wythe3.htm

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

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

(Continued from V. 39, p. 103)

26. John Pettus⁵ Finley (William⁴, John³) was born, 1780/85,¹⁹⁸ probably in Montgomery Co., Va. He died in Christian Co., Ky., between 16 July 1860, the date of his will, and 21 Jan. 1861, the date the will was proved.¹⁹⁹ He married Hester Clarke 26 Nov. 1805 in Christian County.²⁰⁰ She disappeared from the household between the 1830 and 1840 censuses.

John Pettus and his brother Dabney were the first to have lands surveyed in Christian Co., Ky., John’s being 200 acres on McFarland’s Fork, 30 Sept. 1799.²⁰¹ He surveyed an additional 100 acres on 30 March 1803 and 400 acres on 8 Aug. 1806, both on Little River, and another 70 acres on Clear Creek, 15 Jan. 1810.²⁰² Between 9 Feb. 1807 and 1 July 1819 he appeared as grantor or grantee in nine deeds in Christian County.²⁰³

John Pettus Finley became heavily involved in the establishment and support of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church at Salubria. The first house of worship was the Finley Schoolhouse, which was used in common with other denominations. He later deeded it to the Church and, in his will, provided quite handsomely for the Church. He left $100 outright to the Bible Society. In addition, he directed his executor to deposit the remainder of his estate, after

¹⁹⁸ He was shown as age 65 in Christian Co., Ky., 1850 census, Dist. 2, p. 719 or 360, family 50-60 in Christian Co., Ky., 1840 census, p. 198.

¹⁹⁹ Christian Co., Ky., Will Bk. R, p. 376.

²⁰⁰ Christian Co., Ky., Marriages, Bk. 1, p. 367.

²⁰¹ Willard Rouse Jillson, The Kentucky Land Grants (reprint; Baltimore, 1974), p. 311.

²⁰² Ibid., p. 312.

²⁰³ Christian Co., Ky., Deed Bk. A, p. 267; Deed Bk. D, pp. 284, 391; Deed Bk. F, p. 132; Deed Bk. G, p. 441; Deed Bk. I, p. 250; Deed Bk. K, pp. 256, 260.

JOHN FINLEY OF MONTGOMERY/WYTHE COUNTY 203

providing for his heirs, in a bank with the annual interest to go to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church for twenty years. At the end of that time the principle was go to the General Assembly to be used for Missionary work, either at home or in foreign areas where they could best advance the Savior’s cause.²⁰⁴

He was also quite involved in the Colonization Society. The primary mission of this society was to free slaves and return them to Liberia. He left $50 directly to the Society “to remove some of the Africans to Liberia.” He also made elaborate provisions designed to encourage his own slaves to take advantage of the Society’s goals. He states “My will is that my servants shall be free to go to Liberia or as many of them as are willing to go lic:; go] after they are hired out for the space of five years to humane men ...” He further directed his executor to pay back to them one-fourth of what was received for hiring them out. This was to be used so that “they may enjoy some of the good things here on earth and to learn how to economise and use their money ...” He also allowed for a way for all his slaves to pool their money so that each could have at least $500 and if the money fell short of that mark, the difference was to be made up from his estate. All of this, however, was conditional on their being willing to go to Liberia. According to a local historian of Christian County, the name of the person heading the Colonization Society at that time was John Pettus.²⁰⁵ This John Pettus, son of William Overton Pettus, is said to have come from Louisa Co., Va., and was born 9 Sept. 1778 and died 7 Jan. 1849.²⁰⁶ hence a contemporary of John Pettus Finley and most likely related through his mother’s side of the family, possibly a cousin.

From his will it is clear that John Pettus Finley had been a financial success in his lifetime. The inventory of his estate showed the following assets:²⁰⁷

²⁰⁴ Christian Co., Ky., Will Bk. R, p. 376.

²⁰⁵ Sue Lail, Corresponding Secretary, Christian County Genealogical Society, to Carmen J. Finley, 18 July 1990.

²⁰⁶ Sue Lail to Carmen J. Finley, 10 Aug. 1990.

²⁰⁷ Christian Co., Ky., Will Bk. R, pp. 463-73.

²⁰⁸ Bettie, Afee, Solomon, Ned, George, Charlie, Hester, Urial,

204 THE VIRGINIA GENEALOGIST

total $17,764.00

He directed his executor to sell off all his property, five parcels containing 605 acres. The money was to be distributed to his grandchildren, as follows: $1066 each to Sarah Jane, George C., John P., Melissa and Amanda Finley, children of his son Milton, then residing in Morgan Co., Mo.; $1200 each to Hester C. and James D. Ware, grandchildren living in Texas. He also established a scholarship at Cumberland College for the benefit of his grandsons John P. Finley and/or James D. Ware. However, if they did not wish to take advantage of it, it was to go to any young man “who is a Candidate for the ministry in the Cumberland College and Cumberland Presbyterian.”

The provisions for his own children are less clear. He tells his executor to: “... sell it [one share in the] Henderson & Nashville Railroad or what ever will be best for the Children who are of the following names, To Wit, William Y. Moore, now living in Missouri I have paid him off and his receipts is filed away in my will marked no. one, Hester M. Finley I have paid her off and her receipt filed away in my will marked No. two, and Margaret Finley I have paid her off and her receipt filed away in my will marked No three, And two notes my son ous [owes] me and for his satisfaction ammounting to twelve hundred and eighty three dollars and 22 cents marked Number for and five. But I do not charge his Children with interest in said notes for they were truly unfortunate in his lost.

A marriage record does exist for William Y. Moore and Margaret Finley, 18 Oct. 1832, in Christian County.²⁰⁹ So it would appear that the above paragraph identifies two of his daughters, Margaret S. (who married William Y. Moore) and Hester M. He also identified five of his grandchildren as children of Milton Finley. The surname of two other grandchildren is Ware, therefore a third daughter must have married a Ware. There also exists a brief two page family history, prepared by Asa Wallace Finley, nephew of John Pettus and son of John’s youngest brother Asa. In it he states that “Uncle John’s children moved out to Missouri in an early day also and settled near my father. Their names were John, Milton, Dabney, and Clark. They had but one sister her name was Susan.”²¹⁰ Stout, on the other hand identifies two children, Milton Ogden and Hester Finley, as children of John Pettus.²¹¹ The 1820 census record for John Pettus Finley shows three males under the age of 10, three males between 10-16.

²⁰⁹ Christian Co., Ky., Marriages, Bk. 8, p. 241,

²¹⁰ Campbell Museum, Campbell, Calif., Asa Wallace Finley, who reportedly wrote this statement, lived during the period 1822-1910.

²¹¹ Herald F. Stout, The Clan Finley (2nd ed., 2 vol. in 1; Dover, Ohio, 1956), v. 2, p. 164.

JOHN FINLEY OF MONTGOMERY/WYTHE COUNTY 205

one male 26-45, one female under 10, one female 26-45.²¹² The 1830 census shows one male 5-10, two males 15-20, one male 20-30, one male 40-50; one female under 5, two females 10-15, one female 40-50.²¹³ By 1840 his household consisted of one male 20-30 and two males 50-60.²¹⁴ If all the children listed in his household were his, it would appear that John Pettus Finley had six sons and three daughters. Perhaps Asa Wallace Finley named only those children who were living at the time, or only those who moved to Missouri. In either case it would appear the most probable children of John Pettus and Hester (Clarke) Finley are as follows:

61. i John⁴ Finley.
62. ii Milton Ogden Finley, married Mary Wear.
63. iii Dabney B. Finley, died before 2 Oct. 1843, married Lucy B. Anderson, 5 Nov. 1840, Christian Co., Ky.²¹⁵ Dabney wrote his will 12 Sept. 1840 and it was probated 2 Oct. 1843.²¹⁶ Lucy B. Finley married Oliver C. Smith on 29 Oct. 1850.²¹⁷
64. iv Clark Finley.
65. v Margaret S. Finley, married William Y. Moore, 18 Oct. 1832.²¹⁸
66. vi Hester M. Finley.
67. vii Susan or unnamed daughter who married ____ Ware and lived in Texas in 1860.
68. viii Unnamed son.
69. ix Unnamed son.

27. Asa⁵ Finley (William⁴, John³) was born about 1788,²¹⁹ most likely in Montgomery Co., Va. He died 8 April 1853 in Saline Co., Mo.²²⁰ He married (1) 18 Aug. 1806 in Wythe Co., Va., Esther Gleaves, daughter of William and

²¹² Christian Co., Ky., 1820 census, p. 41.

²¹³ Christian Co., Ky., 1830 census, p. 27.

²¹⁴ Christian Co., Ky., 1840 census, p. 198.

²¹⁵ Christian Co., Ky., Marriages, Bk. 9, p. 134.

²¹⁶ Christian Co., Ky., Will Bk. L, p. 482.

²¹⁷ Christian Co., Ky., Marriages, Bk. 11, p. 373.

²¹⁸ Christian Co., Ky., Marriages, Bk. 8, p. 241.

²¹⁹ Estimated from Saline Co., Mo., 1850 census, p. 73 or 37, family 462-464.

²²⁰ 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.” p. 1, copy in possession of author.

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Elizabeth (Turk) Gleaves of Wythe County,²²¹ She died about 1 March 1839 in Saline Co., Mo.²²² Asa married (2) an unidentified woman by whom he had three children. He married (3) Sarah Ann Hodges, 24 April 1847 in Saline County.²²³ Sarah remarried Coleman Jeffress of Chariton Co., Mo., on 5 Feb. 1855.²²⁴

Asa, the youngest of his family, struck out with brothers for Christian Co., Ky., at an early age. His earliest survey was made 30 Aug. 1803 on Buck Grove, 400 acres. He surveyed additional 100 and 150 acre parcels on the West Fork of the Red River on 16 Jan. 1805 and 26 Sept. 1807, respectively. Again on 16 June 1812 he surveyed another 125 acres on the West fork of the Red River.²²⁵ Only three deeds were found for him in Christian County, all sales totaling over 1000 acres.²²⁶ The last deed, executed 17 Sept. 1818, showed Asa and his wife, Esther, living in Cooper (later Saline) Co., Mo. This is consistent with a family sketch written by his grandson, Newton Gleaves Finley,²²⁷ which he extracted in great part from a letter written by John Pettus Finley to Asa Wallace Finley (Asa’s son) dated 25 Jan. 1854.

Very little is known of Asa after his move to Missouri, except that he was very successful. According to a family sketch left by his son Asa Wallace Finley, wife Esther died about 1 March 1839. This is consistent with the 1840 census which shows only two females, aged 10-15 and 20-30, in Asa’s household.²²⁸ He is also shown with eight slaves at that time indicating he was fairly well off. In May 1843, after his brother Dabney died, he was empowered as administrator and granted letters of administration.²²⁹

His marital status after the death of Esther in 1839 is not clear. A marriage record exists for Asa and Sarah Hodges, 24 Feb. 1847 in Saline County.²³⁰ The

²²¹ John Vogl and T. William Kelley, Wythe County Marriages, 1790-1850 (Athens, Ga., 1985), p. 45.

²²² From a family sketch written by Asa Wallace Finley, eldest son of Asa and Esther (Gleaves) Finley.

²²³ Elizabeth Prather Ellsberry, comp., Marriage Records of Saline County, Missouri, 1820-1850 (Chillicothe, Mo., 1959), p. 23.

²²⁴ Ibid., p. 8.

²²⁵ Jillson, op. cit., p. 312.

²²⁶ Christian Co., Ky., Deed Bk. A, p. 390; Deed Bk. I, p. 298; Deed Bk. K, p. 562.

²²⁷ Newton Gleaves Finley was the son of James Washington Finley, second eldest son of Asa Finley.

²²⁸ Saline Co., Mo., 1840 census, p. 78.

²²⁹ Saline Co., Mo., Will Record Bk. A, pp. 67-68.

²³⁰ Ellsberry, op. cit., p. 23.

JOHN FINLEY OF MONTGOMERY/WYTHE COUNTY 207

1850 census shows Asa, age 62; Sarah, 27; Harrison D., 8; Helen C., 7; Henrietta, 4; and a male child 1 month old.²³¹ One would assume that there was another wife between Esther and Sarah since Harrison D., Helen C. and Henrietta²³² were born after Esther’s death and before Asa married Sarah. However, no certificate of marriage has been found in Saline County.

Asa wrote his will 11 Dec. 1847, shortly after his marriage to Sarah.²³³ He provided quite handsomely for her and his younger children. His other children by Esther had already received money and property which was accounted for in his will as follows:

• Eliza and William B. Wear - $2,078 already received, receives more to total $3000.
• James W. Finley - $2,803 plus Negro man Pim to total $3200 already received, no additional legacy.
• [uncertain: Rebcka] (daughter) and Thomas B. Finley - $2,053.50 already received, receives more to total $2500.
• Asa W. Finley - $2,730 plus Negro boy Clark to total $3,203 already received, no additional legacy.
• Mary Jane McCorkle - $2500 already received, no additional property.

Provisions to his “younger children” included the following:
Harrison Decatur Finley - $3500 in property and cash, plus enough to give him a “good classical education.”
Helen and Henrietta Finley - $3000 each, plus enough to give them a “good plain education.”

The younger children were also given the opportunity to have three slaves each instead of their cash equivalent if they so chose. The girls were to receive 200 acres each, selected by the Commissioners appointed by the County Court, the value to be deducted from their total inheritance. All younger children were to be supported from his farm until they reached maturity.

His wife Sarah was to receive the interest on $1000 annually, plus a Negro girl named Emily, farm stock and household furniture, and the use of slaves Wash, Eli, Nancy and her children, Polly Ann and Shadrick, who were to be kept on the farm to support his family. On her death or remarriage the benefits were to be distributed to his children in proportion to their other inheritances. In the event Sarah had a child or children (which she did), they were to receive benefits patterned after those given to his other “younger children.”

²³¹ Saline Co., Mo., 1850 census, p. 73 or 37, family 462-464.

²³² They are positively identified as Asa’s “younger children” in his will (Saline Co., Mo., Will Bk. A, p. 253 [1-137], Box 65 and 66, CE #668).

²³³ Ibid.

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He also left $100 to his great-grandson, Asa Jameson, son of Janis Jameson who married Jane Wear.

Four slaves, Green, Boce, Henry and Hardin were either to be hired out or sold and the money deposited to earn interest until his youngest child reached maturity. At that time his total remaining holdings were to be sold and distributed among his heirs.

He appointed his son-in-law William B. Wear and son James W. Finley executors.

Known children of Asa and Esther (Gleaves) Finley include:

70. i Eliza^* Finley, born about 1811, Christian Co., Ky.²³⁴ She married William B. Wear, probably by 1827. Children included Mary, Finley, George, Margaret, William, Elizabeth, Susan, Francis, Louisa, Ellen, Wallace.²³⁵
71. +71. ii James Washington Finley, born 13 Oct. 1813, Christian Co., Ky.²³⁶
72. 72. iii Rhoda Finley, born about 1816,²³⁷ probably in Christian Co., Ky. She married her first cousin Thomas B. Finley (son of Dabney Finley).
73. 73. iv Asa Wallace Finley, born 3 Jan. 1822,²³⁸ Saline Co., Mo.
74. 74. v Mary Jane Finley, born about 1825,²³⁹ Saline County; married H. B. McCorkle, 14 Oct. 1841,²⁴⁰ Saline County. Their children included William, Elizabeth, Eliza, Archibald and probably others.²⁴¹

Known children of Asa and his second wife include:

75. i Harrison Decatur^* Finley, born about 1842,²⁴² Saline County.
76. ii Helen C. Finley, born about 1843,²⁴³ Saline County; married William S. Gaines before ? April 1864,²⁴⁴ probably in Saline

²³⁴ Estimated from Saline Co., Mo., 1850 census, p. 121 or 61, family 775-778.

²³⁵ Ibid., p. 122-67, family 775-778.

²³⁶ Newton Gleaves Finley, “Our Fore-Fathers,” p. 2.

²³⁷ Estimated from Saline Co., Mo., 1850 census, p. 87 or 41, family 509-511.

²³⁸ Family history notes written by Asa Wallace Finley, in possession of authors p. 1.

²³⁹ Estimated from Cooper Co., Mo., 1850 census, p. 200 or 104, family 498-498.

²⁴⁰ Ellsberry, op. cit., p. 15.

²⁴¹ Ibid.

²⁴² Estimated from Saline Co., Mo., 1850 census, p. 73 or 37, family 462-464.

²⁴³ Ibid.

²⁴⁴ Petitioned for her share of her father’s estate with husband on this date (Saline Co., Mo., Index 1, p. 137, Boxes 65 & 66, CE #668).

JOHN FINLEY OF MONTGOMERY/WYTHE COUNTY 209

County.

77. ii Henrietta Finley, born 4 Jan. 1846, Saline County; married William B. Roy, before 4 Jan. 1846,²⁴⁵ probably in Saline County.

Known children of Asa and Sarah Ann (Hodges) Finley include:

78. i John P.⁴ Finley, born 1850,²⁴⁶ Saline County. He was named in Asa’s estate papers and his guardian, Thomas J. Thorp, made final settlement on 5 July 1871.²⁴⁷

30 Obediah Gaines⁵ Finley (George², John¹) was born 24 May 1787, most likely in Lincoln Co., Ky. He died 22 March 1871 in Lebanon, Wilson Co., Tenn.²⁴⁸ He married (1) Mary Lewis Johnson, born 20 Aug. 1791, died Feb. 1830, daughter of Jesse Johnson, 26 Feb. 1811;²⁴⁹ (2) Sarah Ann Johnson, sister of his first wife; (3) 16 April 1861 in Wilson Co., Tenn.,²⁵⁰ Bettie A. Wasson, who died 18 Feb. 1883 in Lebanon.

He lived in the general area where he was born, at least in the early 1800s, having purchased a lot in Stanford, Lincoln County, on 14 May 1808.²⁵¹ He sold it 4 July 1809 to John F. Bell for a tidy profit.²⁵² Soon, however, he moved on to Tennessee. He served in the War of 1812 as a private in the company of Capt. B. Q. Marles of the Tennessee militia, having enlisted 19 Dec. 1813 and been discharged 20 Feb. 1814.²⁵³ Obediah was the administrator for his father’s estate, taking inventory 19 Dec. 1817²⁵⁴ and reporting on the sale of property 10 Feb. 1818.²⁵⁵

Children of Obediah and his first wife, Mary Lewis Johnson, taken from the family Bible of Foster Gaines Finley, include the following:

²⁴⁵ Petitioned for her share of her father’s estate on this date and stated she was 21 on this date (Ibid.).

²⁴⁶ He was listed as age 1 1/2 in the 1850 census.

²⁴⁷ Saline Co., Mo., Probate Bk. 1, pp. 559-60.

²⁴⁸ Foster G. Finley family Bible record, copy in possession of author.

²⁴⁹ Ibid.

²⁵⁰ Records of the Veterans Administration, Index to War of 1812 Pension Application Files, film #0840462, W.O.36920, W.C.26127.

²⁵¹ Lincoln Co., Ky., Deed Bk. F, p. 113.

²⁵² Ibid., p. 230. He bought this property for $80 and sold it for $560.

²⁵³ Records of the Veterans Administration, Index to War of 1812 Pension Application Files.

²⁵⁴ Hermione D. Embry, Genealogical Reference Librarian, Tennessee State Library and Archives, to Mrs. Paul Hepp, 21 Feb. 1963, copy in possession of author; Wilson Co., Tenn., Probate Records 1814-1832, L.D.S. file #430841, p. 298.

²⁵⁵ Ibid.

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79. i Jesse G. Finley, born [uncertain: 17?] Nov. 1812.
80. ii Napoleon B. Finley, born 30 Dec. 1814.
81. iii William M. Finley, born 11 Oct. 1816.
82. iv Mary Eliza Finley, born 15 Sept. 1818.
83. v John B. Finley, born 18 June 1820.
84. vi Foster G. Finley, born 22 March 1822; married 17 July 1845, Altamire G. Taylor, born 10 Oct. 1826, daughter of Isaac and Margaret Taylor. Children included: Isaac Taylor Finley, born 20 June 1847; Mary Lela Finley, born 1 Dec. 1852; Margaret Taylor Finley, born 16 Jan. 1856; William M. Finley, born 10 Nov. 1857; Charles D. Finley, born 11 Nov. 1860; Obadiah G. Finley, born 1 Oct. 1866.
85. vii Sarah A. Finley, born 15 Nov. 1823.
86. viii Mary Eliza Finley, born 4 Dec. 1826.

31. George³ Finley (George², John¹) was born 15 Feb. 1789 in Lincoln Co., Ky.²⁵⁶ He died 3 Nov. 1851 in Perry Township, Monroe Co., Ind.²⁵⁷ He married Frances (Fanny) Hancock, daughter of William and Martha [Patsy] Hancock, 1 March 1812, probably in Jackson Co., Tenn.²⁵⁸ She was born 5 Jan. 1796 in Laurens Co., S.C., and died 9 Jan. 1875 in Perry Township, Monroe Co., Ind.²⁵⁹ Both George and Frances are buried at the Mount Salem Cemetery in Perry Township.²⁶⁰

Soon after their marriage they moved to Overton Co., Tenn., where they were found in the 1820 census.²⁶¹ By 1830 they had moved on to Monroe Co.,

²⁵⁸ Mrs. Charles R. Emery, Bible and Family Records (G. p. 929,11 no. 3; G. p. 292.11 no. 3 Sup.), Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, Ind.; Oscar F. Curtis, Cemeteries of Monroe County, Indiana (Bloomington, Ind., n.d.), p. 187, available from the Indiana Room, Monroe County Public Library, Bloomington, Ind.

²⁵⁹ Ibid.

²⁶⁰ Ibid. Some confirmation is found in that George Finley was listed in the Jackson Co., Tenn., tax lists for 1840-1841 (Christine Spivey Jones, Dora A. Darwyn and Charles Tumas, comps., “Jackson County Records, 1804-1811,” Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association, v. 5, no. 2 (May 1980), p. 8.

²⁶¹ Ibid.

²⁶² Curtis, op. cit., p. 187.

²⁶³ Martha Lou Houston, 1820 Census of Overton County, Tennessee (Washington, D.C., n.d.), p. 16.

JOHN FINLEY OF MONTGOMERY/WYTHE COUNTY 211

Ind., where they lived the remainder of their lives.²⁶² George wrote his will 8 Aug. 1850, naming wife Frances executrix. It was proved 13 Nov. 1851.²⁶³

Children of George and Frances (Hancock) Finley include the following:²⁶⁴

87. i Martha^* Finley, born 5 Feb. 1813 in Overton Co., Tenn., died 17 Sept. 1834. She married Zebulon Smith, 21 June 1831 in Monroe Co., Ind. They had one child, Martha Jane Smith.
88. ii Rufus Finley, born 22 Dec. 1814 in Overton Co., Tenn., died 2 Jan. 1847 in Mississippi while on a business trip. He married Nancy Mitchell, 5 Nov. 1835.
89. iii William Finley, born 29 Oct. 1816 in Overton Co., Tenn., died 11 June 1836.
90. iv Mary Gaines Finley, born 1 May 1818 in Overton Co., Tenn., died in 1905. She married William P. Sharpc, 2 Sept. 1840 in Monroe Co., Tenn.
91. v Buford Finley,²⁶⁵ born 20 March 1820 in Overton Co., Tenn.; married Adelaide Johnson, probably in Overton County. They lived out their lives here.
92. vi Almira Finley, born 5 Dec. 1821 in Overton Co., Tenn., died 25 Dec. 1848 in Monroe Co., Ind.; married John Horton, 8 Nov. 1840.
93. vii Ann Finley, born 6 Sept. 1823 in Overton Co., Tenn., and died March 1880 in Seward Co., Nebr.; married Wesley Stultz, 17 Nov. 1843.
94. viii Jane Finley, born 31 Oct. 1824 in Overton Co., Tenn., and died 3 Sept. 1829, three months after moving to Indiana.
95. ix Sally Dillard Finley, born 8 Oct. 1826 in Overton Co., Tenn., and died 3 Aug. 1901 in Harrodsburg, Monroe Co., Ind. She married Armstrong Carmichael, 13 March 1850. After Armstrong’s death she married Alexander Carmichael.
96. x Catherine Finley, born 27 Nov. 1828 in Overton Co., Tenn., died 14 Aug. 1905; married John H. Strain in Monroe Co., Ind., 13

²⁶² Monroe Co., Ind., 1850 census, Clear Creek Township, Dist. 132, p. 209 or 324, family 403-403.

²⁶³ Monroe Co., Ind., Will Bk. 3, pp. 20-21.

²⁶⁴ The information on the children came from Clem Thomson, “A Remarkable Life: Aunt Polly Sharp,” Free Press, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, 21 July 1904, except as otherwise noted. Vital data are taken from Emery, loc. cit.

²⁶⁵ Emery, loc. cit., gives date of death as 15 Sept. 1851. However, descendant Blanche Jernigan claims this is in error since Buford had six children after 1851. Could this be 1861?

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March 1850. They lived first in Lawrence Co., Ind. Five years later they moved to Mahaska Co., Iowa. After the death of her husband, 24 April 1874, she ran their 1000 acre farm for the next twenty years, then moved to Oskaloosa, Iowa. Catherine and John and ten children.

97. xi Mariah Finley, born 1 May 1831 in Monroe Co., Ind., died there 6 May 1869, buried at Mt. Salem Cemetery in Perry Township, Monroe County.²⁶⁶
98. xii Frances Jane Finley, born 7 Feb. 1833 in Monroe Co., Ind., died 27 June 1897 in Custer Co., Nebr. She married Monoah Hardin Sullivan, 6 April 1854 in Monroe County.
99. xiii David Finley, born 29 April 1834 in Harrodsburg, Monroe Co., Ind., died 9 July 1863 at Vicksburg, Miss. He married Julia Ann Dillman in Lucas Co., Iowa. He fought in the Civil War, enlisting in Lucas Co., Iowa, and died of sunstroke immediately after the Battle of Vicksburg.
100. xiv George Finley, born 3 Sept. 1836 in Harrodsburg, Monroe Co., Ind., died 15 Sept. 1846.
101. xv James Finley, born 24 June 1838 in Harrodsburg, Monroe Co., Ind., died 17 Aug. 1934 in Sargent Co., Nebr.; married Matilda (Mattie) F. Nichols, 5 Dec. 1858. He served in the Civil War and afterwards moved to Sargent Co., Nebr. He was married three times, the third wife being the widow of his brother Davis, Julia Ann (Dillman) Finley.
102. xvi Infant daughter, twin to James Finley, born and died 24 June 1838.

(To be continued)

²⁶⁶ Curtis, op. cit., p. 187.