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16 October 1754 James Finney was now living in Culpeper County and by this date had bought another 126 acre tract of “unappropriated” or unclaimed land that adjoined his original grant (Appendix 14).  He now owned two tracts of land in southern Culpeper County, Virginia totaling 326 acres.[i]  This area was made up of rolling hills, bordered to the west by the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Once known as the frontier or the western country, Culpeper County was at this time growing in population.  A major goal in a man’s life was to be able to leave his children land after his death, not to mention to have his children raise their families nearby.  By the middle of the eighteenth century, most of the land on the eastern Virginia Piedmont had been claimed and bought, most often by large plantation holders. Little opportunity existed to expand one’s land possessions so many farmers migrated west where land was more plentiful.  Certainly James Finney had visited Culpeper County in the years before his move to improve his land and prepare for his family’s relocation.  James Finney may have come in contact with young George Washington, who had been the Culpeper County surveyor from 1749 to 1751.

James Finney added 126 acres (green) to his existing land 
holdings (red)

1754  Both New France (in Canada to the north) and New England wanted to expand their territories with respect to fur trading and other pursuits that matched their economic interests. Using trading posts and forts, both the British and the French claimed the vast territory between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. George Washington, now a 21-year-old major in the Virginia militia, was sent to negotiate boundaries with the French, who were unwilling to give up their forts. Washington led a group of colonial Virginian troops to confront the French at Fort Duquesne (present day Pittsburgh). After a skirmish in which a French Officer was killed, the French forced Washington and his men to retreat.  Meanwhile, the Albany Congress was taking place in Britain as a means to discuss further action against the French.  And so, beginning of the French and Indian War in North America had begun. (See Appendix 15 for known Finney men that served in this war)

21 August 1755 James Finney witnessed a deed between his neighbor Seth Thurston and Richard Wayt for 200 acres, which was located on the branches of Maple Run.[ii]  This land was on the south border of James Finney’s land and where Seth Thurston lived and planted tobacco.  Richard Wayt, born in Middlesex County in 1708, had migrated to Culpeper County about 1754 and would take over this plantation while raising his own family.

1756 War was officially declared this year by England though it was already ablaze in North America.  In order to secure the rights to the large western territory in North America, both European powers took advantage of Native American tribes to protect their territories and to keep each other from growing too strong, though most tribes primarily sided with and fought alongside the French.

1757 James Finney more than doubled his current land by purchasing 476 acres from Thomas Rucker (see Appendix 16).  The land had been originally purchased from the state of Virginia by Thomas Rucker with a warrant on 28 October 1756.  This large tract of land was bordering James Finney’s two additional tracts of land to the northwest and was described as “…near a place called Prickly Pear Rock, Beautiful Run, on road leading to Caves Foard…”[iii]

20 September 1759 Once again James Finney witnessed a land deed.  This time the deed was between Benjamin Head, of Orange County, and Julius Christy, who already owned land just south of James Finney, on the Rapidan River.  Julius Christy, a joiner (a form of carpentry) by profession, purchased the 200-acre tract for 40 pounds.[iv]

With the addition of 476 acres, James Finney owned

8 September 1760 The French and Indian War ended in North American after a treaty secured Montreal and sent French troops back to France.  The war would continue in Europe, where it was actually known by a different name, the Seven Year’s War (1756 – 1763).  Though no members of the James Finney family participated during the war, several other Finneys were active during the hostilities (Appendix 15).

25 June 1761 Thomas Crosthwaite, a Culpeper County resident and neighbor of James Finney, had recently died and his estate had gone to public auction.  James Finney bought goods from the estate along with many other Culpeper citizens known neighbors of James Finney. [v]

1763  James and Elizabeth Finney’s family had grown.  They now had at least five children.  In addition to John and James, there was Mary, who was the oldest girl, now about five to ten years old.  Two younger children in the house were William, about three to eight years old, and Elizabeth, who was probably under five.[vi] 

Looking at the English naming pattern for boys, a third son would be named after the father.  Since a child had already received the name James, then logically this son would have assumed the name that would have been given to the fourth son, the name of the father’s oldest brother.  James Finney’s oldest full blooded brother was named William; therefore the son received the name William Finney.

The Finney plantation now consisted of 802 acres, including “houses, orchards, gardens, fences, woods, water and watercourse”.[vii]  There was a country road near the plantation that was their key to the outside world.[viii]  Many travelers and neighbors would pass.  Some would be invited to stay if they needed a place to rest.  It was from these people that the Finney’s learned of the latest news in their area, colony, and the world.
  
The house on the farm, located specifically on the original 200 acre grant[ix], was probably a modest log cabin.  The home was built with the help of neighbors and relatives.  The building assembly used logs for the walls that were squared and carefully notched at the ends so they would lay closer together, leaving only narrow cracks to be chinked.  Most farmhouses were built with two rooms downstairs and two upstairs.  One of the downstairs rooms was the kitchen and the other was a bedroom, certainly for James and Elizabeth Finney.  In the adult bedroom were their feather bed, a small desk, a trunk for clothing, and a spinning wheel.[x]  In the middle of the two downstairs rooms was a large chimney to warm the house and from which to cook.  A ladder or stairway beside the chimney led upstairs to bedrooms for the children.  There were two feather beds in the boy’s room and one in the girl’s room.[xi]

The kitchen area was the most active area in their home.  This room also served as their dining room and living room.  Elizabeth Finney used pewter basins at the sink to hold water, which was brought in from the well outside.  She also had cooking utensils here; iron ladles, pots and pot rack, a brass kettle, earthenware jugs, pint mugs, chamber pots and slop bowl, two frying pans, iron spoons, forks and knives, pewter dishes and pewter plates.[xii]  The dining room table could hold as many as eight chairs.[xiii]
  
 
A colonial kitchen (above) and items found in the Finney 
kitchen (below)

In the house, the Finney girls helped their mother make clothing for the family.  Wool and cotton were cleaned and washed, and then carded.  They owned a pair of cotton cards and wool cards, which they used to fluff the wool and cotton into short lengths or slivers.[xiv]  After the wool was carded, it was spun on the large spinning wheel[xv] which prepared it for being woven.  Elizabeth Finney used the woven wool and cotton to make most of the clothing for her family.

Surrounding the house were other structures.  There would have been a southern barn for curing tobacco, and a northern barn for storing hay and straw.  Animals were often kept in the northern barn to protect them from harsh weather.  James Finney kept his farming utensils and supplies there also.  Among his supplies were sickles, a grindstone, a steelyard, scythes, a whipsaw and crosscut saw, narrow axes, grubbing hoes, a flesh fork, men’s saddles, a woman’s saddle, and bridles.[xvi]  He kept a plow in one of the barns that was used in the fields, and he had a cart in one also, probably two-wheeled, that was used for hauling and transportation.[xvii]  For the cart he, of course, had a pair of harnesses.[xviii]  There was also a smokehouse that was used to preserve and store meat.  Set away from the house were the Negro quarters, which consisted of one or two small houses.[xix]  And, without question, the outhouse was nearby.

 
Assorted farm implements located in the Finney barn (above) 
and a two-wheeled cart (below)

The Finneys owned a small number of slaves. In the early 1760’s, five slaves, or Negroes as they were most commonly known, lived on the Finney farm.  There were two men, Jack and Sanckony, two women, Frank and Cate, and a child named Easter.[xx]  The slaves did a majority of the labor work on the farm.  They also assisted Elizabeth Finney and her daughters with much of the household duties.

The Finneys grew tobacco on their land and used it as a main source of income.[xxi]   Tobacco preparation was not an easy process.  The slaves helped both plant and pick the tobacco from the fields.  After the tobacco was picked, it was put in the tobacco barn for drying, inspecting and baling.  When the tobacco was ready, it was taken by their cart to be sold either in town or back east.   They would also use it to trade for goods from a nearby town storekeeper.  Other important necessities were grown on the Finney farm.  They had gardens close to the house that would yield important vegetables for the family, such as peas, beans, cucumbers, squash and muskmelons (cantaloupes). Beyond the gardens lay the hayfields. The hay was cut from the field using scythes.[xxii]  This provided feed for the livestock.  There was also cotton that would be picked and cleaned, eventually made into clothing for their family[xxiii], and fields of grain as well.

James Finney used a plow to prepare and maintain his 
tobacco fields

A still was another vital feature on the plantation.[xxiv] Fruit from the Finney orchard was used in the still to make brandy and whiskey.  Apples, pears, peaches and plums were among the fruits grown in their orchard.[xxv]  After the fruit ripened, it was picked and pressed to make cider, then in due time distilled into brandy.  They made apple brandy, peach brandy, plum brandy and whiskey.[xxvi]  The brandy and whisky was placed in barrels or containers to ferment.  James Finney stored vast amounts of brandy via this process.[xxvii]  The town storekeeper would take brandy as payment for anything that was sold in his store.  James Finney’s sons, John and James, would help their father at the still and became very knowledgeable of the trade.[xxviii] 

The plantation had many kinds of animals, used for different purposes.  James Finney owned about five horses[xxix], which were used for farm work and as their main source of transportation.  About 15 to 20 cattle were kept in the fields[xxx], providing the family with meat, milk, butter, and cheese.  Other sources of food on the farm were hogs and geese.    There were about 25 hogs that provided them with meat and about 20 geese that would supply eggs and feathers (for stuffing pillows and beds).[xxxi]  Finally, a few sheep (no more than 10 or 12) provided wool for clothing.[xxxii]  The fences around the farm and fields were used to contain the animals.  They were either made of stone or wood.  Farmers were constantly clearing glacial stones from their fields in this part of Virginia and used them for the stone fences.  Wooden fences were made of split logs, 12 to 14 feet long.  Most animals, even geese, wore yokes around their necks to keep them from getting through the wooden fences.  Sometimes, farmers would have both stone and wooden fences.

The family was probably a member of the middle class and lived quite comfortably.  They owned a Dutch Oven, which many families did not have at this time.[xxxiii]  Also in the house were two washing tubs, pretty rare for most families.[xxxiv]  James Finney had his own carpentry tools and shoemaking tools.[xxxv]  He also had cooper’s tools, which he used to make wet barrels (storing cider, whiskey, brandy, brine and vinegar) and dry barrels (storing grain, meal and fruit).[xxxvi]  The young John and James Finney learned to use these tools by observing their father and the slaves.

Working was not the only thing that the Finneys thought about. At certain times during the year, when there was not as much farm work to be done, the children were taught to read and write.  James Finney, and possibly his wife Elizabeth, did the majority of the teaching at home. There was a small library of books in the house,[xxxvii] certainly including a Bible, Almanac, and hymnal. Often, the children were read to under candlelight before bedtime. There were surely times when the children received additional schooling from a schoolmaster.  Schools in the country were built by the surrounding community who employed the best teacher they could find, requiring the parents of each pupil to pay a small sum for maintenance.  The Finney children would have walked to school if it were less than three miles and if farther they would ride a horse.  They most certainly felt the sting of the hickory rod as they daydreamed about free time on the nearby creeks and rivers rather than concentrating on spelling and arithmetic.

There were no large towns in the immediate vicinity of the Finney farm.  The Finneys would visit some of the smaller communities that had sprung up around nearby mills.  James Finney had to take his crops to the mill to be ground.  Stone ground corn meal was produced by mounting two circular stones centimeters apart, the bottom one is ridged and the one on top is rotated by a water powered wheel. Corn was fed into the center of the stones, ground, caught, cooled, bagged, and hand tied.  Besides the mill, other businesses could be found in small communities or towns.  These included the blacksmith, the cobbler, the silversmith, the “pewterer”, the tinsmith, the tanner, the tailor, and a town crier who spoke out to local citizens about important announcements from the colony.  The merchant, who ran the general store, traded and sold almost anything to the colonists.  These goods included food items, farm tools and supplies, cloth and clothing, books, kitchen ware, and many other supplies needed on the farm.

As mentioned before, the Finneys used country pay, country money, or natural commodities, which included tobacco, alcohol, rice, wheat, and maize, to pay for goods.  Currency and coin were also used and based on the British pound, shilling, and pence.  Due to the scarcity of the official British coins, colonists used coins from many other countries, but typically the Spanish and Portuguese milled dollar.  However many forms of payment existed, the conversion to the British pound, shilling, and pence was commonplace.

Fredericksburg in 1762, looking down a road leading to the 
Rappahannock River where sailing vessels are offloading 
supplies at the wharves

Further away from the Finney farm were larger towns that would offer both necessities and excitement in new forms. Culpeper citizens were very familiar with Fredericksburg, Virginia, the closest market to sell goods.  Fredericksburg was about 50 miles to the east and was situated on the Rappahannock River.  Ocean going ships anchored in the river and discharged incoming arrivals and goods from Europe, the Indies, and other American colonies.  Exporters refilled the ships with the goods produced locally to be sent to foreign destinations.  For the young Finney boys who often accompanied their father, large towns like Fredericksburg meant fairs to attend, horse races, cockfights, and wrestling matches.  Other towns nearby included Orange 12 miles southwest, newly created Fairfax (later known as Culpeper) 20 miles northeast, Charlottesville 25 miles southwest, Staunton 60 miles southwest, and Winchester 75 miles northwest over the Blue Ridge Mountains.

A Germanna settlement made its home near the mouth of White Oak Run in 1725.  This location was about eight or nine miles to the north of the Finney farm, in the general direction of Fairfax (later Culpeper).  The German settlers built Smith Island Fort, a small fort and stockade, and in about 1740 built the Hebron Lutheran Church, which remains standing today.  The White Oak Run was originally known as Smith’s Run and though it is now gone, there was once an island at the convergence of the Smith’s Run and another branch, hence the name Smith Island fort.  German families settled all around the area and lived very close to the Finney family to the immediate north.

10 February 1763  A treaty between France and Great Britain was finally realized and the Seven Years War in Europe was over.  As a result of the treaty, James Finney, and most Virginians, soon became outraged when Great Britain issued the Proclamation of 1763 prohibiting the American colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. This would halt westward expansion of the colonies, limit land, and ensure that Indian raids would continue from the west.  These problems would have a great impact on the Finney family since they lived near the Proclamation line, immediately east of the Appalachian Mountains.

Before the Proclamation of 1763, Virginians had grown bold, migrating west over the Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mountains.  This movement had meant that Culpeper County had become less well-known as the west or the frontier.  But now, the settlers in the new western frontier had to move back over the mountains.  Many of these settlers returning would stay in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, quickly increasing the Culpeper County population.  Culpeper County and the area nearby, during this era, was often called the middle ground between the cultured east and the untamed west.

21 April 1763 James Finney was at the Culpeper County Court meeting in Fairfax petitioning to modify or “turn” the road at his plantation.  The Court ordered Elliot Bohannon, William Rice, and William Walker to be sworn before a Justice of the Peace and then to travel to James Finney’s plantation before the next month’s court meeting to study the requested road modification and then report to the court the convenience or inconvenience to residents.[xxxviii]  A road modification would have been requested for many reasons, such as to provide the Finney family with a more convenient route to the mill, town, or church.  New mills, towns, and churches were springing up as the area became more populated and since there remained few roads in Culpeper County, a new church built just a mile distant, may call for many miles of travel by road.

The main roads in southern Culpeper County during the 1760s and the approximate location of the Buford (A), Quinn (B), Gibbs (C), Rice (D), Bohannon (E), and Walker (F) families

19 May 1763 Elliot Bohannon, William Rice, and William Walker reported to the Culpeper County Court on James Finney’s petition to turn the road at his plantation.  William Kirtley appeared in court to object to this petition and after all sides were heard, the court ordered “… that the new way be continued till next fall and that then the old way be established.”[xxxix]  A citizen may object if a new route would bring less traffic to that person’s home or business, such as a mill.

The young Finney boys could often be found upon the branches of Maple Run and Beautiful Creek, swimming and fishing.  Children in colonial times were always searching for adventure and fun after being relieved of their duties planting and harvesting.  The Finney boys would seek out neighbors to fool around with, such as the Buford boys[xl] who lived just north of the Finney farm and the Quinn and Gibbs boys just to the south on the Rapidan River.  They would invariably find themselves involved in games and contests of strength to display their skills, athletic abilities, and endurance.

Like most other families, the Finney family was a religious one.  They were probably Episcopalian, as were many of their neighbors.[xli]  They lived in Bromfield Parish, which governed the religious bodies in Culpeper County and some other surrounding areas.  The closest known “established” Episcopalian church in proximity to the Finney farm was the South Church, or Vawter’s Church, located about 6 miles to the northwest off the Great Mountain Road.  All persons within each parish were required to attend the parish church or else pay a fine.  Part of the purpose for the required attendance was to pay the parish taxes levied on everyone within each parish.  In country areas like Culpeper County in the 1760’s, some parishioners lived a great distance from the church.  For these people, provisions were made to relieve them from making the long trek to attend the church.  “A House of Ease”, similar to a branch church, was built so people in the parish could attend more easily.  At other times, the people of this area just met to pray with an evangelical neighbor leading the service.

About 1763  Though the Finney boys were still early adolescents, colonial boys were prepared for their adult lives at an early age.  Boys in middle and upper class families were sent away from home to train as apprentices in a trade selected by their father.  Often, a son would be sent to a relative that could offer that training, whatever it may be.  While it was desirable to have a son learn a new trade, a farmer would prepare his remaining son(s) himself to operate a farm.  Since John Finney was a teen now, he was likely sent away to learn a trade.  Son James, it would seem from future endeavors, would learn to keep the farm.[xlii]

Summer 1764  Since earlier in 1764 or maybe before, James Finney the elder had not been physically well.  He wrote his will on 18 February 1764 stating that he was “…in an ill state of health but having free and perfect sense of mind and memory thanks be given to Almighty God for the same and calling to mind the frailty of all mankind and that there is a time for all mankind to die” (Appendix 17).[xliii]  James Finney left most of his personal assets and property to his wife and children while two other men were honored with gifts of land.  His “well-beloved brother-in-law Henry Turner,” his wife’s brother, and his “much respected friend Thomas Buford” were each promised a tract of land.  If his wife Elizabeth died while his children were still minors, the “respected friend Julius Christy” was to become their guardian.

June/July 1764  James Finney died at his home in Culpeper County, Virginia at the age of about 56.[xliv]  His death dramatically changed life at the Finney home.  The young John and James were left to run the farm at a very young age. New responsibilities for these adolescents would include control over the crops, caring for the livestock, and helping their mother raise the younger siblings.  Without the experienced male figure running the farm, they relied for a time on the slaves they owned and from family and friends living close by.

16 August 1764  The last will and testament of James Finney was “exhibited” to the Culpeper County, Virginia court by Elizabeth Finney.[xlv]  Elizabeth Finney, now widowed and perhaps about 40 years of age, would act as the executrix, appointed by her husband in his will written back in February.  Appearing in court with Elizabeth Finney were her neighbors John Buford and Zacharias Gibbs.

Elizabeth Turner-Finney was left a widow after the
death of James Finney in 1764

6 October 1764  Elizabeth Finney appeared at Culpeper County court to present the “true and perfect inventory of goods and chattels of the James Finney estate.”[xlvi] James Finney had declared in his will that “none of (his) estate either real of personal shall be either appraised or sold at public venue” and therefore no appraisal or sale was made.  Elizabeth Finney returned to court five months later on 21 March 1765 to record additional inventory of James Finney’s “goods and chattels.” (Appendix 18)

1765  After the death of James Finney in 1764, Britain continued to harass and bully the American colonists.  Between 1765 and 1770, King George III and the British Parliament passed several laws against the colonists and tried to impose very large taxes to pay for their war debts.  By reading the Virginia Gazette and talking with others, Elizabeth Finney taught her children to read while fuming about “taxation without representation”.  Outraged, many colonial states, including Virginia, met to protest.

Who was James Finnie of Fredericksburg?[xlvii]
There was another James “Finnie” in the Culpeper County area that has resulted in confusion with our James Finney of Culpeper County.  Not much is known about the James Finnie that lived in Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania County, Virginia.  He was first identified as the husband of Ann Lynn about 1758.  She was the daughter of Dr. William Lynn of Fredericksburg, who was most famed as the doctor of George Washington, and the widow of John Dent.  Finnie and Dent were married in 1757 or 1758 and received land around the same time from the will of Dr. Lynn.[xlviii]  This land was located just northeast of James Finney in Culpeper County on Dark Run.  James and Ann Finnie sold a Fredericksburg town lot in 1766[xlix] and were listed in a Culpeper County deed in 1768 as “of Culpeper County.”[l]  A land deed in 1780 for 600 acres on a tract between White Oak Run and the Dark Run stated that James Finnie had formerly lived there.[li]  Nothing was found for James or Ann Finnie after 1769, leaving great confusion about who this man was.

James Finnie of Fredericksburg owned a 425-acre tract
of land on a branch of Dark Run, received from his 
father-in-law Dr. William Lynn’s will probated in 1758

Young John and James Finney became teenagers in the mid-1760s and were becoming more interested in their colony’s problems with Great Britain.  James was pretty much running the Finney estate at the time while John may have begun to ply a trade, which meant that the issues of Great Britain were becoming more important and meaningful to them personally. 

By 1768, the brothers were members of a county militia.  Every able male over the age of 16 was obligated to serve in his county’s militia, a requirement that went back into early colonial times and well after the Revolution. John and James Finney were of age and were expected to train and serve their county.  They served in the militia under the banner of the Royal Colony of Virginia at this time.  There are no records to show this service but it was the normal activity.

Circa 1771  By 1881, John Finney appears to have left Culpeper County and moved west.  Living in the Virginia “east” was comfortable and tame while life in the “west” was synonymous with danger and risk.  Land was more readily available in the western portions of Virginia; over the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Cheap land could be had in these uncivilized locations and many colonists took advantage.  However, men were not driven by land alone.  Like their recent ancestors before them, colonial men had an insatiable appetite for adventure and harbored a burning desire to create a better life for themselves.  Though the Finneys were able to live comfortably in Culpeper County, John Finney apparently was driven to move west.  Whether following family or friends, or having already spent time there during or after his apprenticeship, Finney was not living in Culpeper County.[lii] See Appendix 19 for a review of John Finney’s movements in the 1770s and 1780s.

John Finney moved to western Virginia, which was made up of
three counties in 1772: Augusta, Botetourt, and Fincastle.  
Evidence points to Botetourt County as his probable destination

1772  The first word of secession from Britain was threatened in Boston, just before the Boston Tea Party.  The British then flexed their muscles and closed the port of Boston. John Murray, also known as Lord Dunmore, was the British appointed Governor of Virginia.  In response to the succession threats, he closed the Virginia House of Burgesses, which included the colonial representatives of Virginia.  These representatives, along with other legislatures in the state, began to meet in secret committees to discuss these big problems.
  
With James Finney now deceased, the story follows his two sons John and James, with much of the emphasis on James.  Beginning with Chapter 4 and to avoid confusion with the elder James Finney, the younger James Finney, born in 1752, will now be known simply as James Finney and John Finney, born about 1750, will be John Finney.






[i] These two tracts included the 1735 grant of 400 acres of which James Finney Sr. received half (Orange Co VA Grant Records Deed Bk 15 No 494 LDS film 0029310), and the grant he bought about 1754 for 126 acres (Culpeper Co VA Land Grants p 611).
[ii] (Culpeper Co VA Deeds Vol 2 1755-1762 p 376-379)
[iii] Thomas Rucker had a warrant for this land (Abstracts of Northern Neck Warrants and Surveys, 1710-1780 Vol 3 Culpeper Co VA) dated 28 October 1756 and then dated once again 10 March 1757.  The grant was issued in the name of James Finney on 7 June 1760 (Culpeper Co VA Land Grants).  A deed from 1775 stated that the James Finney received this land in 1757 (Culpeper Co VA Deed Book H p 164)
[iv] (Culpeper Co Deeds Vol 2 1755-1762 p 214-216)
[v] (Orange Co VA Will Book 2)
[vi] Other children’s ages also guesses based upon James Finney (2) and John Finney (2) birth dates and the order they were listed in the James Finney Sr. 1764 will (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[vii] From the sale of remainder of James Finney land by his sons in 1785 (Culpeper Co VA Deed Book N p 182-185)
[viii] Description of 476 acre grant (Abstracts of VA Northern Neck Warrants and Surveys 1710-1780 Vol 3 Culpeper Co VA) and (Culpeper Co VA Land Grants)
[ix] James Finney (2) and John Finney (2) sold their father’s land on 3 September 1785 which included two tracts: one was the 126 acre tract and the other the 200 acre tract from 1735.  This tract was said to have the plantation situated on it (Culpeper Co VA Deed Book N p 182-185)
[x] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xi] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xii] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xiii] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xiv] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xv] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xvi] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xvii] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xviii] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xix] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 included slaves who would need a place to live (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xx] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xxi] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xxii] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xxiii] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xxiv] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xxv] A guess based upon what colonists commonly grew
[xxvi] Another guess based upon alcohol commonly made with a still by colonists
[xxvii] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xxviii] John Finney would be hold a license to make whiskey later in Kentucky
[xxix] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xxx] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xxxi] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xxxii] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xxxiii] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xxxiv] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xxxv] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xxxvi] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xxxvii] Inventory of James Finney will 1765 (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xxxviii] Not sure what “turn the road at his plantation” means.  It was a common request in court and may have had to do with just creating an entrance. Maybe James Finney wanted to make a more convenient entrance and exit to his plantation.  This record is important because almost all of the pre-Revolutionary War Court records for Culpeper Co VA were destroyed during the Civil War.  There are only a partial Court Minute Book for the years 1763 and 1764 , which include pages 271 to 477, that survive.
[xxxix] It seems like the order should have been the other way around.  Odd that William Kirtley should object since the Kirtley’s were known to live on the Staunton River many miles to the northwest.  (Culpeper Co VA Court Minutes p 327) 
[xl] There were certainly others but the Buford’s were immediate neighbors, the Quinn’s traveled with the Finney’s to Kentucky years later, and young James Finney married one of the Gibbs children.  Sons of John Buford who were similar aged were Abraham (b. 1749), Henry (b. 1751), and Simeon (b. 1757).  Sons of Richard Quinn who were similar aged were Benjamin (b. 1747), James, Thomas, and John.  Sons of John Gibbs who were similar aged were Julius (b. 1753) and Churchill (b. 1757)
[xli] The Philip Slaughter book on Culpeper County (?) lists families associated with the Presbyterian Church, which included the Gibbs family.  This was not an all conclusive list and adding the Finney family to this denomination is just a guess.
[xlii] As earlier discussed, John Finney was born at some time around 1750, which would have made him 12 or 13 years old.  Old enough to begin to train for his future.  This is known since in James Finney’s will, he decided that his son James would take care of his younger son William in the event of his own death.  This decision was likely made as John was away and since James would stay and operate the farm, he would be more capable of providing for his brother.  Many other hints can be found later which imply that John left home and was gone for sure in 1774.  The only clue that he may have been gone this early was the decisions made by James Finney in his will.
[xliii] (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xliv] (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xlv] (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 380-384)
[xlvi] (Culpeper Co VA Will Book A 1749-1770 p 393-394)
[xlvii] There could be a book written on separating this James Finnie of Fredericksburg from James Finney d. 1764 and James Finney d. 1819.  First of all this confusion must be solved.  The Forks of Elkhorn book (Darnell, E.J., Forks of Elkhorn Church, Genealogical Pub Co, Baltimore 1980), which has been a great source of information in Woodford County, Kentucky, identified Ann Lynn as the possible wife of James Finnie d. 1819 and seems to have caused a great confusion.  James Finnie of Fredericksburg is obviously not James Finney d. 1764 because James Finnie of Fredericksburg was alive in 1769.  As discussed earlier, James Finney d. 1819 was born in 1752.  James Finnie of Fredericksburg was married to Ann Lynn by 1758 so they are certainly not the same person.  This brings into consideration one last possibility.  Could James Finnie of Fredericksburg actually be James Finney b. 1708, who then had a son James Finney b. about 1729, who then married Elizabeth Turner and died in 1764?  If this is so then the James Finney b. 1708 would have been widowed and then remarried Ann Lynn in 1757 or 1758 (who was previously married to John Dent before 1752) at the age of 50.  This is a very sketchy scenario with some big holes.  For one, the 1735 land James Finney b. 1708 bought in then Orange County would have to have been given to his son, the unconfirmed James Finney b. 1729.  Second, James Finnie d. 1764 would have come to newly formed Culpeper County at about the age of 22 as a farmer and bought more land which was pretty rare for such a young lad.  Third, the will of James Finney sounded like the will of an older, sick gentleman, not a young 33 year old.  Fourthly, James Finnie of Fredericksburg’s name was always spelled Finnie and never Finney.  Lastly, there are no deeds or documents of any kind that link these two men in any way and it is most likely that they were of two completely different families.
[xlviii] William Lynn’s will (Spotsylvania Co VA Will Bk B 1749-1759 p 10) and a court summons (Spotsylvania Co VA Court Records p 350).  William Lynn owned several tracts of land in Culpeper County just above James Finney, as well as land all over the colony
[xlix] (Spotsylvania Co VA Deed Book G 1766-1771 p 252)
[l] (Culpeper Co VA Deeds Vol 4 1765-1769 p 351-355)
[li] 16 October 1780 Culpeper County VA deeds, James and Mary Duncanson to Thomas Porter
[lii] He appears to have settled in Botetourt County sometime before 1774 (we know he was there from 1. circa 1771 (number 7) and circa 1774 (number 49) Botetourt County tithable lists, 2. He was in a Botetourt Co militia unit in 1774, 3. He was not in Culpeper Co in 1780 militia lists, 4. He was found in several land transactions after 1780, no land ownership is known for lands before 1780, 5. John Finney was found listed as a Country Debtor in the Botetourt County records along with Samuel McCLung and Colonel Andrew Lewis) (he was living near Stephen Arnold and Jane Finney.  Could she have been his aunt, his father’s younger sister who has remained unknown?).