Finley include:²⁹⁶
182   i. Mary E.⁵ Finley, born about 1859.
183   ii. Sarah J. Finley, born about 1862 probably in California.
184   iii. Emma Finley, born about 1871 probably in California.
185   iv. Ada Finley, born about 1875 probably in California.

84. Josephine⁴ Finley (Jefferson³, David², John¹) was born 7 Jan. 1827,²⁹⁷ probably in Orange Co., Ind. She married James Fisher 20 Jan. 1843,²⁹⁸ shortly before the death of her grandfather, David. When David’s estate was settled in 1853, James Fisher received $887.90 on behalf of his wife.²⁹⁹ Josephine died 16 March 1868 at the age of 40 and is buried in Trimble Cemetery.³⁰⁰

Josephine (Finley) and James Fisher had six children:
186   i. Miriam E.⁵ Fisher.
187   ii. Amanda Fisher.
188   iii. John F. Fisher.
189   iv. Lydia Fisher.
190   v. Laura Fisher.
191   vi. Clara J. Fisher.

85. Samuel⁴ Finley (Jefferson³, David², John¹) was born 10 July 1828³⁰¹ in Orange County.³⁰² He married Elizabeth Elliott,³⁰³ 7 Dec. 1848,

²⁹⁶ Sonoma Co., Calif., 1870 census, Bodega Township, p. 257, family 159-156; 1880 census, Redwood Township, Enumeration Dist. 130, sheet 18, family 141-78. The 1870 and 1880 census records are not consistent in the reporting of with places for the children; 1870 gives birth place of Mary and Sarah as California; 1880 shows all children born in Texas.
²⁹⁷ Gravestone, Trimble Cemetery, in Lost River Chapter DAR, Orange County, Indiana Cemetery Records (Paoli, Ind., 1943), v. 3, p. 243.
²⁹⁸ History of Orange County, Indiana (reprinted from History of Lawrence, Orange and Washington Counties [1884; Paoli, Ind., 1965]), p. 634; Orange Co., Ind., Marriages, v. C-3, p. 170.
²⁹⁹ Orange Co., Ind., Probate Order Bk. 4, p. 111.
³⁰⁰ Gravestone, Trimble Cemetery, Orleans, Ind., in Lost River Chapter DAR, op. cit., v. 3, p. 243. Bible date given, but no date of death.
³⁰¹ History of Orange County, p. 607.
³⁰² Identified in will of her grandmother, Rachel Elliott, dated 8 April 1868, probated 14 May 1868, Washington Co., Ind., Will Bk. C, pp. 500-02.

JOHN AND MARY FINLEY

five days before the death of his mother, Miriam (Brooks, Finley) Tegarden. Elizabeth was born 5 March 1830 in Washington Co., Ind., daughter of Ludwell Elliott.

When the provisions of his grandfather David’s will were settled in 1851, Samuel purchased for $2700 the 340 acre property David had owned.³⁰⁵ Samuel’s share of David’s estate, as one of three major heirs, was $887.90.³⁰⁶ He then deeded one-third of that property to Elizabeth Finley, presumably his sister, for $900.³⁰⁷ All three transactions, Samuel’s purchase, David’s final settlement and the sale to Elizabeth, took place on 27 Aug. 1851. In 1889 Samuel and Elizabeth (Elliott) Finley sold the northwest quarter and part of the southwest quarter of their property to George W. Tegarden and the remaining part of the southwest quarter to their son and daughter Charles S. and Sarah J. Finley.³⁰⁸ According to one local historian, Samuel was a “Republican and a prominent and useful citizen.”³⁰⁹

Samuel and Elizabeth (Elliott) Finley had ten children:³¹⁰
192   i. Jefferson I.⁵ Finley, born 25 April 1850.
193   ii. Sarah J. Finley, born 11 Feb. 1852.
194   iii. William J. Finley, born 18 June 1854.
195   iv. Susan Finley, born 27 Jan. 1856.
196   v. Charles S. Finley, born 8 Jan. 1858.
197   vi. Preston T. Finley, born 25 March 1861.
198   vii. Oliver P. M. Finley, born 24 Oct. 1863.
199   viii. Ulysses S. G. Finley, born 9 Feb. 1868.
200   ix. Reed Finley, born 14 Nov. 1869.
201   x. Baby Finley, died in infancy.

86. Elizabeth F.⁴ Finley (Jefferson³, David², John¹) was born 10 April 1830,³¹¹ probably in Orange Co., Ind. When her grandfather David’s estate was settled in 1851 she received $887.90 and reinvested it immediately by

³⁰⁵ History of Orange County, p. 607.
³⁰⁶ Orange Co., Ind., Deed Bk. 14, pp. 226-27.
³⁰⁷ Orange Co., Ind., Probate Order Bk. 4, p. 111.
³⁰⁸ Orange Co., Ind., Deed Bk. 14, p. 227.
³⁰⁹ Orange Co., Ind., Deed Bk. 39, pp. 402-04.
³¹⁰ History of Orange County, p. 607.
³¹¹ Ibid., p. 639, records, Trimble Cemetery, Orange Co., Ind.

THE VIRGINIA GENEALOGIST

purchasing one-third of his property from her brother Samuel.³¹² She married William R. Walker 9 Dec. 1853.³¹³ Elizabeth died 23 March 1882 at the age of 51 and is buried at Trimble Cemetery.³¹⁴

Elizabeth (Finley) and William Walker had two children:³¹⁵
202   i. William H.⁵ Walker.
203   ii. Mary Walker.

87. Thomas Milton⁴ Finley (Reuben Jefferson³, Thomas², John¹) was born 16 Nov. 1808 in Hawkins Co., Tenn.³¹⁶ He married Lucinda Horne in Overton Co., Tenn., on 25 Dec. 1832.³¹⁷ He died in Sept. 1849 shortly before his 41st birthday in Overton County.³¹⁸

After his father, Reuben, died in 1837, he took over the quest for property left to Reuben by his father. In a letter written to Thomas Milton by Jane (Clark) Finley, his step-grandmother, dated 20 Dec. 1842, she refers to his having been in Abbeville. Apparently he had asked her if she wished to dispose of a part of her Negroes. Her answer was, “I believe not, they are much attached to me & would be exceeding loth to part [from?] me while I live, and as that by the course of nature cannot be long I think it my duty to gratify their wishes in that respect.” She signs it “I remain yours with affection till death.”³¹⁹ In a letter from Alexander Hunter, executor, to Thomas Milton, dated 20 Sept. 1845, he advises Thomas that the estate of Thomas, Sr., must remain undisturbed until after the death of Jane (Clark) Finley.³²⁰ Scarcely a month later, on 26 Nov. 1845, Jane Finley wrote her own will leaving nine Negroes to her sister Mary Mackey and her children; seven Negroes to her grand-nephew, Thomas Findley Mitchell; and cash from sale of her estate also to Thomas Mitchell.³²¹ Three days later she

³¹² Orange Co., Ind., Deed Bk. 14, p. 227.
³¹³ Orange Co., Ind., Marriage Records v. C-3, p. 512.
³¹⁴ History of Orange County, p. 639; records, Trimble Cemetery, Orange Co., Ind.
³¹⁵ History of Orange County, p. 639.
³¹⁶ Bible record in possession of Sally (Finley) Nance.
³¹⁷ Ibid.
³¹⁸ Abbeville, S.C., Probate Box 34, pack 372.
³¹⁹ Letter addressed to Dr. Thomas from Jane Findley, Abbeville, 20 Dec. 1842, original in possession of Sally (Finley) Nance.
³²⁰ Letter to Thomas M. Finley from A. Hunter, 20 Sept. 1845, original in possession of Sally (Finley) Nance.
³²¹ Abbeville, S.C., Probate Box 34, pack 732.

JOHN AND MARY FINLEY

died.³²² Alexander Hunter immediately wrote informing Thomas Milton of her death, saying “there is no obstruction now in the way to prevent the heirs of Reubin Finley prosecuting their claims to the Estate of Thomas Findley, decsd.”³²³ If he knew of the will of Jane, he did not mention it. However, by March 1846, Dr. Mitchell (presumably the grand-nephew) had given written notice to Hunter not to disperse any funds and claiming his interest because of Jane’s will. The matter was to be taken before the Abbeville Court of Equity whose next meeting was the second Monday in June.³²⁴ In May 1847 Thomas Milton petitioned the court in Abbeville concerning his interest in the estate of Thomas Findley. He listed himself as eldest son and administrator of Reuben Finley, deceased.³²⁵ The estate was finally sold in Feb. 1849 and Nancy Finley, Reuben’s widow, received $25 from the estate in March 1849.³²⁶ In Sept. 1849 Thomas Milton Finley died in Overton County. The story continued as brother Granville Huston took up the pursuit of the legacy to his father Reuben (see his section under his father 15. Reuben Jefferson Finley).

Known children of Thomas Milton and Lucinda (Horne) Finley are:³²⁷
204   i. Nancy J.⁵ Finley, born 11 Oct. 1833, Overton Co., Tenn.; married Felix G. Osborne, 2 Aug. 1872, Dallas Co., Texas; died 12 Aug. 1921, Dallas Co., Texas.
205   ii. Amanda M. Finley, born 1 April 1835, Overton County; married Jess Ramsey; died after 1908.
206   iii. Reuben Oscar Finley, born 11 April 1835, Overton County; died after 1878.
207   iv. William Orville Finley, born 4 Jan. 1837, Overton County; married Mary C. Alford, 22 Feb. 1872; died 9 June 1895, Dallas Co., Texas.
208   v. Stephen Horne Finley, born 15 Sept. 1838, Overton County; married

³²² Bible record in possession of James D. Finley; letter from A. Hunter to Thomas M. Findley, 29 Nov. 1845, in possession of Sally (Finley) Nance.
³²³ Letter from A. Hunter to Thomas M. Finley, 29 Nov. 1848, in possession of Sally (Finley) Nance.
³²⁴ Letter from A. Hunter to Thomas M. Finley, 23 March 1846, in possession of Sally (Finley) Nance.
³²⁵ Abbeville, S.C., Probate Box 34, pack 732.
³²⁶ Ibid.
³²⁷ Bible record in possession of Sally (Finley) Nance.

THE VIRGINIA GENEALOGIST

Margaret L. Daniel, 23 April 1879, Dallas Co., Texas; died 2 Feb. 1912, Dallas County.

209   vi. Sarah Ann Finley, born 25 Jan. 1840; married James Carder, 20 Sept. 1869; died 23 Jan. 1924.

210   vii. Lucy W. Finley, born 14 Feb. 1842, Overton County; married Albert M. Roberts, Dallas Co., Texas; died 20 Oct. 1926, Dallas County.

211   viii. Granville Houston Finley, born 8 Feb. 1844, Overton County; married Fannie Daniel, 18 April 1875, Dallas Co., Texas; died 21 March 1900, Buffalo Gap, Taylor Co., Texas.

CONCLUSION

This branch of the Finley family certainly lived up to the descriptive phrase of the Scotch-Irish that they were people “who constituted the skirmish line of civilization.” John and Mary (Caldwell) Finley were among the earliest settlers in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Their sons David and Samuel were in Kentucky in the late 1770s or early 1780s, years before that area attained statehood. David, with much of his family intact, pushed on to Indiana by 1812, four years before that area attained statehood. From there on the family split. Jesse and Edmund forged ahead to Missouri between 1820 and 1830, early in the statehood of that area. Samuel went to Illinois about 1832 and died there a few years later, but a number of his children went on to Missouri between 1840 and 1850. Again the family branches, with Jesse and Edmund and a number of their children going on to Texas, probably in the early 1840s; Texas attained statehood in 1845. Several of Samuel’s children made their way to California by 1852, just three years after the Gold Rush and two years after California became a state.

At least two of the sons of Jesse and Edmund relocated in California. John, son of Edmund, went to Southern California in the early 1850s; Joseph Jefferson, son of Jesse, joined his cousins in Northern California at least by 1860.

The primary theme underlying this family is one of the pioneer spirit. They were at the forefront of the Western Movement in a young and growing America. They were movers, land owners and hardy people. This is entirely in keeping with the recollections of this writer of the fifth and sixth generation descendants of these Finleys.