John Finch, Jr

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 1820, , Delaware, Indiana, USA
• Residence: 1830, , Hamilton, Indiana, USA
• Residence: 1841, , Hamilton, Indiana, USA
• Probate: 1850, , Hamilton, Indiana, USA

Notes:

John Finch was born May 6, 1767 in Goshen, Orange County, New York. He was 11 years old during the Battle Of Wyoming Valley, PA. In adulthood, John was described as being six feet tall, 170 pounds, with fair skin and black eyes. Married: 1st wife, Elizabeth Green in August 17, 1787. Elizabeth (Green) Finch died bef. Oct. 1797. 2nd wife, Jemima Overton October 12, 1797. Jemima (Overton) Finch was was born December 25, 1775, and died sometime prior to April 1806. 3rd wife, Mehitable Brown Chapman on April 25, 1806 Mehitable was born May 12, 1776, Orange County, New York. She was previously married to Nathan Chapman on Feb. 13, 1800 Nathan Chapman died July 18, 1804, while Mehitable was pregnant with their 3rd child. Children of Nathan Chapman and Mehitable Brown Chapman: Amasa Chapman Born Dec. 13, 1800 Died in August 1819, Horseshoe Prairie - Hamilton County, Indiana. (age 18) Elizabeth Chapman Born November 3, 1802 Married William Conner (of Conner Prairie) in November of 1820 Died Dec. 14, 1891 (age 89) Nathan Chapman Born November 3, 1804 Married Phebe (Phoebe?) Mills on March 23, 1823 Married Emily Reed January 9, 1833 Mehitable Brown Chapman Finch was buried with John Finch in Riverside Cemetery Noblesville, Indiana (section G, Row 20 Marker #5)John Finch fathered 17 children, (from the time he was 23 up until his 51st year)1800 census indicated that John Finch was a resident of Seneca County, New York.In 1810, per census records, John Finch was a resident of Caldonia, Genesee County, New York.Was a blacksmith in the War of 1812.1813, Lived in North Bend, Ohio, where he purchased land adjacent to that of William J. Harrison. Known to have lived in Muncie, IN., Anderson, IN., Connersville, Indiana (abt. 1816-1819) and Noblesville, Hamilton County Indiana, where he moved his family in August of 1819.John settled on Horseshoe Prairie, six months following his brother, Solomon's arrival there. John Finch was one of the (2) first Associate Judges in Hamilton County, Indiana (the other being William Blackmore)He was Associate Judge 1823-1829 Probate & Common Pleas.Built the first mill in Hamilton County, which was run by horse-power, and known as "Finch's Horsemill". Started first Blacksmith shop in Hamilton County.Said to have been a "fine mechanic and good blacksmith". First sermon preached to white settlers, took place in the home of John Finch in 1820.Baptist services were held there until 1832, when John moved to Wayne Township, [Noblesville, IN.].The congregation met at his new home as well as other private residences, until John Connerdonated a lot on the corner of Ninth and Cherry Street. John Finch died September 25, 1849 (age 82) in Noblesville, Hamilton County, Indiana.Mehitable Brown (Chapman) Finch died November 18-24, 1846 in Noblesville, Hamilton Co., IN.Originally interred on his family farm, John Finch was later moved to Riverside Cemetery Noblesville, Hamilton County, Indiana along with his wife Mehitable Brown Chapman. (Sect.G, Row 20 Marker #4).Will dated January 26, 1841; probated January 12, 1850, Hamilton County, Indiana; "I give to my wife Mehitable household furniture, etc... To each of my children, Elizabeth Davidson, Sarah Palmer, Margaret Thompson, Rebecca Hall, Fabius M. Finch, Angeline Williams, ---- to my children, Jubal, John, Cyrus, Laura, and Hiram, H.G. and Fabius M. Executors."Note:John owned "Old Finch Farm" somewhere near the town of Noblesville, Hamilton County, Indiana.Finch Cemetery was located on that property and later, when the property sold to Alfred J. Sohl,several graves from that Finch cemetery were moved to Riverside cemetery in Noblesville.Skip to the Children of John Finch and (3) WivesSee: "History of The Formation, Settlement & Development Of Hamilton County" by Augustus Finch Shirts copyright 1901Hamilton County History & GenealogyHistory Of Durbin Elementary SchoolRiverside Cemetery Records

Birth: May 6, 1767
Death: Sep. 28, 1849
Spouses:
Mahettable Finch (____ - 1849)
Jemima Bruton Overton Finch (1775 - 1860)*
Children:
Aaron Overton Finch (1799 - 1858)*
Hiram Gregory Finch (1807 - 1879)*
Fabius Maximus Finch (1810 - 1900)*

Died Sept. 28, 1849
Aged 82 Y's. 4 Mo & 22 d.
Born May 6, 1767
Burial: Riverside Cemetery, Noblesville, Hamilton County, Indiana, USA
Plot: Sect. G, Row 20, Marker #4

John married Elizabeth Green in Aug 1789 in , Genesee, New York, USA. Elizabeth was born on 6 Jan 1766 in , , , USA; died in 1797 in , , , USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Birth: Feb 1740, Goshen, Orange, New York, USA

Notes:

Lived in the Pittston District, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. July 14, 1777, Isaac Finch purchased a mill seat on the Lackawanna River, from a committee of proprietors consisting of Abraham Harding, Daniel Cass and Isaiah Halstead. (The purchase amount was £130.) On February 12, 1790 a portion of this same land was sold by Isaac Finch to Dr, William Hooker
Smith, witnessed by Jesse Gardner and John Davidson. On July 3, 1778, at the time of the Wyoming Valley Massacre, Isaac Finch and family were said to have been in Pittston Fort (also known as "Fort Brown") which was located on the east side of the Susquehanna river. Per page 79 of "Historical Map of PA.", (published in 1875) Captain Jeremiah Blanchard commanded at Fort Brown where Isaac Finch was listed (among others) as an inmate. This account negates claims that Isaac was in Forty Fort, (on the west side of the Susquehanna river), during the battle. It is further believed that following the battle, Isaac Finch and family retreated to Orange County New York, where they took shelter with relatives residing there. On the day of the Wyoming Valley Massacre, Isaac Finch was considered a "defender" of Fort Brown, which according to DAR standards, qualifies him as having performed "Patriotic Service", though not "Military Service". In addition, after having relocated to New York, Isaac Finch is said to have provided monetary donations toward the war effort, which by DAR standards, also qualifies as an act of "Patriotic Service". Isaac Finch is believed to have died abt. 1790 in Wyoming Valley, Pittston Township, Luzerne County, PA. Quit claim dated February 16, 1790, deeds a portion of (deceased) Isaac Finch's mill seat from Samuel Finch of Kingston, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania to William Hooker Smith Esquire. On December 12, 1792, son, Isaac Kinney Finch was
appointed administrator of (this) Isaac Finch's estate. On March 29, 1793 the estate of Isaac Finch was officially closed, after a portion of the deceased Isaac's mill seat property was sold to son, Moses Finch of Minisink, New York. The burial site of Isaac Finch is to date, unknown.

Note:
Counter to the above, family sources indicate that Isaac Finch did indeed die July 3, 1778 in the Wyoming Valley Massacre, though though there is no official documentation to support this claim, nor is Isaac Finch's name included on the battle monument along Route 11, in Luzerne County, PA. Per "Flowing Stream" by Florence Finch Kelley, (page 5);
"... dates from 1778 and the Valley of the Wyoming, where then were living Isaac Finch, my great-grandfather, and his brother John and their families. They were both fighting with the Colonial troops and both were killed in the massacre when the prosperous little colony was attacked and ravaged by British and Indian forces, its inhabitants slaughtered, its homes burned, and those who were able to make their escape did so only by instant flight." (page 6) "...Amy Kinney, wife of Isaac, who, knowing that her husband had been killed in the massacre and that the
only safety for their children was in immediate escape, hurriedly bundled into a wagon her household goods and her nine sons, among them the six- months-old Solomon, who became my grandfather, and joined the flight of the few remaining colonists. They drove across country to the
Finger Lakes region in central New York, where lived other Finches." Per "Biographical And Reminiscent History Of Richland Clay And Marion Counties, Illinois 1909" (page 212); "On the 4th day of July, 1778, Amy Finch, The widow of Isaac Finch, with the aid of faithful servants, loaded her household effects into a wagon drawn by a pair of oxen, and with all the children, excepting Isaac Finch and Amy Finch, who were visiting in Massachusetts, prepared to fly from the recent scene of the bloody carnival. As the wagon was about to pull out, with all the household goods and children, a number of Indians seeing one of the servants standing by the wagon, with savage yells and flourishing
tomahawks, dashed out his brains, bespattering with blood and brains, the five-months-old baby of the deceased Isaac Finch and his widow, who was lying upon the bed clothing in the wagon. The name of this five-months-old baby was Solomon Finch, the last born. The widow of Isaac Finch, together with these children, then took their departure from the scene of the massacre, and after many days of tedious, tiresome and dangerous travel, made their way though swamp and wilderness for some three hundred miles to Genesee County, New York, where they were finally given shelter, food and clothing and abided until they were joined by the son and daughter who had gone on a visit to Massachusetts. They finally built them a house of logs and remained in this settlement for many years, and until the children were grown and married." A will, however, probated March 29, 1793, and administered by son, Isaac Kinney Finch, indicates that this Isaac Finch died between February 12, 1790 and December 1792 in Wyoming Valley,Pittston Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.

See:
"Biographical And Reminiscent History Of Richland Clay And Marion Counties, Illinois" 1909 (page 212)

Amy & Isaac Finch - another version
Posted 23 Jan 2023 by John Moore
Another account:

Isaac Finch and John Finch left their homes in the State of New York and settled in Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania, sometime previous to the Revolutionary war;
they engaged in the milling business in an extensive way; and when the Revolutionary war broke out they were each at the head of a large family.
Isaac Finch enlisted in the Revolutionary war, and John remained at home to look after the families of his brother Isaac and his own, and also their property ; they were then living in Wyoming Valley, at Fort Forty. Isaac Finch was killed in the battle of the Wyoming Massacre, July 3, 1778, and John and his entire family were massacred at the same time.

Unto Isaac Finch and Amy Finch, his wife, were born five sons and five daughters, and the names of these children were: Isaac, Moses, John, Enos, Amy, Rebecca, Sarah, Elizabeth, Mary and Solomon. On the 4th day of July, 1778, Amy Finch, the widow of Isaac Finch, with the aid of faithful servants, loaded her household effects into a wagon drawn by a pair of oxen, and with all the children, excepting Isaac Finch and Amy Finch, who were then visiting in Massachusetts, prepared to fly from the recent scene of the bloody carnival. As the wagon was about to pull out with the household goods and children, a number of Indians seeing one of the servants standing by the wagon, with savage yells and flourishing tomahawks rushed upon him and with their tomahawks dashed out his brains, bespattering with blood and brains the five-months-old baby of the deceased Isaac Finch and his widow, who was lying upon the bed-clothing in the wagon. The name of this five-months-old baby was Solomon Finch, the last born. The widow of Isaac Finch, together with these children, then took their departure from the scene of the massacre and after many days of tedious, tiresome and dangerous travel, made their way through swamp and wilderness for some three hundred miles to Genesee county, New York, where they were finally given shelter, food and clothing, and abided until they were joined by the son and daughter who had gone on the visit to Massachusetts. They finally built them a house of logs and remained in this settlement for some years, and until the children were grown and married.

It seems that all the children of Isaac and Amy Finch were married in this part of New York, except Solomon, who again returned to the scene of the battle where his father and other relatives had met their death, and there married a Sarah Gardner, whose father owned the battlefield on which had been fought the bloody battle of Wyoming, and here he was married, and soon afterward returned to Genesee county, New York, and joined his relatives. He was married on the 13th day of March, 1804.

Isaac Finch - Killed by Indians, or not?
Posted 23 Jan 2023 by John Moore

Lived in the Pittston District, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. July 14, 1777, Isaac Finch purchased a mill seat on the Lackawanna River, from a committee of proprietors consisting of Abraham Harding, Daniel Cass and Isaiah Halstead. (The purchase amount was £130.) On February 12, 1790 a portion
of this same land was sold by Isaac Finch to Dr, William Hooker Smith, witnessed by Jesse Gardner and John Davidson.
On July 3, 1778, at the time of the Wyoming Valley Massacre, Isaac Finch and family were said to have been in Pittston Fort (also known as "Fort Brown") which was located on the east side of the Susquehanna river. Per page 79 of "Historical Map of PA.", (published in 1875) Captain Jeremiah Blanchard commanded at Fort Brown where Isaac Finch was listed (among others) as an inmate. This account negates claims that Isaac was in Forty Fort, (on the west side of the Susquehanna river), during the battle.
It is further believed that following the battle, Isaac Finch and family retreated to Orange County New York, where they took shelter with relatives residing there. On the day of the Wyoming Valley Massacre, Isaac Finch was considered a "defender" of Fort Brown, which according to DAR standards, qualifies him as having performed "Patriotic Service", though not "Military Service". In addition, after having relocated to New York, Isaac Finch is said to have provided monetary donations toward the war effort, which by DAR standards, also qualifies as an act of "Patriotic Service".
Isaac Finch is believed to have died abt. 1790 in Wyoming Valley, Pittston Township, Luzerne County, PA.
Quit claim dated February 16, 1790, deeds a portion of (deceased) Isaac Finch's mill seat from Samuel Finch of Kingston, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania to William Hooker Smith Esquire.
On December 12, 1792, son, Isaac Kinney Finch was appointed administrator of (this) Isaac Finch's estate. On March 29, 1793 the estate of Isaac Finch was officially closed, after a portion of the deceased Isaac's mill seat property was sold to son, Moses Finch of Minisink, New York. The burial site of Isaac Finch is to date, unknown.



Note:
Counter to the above, family sources indicate that Isaac Finch did indeed die July 3, 1778 in the Wyoming Valley Massacre, though there is no official documentation to support this claim, nor is Isaac Finch's name included on the battle monument along Route 11, in Luzerne County, PA.
Per "Flowing Stream" by Florence Finch Kelley, (page 5);
"... dates from 1778 and the Valley of the Wyoming, where then were living Isaac Finch, my great-grandfather, and his brother John and their families. They were both fighting with the Colonial troops and both were killed in the massacre when the prosperous little colony was
attacked and ravaged by British and Indian forces, its inhabitants slaughtered, its homes burned, and those who were able to make their escape did so only by instant flight." (page 6) "...Amy Kinney, wife of Isaac, who, knowing that her husband had been killed in the massacre and that the only safety for their children was in immediate escape, hurriedly bundled into a wagon her household goods and her nine sons, among them the six- months-old Solomon, who became my grandfather, and joined the flight of the few remaining colonists. They drove across country to the Finger Lakes region in central New York, where lived other Finches."
Per "Biographical And Reminiscent History Of Richland Clay And Marion Counties, Illinois 1909" (page 212);
"On the 4th day of July, 1778, Amy Finch, The widow of Isaac Finch, with the aid of faithful servants, loaded her household effects into a wagon drawn by a pair of oxen, and with all the children, excepting Isaac Finch and Amy Finch, who were visiting in Massachusetts, prepared to fly from the recent scene of the bloody carnival. As the wagon was about to pull out, with all the household goods and children, a number of Indians seeing one of the servants standing by the wagon, with savage yells and flourishing tomahawks, dashed out his brains, bespattering with blood and brains, the five-months-old baby of the deceased Isaac Finch and his widow, who was lying upon the bed clothing in the wagon. The name of this five-months-old baby was Solomon Finch, the last born. The widow of Isaac Finch, together with these children, then took their departure from the scene of the massacre, and after many days of tedious, tiresome and dangerous travel, made their way through swamp and wilderness for some three hundred miles to Genesee County, New York, where they were finally given shelter, food and clothing and abided until they were joined by the son and daughter who had gone on a visit to Massachusetts. They finally built them a house of logs and remained in this settlement for many years, and until the
children were grown and married."


A will, however, probated March 29, 1793, and administered by son, Isaac Kinney Finch, indicates that this Isaac Finch died between February 12, 1790 and December 1792 in Wyoming Valley, Pittston Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.

See:
"Biographical And Reminiscent History Of Richland Clay And Marion Counties, Illinois" 1909 (page 212)
Battle Of Wyoming

Isaac married Amy Ann Kinney in Feb 1759 in Goshen, Orange, New York, USA. Amy was born on 17 Apr 1742 in , Orange, New York, USA; died on 1 Dec 1834 in Albion, Calhoun, Michigan, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

The will of Issac Finch, dated 15 June, 1748, probated 18 April 1749, as recorded in the Abstract of Wills - Liber 16, in the Collections of the New-York Historical Society for the year 1895 (New York: 1896), p. 214-5 is as follows:
"In the name of God, Amen, I, Isaac Finch, of Goshen, in Orange County, through the goodness of God, tho' weak in body, yet of sound mind.' I leave to my wife all debts due to me, and she is to pay all debts I owe; And she is to have the use of the best room in the house where I now dwell, and all household goods, and a horse and all live stock, except 3 cows and 7 sheep; And she shall have the use of the south east half of my homestead and 1/2 of the profits of my grist mill and saw mill and farm, all of which are to remain in her hands until my son Solomon is of age, and after that the other half is for him. If she marries she is to have 12 pounds, out of the household goods. After her death the personal property and the stock are to be divided between my sons, Abraham, Daniel, John, and Nathaniel, and my daughter Ruth. I leave to my son Solomon, 1/2 the homestead where I now live, taken square across on the south east end with the appurtenances. And 1/2 the grist mill and saw mill and stream and roads to and from the mills, and 1/2 of its utensils; Also my small gun, and a horse.
I leave to my son Samuel, my right in the mine tract which I purchased from Abijah Sans (Sands), lying at Mount Eve.
I leave to my daughter Ruth, 40 shillings and a cow, besides the household stuff already called hers.
I leave to my daughter Elizabeth a horse and some sheep, 'and a ten gallon Pot when her mother can spare it.'
I leave to my sons Abraham and Daniel, all my rights of land which I have by my father, Abraham Finch, lying in the Patent of Wawayanda, except my homestead. I leave to my three sons, 'my three horses running at Poehack.'
I leave to my sons John and Nathaniel all my rights of land which fell to me by my father, Abraham Finch, and my grandfather, Isaac Finch, in the bounds of Stanford in New England, and 'above the 8 mile line, in the tract called 8 mile and 4 mile." I leave to my son Isaac the northwest half of my homestead and 1/2 my mills, and my long gun, and I make him executor and trustee for my wife.
Dated June 15, 1748. Witnesses, James Butler, Timothy Wood, Anthony Carpenter. Proved, April 18, 1749."

Isaac married Martha Gould in 1714 in Goshen, Orange, New York, USA. Martha was born on 23 Jul 1703 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA; died in 1795 in Wilton, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

"Finch, Abraham, s. of Isaac.
Born at Stamford, 5 July 1665; m. Martha Couch, dau. of Simon of Fairfield.
He testified Sept. 1692 in the Clawson witch trial as Abraham Finch, Jr., ae. abt 26 (fn: Abraham Finch of Stamford was freed from training because of constant lameness, Mar. 1684/5."
He purchased land in Fairfield from James Newton, 7 Apr. 1696.
Martha Finch renewed her covenant at Fairfield Church, 6 Sept. 1696, and Abraham had children bapt. there:
Isaac, bapt. 13 Sept. 1696.
Elizabeth, bapt. 15 May 1698."

10 Mar 1684/5, Abraham Finch of Stamford freed from training because of lameness.
3 Dec 1686, Samuel Finch, Stamford, conveyed to brother Abraham of same.
Sept. 1692, testified in Clawson trial as Abraham Finch, Jr., age about 26.
15 Aug 1695, sold land to Samuel Blachley. The will of Isaac Finch, Stamford, dated 23 Nov. 1702, stated that he had given his son Abraham lands that Samuel Blachley now has.
6 Sep 1696, Martha Finch renewed her covenant at Christ Church, Fairfield, Connecticut, and children baptized there, Isaac, 13 Sep 1696 and Elizabeth, 15 May 1698.
27 Feb 1698/9, Abraham Finch of Stamford conveyed to Isaac Finch Jr. of same.
26 Dec 1699, name on list of assignement of lots.
Jan 1701, list showing worth of inhabitiants of Stamford shows Abraham and Abraham Jr.
6 May 1712, judgement against Abraham Finch on behalf of John Dunbar.
9 Mar 1714/5, Abraham Finch of Stamford, sold to James Weed of same, 12 acres.
31 July 1714, Abraham Finch, Samuel Seeley, and John Holley, all of Stamford, purchased grants in the Wawayanda Patent, Orange County, New York.
22 Aug 1715, Abraham Finch of Stamford sold to Isaac Quintard of same 3 acres with house. This was probably done in preparation to moving to Orange County, New York.
1716, Isaac Finch dies in Goshen, Orange County, New York, with burial in the First Presbyterian Churchyard, which is recorded as the first Church burial there.
17 Apr 1718, Martha Finch, widow and relict of Abraham Finch, deceased, of Goshen, who died intestate and Isaac Finch eldest son and heir of Abraham convey to John Everetts and Samuel Clawes of same province, undivided land in Goshen. Martha made her mark, Isaac signed.
1 Oct 1724, deed recorded in Goshen, made to Abraham Finch, deceased, dated July 1, 1714, by John Everetts and Henry Clawes of Jamaica, Long Island, to Abraham Finch of Stamford Colony.

References:
Thummel, ref no. 323, p.17-18.
Jacobus, Families
TAG
Mead, History
Huntington, History
Huntington, Registration
Scheuser, Tirst Extant Parish Records.
Ruttenber & Clark, History of Orange County, New York.
CSL, Probate Records.
M. P. Seese, A Tower of the Lord . . .
Orline St. John Alexander, St. John Genealogy

Transcript of Testimony at Elizabeth Clawson Witchcraft Trial
ABRAHAM FINCH - The strange light -"Two pry eies" - Cause of the "pricking".

Abraham Finch jun aged about 26 years.

The deponant saith that hee being a waching at with ye French girle at Daniell Wescoat house in the night I being laid on the bed the girle fell into a fite and fell crose my feet and then I looking up I sawe a light abut the bignes of my too hands glance along the sommer of the house to the harth ward, and afterwards I sawe it noe mor; and when Dauid Selleck brought a light into the room a littell space after the French garle cam to hirselfe againe. Wee ascked hir whie shee skreemed out when shee fell into her fit. Shee answered goodie Clawson cam in with two firy eies.

Furdermore the deponant saith that Dauid Selleck was that same night with him and being laid downe on the bed me nie the garle and I laye by the bed sid on the chest and Dauid Selleck starte up suddenly and I asked wt was ye matter with him and hee answered shee pricked mee and the French garle answered noe shee did not it was goodie Crump and then shee put her hand ouer the bed sid and said give mee that thing that you pricked Mr. Selleck with and I cached hold of her hand and found a pin in it and I took it away from her. The deponant saith that when the garl put her hand ouer the bed it was open and he looked very well in her hand and cold see nothing and before shee puled in her hand again shee had goten yt pin yt hee took from her.

This aboue written testor is redy when called to giue oath to the aboue
written testimony."

http://www.fullbooks.com/The-Witchcraft-Delusion-In-Colonial-Connectic2.html

Abraham married Martha Couch on 22 Dec 1687 in Greenwich, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. Martha was born on 13 Sep 1669 in Westport, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA; died on 8 Sep 1725 in Goshen, Orange, New York, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Isaac married Elizabeth Ann Bassett on 8 Oct 1658 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. Elizabeth was born in 1638 in New Haven, New Haven, Connecticut, USA; died on 9 Nov 1703 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]