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BACK TO CHAPTER 2 JAMES FINNEY: FATHER 1711-1753
TO CHAPTER 4 JAMES AND JOHN FINNEY: WAR IN VIRGINIA 1774-1778
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.
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
[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 ( ? )
[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 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
[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?).
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